Esdras 10

ARC · Chapter 10/10

1E orando Esdras assim, e fazendo esta confissão, chorando, e prostrando-se diante da casa de Deus, ajuntou-se a elle d'Israel uma mui grande congregação, de homens e de mulheres, e de crianças; porque o povo chorava com grande choro.

2Então respondeu Sechanias, filho de Jehiel, um dos filhos de Elam, e disse a Esdras: Nós temos transgredido contra o nosso Deus, e casámos com mulheres estranhas do povo da terra, mas, no tocante a isto, ainda ha esperança para Israel.

3Agora pois façamos concerto com o nosso Deus de que despediremos todas as mulheres, e tudo o que é nascido d'ellas, conforme ao conselho do Senhor, e dos que tremem ao mandado do nosso Deus; e faça-se conforme a lei.

4Levanta-te, pois, porque te pertence este negocio, e nós seremos comtigo; esforça-te, e obra.

5Então Esdras se levantou, e ajuramentou os maioraes dos sacerdotes e dos levitas, e a todo o Israel, de que fariam conforme a esta palavra, e juraram.

6E Esdras se levantou de diante da casa de Deus, e entrou na camara de Johanan, filho de Eliasib: e, vindo lá, pão não comeu, e agua não bebeu; porque estava annojado pela transgressão dos do captiveiro.

7E fizeram passar pregão por Judah e Jerusalem, e todos os que vieram do captiveiro, para que se ajuntassem em Jerusalem.

8E que todo aquelle que em tres dias não viesse, segundo o conselho dos principes e dos anciãos, toda a sua fazenda se poria em interdicto, e elle seria separado da congregação dos do captiveiro.

9Então todos os homens de Judah e Benjamin em tres dias se ajuntaram em Jerusalem: era o nono mez, no dia vinte do mez: e todo o povo se assentou na praça da casa de Deus, tremendo por este negocio e por causa das grandes chuvas.

10Então se levantou Esdras, o sacerdote, e disse-lhes: Vós tendes transgredido, e casastes com mulheres estranhas, multiplicando o delicto d'Israel.

11Agora pois fazei confissão ao Senhor Deus de vossos paes; e fazei a sua vontade; e apartae-vos dos povos das terras, e das mulheres estranhas.

12E respondeu toda a congregação, e disseram em altas vozes: Assim seja, conforme ás tuas palavras nos convem fazer.

13Porém o povo é muito, e tambem é tempo de grandes chuvas, e não se pode estar aqui fóra: nem é obra d'um dia nem de dois, porque somos muitos os que transgredimos n'este negocio.

14Ora ponham-se os nossos principes, por toda a congregação sobre este negocio; e todos os que em nossas cidades casaram com mulheres estranhas venham em tempos apontados, e com elles os anciãos de cada cidade, e os seus juizes, até que desviemos de nós o ardor da ira do nosso Deus, por esta causa.

15Porém sómente Jonathan, filho d'Asael, e Jehazias, filho de Tikva, se pozeram sobre este negocio: e Mesullam, e Sabbethai, levita, os ajudaram.

16E assim o fizeram os que tornaram do captiveiro: e apartaram-se o sacerdote Esdras e os homens, cabeças dos paes, segundo a casa de seus paes, e todos pelos seus nomes; e assentaram-se no primeiro dia do decimo mez, para inquirirem n'este negocio.

17E acabaram-n'o com todos os homens que casaram com mulheres estranhas, até ao primeiro dia do primeiro mez.

18E acharam-se dos filhos dos sacerdotes que casaram com mulheres estranhas: dos filhos de Josué, filho de Josadak, e seus irmãos, Maaseias, e Eliezer, e Jarib, e Gadalias.

19E deram a sua mão de que despediriam suas mulheres: e, achando-se culpados, offereceram um carneiro do rebanho pelo seu delicto.

20E dos filhos d'Immer: Hanani, e Zabadias.

21E dos filhos d'Harim: Maaseias, e Elias, e Semaias, e Jehiel, e Uzias.

22E dos filhos de Pashur: Elioenai, Maseias, Ishmael, Nathanel, Jozabad, e Elasa.

23E dos levitas: Jozabad, e Simei, e Kelaias (este é Kelitas), Pethahias, Judah, e Eliezer.

24E dos cantores: Eliasib: e dos porteiros: Sallum, e Telem, e Uri.

25E d'Israel, dos filhos de Paros: Ramias, e Jezias, e Malchias, e Miamin, e Eleazer, e Malchias, e Benaias.

26E dos filhos d'Elam: Matthanias, Zacharias, e Jehiel, e Abdi, e Jeremoth, e Elias.

27E dos filhos de Zattu: Elioenai Eliasib, Matthanias, e Jeremoth, e Zabad, e Aziza.

28E dos filhos de Bebai: Johanan, Hananias, Zabbai, Athlai.

29E dos filhos de Bani: Mesullam, Malluch, e Adaias, Jasub, e Seal, Jeremoth.

30E dos filhos de Pahath-moab: Adna, e Chelal, Benaias, Maseias, Matthanias, Besaleel, e Binnui, e Manasseh.

31E dos filhos d'Harim: Eliezer, Jesias, Malchias, Semaias, Simeão,

32Benjamin, Malluch, Semarias.

33Dos filhos d'Hasum: Mathnai, Matthattha, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, Simei.

34Dos filhos de Bani: Maadai, Amram, e Uel,

35Benaias, Bedias, Cheluhi,

36Vanias, Meremoth, Eliasib,

37Matthanias, Mathnai, e Jaasai,

38E Bani, e Binnui, Simei,

39E Selemias, e Nathan, e Adaias,

40Machnadbai, Sasai, Sarai,

41Azareel, e Selemias, Semarias,

42Sallum, Amarias, José.

43Dos filhos de Nebo: Jeiel, Mattithias, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel, e Benaias.

44Todos estes tomaram mulheres estranhas: e alguns d'elles tinham mulheres de quem alcançaram filhos.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

The people gather, confess their failure, and agree to separate from the foreign wives who were promoting idolatry. A commission is formed to investigate case by case, and the book ends with the list of the men involved in this separation.

Explanation

This is one of the most difficult chapters in the Bible because it deals with a painful decision: the breaking up of marriages and families to restore the people's faithfulness to their covenant with God. It's important to understand the context: the central concern was not xenophobia, but the idolatry these unions were introducing, threatening to repeat the mistakes that had led to the exile. The process was carried out with care — not impulsively, but with individual investigation over the course of months, led by representatives of the people. The text ends abruptly, without a comfortable emotional resolution, making clear that faithfulness to God sometimes demands costly, communal decisions.

Fun facts

  • The investigation process took about three months (from the tenth month to the first month of the following year), showing that, despite the spiritual urgency, there was careful process rather than impulsive haste.
  • The final list of names, including priests and Levites, shows that the problem had reached even the religious leadership, reinforcing why the correction needed to begin with them.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Esdras 10:1Ezra's public prayer moves the people: an entire crowd, men, women, and children, joins him, weeping openly in the temple square.
  2. Esdras 10:2A man named Shechaniah speaks up and acknowledges the collective wrong, but points to a way forward: even with all this, he believes there is still hope for the people.
  3. Esdras 10:3Shechaniah proposes a covenant: sending away the foreign wives and the children born to them, following what he calls the counsel of the Lord. It is a harsh proposal, put forward by the people themselves, without the text explaining all the practical details of how this would be carried out for the families involved.
  4. Esdras 10:4Shechaniah urges Ezra to act, promising the people's support — the hard decision needed someone to lead it, and he recognizes that person is Ezra.
  5. Esdras 10:5Ezra has the religious leaders and all the people swear publicly that they will carry out what they had just decided together.
  6. Esdras 10:6Ezra withdraws alone and begins a complete fast, eating no bread and drinking no water, overwhelmed by the gravity of what he had just discovered.
  7. Esdras 10:7An official announcement is spread throughout the region, calling everyone who had returned from exile to gather in Jerusalem.
  8. Esdras 10:8The summons came with a serious penalty: whoever failed to appear within three days would forfeit his goods and be formally cut off from the congregation of those who had returned from exile.
  9. Esdras 10:9The people gather in the public square, trembling both because of the seriousness of the matter and because of the heavy rain of the season. The scene shows a decision made under emotional and physical strain at the same time, not as a cold procedure.
  10. Esdras 10:10Before the assembled crowd, Ezra publicly confirms the accusation, making clear the size of the problem that needed to be solved.
  11. Esdras 10:11He asks the people for a public confession followed by concrete action: separating themselves both from the customs of these peoples and from the marriages already made with them.
  12. Esdras 10:12The people agree with one voice, accepting Ezra's proposal with no apparent resistance, at least at this first moment.
  13. Esdras 10:13Someone points out that the process will take time: many families are involved, and the heavy rain made it impractical to settle everything at once, right there, out in the open.
  14. Esdras 10:14The practical solution proposed is to decentralize the process: each city would handle its own cases, with the support of local leaders and judges.
  15. Esdras 10:15The text records that not everyone agreed with the method chosen — a small group stood against the process that was set, without it being clear exactly what their objection was.
  16. Esdras 10:16The process actually begins to be carried out, with Ezra and the family leaders meeting city by city from the first day of the tenth month onward to investigate each case.
  17. Esdras 10:17The whole investigation takes about three months to complete, working through the cases of marriage to foreign women one by one.
  18. Esdras 10:18The list of those who need to separate from their foreign wives begins precisely with the priests, including close relatives of the high priest Jeshua himself.
  19. Esdras 10:19These priests formally commit themselves, giving their hands on it, and also offer a ram as a sacrifice for their own guilt, following the custom of the time for seeking forgiveness.
  20. Esdras 10:20From the priestly family of Immer, only two names appear on the list this time: Hanani and Zebadiah.
  21. Esdras 10:21Five priests from the family of Harim enter the list, the largest priestly group named in this particular count.
  22. Esdras 10:22Six more priests, from the family of Pashur, complete the roll of those who needed to settle their own situation.
  23. Esdras 10:23Among the Levites there are cases too: six men are named, including Kelaiah, also identified here by the nickname Kelita.
  24. Esdras 10:24Even among the temple singers and porters, roles tied directly to worship, the problem had happened too — no one was exempt.
  25. Esdras 10:25Here the list moves on to the common people, beginning with the family of Parosh, the same one that opened the great census back in chapter 2, now with seven specific names.
  26. Esdras 10:26Six men from the family of Elam are named, one more chapter in the story of this family, already told in round numbers before.
  27. Esdras 10:27Six names from the family of Zattu complete one more group in this closing list of the book.
  28. Esdras 10:28Four men from the family of Bebai, a name that had also appeared among the leaders who came with Ezra in chapter 8.
  29. Esdras 10:29Six names from the extensive family of Bani, one of the largest groups both on this list and in the general census in chapter 2.
  30. Esdras 10:30Eight men from the family of Pahath-moab, one of the largest individual lists in this closing chapter.
  31. Esdras 10:31Five men from the lay family of Harim, a name that also existed among the priests, but here it is a different group, with no direct kinship.
  32. Esdras 10:32Three more names follow on the list, including a man named simply Benjamin, with no clear indication of which family he belonged to.
  33. Esdras 10:33Seven men from the family of Hashum close out one more group within this long final roll of resolved cases.
  34. Esdras 10:34Here another family named Bani appears again, distinct from the one named before, showing how names repeated across different clans of Israel.
  35. Esdras 10:35The list of the family of Bani continues with three more names, following the pattern of bare proper names, with no numbers or comments.
  36. Esdras 10:36Three more names follow, still within the same family group named in the previous verses.
  37. Esdras 10:37The list continues without a break, each name representing an individual case resolved during the three-month investigation.
  38. Esdras 10:38Three more men appear here, probably still connected to the same extended family mentioned a few verses back.
  39. Esdras 10:39The roll of names continues, with no special distinction beyond the plain record of who had committed to settling the situation.
  40. Esdras 10:40Three names that appear only in this specific list, with no other mention anywhere else in the Bible.
  41. Esdras 10:41Three more names all but close out this long roll of individual cases.
  42. Esdras 10:42Three final names before the list moves on to the last family mentioned in the chapter.
  43. Esdras 10:43The list ends with the family of Nebo, a town whose residents had also appeared among the first to return from exile, back in chapter 2.
  44. Esdras 10:44The final list names the men who had married foreign women, and the book ends by noting, without comment, that some of them already had children by these wives. The text simply records the fact and closes there, without describing what became of the separated families.

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