Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have been unfaithful; you have married foreign women, adding to Israel’s guilt. New Living Translation Then Ezra the priest stood and said to them: “You have committed a terrible sin. By marrying pagan women, you have increased Israel’s guilt. English Standard Version And Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have broken faith and married foreign women, and so increased the guilt of Israel. Berean Standard Bible Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have been unfaithful by marrying foreign women, adding to the guilt of Israel. King James Bible And Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them, Ye have transgressed, and have taken strange wives, to increase the trespass of Israel. New King James Version Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have transgressed and have taken pagan wives, adding to the guilt of Israel. New American Standard Bible Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have been unfaithful and have married foreign wives, adding to the guilt of Israel. NASB 1995 Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have been unfaithful and have married foreign wives adding to the guilt of Israel. NASB 1977 Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have been unfaithful and have married foreign wives adding to the guilt of Israel. Legacy Standard Bible Then Ezra the priest arose and said to them, “You have been unfaithful and have married foreign wives adding to the guilt of Israel. Amplified Bible Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have been unfaithful [to God] and have married foreign (pagan) women, adding to the guilt of Israel. Christian Standard Bible Then the priest Ezra stood up and said to them, “You have been unfaithful by marrying foreign women, adding to Israel’s guilt. Holman Christian Standard Bible Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have been unfaithful by marrying foreign women, adding to Israel’s guilt. American Standard Version And Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them, Ye have trespassed, and have married foreign women, to increase the guilt of Israel. Contemporary English Version Ezra the priest stood up and said: You have broken God's Law by marrying foreign women, and you have made the whole nation guilty! English Revised Version And Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them, Ye have trespassed, and have married strange women, to increase the guilt of Israel. GOD'S WORD® Translation Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, "You have been unfaithful by marrying foreign women, and now you have added to Israel's guilt. Good News Translation Ezra the priest stood up and spoke to them. He said, "You have been faithless and have brought guilt on Israel by marrying foreign women. International Standard Version Ezra the priest stood up and spoke to them, "You have sinned by marrying foreign wives, thereby increasing the transgressions of Israel. NET Bible Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, "You have behaved in an unfaithful manner by taking foreign wives! This has contributed to the guilt of Israel. New Heart English Bible Ezra the priest stood up, and said to them, "You have trespassed, and have married foreign women, to increase the guilt of Israel. Webster's Bible Translation And Ezra the priest stood up, and said to them, Ye have transgressed, and have taken foreign wives to increase the trespass of Israel. Majority Text Translations Majority Standard BibleThen Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have been unfaithful by marrying foreign women, adding to the guilt of Israel. World English Bible Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have trespassed, and have married foreign women, increasing the guilt of Israel. Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionAnd Ezra the priest rises and says to them, “You have trespassed, and you settle strange women, to add to the guilt of Israel; Young's Literal Translation And Ezra the priest riseth, and saith unto them, 'Ye -- ye have trespassed, and ye settle strange women, to add to the guilt of Israel; Smith's Literal Translation And Ezra the priest will rise up and say to them, Ye transgressed, and ye will dwell with strange wives to add upon the guilt of Israel. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleAnd Esdras the priest stood up, and said to them: You have transgressed, and taken strange wives, to add to the sine of Israel. Catholic Public Domain Version And Ezra, the priest, rose up, and he said to them: “You have transgressed, and you have taken foreign wives, so that you added to the offenses of Israel. New American Bible Then Ezra, the priest, stood up and said to them: “Your apostasy in taking foreign women as wives has added to Israel’s guilt. New Revised Standard Version Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have trespassed and married foreign women, and so increased the guilt of Israel. Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleThen Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, You have transgressed against God, and have taken foreign wives, and thus increased the sins of Israel. Peshitta Holy Bible Translated And Azra the Priest stood and said to them: “You have denied God and you have taken foreign wives and you have added to the sins of Israel. OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917And Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them: 'Ye have broken faith, and have married foreign women, to increase the guilt of Israel. Brenton Septuagint Translation And Esdras the priest arose, and said to them, Ye have broken covenant, and have taken strange wives, to add to the trespass of Israel. Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context The People's Confession of Sin…9So within the three days, all the men of Judah and Benjamin assembled in Jerusalem, and on the twentieth day of the ninth month, all the people sat in the square at the house of God, trembling regarding this matter and because of the heavy rain. 10Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have been unfaithful by marrying foreign women, adding to the guilt of Israel. 11Now, therefore, make a confession to the LORD, the God of your fathers, and do His will. Separate yourselves from the people of the land and from your foreign wives.”… Cross References Nehemiah 13:23-27 In those days I also saw Jews who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. / Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod or of the other peoples, but could not speak the language of Judah. / I rebuked them and called down curses on them. I beat some of these men and pulled out their hair. Then I made them take an oath before God and said, “You must not give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take their daughters as wives for your sons or for yourselves! ... Deuteronomy 7:3-4 Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, / because they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods. Then the anger of the LORD will burn against you, and He will swiftly destroy you. Malachi 2:11-12 Judah has broken faith; an abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem. For Judah has profaned the LORD’s beloved sanctuary by marrying the daughter of a foreign god. / As for the man who does this, may the LORD cut off from the tents of Jacob everyone who is awake and aware—even if he brings an offering to the LORD of Hosts. 1 Kings 11:1-4 King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh—women of Moab, Ammon, Edom, and Sidon, as well as Hittite women. / These women were from the nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, for surely they will turn your hearts after their gods.” Yet Solomon clung to these women in love. / He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines—and his wives turned his heart away. ... Exodus 34:15-16 Do not make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, for when they prostitute themselves to their gods and sacrifice to them, they will invite you, and you will eat their sacrifices. / And when you take some of their daughters as brides for your sons, their daughters will prostitute themselves to their gods and cause your sons to do the same. 2 Corinthians 6:14-17 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership can righteousness have with wickedness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness? / What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? / What agreement can exist between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people.” ... Joshua 23:12-13 For if you turn away and cling to the rest of these nations that remain among you, and if you intermarry and associate with them, / know for sure that the LORD your God will no longer drive out these nations before you. Instead, they will become for you a snare and a trap, a scourge in your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land that the LORD your God has given you. 1 Corinthians 7:12-14 To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If a brother has an unbelieving wife and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. / And if a woman has an unbelieving husband and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. / For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his believing wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy. Judges 3:5-6 Thus the Israelites continued to live among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. / And they took the daughters of these people in marriage, gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods. 1 Kings 16:31-33 And as if it were not enough for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, he even married Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and he then proceeded to serve and worship Baal. / First, Ahab set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he had built in Samaria. / Then he set up an Asherah pole. Thus Ahab did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel before him. 2 Kings 17:7-8 All this happened because the people of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They had worshiped other gods / and walked in the customs of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites, as well as in the practices introduced by the kings of Israel. 1 Corinthians 5:1-2 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is intolerable even among pagans: A man has his father’s wife. / And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have been stricken with grief and have removed from your fellowship the man who did this? 2 Chronicles 19:2 Jehu son of Hanani the seer went out to confront him and said to King Jehoshaphat, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Because of this, the wrath of the LORD is upon you. 2 Corinthians 7:9-11 yet now I rejoice, not because you were made sorrowful, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you felt the sorrow that God had intended, and so were not harmed in any way by us. / Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation without regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. / Consider what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what zeal, what vindication! In every way you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter. Leviticus 18:24-30 Do not defile yourselves by any of these practices, for by all these things the nations I am driving out before you have defiled themselves. / Even the land has become defiled, so I am punishing it for its sin, and the land will vomit out its inhabitants. / But you are to keep My statutes and ordinances, and you must not commit any of these abominations—neither your native-born nor the foreigner who lives among you. ... Treasury of Scripture And Ezra the priest stood up, and said to them, You have transgressed, and have taken strange wives, to increase the trespass of Israel. taken. Ezra 9:6 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. Numbers 32:14 And, behold, ye are risen up in your fathers' stead, an increase of sinful men, to augment yet the fierce anger of the LORD toward Israel. Joshua 22:17,18 Is the iniquity of Peor too little for us, from which we are not cleansed until this day, although there was a plague in the congregation of the LORD, … Jump to Previous Acted Adding Broken Ezra Faith Feet Foreign Guilt Increase Increased Increasing Israel Israel's Married Priest Riseth Stood Strange Transgressed Trespass Trespassed Unfaithful Wives WomenJump to Next Acted Adding Broken Ezra Faith Feet Foreign Guilt Increase Increased Increasing Israel Israel's Married Priest Riseth Stood Strange Transgressed Trespass Trespassed Unfaithful Wives WomenEzra 10 1. Ezra encouraged to reform the strange marriages6. Ezra assembles the people 9. The people repent, and promise amendment 15. The care to perform it 18. The names of them which had married strange wives Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them Ezra, a scribe and priest, plays a crucial role in the post-exilic restoration of Israel. His leadership is pivotal in re-establishing the Law of Moses among the returned exiles. The act of standing up signifies authority and readiness to address the assembly, a common practice for leaders in ancient Israel. Ezra's position as a priest underscores his role as a mediator between God and the people, emphasizing the spiritual nature of the issue at hand. You have been unfaithful by marrying foreign women adding to the guilt of Israel Persons / Places / Events 1. EzraA scribe and priest who led the second group of exiles back to Jerusalem. He was instrumental in re-establishing the Law of Moses among the people. 2. The Israelites The people of Israel who had returned from exile in Babylon. They were struggling with maintaining their distinct identity and faithfulness to God's laws. 3. Foreign Women Non-Israelite women whom the Israelite men had married, which was against the Mosaic Law due to the potential for leading the Israelites into idolatry. 4. Jerusalem The central place of worship for the Israelites and the location where Ezra addressed the people. 5. The Exile The period when the Israelites were taken captive to Babylon, which was a result of their previous unfaithfulness to God. Teaching Points Faithfulness to God's CommandsEzra's rebuke highlights the importance of adhering to God's laws, especially regarding relationships that can lead us away from Him. Community Accountability The Israelites' collective guilt shows the need for communal responsibility in maintaining faithfulness to God. Repentance and Restoration Ezra's call to action is a reminder that repentance is necessary for restoration with God. Guarding Against Compromise The marriages to foreign women symbolize compromises that can lead believers away from their commitment to God. Leadership in Correction Ezra's role as a leader emphasizes the importance of godly leadership in guiding others back to righteousness. Bible Study Questions and Answers 1. What is the meaning of Ezra 10:10?2. How does Ezra 10:10 emphasize the seriousness of intermarriage with foreign women? 3. What steps does Ezra 10:10 suggest for addressing sin within the community? 4. How can Ezra's leadership in Ezra 10:10 guide modern church discipline practices? 5. What scriptural connections exist between Ezra 10:10 and Deuteronomy's warnings against intermarriage? 6. How can we apply Ezra 10:10's call for repentance in our personal lives? 7. What does Ezra 10:10 reveal about the importance of repentance in biblical teachings? 8. How does Ezra 10:10 address the issue of intermarriage in ancient Israelite society? 9. What historical context led to Ezra's proclamation in Ezra 10:10? 10. What are the top 10 Lessons from Ezra 10? 11. Ezra 10:10 – How is this command to divorce reconcileable with other biblical teachings that appear to disapprove of divorce? 12. Ezra 10:9 - Is it historically plausible that the entire population gathered in Jerusalem within three days as the text suggests? 13. Ezra 10:44 - How can a just God require separating from wives and children if some may have converted to the faith? 14. Who is the author of the Book of Ezra? What Does Ezra 10:10 Mean Then Ezra the priestEzra is introduced first as “the priest,” underscoring both his spiritual authority and his responsibility to guard covenant purity (Malachi 2:7; Nehemiah 8:2). God had raised him up “because the good hand of the LORD was upon him” (Ezra 7:9), so the people could not shrug off what was coming as personal opinion. They were about to hear the Word of God through a God-appointed mediator, much like Israel had heard through Moses in Deuteronomy 31:9–13. stood up His physical act of rising conveys urgency and gravity (Nehemiah 8:5; Acts 2:14). Leaders in Scripture often stand when delivering covenant charges—Joshua at Shechem (Joshua 24:1) or Jehoshaphat in the temple court (2 Chronicles 20:5). Ezra’s posture says, “This is no ordinary conversation; heaven’s verdict is being announced.” and said to them Ezra addresses “them”—the assembled men of Judah—because sin was public and corporate (Ezra 10:1, 12). Open sin demands open confrontation (Galatians 2:11–14; 1 Timothy 5:20). As Paul would later write, “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage” (2 Timothy 4:2). Ezra’s words model that balance: corrective but aimed at restoration. "You have been unfaithful The charge is spiritual adultery, “unfaithful” or “treacherous” (cf. 2 Chronicles 29:6; Malachi 2:10–11). In covenant terms, faithfulness equals exclusive loyalty to the LORD. Any rival love—even cultural accommodations—breaks the marriage-like bond God formed with His people at Sinai (Exodus 19:4-6; Hosea 3:1). by marrying foreign women, The issue is not ethnicity but idolatry (Deuteronomy 7:3-4). Marrying pagans invited the very syncretism that ruined Solomon (1 Kings 11:1-8) and provoked exile (Ezra 9:10-15). God’s people are continually warned not to yoke themselves with unbelief (2 Corinthians 6:14-17). Marriage is the most intimate covenant on earth; when entered against God’s clear command, it becomes a direct assault on His covenant in heaven. adding to the guilt of Israel. Their disobedience was compounding an already weighty national sin (Ezra 9:6-7; Numbers 32:14). Sin is never isolated; it spreads like leaven (1 Corinthians 5:6) and invites collective judgment (Leviticus 18:24-25). Scripture shows that unchecked compromise by a few endangers the many—think Achan (Joshua 7) or the golden calf (Exodus 32:25). Ezra’s aim is to halt that dangerous momentum through immediate repentance (Ezra 10:11). summary Ezra 10:10 records a covenant leader standing in holy urgency to confront corporate unfaithfulness. Israel’s men had violated God’s explicit command by marrying idol-worshiping wives, thereby embracing the very snares that once led to exile. Ezra’s rebuke reminds every generation that covenant loyalty matters, that private choices carry public consequences, and that swift repentance is the only path to restored fellowship with the LORD. Verse 10. - Ezra the priest stood up. Now that the time had come for action, Ezra was not wanting to his duties. The chief authority had been put into his hands by the Persian king (Ezra 7:25, 26), and he was bound to exercise it. Accordingly, the great bulk of the nation being assembled in obedience to the proclamation, Ezra came forward in person, and declared that the "strange wives" must be put away. Ye have taken strange wives. Literally, "have caused to dwell," i.e. have made them come and live with you in the holy land.Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew Then Ezraעֶזְרָ֤א (‘ez·rā) Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 5830: Ezra -- 'help', three Israelites the priest הַכֹּהֵן֙ (hak·kō·hên) Article | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 3548: Priest stood up וַיָּ֨קָם (way·yā·qām) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular Strong's 6965: To arise, stand up, stand and said וַיֹּ֣אמֶר (way·yō·mer) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular Strong's 559: To utter, say to them, אֲלֵהֶ֔ם (’ă·lê·hem) Preposition | third person masculine plural Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to “You אַתֶּ֣ם (’at·tem) Pronoun - second person masculine plural Strong's 859: Thou and thee, ye and you have been unfaithful מְעַלְתֶּ֔ם (mə·‘al·tem) Verb - Qal - Perfect - second person masculine plural Strong's 4603: To cover up, to act covertly, treacherously by marrying וַתֹּשִׁ֖יבוּ (wat·tō·šî·ḇū) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - second person masculine plural Strong's 3427: To sit down, to dwell, to remain, to settle, to marry foreign נָכְרִיּ֑וֹת (nā·ḵə·rî·yō·wṯ) Adjective - feminine plural Strong's 5237: Foreign, alien women, נָשִׁ֣ים (nā·šîm) Noun - feminine plural Strong's 802: Woman, wife, female adding לְהוֹסִ֖יף (lə·hō·w·sîp̄) Preposition-l | Verb - Hifil - Infinitive construct Strong's 3254: To add, augment to עַל־ (‘al-) Preposition Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against the guilt אַשְׁמַ֥ת (’aš·maṯ) Noun - feminine singular construct Strong's 819: Guiltiness, a fault, the presentation of a, sin-offering of Israel. יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ (yiś·rā·’êl) Noun - proper - feminine singular Strong's 3478: Israel -- 'God strives', another name of Jacob and his desc Links Ezra 10:10 NIVEzra 10:10 NLT Ezra 10:10 ESV Ezra 10:10 NASB Ezra 10:10 KJV Ezra 10:10 BibleApps.com Ezra 10:10 Biblia Paralela Ezra 10:10 Chinese Bible Ezra 10:10 French Bible Ezra 10:10 Catholic Bible OT History: Ezra 10:10 Ezra the priest stood up and said (Ezr. 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