Reading for November 27th

Read Ezra 10.16-44 In 10.16-44: The listing of men who had married foreign wives. Moving back to a third-person narrative, the account now describes the process by which the community was examined, and the results of that examination are listed. The emphasis on the actual persons who willingly sent away their foreign wives underscores the community's willingness to take on this level of separation, forming a distinct, "holy" community. In verse 17: By the first day of the first month: The process took three months. In verse 18: The list is ordered along three lines- the priests, the Levities, and Israel-considering the small enclave of Jerusalem and its surroundings as the totality of the community. In verse 44: The Hebrew text here is difficult and the translation follows the Greek of 1 Esdras. The Hebrew suggests the children stayed and only the foreign wives were sent away, the children being counted as legitimate members of the community. Comments or Questions..