Family Verses
God's design for family — love, honor, and commitment that reflect His covenant love.
And by the good hand of our God upon us they brought us a man of understanding, of the sons of Mahli, the son of Levi, the son of Israel; and Sherebiah, with his sons and his brethren, eighteen;
And Hashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, his brethren and their sons, twenty;
Also twenty basons of gold, of a thousand drams; and two vessels of fine copper, precious as gold. {fine...: Heb. yellow, or, shining brass} {precious: Heb. desirable}
And I said unto them, Ye {are} holy unto the LORD; the vessels {are} holy also; and the silver and the gold {are} a freewill offering unto the LORD God of your fathers.
Watch ye, and keep {them}, until ye weigh {them} before the chief of the priests and the Levites, and chief of the fathers of Israel, at Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of the LORD.
Now on the fourth day was the silver and the gold and the vessels weighed in the house of our God by the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest; and with him {was} Eleazar the son of Phinehas; and with them {was} Jozabad the son of Jeshua, and Noadiah the son of Binnui, Levites;
{Also} the children of those that had been carried away, which were come out of the captivity, offered burnt offerings unto the God of Israel, twelve bullocks for all Israel, ninety and six rams, seventy and seven lambs, twelve he goats {for} a sin offering: all {this was} a burnt offering unto the LORD.
For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of {those} lands: yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass.
Since the days of our fathers {have} we {been} in a great trespass unto this day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, {and} our priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to a spoil, and to confusion of face, as {it is} this day.
Now therefore give not your daughters unto their sons, neither take their daughters unto your sons, nor seek their peace or their wealth for ever: that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave {it} for an inheritance to your children for ever.
Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and women and children: for the people wept very sore. {wept...: Heb. wept a great weeping}
And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, {one} of the sons of Elam, answered and said unto Ezra, We have trespassed against our God, and have taken strange wives of the people of the land: yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing.