Ezra 9
1
And when these things were finished, the princes drew near to me, saying, The people
of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the
people of the lands in their abominations, even the Chananite, the Ethite, the Pherezite,
the Jebusite, the Ammonite, the Moabite, and the Moserite and the Amorite.
2
For they have taken of their daughters for themselves and their sons; and the holy
seed has passed among the nations of the lands, and the hand of the rulers has been
first in this transgression.
3
And when I heard this thing, I rent my garments, and trembled, and plucked some of
the hairs of my head and of my beard, and sat down mourning.
4
Then there assembled to me all that followed the word of the God of Israel, on account
of the transgression of the captivity; and I remained mourning until the evening sacrifice.
5
And at the evening sacrifice I rose up from my humiliation; and when I had rent my
garments, Or, and then I trembled, and I bow myself on my knees, and spread out my hands to the Lord
God,
6
and I said, O Lord, I am ashamed and confounded, O my God, to lift up my face to you:
for our transgressions have abounded over our head, and our trespasses have increased
even to heaven.
7
From the days of our fathers we have been in a great trespass until this day: and
Gr. in because of our iniquities we, and our kings, and our children, have been delivered
into the hand of the kings of the Gentiles by the sword, and by captivity, and by
spoil, and with shame of our face, as at this day.
8
And now our God has dealt mercifully with us, so as to leave us to escape, and to
give us an establishment in the place of his sanctuary, to enlighten our eyes, and
to give a little quickening in our servitude.
9
For we are slaves, yet in our servitude the Lord our God has not deserted us; and
he has extended favour to us in the sight of the kings of the Persians, to give us
a quickening, that they should raise up the house of our God, and restore the desolate
places of it, and to give us a fence in Juda and Jerusalem.
10
What shall we say, our God, after this? for we have forsaken your commandments,
11
which you have given us by the hand of your servants the prophets, saying, The land,
into which you go to inherit it, is a land subject to disturbance by the removal of
the people of the nations for their abominations, wherewith they have filled it Gr. from mouth to mouth, Hebraism from one
end to the other by their uncleanness.
12
And now give not your daughters to their sons, and take not of their daughters for
your sons, neither shall you seek their peace or their good for ever: that you may
be strong, and eat the good of the land, and transmit it as an inheritance to your
children for ever.
13
And after all that is Gr. coming come upon us because of our evil deeds, and our great trespass, it is clear that
there is none such as our God, for you has lightly visited our iniquities, and given
us deliverance;
14
whereas we have repeatedly broken your commandments, and intermarried with the people
of the lands: be not very angry with us to our utter destruction, so that there should
be no remnant or escaping one.
15
O Lord God of Israel, you are righteous; for we remain yet escaped, as at this day:
behold, we are before you in our trespasses: for we cannot stand before you on this
account.