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.
5
And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, 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 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.
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 bondage.
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 the house of our God, and to repair the desolations thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.
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 lands, with their abominations, which have filled it from one end to another with their uncleanness.
12
Now therefore give not your daughters unto their 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.
13
And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass, seeing that thou our God hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and hast given us such deliverance as this;
14
Should we again break thy commandments, and join in affinity with the people of these abominations? 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.
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 people wept very sore.
2
And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said unto Ezra, We have trespassed against our God, and have taken strange wives of the people of the land: yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing.
3
Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives, and such as are born of them, 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 from the congregation of those that had been carried away.
9
Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered themselves together unto Jerusalem within three days. It was the ninth month, on 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 increase 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.
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 transgressed in this thing.
14
Let now our rulers of all the congregation stand, and let all them which have taken strange wives in our cities come at appointed times, and with them the elders of every city, and the judges thereof, until the fierce wrath of our God for this matter be turned from us.
15
Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahaziah the 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 of Harim; Maaseiah, and Elijah, and Shemaiah, and Jehiel, and Uzziah.
22
And of the sons of Pashur; Elioenai, Maaseiah, 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 Pahathmoab; 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.
34
Of the sons of Bani; Maadai, Amram, and Uel,
35
Benaiah, Bedeiah, Chelluh,
36
Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib,
37
Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasau,
38
And Bani, and Binnui, Shimei,
39
And Shelemiah, and Nathan, and Adaiah,
40
Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,
41
Azareel, and Shelemiah, Shemariah,
42
Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph.
43
Of the sons of Nebo; Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jadau, and Joel, Benaiah.
44
All these had taken strange wives: and some of them had wives by whom they had children.
1
At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus,
2
And said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead; and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him.
3
For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife.
4
For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her.
5
And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.
6
But when Herod's birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod.
7
Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask.
8
And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist's head in a charger.
9
And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath's sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given her.
10
And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison.
11
And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother.
12
And his disciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus.
13
When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart: and when the people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities.
14
And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.
15
And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals.
16
But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat.
17
And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes.
18
He said, Bring them hither to me.
19
And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.
20
And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.
21
And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.
22
And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.
23
And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.
24
But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.
25
And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.
26
And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.
27
But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.
28
And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.
29
And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
30
But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
31
And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
32
And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.
33
Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.
34
And when they were gone over, they came into the land of Gennesaret.
35
And when the men of that place had knowledge of him, they sent out into all that country round about, and brought unto him all that were diseased;
36
And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole.
