9 Now when these things were completed, the sarim came to me, saying, HaAm Yisroel, and the Kohanim, and the Levi’im, have not separated themselves from the Am HaAretz, doing according to their abominations, even of the Kena’ani, the Chitti, the Perizzi, the Yevusi, the Ammoni, the Moavi, the Egyptians, and the Emori.

² For they have taken of their banot for themselves, and for their banim, so that the zera hakodesh have mingled themselves with the Am HaAretz; yea, the yad of the sarim (princes) and officials hath been chief in this trespass.

³ And when I heard this thing, I made keriah of my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down appalled.

⁴ Then were assembled around me every one that trembled at the Divrei Elohei Yisroel, because of the transgression of those of the Golus; and I sat appalled until the minchat haerev.

⁵ And at the minchat haerev I arose up from my abasement, and having made the keriah of my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto Hashem Elohai,

⁶ And davened, O Elohai, I am ashamed and am disgraced to lift up my face to thee, Elohai, for avonoteinu are increased over our head, and ashmateinu (our guilt) is reached up unto Shomayim.

⁷ Since the days of Avoteinu have we been in a great trespass unto this day; and for avonoteinu have we, our melachim, and our Kohanim, been delivered into the hand of the melachim of the lands, to the cherev, to captivity, and to spoil, and to humiliation of face, as it is this day.

⁸ And now for a little space grace hath been shown from Hashem Eloheinu, to leave us to escape a she’ar (remnant), and to give us a peg in his Makom Kodesh, that Eloheinu may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage.

⁹ For we were avadim; yet Eloheinu hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended chesed unto us in the sight of the Melachim of Paras (Persia), to give us a reviving, to set up the Beis Eloheinu, and to repair the ruins thereof, and to give us a wall in Yehudah and in Yerushalayim.

¹⁰ And now, O Eloheinu, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken Thy mitzvot,

¹¹ Which Thou hast commanded by Thy avadim the nevi’im, saying, HaAretz, unto which ye go to possess it, is an eretz niddah (unclean land) with the filthiness of the Am HaAretz, with their abominations, which have filled it from one end to another with their tum’a.

¹² Now therefore give not your banot unto their banim, neither take their banot unto your banim, nor further their shalom or their prosperity ad olam, that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the land and leave it for your banim ad olam.

¹³ And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great guilt, seeing that Thou Eloheinu hast punished us less than avoneinu deserve, and hast given us such deliverance as this,

¹⁴ Should we again break Thy mitzvot, and join in affinity with the people of these to’evot (abominations)? Wouldest not Thou be angry with us till Thou hadst consumed us, so that there should be no she’erit (remnant) nor escaping?

¹⁵ Hashem Elohei Yisroel, Thou art tzaddik; for we remain yet escaped, as it is this day; hineni, we are before Thee in our guilt, though we cannot stand before Thee because of it.

10 Now while Ezra was davening and making vidduy, weeping and prostrating himself before the Beis HaElohim, a Kahal rav me’od, anashim, nashim, and yeladim, gathered to him from Yisroel, for the people wept bitterly.

² And Shechanyah ben Yechiel, of the Bnei Elam, answered and said to Ezra, We have been unfaithful to Eloheinu, have married foreign am ha’aretz women; yet now there is mikveh for Yisroel in spite of this.

³ So now let us make a Brit with Eloheinu to put away all nashim and that born of them, according to the counsel of Adonoi and the charedim at the mitzvot of Eloheinu; and let it be done according to the Torah.

⁴ Arise! For this matter is your responsibility; but we will be with you; chazak and act.

⁵ Then Ezra rose and made the leading Kohanim, the Levi’im, and kol Yisroel take an oath that they would do according to this proposal; so they took the oath.

⁶ Then Ezra arose from before the Beis HaElohim and went into the chamber of Yehochanan ben Elyashiv. Although he went there, he did not eat lechem, nor drink water, for he was mourning over the unfaithfulness of those of the Golus.

⁷ And they issued a proclamation throughout Yehudah and Yerushalayim to all the Banim of the Golus, that they should assemble at Yerushalayim

⁸ And that whoever would not come within three days, according to the counsel of the sarim and the zekenim, all his possessions should be forfeited and he himself excluded from the Kahal of those of the Golus.

⁹ So all the men of Yehudah and Benyamin assembled at Yerushalayim within the three days. It was the ninth month on the twentieth of the month, and kol HaAm sat in the rechov before the Beis HaElohim, distressed by the occasion and the heavy rain.

¹⁰ Then Ezra HaKohen stood up and said to them, You have been unfaithful and have married foreign women adding to Ashmat Yisroel.

¹¹ Now, therefore, make confession to Hashem Elohei Avoteichem and do His will; separate yourselves from the am ha’aretz and from the foreign women.

¹² Then Kol HaKahal answered and said with a kol gadol, Ken! As you have said, so it is our duty to do.

¹³ But there are Am rav, it is the rainy season, and we are not able to stand bachotz (outside). Nor can the matter be done in one or two days, for we have transgressed greatly in this matter.

¹⁴ Let our leaders represent the Kol HaKahal and let all those in our towns who have married foreign women come at appointed times, together with the ziknei ir and shofetim of each town until the charon af Eloheinu on account of this matter is turned away from us.

¹⁵ Only Yonatan ben Asah’el and Yachzeyah ben Tikvah supported by Meshulam and Shabtai the Levi stood opposed.

¹⁶ But the Banim of the Golus did so. And Ezra HaKohen selected anashim who were Rashei HaAvot for each of their father’s households, all of them by shemot. So they convened on the first day of the tenth month to investigate the matter.

¹⁷ And they finished investigating all men who had married foreign women by the 1st day of the 1st month.

¹⁸ And among the Bnei HaKohanim who had married foreign women were found of the Bnei Yeshua ben Yotzadak, and his brothers; Ma’aseiyah, Eliezer, Yariv, and Gedalyah.

¹⁹ And they pledged to put away their women, and being guilty, they offered a ram of the flock for their asham.

²⁰ And of the Bnei Immer there were Chanani and Zevadyah;

²¹ and of the Bnei of Charim; Ma’aseiyah, Eliyah, Shemayah, Yechiel, and Uzziyah;

²² and of the Bnei of Pashchur; Elyoeinai, Ma’aseiyah, Yishmael, Netanel, Yozavad, and Elasah.

²³ And of Levi’im there were Yozavad, Shimei, Kelayah (that is, Kelita), Petachyah, Yehudah, and Eliezer.

²⁴ And of the singers there was Elyashiv; and of the gatekeepers; Shallum, Telem, and Uri.

²⁵ And of Yisroel, of the Bnei of Parosh there were Ramyah, Yizziyah, Malchiyah, Miyamin, Eleazar, Malkiyah, and Benayah;

²⁶ And of the Bnei Elam; Mattanyah, Zecharyah, Yechi’el, Avdi, Yeremot, and Eliyah;

²⁷ And of the Bnei Zattu; Elyoeinai, Elyashiv, Mattanyah, Yeremot, Zavad, and Aziza;

²⁸ And of the Bnei Bevai; Yehochanan, Chananyah, Zabbai, and Atlai;

²⁹ And of the Bnei Bani; Meshullam, Malluch, and Adayah, Yashuv, Sheal, and Ramot;

³⁰ And of the Bnei Pachat-Moav; Adna, Kelal, Benayah, Ma’aseiyah, Mattanyah, Betzalel, Binnui, and Menasheh;

³¹ And of the Bnei Charim; Eliezer; Yishiyah, Malkiyah, Shemayah, Shim’on,

³² Benyamin, Malluch, and Shemaryah;

³³ Of the Bnei of Chashum; Matnai, Mattattah, Zavad, Eliphelet, Yeremai, Manasheh, and Shimei;

³⁴ Of the Bnei Bani; Ma’adai, Amram, U’el,

³⁵ Benayah, Bedyah, Keluhi,

³⁶ Vanyah, Meremot, Elyashiv,

³⁷ Mattanyah, Mattnai, Ya’asai,

³⁸ Bani, Binnui, Shimei,

³⁹ Shelemyah, Natan, Adayah,

⁴⁰ Machnavdai, Shashai, Sharai,

⁴¹ Azarel, Shelemyah, Shemaryah,

⁴² Shallum, Amaryah, and Yosef.

⁴³ Of the Bnei Nevo there were Ye’iel, Mattityah, Zavad, Zevina, Yadai, Yoel, and Benayah.

⁴⁴ All these had taken foreign women, and some of them wives by whom they had banim.