New King James Version (NKJV)

Resistance to Rebuilding the Temple

1 Now whenthe adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the descendants of the captivity were building the temple of theLordGod of Israel,

2 they came to Zerubbabel and the heads of the fathers’houses,and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we seek your God as youdo;and we have sacrificed to Himsince the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.”

3 But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of the fathers’housesof Israel said to them,“You may do nothing with us to build a house for our God; but we alone will build to theLordGod of Israel, asKing Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.”

4 Thenthe people of the land tried to discourage the people of Judah. They troubled them in building,

5 and hired counselors against them to frustrate their purpose all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign ofDarius king of Persia.

Rebuilding of Jerusalem Opposed

6 In the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.

7 In the days ofArtaxerxes also, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabel, and the rest of their companions wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the letterwaswritten inAramaic script, and translated into the Aramaic language.

8 Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes in this fashion:

9 From Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions—representativesofthe Dinaites, the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the people of Persia and Erech and Babylon and Shushan, the Dehavites, the Elamites,

10 and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnapper took captive and settled in the cities of Samaria and the remainder beyond the River —and so forth.

11 (Thisisa copy of the letter that they sent him)

To King Artaxerxes from your servants, the menoftheregionbeyond the River, and so forth:

12 Let it be known to the king that the Jews who came up from you have come to us at Jerusalem, and are building therebellious and evil city, and are finishingitswalls and repairing the foundations.

13 Let it now be known to the king that, if this city is built and the walls completed, they will not paytax, tribute, or custom, and the king’s treasury will be diminished.

14 Now because we receive support from the palace, it was not proper for us to see the king’s dishonor; therefore we have sent and informed the king,

15 that search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers. And you will find in the book of the records and know that this cityisa rebellious city, harmful to kings and provinces, and that they have incited sedition within the city in former times, for which cause this city was destroyed.

16 We inform the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are completed, the result will be that you will have no dominion beyond the River.

17 The king sent an answer:

To Rehum the commander,toShimshai the scribe,tothe rest of their companions who dwell in Samaria, andtothe remainder beyond the River:

Peace, and so forth.

18 The letter which you sent to us has been clearly read before me.

19 And I gave the command, and a search has been made, and it was found that this city in former times has revolted against kings, and rebellion and sedition have been fostered in it.

20 There have also been mighty kings over Jerusalem, who haveruled over alltheregionbeyond the River; and tax, tribute, and custom were paid to them.

21 Now give the command to make these men cease, that this city may not be built until the command is given by me.

22 Take heed now that you do not fail to do this. Why should damage increase to the hurt of the kings?

23 Now when the copy of King Artaxerxes’ letterwasread before Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went up in haste to Jerusalem against the Jews, and by force of arms made them cease.

24 Thus the work of the house of God whichisat Jerusalem ceased, and it was discontinued until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

Restoration of the Temple Resumed

1 Then the prophetHaggai andZechariah the son of Iddo, prophets, prophesied to the Jews whowerein Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel,whowasover them.

2 SoZerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak rose up and began to build the house of God whichisin Jerusalem; andthe prophets of Godwerewith them, helping them.

3 At the same timeTattenai the governor oftheregionbeyond the River and Shethar-Boznai and their companions came to them and spoke thus to them:“Who has commanded you to build this temple and finish this wall?”

4 Then, accordingly, we told them the names of the men who were constructing this building.

5 Butthe eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, so that they could not make them cease till a report could go to Darius. Then awritten answer was returned concerning thismatter.

6 This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai sent:

# The governor oftheregionbeyond the River, and Shethar-Boznai,and his companions, the Persians whowereintheregionbeyond the River, to Darius the king.

7 (They sent a letter to him, in which was written thus)

To Darius the king:

All peace.

8 Let it be known to the king that we went into the province of Judea, to the temple of the great God, which is being built with heavy stones, and timber is being laid in the walls; and this work goes on diligently and prospers in their hands.

9 Then we asked those elders,andspoke thus to them:“Who commanded you to build this temple and to finish these walls?”

10 We also asked them their names to inform you, that we might write the names of the men whowerechief among them.

11 And thus they returned us an answer, saying: “We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel builtand completed.

12 Butbecause our fathers provoked the God of heaven to wrath, He gave them into the hand ofNebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean,whodestroyed this temple andcarried the people away to Babylon.

13 However, in the first year ofCyrus king of Babylon, King Cyrus issued a decree to build this house of God.

14 Also,the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple thatwasin Jerusalem and carried into the temple of Babylon—those King Cyrus took from the temple of Babylon, and they were given toone named Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor.

15 And he said to him, ‘Take these articles; go, carry them to the templesitethatisin Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt on its former site.’

16 Then the same Sheshbazzar cameandlaid the foundation of the house of God whichisin Jerusalem; but from that time even until now it has been under construction, andit is not finished.”

17 Now therefore, ifitseemsgood to the king,let a search be made in the king’s treasure house, whichisthere in Babylon, whether it issothat a decree was issued by King Cyrus to build this house of God at Jerusalem, and let the king send us his pleasure concerning thismatter.

The Decree of Darius

1 Then King Darius issued a decree,and a search was made in the archives, where the treasures were stored in Babylon.

2 And at Achmetha, in the palace thatisin the province ofMedia, a scroll was found, and in it a recordwaswritten thus:

3 In the first year of King Cyrus, King Cyrus issued adecreeconcerningthe house of God at Jerusalem: “Let the house be rebuilt, the place where they offered sacrifices; and let the foundations of it be firmly laid, its height sixty cubitsandits width sixty cubits,

4 withthree rows of heavy stones and one row of new timber. Let theexpenses be paid from the king’s treasury.

5 Also letthe gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple whichisin Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, be restored and taken back to the temple whichisin Jerusalem,eachto its place; and depositthemin the house of God”—

6 Nowtherefore,Tattenai, governor oftheregionbeyond the River, and Shethar-Boznai, and your companions the Persians whoarebeyond the River, keep yourselves far from there.

7 Let the work of this house of God alone; let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews build this house of God on its site.

8 Moreover I issue a decreeastowhat you shall do for the elders of these Jews, for the building of this house of God: Let the cost be paid at the king’s expense from taxesontheregionbeyond the River; this is to be given immediately to these men, so that they are not hindered.

9 And whatever they need—young bulls, rams, and lambs for the burnt offerings of the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, and oil, according to the request of the priests whoarein Jerusalem—let it be given them day by day without fail,

10 that they may offer sacrifices of sweet aroma to the God of heaven, and pray for the life of the king and his sons.

11 Also I issue a decree that whoever alters this edict, let a timber be pulled from his house and erected, and let him be hanged on it;and let his house be made a refuse heap because of this.

12 And may the God who causes Hisname to dwell there destroy any king or people who put their hand to alter it, or to destroy this house of God which is in Jerusalem. I Darius issue a decree; let it be done diligently.

The Temple Completed and Dedicated

13 Then Tattenai, governor oftheregionbeyond the River, Shethar-Boznai, and their companions diligently did according to what King Darius had sent.

14 So the elders of the Jews built, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they built and finishedit,according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the command ofCyrus,Darius, andArtaxerxes king of Persia.

15 Now the temple was finished on the third day of the month of Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.

16 Then the children of Israel, the priests and the Levites and the rest of the descendants of the captivity, celebratedthe dedication of this house of God with joy.

17 And theyoffered sacrifices at the dedication of this house of God, one hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and as a sin offering for all Israel twelve male goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel.

18 They assigned the priests to theirdivisions and the Levites to theirdivisions, over the service of God in Jerusalem,as it is written in the Book of Moses.

The Passover Celebrated

19 And the descendants of the captivity kept the Passoveron the fourteenthdayof the first month.

20 For the priests and the Levites hadpurified themselves; all of themwererituallyclean. And theyslaughtered the Passoverlambsfor all the descendants of the captivity, for their brethren the priests, and for themselves.

21 Then the children of Israel who had returned from the captivity ate together with all who had separated themselves from thefilth of the nations of the land in order to seek theLordGod of Israel.

22 And they kept theFeast of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy; for theLordmade them joyful, andturned the heartof the king of Assyria toward them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.

The Arrival of Ezra

1 Now after these things, in the reign ofArtaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra theson of Seraiah,the son of Azariah, the son ofHilkiah,

2 the son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub,

3 the son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth,

4 the son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki,

5 the son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest—

6 this Ezra came up from Babylon; and hewasa skilled scribe in the Law of Moses, which theLordGod of Israel had given. The king granted him all his request,according to the hand of theLordhis God upon him.

7 Someof the children of Israel, the priests,the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers, andthe Nethinim came up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes.

8 And Ezra came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, whichwasin the seventh year of the king.

9 On the firstdayof the first month he beganhisjourney from Babylon, and on the firstdayof the fifth month he came to Jerusalem,according to the good hand of his God upon him.

10 For Ezra had prepared his heart toseek the Law of theLord, and to doit,and toteach statutes and ordinances in Israel.

The Letter of Artaxerxes to Ezra

11 Thisisa copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave Ezra the priest, the scribe, expert in the words of the commandments of theLord, and of His statutes to Israel:

12 Artaxerxes,king of kings,

To Ezra the priest, a scribe of the Law of the God of heaven:

# Perfectpeace,and so forth.

13 I issue a decree that all those of the people of Israel and the priests and Levites in my realm, who volunteer to go up to Jerusalem, may go with you.

14 And whereas you are being sent by the king and hisseven counselors to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, with regard to the Law of your God whichisin your hand;

15 andwhereasyouareto carry the silver and gold which the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel,whose dwellingisin Jerusalem;

16 andwhereasall the silver and gold that you may find in all the province of Babylon, along with the freewill offering of the people and the priests,aretobefreely offered for the house of their God in Jerusalem—

17 now therefore, be careful to buy with this money bulls, rams, and lambs, with theirgrain offerings and their drink offerings, andoffer them on the altar of the house of your God in Jerusalem.

18 And whatever seems good to you and your brethren to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, do it according to the will of your God.

19 Also the articles that are given to you for the service of the house of your God, deliver in full before the God of Jerusalem.

20 And whatever more may be needed for the house of your God, which you may have occasion to provide, payforitfrom the king’s treasury.

21 And I,evenI, Artaxerxes the king, issue a decree to all the treasurers whoareintheregionbeyond the River, that whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven, may require of you, let it be done diligently,

22 up to one hundred talents of silver, one hundred kors of wheat, one hundred baths of wine, one hundred baths of oil, and salt without prescribed limit.

23 Whatever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it diligently be done for the house of the God of heaven. For why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons?

24 Also we inform you that it shall not be lawful to impose tax, tribute, or custom on any of the priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, Nethinim, or servants of this house of God.

25 And you, Ezra, according to your God-given wisdom,set magistrates and judges who may judge all the people whoareintheregionbeyond the River, all such as know the laws of your God; andteach those who do not knowthem.

26 Whoever will not observe the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily on him, whetheritbedeath, or banishment, or confiscation of goods, or imprisonment.

27 BlessedbetheLordGod of our fathers,who has putsuchathingas this in the king’s heart, to beautify the house of theLordwhichisin Jerusalem,

28 andhas extended mercy to me before the king and his counselors, and before all the king’s mighty princes.

# So I was encouraged, asthe hand of theLordmy Godwasupon me; and I gathered leading men of Israel to go up with me.

Heads of Families Who Returned with Ezra

1 Thesearethe heads of their fathers’houses,andthisisthe genealogy of those who went up with me from Babylon, in the reign of King Artaxerxes:

2 of the sons of Phinehas, Gershom; of the sons of Ithamar, Daniel; of the sons of David,Hattush;

3 of the sons of Shecaniah, of the sons ofParosh, Zechariah; and registered with himwereone hundred and fifty males;

4 of the sons ofPahath-Moab, Eliehoenai the son of Zerahiah, and with him two hundred males;

5 of the sons of Shechaniah, Ben-Jahaziel, and with him three hundred males;

6 of the sons of Adin, Ebed the son of Jonathan, and with him fifty males;

7 of the sons of Elam, Jeshaiah the son of Athaliah, and with him seventy males;

8 of the sons of Shephatiah, Zebadiah the son of Michael, and with him eighty males;

9 of the sons of Joab, Obadiah the son of Jehiel, and with him two hundred and eighteen males;

10 of the sons of Shelomith, Ben-Josiphiah, and with him one hundred and sixty males;

11 of the sons ofBebai, Zechariah the son of Bebai, and with him twenty-eight males;

12 of the sons of Azgad, Johanan the son of Hakkatan, and with him one hundred and ten males;

13 of the last sons of Adonikam, whose namesarethese—Eliphelet, Jeiel, and Shemaiah—and with them sixty males;

14 also of the sons of Bigvai, Uthai and Zabbud, and with them seventy males.

Servants for the Temple

15 Now I gathered them by the river that flows to Ahava, and we camped there three days. And I looked among the people and the priests, and found none of thesons of Levi there.

16 Then I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, andMeshullam, leaders; also for Joiarib and Elnathan, men of understanding.

17 And I gave them a command for Iddo the chief man at the place Casiphia, and I told them what they should say to Iddoandhis brethren the Nethinim at the place Casiphia—that they should bring us servants for the house of our God.

18 Then, by the good hand of our God upon us, theybrought us a man of understanding, of the sons of Mahli the son of Levi, the son of Israel, namely Sherebiah, with his sons and brothers, eighteen men;

19 andHashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, his brothers and their sons, twenty men;

20 also of the Nethinim, whom David and the leaders had appointed for the service of the Levites, two hundred and twenty Nethinim. All of them were designated by name.

Fasting and Prayer for Protection

21 Then Iproclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we mighthumble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him theright way for us and our little ones and all our possessions.

22 ForI was ashamed to request of the king an escort of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the road, because we had spoken to the king, saying,“The hand of our Godisupon all those forgood who seek Him, but His power and His wrathareagainst all those whoforsake Him.”

23 So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and Heanswered our prayer.

Gifts for the Temple

24 And I separated twelve of the leaders of the priests—Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brethren with them—

25 and weighed out to themthe silver, the gold, and the articles, the offering for the house of our God which the king and his counselors and his princes, and all Israelwhowerepresent, had offered.

26 I weighed into their hand six hundred and fifty talents of silver, silver articlesweighingone hundred talents, one hundred talents of gold,

27 twenty gold basinswortha thousand drachmas, and two vessels of fine polished bronze, precious as gold.

28 And I said to them, “Youareholy to theLord; the articlesareholy also; and the silver and the goldarea freewill offering to theLordGod of your fathers.

29 Watch and keepthemuntil you weighthembefore the leaders of the priests and the Levites andheads of the fathers’housesof Israel in Jerusalem,inthe chambers of the house of theLord.”

30 So the priests and the Levites received the silver and the gold and the articles by weight, to bringthemto Jerusalem to the house of our God.

The Return to Jerusalem

31 Then we departed from the river of Ahava on the twelfthdayof the first month, to go to Jerusalem. Andthe hand of our God was upon us, and He delivered us from the hand of the enemy and from ambush along the road.

32 So wecame to Jerusalem, and stayed there three days.

33 Now on the fourth day the silver and the gold and the articles wereweighed in the house of our God by the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest, and with himwasEleazar the son of Phinehas; with themwerethe Levites,Jozabad the son of Jeshua and Noadiah the son of Binnui,

34 with the numberandweight of everything. All the weight was written down at that time.

35 The children of those who had beencarried away captive, who had come from the captivity,offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel: twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, and twelve male goatsasa sin offering. Allthiswasa burnt offering to theLord.

36 And they delivered the king’sorders to the king’s satraps and the governorsintheregionbeyond the River. So they gave support to the people and the house of God.

Intermarriage with Pagans

1 When these things were done, the leaders came to me, saying, “The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have notseparated themselves from the peoples of the lands,with respect to the abominations of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.

2 For they havetaken some of their daughtersaswivesfor themselves and their sons, so that theholy seed ismixed with the peoples ofthoselands. Indeed, the hand of the leaders and rulers has been foremost in this trespass.”

3 So when I heard this thing,I tore my garment and my robe, and plucked out some of the hair of my head and beard, and sat downastonished.

4 Then everyone whotrembled at the words of the God of Israel assembled to me, because of the transgression of those who had been carried away captive, and I sat astonished until theevening sacrifice.

5 At the evening sacrifice I arose from my fasting; and having torn my garment and my robe, I fell on my knees andspread out my hands to theLordmy God.

6 And I said: “O my God, I am tooashamed and humiliated to lift up my face to You, my God; forour iniquities have risen higher thanourheads, and our guilt hasgrown up to the heavens.

7 Since the days of our fathers to this daywehavebeenvery guilty, and for our iniquitieswe, our kings,andour priests have been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to thesword, to captivity, to plunder, and tohumiliation, asitisthis day.

8 And now for a little while grace has beenshownfrom theLordour God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a peg in His holy place, that our God mayenlighten our eyes and give us a measure of revival in our bondage.

9 For wewereslaves.Yet our God did not forsake us in our bondage; butHe extended mercy to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to revive us, to repair the house of our God, to rebuild its ruins, and to give usa wall in Judah and Jerusalem.

10 And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken Your commandments,

11 which You commanded by Your servants the prophets, saying, ‘The land which you are entering to possess is an unclean land, with theuncleanness of the peoples of the lands, with their abominations which have filled it from one end to another with their impurity.

12 Now therefore,do not give your daughters as wives for their sons, nor take their daughters to your sons; andnever seek their peace or prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good of the land, andleaveitas an inheritance to your children forever.’

13 And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, since You our Godhave punished us less than our iniquitiesdeserve,and have given ussuchdeliverance as this,

14 should weagain break Your commandments, andjoin in marriage with the peoplecommittingthese abominations? Would You not beangry with us until You had consumedus,so thattherewouldbeno remnant or survivor?

15 OLordGod of Israel,Youarerighteous, for we are left as a remnant, asitisthis day.Here wearebefore You,in our guilt, though no one can stand before You because of this!”

Confession of Improper Marriages

1 Nowwhile Ezra was praying, and while he was confessing, weeping, and bowing downbefore the house of God, a very large assembly of men, women, and children gathered to him from Israel; for the people wept verybitterly.

2 And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel,oneof the sons of Elam, spoke up and said to Ezra, “We havetrespassed against our God, and have taken pagan wives from the peoples of the land; yet now there is hope in Israel in spite of this.

3 Now therefore, let us makea covenant with our God to put away all these wives and those who have been born to them, according to the advice of my master and of those whotremble atthe commandment of our God; and let it be done according to thelaw.

4 Arise, forthismatterisyourresponsibility.We alsoarewith you.Be of good courage, and doit.”

5 Then Ezra arose, and made the leaders of the priests, the Levites, and all Israelswear an oath that they would do according to this word. So they swore an oath.

6 Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib; andwhenhe came there, heate no bread and drank no water, for he mourned because of the guilt of those from the captivity.

7 And they issued a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the descendants of the captivity, that they must gather at Jerusalem,

8 and that whoever would not come within three days, according to the instructions of the leaders and elders, all his property would be confiscated, and he himself would be separated from the assembly of those from the captivity.

9 So all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered at Jerusalem within three days. Itwasthe ninth month, on the twentieth of the month; andall the people sat in the open square of the house of God, trembling because ofthismatter and because of heavy rain.

10 Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have transgressed and have taken pagan wives, adding to the guilt of Israel.

11 Now therefore,make confession to theLordGod of your fathers, and do His will;separate yourselves from the peoples of the land, and from the pagan wives.”

12 Then all the assembly answered and said with a loud voice, “Yes! As you have said, so we must do.

13 Buttherearemany people;itisthe season for heavy rain, and we are not able to stand outside. Noristhisthe work of one or two days, fortherearemany of us who have transgressed in this matter.

14 Please, let the leaders of our entire assembly stand; and let all those in our cities who have taken pagan wives come at appointed times, together with the elders and judges of their cities, untilthe fierce wrath of our God is turned away from us in this matter.”

15 Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahaziah the son of Tikvah opposed this, andMeshullam and Shabbethai the Levite gave them support.

16 Then the descendants of the captivity did so. And Ezra the priest,withcertainheads of the fathers’households,were set apart by the fathers’ households, each of them by name; and they sat down on the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter.

17 By the first day of the first month they finishedquestioningall the men who had taken pagan wives.

Pagan Wives Put Away

18 And among the sons of the priests who had taken pagan wivesthefollowingwere found of the sons ofJeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brothers: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah.

19 And theygave their promise that they would put away their wives; andbeingguilty,theypresenteda ram of the flock as theirtrespass offering.

20 Also of the sons of Immer: Hanani and Zebadiah;

21 of the sons of Harim: Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah;

22 of the sons of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah.

23 Also of the Levites: Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (the sameisKelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.

24 Also of the singers: Eliashib; and of the gatekeepers: Shallum, Telem, and Uri.

25 And others of Israel: of thesons of Parosh: Ramiah, Jeziah, Malchiah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malchijah, and Benaiah;

26 of the sons of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Eliah;

27 of the sons of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, and Aziza;

28 of thesons of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai,andAthlai;

29 of the sons of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal,andRamoth;

30 of thesons of Pahath-Moab: Adna, Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and Manasseh;

31 ofthe sons of Harim: Eliezer, Ishijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon,

32 Benjamin, Malluch,andShemariah;

33 of the sons of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh,andShimei;

34 of the sons of Bani: Maadai, Amram, Uel,

35 Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluh,

36 Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib,

37 Mattaniah, Mattenai, Jaasai,

38 Bani, Binnui, Shimei,

39 Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah,

40 Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,

41 Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah,

42 Shallum, Amariah,andJoseph;

43 of the sons of Nebo: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel,andBenaiah.

44 All these had taken pagan wives, andsomeof them had wivesbywhomthey had children.