Ezra 9

1 After these things had been accomplished, the leaders approached me and said, “The people of Israel, including the priests and Levites, have not kept themselves separate from the surrounding peoples whose abominations are like those of the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites.

2 Indeed, the Israelites have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, so that the holy seed has been mixed with the people of the land. And the leaders and officials have taken the lead in this unfaithfulness!”

3 When I heard this report, I tore my tunic and cloak, pulled out some hair from my head and beard, and sat down in horror.

4 Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel gathered around me because of the unfaithfulness of the exiles, while I sat there in horror until the evening offering.

5 At the evening offering, I got up from my humiliation with my tunic and cloak torn, and I fell on my knees, spread out my hands to the LORD my God,

6 and said: “O my God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift up my face to You, my God, because our iniquities are higher than our heads, and our guilt has reached the heavens.

7 From the days of our fathers to this day, our guilt has been great. Because of our iniquities, we and our kings and priests have been delivered into the hands of the kings of the earth and subjected to the sword and to captivity, to pillage and humiliation, as we are this day.

8 But now, for a brief moment, grace has come from the LORD our God to preserve for us a remnant and to give us a stake in His holy place. Even in our bondage, our God has given us new life and light to our eyes.

9 Though we are slaves, our God has not forsaken us in our bondage, but He has extended to us grace in the sight of the kings of Persia, giving us new life to rebuild the house of our God and repair its ruins, and giving us a wall of protection in Judah and Jerusalem.

10 And now, our God, what can we say after this? For we have forsaken the commandments

11 that You gave through Your servants the prophets, saying: ‘The land that you are entering to possess is a land polluted by the impurity of its peoples and the abominations with which they have filled it from end to end.

12 Now, therefore, do not give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take their daughters for your sons. Never seek their peace or prosperity, so that you may be strong and may eat the good things of the land, leaving it as an inheritance to your sons forever.’

13 After all that has come upon us because of our evil deeds and our great guilt (though You, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserve and have given us such a remnant as this),

14 shall we again break Your commandments and intermarry with the peoples who commit these abominations? Would You not become so angry with us as to wipe us out, leaving no remnant or survivor?

15 O LORD, God of Israel, You are righteous! For we remain this day as a remnant. Here we are before You in our guilt, though because of it no one can stand before You.”

1 ¶ Now when these things were done, the princes came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, [doing] according to their abominations, [even] of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.

2 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.

3 And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down astonied.

4 Then were assembled unto me every one that trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the transgression of those that had been carried away; and I sat astonied until the evening sacrifice.

5 ¶ And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the LORD my God,

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.

7 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.

8 And now for a little space grace hath been [shewed] from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage.

9 For we [were] bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the desolations thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.

10 And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? for we have forsaken thy commandments,

11 Which thou hast commanded by thy servants the prophets, saying, The land, unto which ye go to possess it, is an unclean land with the filthiness of the people of the lands, with their abominations, which have filled it from one end to another with their uncleanness.

12 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.

13 And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass, seeing that thou our God hast punished us less than our iniquities [deserve], and hast given us [such] deliverance as this;

14 Should we again break thy commandments, and join in affinity with the people of these abominations? wouldest not thou be angry with us till thou hadst consumed [us], so that [there should be] no remnant nor escaping?

15 O LORD God of Israel, thou [art] righteous: for we remain yet escaped, as [it is] this day: behold, we [are] before thee in our trespasses: for we cannot stand before thee because of this.

1 When all these things were made ready, the princes came unto me, and said: The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, are not separated from the nations of the countries according to their abominations, even the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Jebusites, and the Ammonites, and the Moabites, and the Egyptians, and the Amorites;

2 For they have taken their daughters, and their sons, and have made the holy seed common with the nations of the countries. And the hand of the princes and rulers was the chiefest in this iniquity.

3 When I heard these things, I rent my clothes and my garment, and plucked off my hair and my beard, and sat by myself.

4 And all that feared the word of the LORD God of Israel were gathered unto me because of the great transgression: and I sat alone until the evening sacrifice.

5 And at the evening sacrifice I arose out of my affliction, and rent my clothes and my garment, and fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the LORD my God,

6 And said, My God, I am ashamed, and I shrink from lifting up mine eyes unto thee, my God: for our iniquity is increased upon our head, and our sin is great unto heaven.

7 From the days of our fathers we have been in great trespass unto this day: and for our iniquity we and our kings and our priests are delivered into the hand of the kings of the countries, into the sword, and into prison, and into spoil, and into shame of countenance, as it is this day.

8 But now there hath been a little and sudden grace from the LORD our God, that there hath escaped from us a remnant, that he should give us a nail in his holy place, that our God should enlighten our eyes, and give us a little life, because we are servants.

9 For we are servants, and our God hath not forsaken us, though we were servants; and hath shewed mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us life, and to exalt the house of our God, and to set up the spoil thereof, and to give us a fence in Judah and Jerusalem.

10 Now what shall we say, our God, after this, that we have forsaken thy commandments?

11 Which thou commandedst by thy servants the prophets, saying, The land wherein ye come to inherit is an unclean land, through the uncleanness of the nations of countries in their abominations, that they have made it full of uncleanness here and there?

12 Ye shall not therefore give your daughters unto their sons, neither shall ye take their daughters from your sons, neither shall ye seek their peace nor their good for ever: that ye may be mighty, and eat the good of the land, and inherit it for your children for ever.

13 And after all that is come upon us for our wicked works, and for our great trespasses, thou, our God, hast spared our iniquity, and hast given us salvation, as it is written.

14 But we have turned back, and have forsaken thy commandments, and have made friends with the nations of these abominations. Wilt thou then be wroth with us, until it be ended, that there be no remnant, nor salvation?

15 O LORD God of Israel, thou art righteous: for we are left a salvation, as it is this day. Behold, we are before thee in our trespasses: for this is no standing before thee.