24. Half their children were speaking the language of Ashdod or some other place. They couldn’t speak the language of Judah.
25. I argued with those people. I put curses on them. I hit some of them and pulled out their hair. I forced them to make a promise to God. I said, “Do not let your daughters marry the sons of foreigners. Do not take the daughters of foreigners as wives for your sons or yourselves.
26. Foreign women made King Solomon of Israel sin. There was never a king like him in any of the nations. God loved Solomon. God made him king over all Israel. But foreign women made Solomon sin.
27. And now you are not obedient when you do this evil thing. You are unfaithful to our God when you marry foreign wives.”
28. Joiada was the son of Eliashib the high priest. One of Joiada’s sons married a daughter of Sanballat the Horonite, who was not a Jew. So I forced Joiada’s son away from me.
29. Remember them, my God. They made the priesthood unclean. They made the agreement of the priests and Levites unclean.
30. So I purified them of everything that was foreign. I appointed duties for the priests and Levites. Each man had his own job.