A. C. 458. 457. * Or, kind 29 Watch ye, and keep them, until ye weigh them before the chief of the priests and the Levites, and chief of the fathers of Israel, at Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of the LORD. 30 So took the priests and the Levites the weight of the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, to bring them to Jerusalem unto the house of our God. 31 Then we departed from the river of Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go unto Jerusalem: and the hand of our God was upon us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy, and of such as lay in wait by the way. 32 And we came to Jerusalem, and abode there three days. 33¶Now on the fourth day was the silver and the gold and the vessels weighed in the house of our God by the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest; and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas; and with them was Jozabad the son of Jeshua, and Noadiah the son of Binnui, Levites. 34 By number and by weight of every one: and all the weight was written at that time. 35 Also the children of those that had been carried away, which were come out of the captivity, offered burnt offerings unto the God of Israel, twelve bullocks for all Israel, ninety and six rams, seventy and seven lambs, twelve he goats for a sin offering: all this was a burnt offering unto the LORD. 36 And they delivered the king's commissions unto the king's lieutenants, and to the governors on this side the river: and they furthered the people, and the house of God. SECTION V. Esther made Queen of Persia. ESTHER II. LATTER PART OF VER. 15-21. And Esther obtained favour in the sight of all them that looked upon her. 16 So Esther was taken unto king Ahasuerus into his house royal in the tenth month, which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign. 17 And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and favour + in his sight more than all + Heb. before the virgins; so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti. ness. him. 18 Then the king made a great feast unto all his princes and his servants, even Esther's feast; and he made a re- A.C. 457. lease to the provinces, and gave gifts, according to the state of the king. Heb, rest 19 And when the virgins were gathered together the second time, then Mordecai sat in the king's gate. 20 Esther had not yet shewed her kindred nor her people; as Mordecai had charged her: for Esther did the commandment of Mordecai, like as when she was brought up with him. SECTION VI. Reformation by Ezra. EZRA IX. 1 Ezra mourneth for the affinity of the people with strangers. 5 He prayeth unto God with confession of sins. 1 Now when these things were done, the princes came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, doing according to their abominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. 2 For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands: yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass. 3 And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down astonied. 4 Then were assembled unto me every one that trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the transgression of those that had been carried away; and I sat astonied until the evening sacrifice. tion. 5 ¶ And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my +heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, tor, aftic. I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the LORD my God, 6 And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto Or, guilti the heavens. 7 Since the days of our fathers have we been in a great trespass unto this day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, and our priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to a spoil, and to confusion of face, as it is this day. ness. A. C. 457. * Heb. moment. 8 And now for a little space grace hath been shewed from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us + a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bonabode: So Is. dage. + Or, a pin: that is, a constant and sure xxii. 23. up. 9 For we were bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up Heb. to set the house of our God, and ‡ to repair the desolations thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem. Heb. by the hand of thy servants. 10 And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? for we have forsaken thy commandments, 11 Which thou hast commanded § by thy servants the prophets, saying, The land, unto which ye go to possess it, is an unclean land with the filthiness of the people of the Heb. from lands, with their abominations, which have filled it || from one end to another with their uncleanness. mouth to mouth: as 2 Kings xxi. 16. f Ex. xxiii. 3. 12 Now therefore give not your daughters unto their 32. Deut. vii. sons, neither take their daughters unto your sons, nor seek their peace or their wealth for ever: that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children for ever. withheld be 13 And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass, seeing that thou our God hast neath our ini punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and hast given us such deliverance as this; quities. 14 Should we again break thy commandments, and join affinity with the people of these abomninations? wouldest not thou be angry with us till thou hadst consumed us, so that there should be no remnant nor escaping? 15 O LORD God of Israel, thou art righteous: for we remain yet escaped, as it is this day: behold, we are before thee in our trespasses: for we cannot stand before thee because of this. EZRA X. 1 Shechaniah encourageth Ezra to reform the strange marriages. 6 Ezra mourning assembleth the people. 9 The people, at the exhortation of Ezra, repent, and promise amendment. 15 The care to perform it. 18 The names of them whe had married strange wives. 1 Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel, a very great congregation of men and women and children: for the + Heb. went a people + wept very sore. great weeping 2 And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said unto Ezra, We have trespassed A. C. 457. against our God, and have taken strange wives of the poople of the land: yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing. bring forth. 3 Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God *to put away all the wives, and such as are born of them, Heb. to according to the counsel of my lord, and of those that tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law. 4 Arise; for this matter belongeth unto thee: we also will be with thee: be of good courage, and do it. 5 Then arose Ezra, and made the chief priests, the Levites, and all Israel, to swear that they should do according to this word. And they sware. 6¶Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Johanan the son of Eliashib : and when he came thither, he did eat no bread, nor drink water: for he mourned because of the transgression of them that had been carried away. 7 And they made proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem unto all the children of the captivity, that they should gather themselves together unto Jerusalem; 8 And that whosoever would not come within three days, according to the counsel of the princes and the elders, all his substance should be forfeited, and himself separated + Heb de from the congregation of those that had been carried away. voted. 9 ¶ Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered themselves together unto Jerusalem within three days. It was the ninth month, and the twentieth day of the month; and all the people sat in the street of the house of God, trembling because of this matter, and for the great rain. 10 And Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them, Ye have transgressed, and § have taken strange wives, to in- Heb. have crease the trespass of Israel. 11 Now therefore make confession unto the LORD God of your fathers, and do his pleasure: and separate yourselves from the people of the land, and from the strange wives. 12 Then all the congregation answered and said with a loud voice, As thou hast said, so must we do. 1 Heh, the showers. caused to 13 But the people are many, and it is a time of much rain, and we are not able to stand without, neither is this a work of one day or two: for || we are many that have trans- | Or, we have gressed in this thing. greatly offended in this 14 Let now our rulers of all the congregation stand, and thing. let all them which have taken strange wives in our cities come at appointed times, and with them the elders of every A. C. 457. city, and the judges thereof, until the fierce wrath of our God for this matter be turned from us. * Or, till this matter be dispatched. * 15 Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahaziab the Heb. stood. son of Tikvah + were employed about this matter: and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite helped them. 16 And the children of the captivity did so. And Ezra the priest, with certain chief of the fathers, after the house of their fathers, and all of them by their names, were separated, and sat down in the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter. 17 And they made an end with all the men that had taken strange wives by the first day of the first month. 18¶And among the sons of the priests there were found that had taken strange wives: namely, of the sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren; Maaseiah, and Eliezer, and Jarib, and Gedaliah. 19 And they gave their hands that they would put away their wives; and being guilty, they offered a ram of the flock for their trespass. 20 And of the sons of Immer; Hanani, and Zebadiah. 21 And of the sons Harim; Maaseiah, and Elijah, and Shemaiah, and Jehiel, and Uzziah. 22 And of the sons of Pashur; Elioenai, Masseiah, Ishmael, Nethaneel, Jozabad, and Elasah. 23 Also of the Levites; Jozabad, and Shimei, and Kelaiah, (the same is Kelita,) Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer, 24 Of the singers also; Eliashib: and of the porters; Shallum, and Telem, and Uri. 25 Moreover of Israel: of the sons of Parosh; Ramiah, and Jeziah, and Malchiah, and Miamin, and Eleazar, and Malchijah, and Benaiah, 26 And of the sons of Elam; Mattaniah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, and Abdi, and Jeremoth, and Eliah. 27 And of the sons of Zattu; Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, and Jeremoth, and Zabad, and Aziza. 28 Of the sons also of Bebai; Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai. 29 And of the sons of Bani; Meshullam, Malluch, and Adaiah, Jashub, and Sheal, and Ramoth. 30 And of the sons of Pahath-moab; Adna, and Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezaleel, and Binnui, and Manasseh, 31 And of the sons of Harim; Eliezer, Ishijah, Malchiah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, 32 Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah. 33 Of the sons of Hashum; Mattenai, Mattathah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei. |