Ezra 9
Intermarriage with Neighboring Peoples
1After 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.
1And at the completion of these things the leaders came to me, saying, “The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands as to their abominations, even the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite, the Ammonite, the Moabite, the Egyptian, and the Amorite.
2Indeed, 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!”
2For they have taken from their daughters for themselves and for their sons, and the holy seed is mixed with the peoples of the lands. And indeed the hand of the leaders and the rulers has been foremost in this trespass.”
4Then 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.
4And they assembled to me—everyone trembling at the words of the God of Israel, because of the trespass of the exiles. And I sat appalled until the sacrifice of the evening.
Ezra’s Prayer of Confession
5At 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,
5And at the sacrifice of the evening I arose from my humiliation, and having torn my garment and my robe, I fell on my knees and spread out my hands to YHWH my God,
6and 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.
6and I said, “O my God, I am too ashamed and humiliated to lift up, my God, my face to You, for our iniquities have risen higher than the head, and our guilt has grown up as far as to the heavens.
7From 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.
7Since the days of our fathers we have great guilt to this day, and in our iniquities we have been given—we, our kings, our priests—into the hand of the kings of the lands, with the sword, with captivity, and with spoil, and with shame of face, as this day.
8But now, for a brief moment, grace has come from the LORD our God to preserve for us a remnant and to give us a stakea in His holy place. Even in our bondage, our God has given us new life and light to our eyes.
8And for a little while grace has come from YHWH our God, to leave a remnant to us to escape, and to give us a stake in His holy place, that our God may enlighten our eyes and give us a little revival in our bondage.
9Though 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.
9For we were slaves, and in our bondage our God did not forsake us, and He extended to us mercy in the eyes of the kings of Persia, to give to us revival, to lift up the house of our God and to rebuild its ruins, and to give to us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem.
11that 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.
11that You commanded by Your servants the prophets, saying, ‘The land that you are entering to possess, it is a land of impurity, by the impurity of the peoples of the lands with their abominations that have filled it from one end to another with their uncleanness.
12Now, 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.’
12And now, do not give as wives your daughters for their sons, and lift not their daughters to your sons, and never seek their peace or prosperity even to forever, that you may be strong and eat the good of the land, and give possession to your children even to forever.’
13After 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),
13And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great guilt (since You, our God, you have restrained it to lower than our iniquities and have given us a deliverance like this),
14shall 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?
14should we turn back to break Your commandments and join in marriage with the peoples of these abominations? Would You not be angry with us until You had consumed us without remnant or survivor?
15O 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.”
15O YHWH, God of Israel, You are righteous, for we are left as a remnant, as this day. Here we are before You in our guilt, though no one can stand before You because of this.”