3 Esdras 9

¹And Esdras rising up from before the court of the temple, went into the chamber of Ionathas the son of Nasabi.

²And lodging there he tasted no bread, nor drank water for the iniquity of the multitude.

³And there was proclamation made in all Jury, & in Jerusalem to all that were of the captivity gathered in Jerusalem,

⁴that whosoever shall not appear with in two or three days, according to the judgement of the ancients sitting upon it, their goods should be taken away, and himself should be judged an alien from the multitude of the captivity.

⁵And all were gathered that were of the tribe of Juda, and of Benjamin within three days in Jerusalem: this is the ninth month, the twentieth day of the month.

⁶And all the multitude sat in the court of the temple trembling, for the present winter.

⁷And Esdras rising up said to them: You have done unlawfully taking to you in marriage strange wives, that you might add to the sins of Israel.

⁸And now give confession, & magnificence to our Lord the God of our fathers:

⁹and accomplish his will, and depart from the nations of the land, and from your wives the strangers.

¹⁰And all the multitude cried, and they said with a loud voice: As thou hast said, we will do.

¹¹But because the multitude is great, and winter time, and we cannot stand in the air without succour: and this is a work for us not of one day, nor of two, for we have sinned much in these things:

¹²Let the rulers of the multitude stand, and that dwell with us, and as many as have with them foreign wives,

¹³and at a time appointed let the priests out of every place, and the judges assist, until they appease the wrath of our Lord concerning this business.

¹⁴And Ionathas the son of Ezeli, and Ozias of Thecam took upon them according to these words: and Bosoramus, and Levis, and Sabbathæus, wrought together with them.

¹⁵And all that were of the captivity stood according to all these things.

¹⁶And Esdras the priest chose unto him men the great princes of their fathers according to their names: & they sat together in the newmoon of the tenth month to examine this business.

¹⁷And they determined of the men that had outlandish wives, until the newmoon of the first month.

¹⁸And there were found of the priests intermingled that had outlandish wives.

¹⁹Of the sons of Iesus the son of Iosedec, and his brethren: Maseas, and Eleazarus, and Ioribus, and Ioadeus,

²⁰and they put to their hands to expel their wives: and to offer a ram to obtain pardon for their ignorance.

²¹And the sons of Semmeri: Maseas and Esses, Ieelech, and Azarias.

²²And of the children of

²³And of the Levites: Iorabdus, and Semeis, and Colnis, and Calitas, and Facteas, and Coluas, and Eliomas,

²⁴and of the sacred singing men, Eliasib, Zaccarus.

²⁵And of the porters, Salumus, and Tolbanes.

²⁶And of Israel: of the sons of Foro, Ozi, and Remias, and Geddias, & Melchias, and Michelus, Eleazarus, and Iammebias, and Bannas.

²⁷And of the sons of Iolaman: Chamas, and Zacharias, and Iezuelus, and Ioddius, and Erimoth, and Helias.

²⁸And of the sons of Zathoim: Eliadas, and Liasumus, Zochias, and Larimoth, & Zabdis, and Thebedias.

²⁹And of the sons of Zebes: I oannes, and Amanias, and Zabdias, and Emeus.

³⁰And of the sons of Banni: O lamus, & Maluchus, and Ieddeus, and Iasub, and Azabus, & Ierimoth.

³¹And of the sons of Addin: Nathus, and Moosias, & Caleus, and Raanas, Maaseas, Mathathias, and Beseel, and Bonnus, and Manasses.

³²And of the sons of Nuæ: Noneas, and Aseas, and Melchias, and Sameas, and Simon, Benjamin, and Malchus, and Marras.

³³And of the sons of Asom: Carianeus, Mathathias, & Bannus, & Eliphalach, and Manasses, and Semei.

³⁴And of the sons 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.

³⁵And of the sons of Nobei: Idelus, and Mathathias, and Sabadus, and Zecheda, Zedmi, and Iessei, Baneas.

³⁶All these married outlandish wives, and did put them away with their children.

³⁷And the Priests and the Levites, and they that were of Israel, dwelt in Jerusalem, and in the whole country in the newmoon of the seventh month. And the children of Israel were in their habitations.

³⁸And all the multitude was gathered together into the court, which is on the east of the sacred gate:

³⁹and they said to Esdras the high priest, and reader, that he should bring the law of Moyses, which was delivered of our Lord the God of Israel.

⁴⁰And Esdras the high priest brought the law to all the multitude of them from man unto woman, and to all the priests to hear the law in the newmoon of the seventh month.

⁴¹And he read in the court, which is before the sacred gate of the temple, from break of day until evening before men and women. And they all gave their mind to the law.

⁴²And Esdras the priest, and reader of the law stood upon a tribunal of wood, which was made.

⁴³And by him stood Mathathias, and Samus, and Ananias, Azarias, Urias, Ezechias, and Balsamus on the right hand,

⁴⁴and on the left Faldeus, Misael, Malachias, Ambusthas, Sabus, Nabadias, and Zacharias.

⁴⁵And Esdras took the book before all the multitude: for he was chief in glory in the sight of all.

⁴⁶And when he had ended the law, they stood all upright: and Esdras blessed our Lord the most high God, the God of Sabaoth omnipotent.

⁴⁷And all the people answered: Amen. And lifting up their hands falling on the ground, they adored our Lord.

⁴⁸Iesus and Banæus, and Sarebias, and Iaddimus, and Accubus, and Sabbathæus, and Calithes, & Azarias, and Ioradus, and Ananias, and Philias Levites,

⁴⁹who taught the law of our Lord, and read the same in the multitude, & every one preferred them that understood the lesson.

⁵⁰And Atharathes said to Esdras the high priest and the reader, and to the Levites, that taught the multitude,

⁵¹saying: This day is sanctified to our Lord. And they all wept, when they had heard the law.

⁵²And Esdras said, departing therefore eat ye all the fattest things, & drink all most sweet things, and send gifts to them that have not.

⁵³For this is the holy day of our Lord, & be not sad. For our Lord will glorify you.

⁵⁴And the Levites denounced openly to all, saying: This day is holy, be not sad.

⁵⁵And they went all to eat, and drink, and make merry, and to give gifts to them that had not, that they might make merry, for they were exceedingly exalted with the words that they were taught.

⁵⁶And they were all gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate the joy, according to the testament of our Lord the God of Israel.