23 In thosedays I alsosaw that the Jews had 1marriedwomen from 2Ashdod, 3Ammon and Moab.
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As for their children, halfspoke in the language of Ashdod, and none of them was able to speak the language of Judah, but the language of his ownpeople.
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So 4I contended with them and cursed them and 5strucksome of them and pulled out their hair, and 6made them swear by God, "You shall not give your daughters to their sons, nortake of their daughters for your sons or for yourselves.
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"7Did not Solomonking of Israelsinregardingthesethings? 8Yet among the manynations there was nokinglike him, and 9he was loved by his God, and Godmade him kingoverallIsrael; nevertheless the foreignwomen caused even him to sin.
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"Do we then hear about you that you have committedallthisgreatevil10by actingunfaithfully against our God by marryingforeignwomen?"
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Even one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the highpriest, was a son-in-law of 11Sanballat the Horonite, so I drove him away from me.
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12Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood and the 13covenant of the priesthood and the Levites.
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14Thus I purified them from everythingforeign and appointedduties for the priests and the Levites, each in his task,
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and I arranged 15for the supply of wood at appointedtimes and for the firstfruits. 16Remember me, O my God, for good.