Esdras fasting for the sinnes of the people, commandeth that they
separate al strange wemen from them. 18. The Priestes and Leuites, which
had offended herein, are recited. 38 He readeth the law before the
people: 48 certaine doe expound to the multitudes in seueral places.
52 And so they are dismissed with ioy.
AND Esdras rysing vp from before the court of the temple, went into the
chamber of Ionathas the sonne of Nasabi. (1 Esd 10:6) 2 And lodging
there he tasted no bread, nor dranke water for the iniquitie of the
multitude. 3 And there was proclamation made in al Iurie, & in Ierusalem
to al that were of the captiuitie gathered in Ierusalem, 4 that whosoeuer
shal not appeare with in two or three dayes, according to the iudgement
of the ancients sitting vpon it, their goods should be taken away, and
himselfe should be iudged an alien from the multitude of the captiuitie.
5 And al were gathered that were of the tribe of Iuda, and of Beniamin
within three dayes in Ierusalem: this is the ninth moneth, the twentith
day of the moneth. 6 And al the multitude sate in the court of the
temple trembling, for the present winter. 7 And Esdras rysing vp sayd to
them: You haue done vnlawfully taking to you in mariage strang wiues,
that you might adde to the sinnes of Israel. 8 And now geue confession,
& magnificence to our Lord the God of our fathers: 9 and accomplish his
wil, and depart from the nations of the land, and from your wiues the
strangers. 10 And al the multitude cried, and they sayd with a lowde
voice: As thou hast sayd, we wil doe. 11 But because the multitude is
great, and winter time, and we can not stand in the ayre without succour:
and this is a worke for vs not of one day, nor of two, for we haue sinned
much in these thinges: 12 Let the rulers of the multitude stand, and
that dwel with vs, and as manie as haue with them forreine wiues, 13 and
at a time appointed let the priestes out of euerie place, and the iudges
assist, vntil they appeaze the wrath of our Lord concerning this busines.
14 And Ionathas the sonne of Ezeli, and Ozias of Thecam tooke vpon them
according to these wordes: and Bosoramus, and Leuis, and Sabbathaeus,
wrought together with them. 15 And al that were of the captiuitie stood
according to al these thinges. 16 And Esdras the priest chose vnto him
men the great princes of their fathers according to their names: & they
sate together in the newmoone of the tenth moneth to examine this
busines. 17 And they determined of the men that had outlandish wiues,
vntil the newmoone of the first moneth. 18 And there were found of the
priestes entermingled that had outlandish wiues. 19 Of the sonnes of
Iesus the sonne of Iosedec, and his brethren: Maseas, and Eleazarus, and
Ioribus, and Ioadeus, 20 and they put to their handes to expel their
wiues: and to offer a ramme to obtayne pardon for their ignorance.
21 And the sonnes of Semmeri: Maseas and Esses, Ieelech, and Azarias.
22 And of the children of Fofere: Limosias, Hismaenis, and Nathanee,
Iussio, Reddus, and Thalsas. 23 And of the Leuites: Iorabdus, and
Semeis, and Colnis, and Calitas, and Facteas, and Coluas, and Eliomas,
24 and of the sacred singing men, Eliasib, Zaccarus. 25 And of the
porters, Salumus, and Tolbanes. 26 And of Israel: of the sonnes of
Foro, Ozi, and Remias, and Geddias, & Melchias, and Michelus, Eleazarus,
and Iammebias, and Bannas. 27 And of the sonnes of Iolaman: Chamas, and
Zacharias, and Iezuelus, and Ioddius, and Erimoth, and Helias. 28 And of
the sonnes of Zathoim: Eliadas, and Liasumus, Zochias, and Larimoth, &
Zabdis, and Thebedias. 29 And of the sonnes of Zebes: Ioannes, and
Amanias, and Zabdias, and Emeus. 30 And of the sonnes of Banni: Olamus,
& Maluchus, and Ieddeus, and Iasub, and Azabus, & Ierimoth. 31 And of
the sonnes of Addin: Nathus, and Moosias, & Caleus, and Raanas, Maaseas,
Mathathias, and Beseel, and Bonnus, and Manasses. 32 And of the sonnes
of Nuae: Noneas, and Aseas, and Melchias, and Sameas, and Simon,
Beniamin, and Malchus, and Marras. 33 And of the sonnes of Asom:
Carianeus, Mathathias, & Bannus, & Eliphalach, and Manasses, and Semei.
34 And of the sonnes of Banni: Ieremias, and Moadias, and Abramus, &
Iohel, and Baneas, & Pelias, and Ionas, and Marimoth, & Eliasib, and
Matheneus, and Eliasis, and Orizas, and Dielus, and Semedius, & Zambris,
and Iosephus. 35 And of the sonnes of Nobei: Idelus, and Mathathias,
and Sabadus, and Zecheda, Zedmi, and Iessei, Baneas. 36 Al these maried
outlandish wiues, and did put them away with their children. 37 And the
Priestes and the Leuites, and they that were of Israel, dwelt in
Ierusalem, and in the whole countrie in the newmoone of the seuenth
moneth. And the children of Israel were in their habitations. 38 And al
the multitude was gathered together into the court, which is on the east
of the sacred gate: 39 and they sayd to Esdras the high priest, and
reader, that he should bring the law of Moyses, which was deliuered of
our Lord the God of Israel. 40 And Esdras the high priest brought the
law to al the multitude of them from man vnto woman, and to al the
priestes to heare the law in the newmoone of the seuenth moneth. 41 And
he read in the court, which is before the sacred gate of the temple, from
breake of day vntil euening before men and wemen. And they al gaue their
minde to the law. 42 And Esdras the priest, and reader of the law stoode
vpon a tribunal of wood, which was made. 43 And by him stood Mathathias,
and Samus, and Ananias, Azarias, Vrias, Ezechias, and Balsamus on the
right hand, 44 and on the left Faldeus, Misael, Malachias, Ambusthas,
Sabus, Nabadias, and Zacharias. 45 And Esdras tooke the booke before al
the multitude: for he was chiefe in glorie in the sight of al. 46 And
when he had ended the law, they stood al vpright: and Esdras blessed our
Lord the most high God, the God of Sabaoth omnipotent. 47 And al the
people answered: Amen. And lifting vp their handes falling on the
ground, they adored our Lord. 48 Iesus and Banaeus, and Sarebias, and
Iaddimus, and Accubus, and Sabbathaeus, and Calithes, & Azarias, and
Ioradus, and Ananias, and Philias Leuites, 49 who taught the law of our
Lord, and read the same in the multitude, & euerie one preferred them
that vnderstood the lesson. 50 And Atharathes sayd to Esdras the high
priest and the reader, and to the Leuites, that taught the multitude,
51 saying: This day is sancitified to our Lord. And they al wept, when
they had heard the law. 52 And Esdras sayd, departing therfore eate ye
al the fattest thinges, & drinke al most swete things, and send giftes to
them that haue not. 53 For this is the holy day of our Lord, & be not
sad. For our Lord wil glorifie you. 54 And the Leuites denounced openly
to al, saying: This day is holie, be not sad. 55 And they went al to
eate, and drinke, and make merie, and to geue giftes to them that had
not, that they might make merie, for they were excedingly exalted with
the wordes that they were taught. 56 And they were al gathered in
Ierusalem to celebrate the ioy, according to the testament of our Lord
the God of Israel.