Ezra 9 - NKJV Bible Online

Ezra 9

Intermarriage with Pagans

When these things were done, the leaders came to me, saying, “The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not ^aseparated themselves from the peoples of the lands, ^bwith respect to the abominations of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. 2 For they have ^ataken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, so that the ^bholy seed is ^cmixed with the peoples of those lands. Indeed, the hand of the leaders and rulers has been foremost in this ¹trespass.” 3 So when I heard this thing, ^aI tore my garment and my robe, and plucked out some of the hair of my head and beard, and sat down ^bastonished. 4 Then everyone who ^atrembled at the words of the God of Israel assembled to me, because of the transgression of those who had been carried away captive, and I sat astonished until the ^bevening sacrifice.
5 At the evening sacrifice I arose from my fasting; and having torn my garment and my robe, I fell on my knees and ^aspread out my hands to the Lord my God. 6 And I said: “O my God, I am too ^aashamed and humiliated to lift up my face to You, my God; for ^bour iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has ^cgrown up to the heavens. 7 Since the days of our fathers to this day ^awe have been very guilty, and for our iniquities ^bwe, our kings, and our priests have been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the ^csword, to captivity, to plunder, and to ^dhumiliation,¹ as it is this day. 8 And now for a little while grace has been shown from the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a peg in His holy place, that our God may ^aenlighten our eyes and give us a measure of revival in our bondage. 9 ^aFor we were slaves. ^bYet our God did not forsake us in our bondage; but ^cHe extended mercy to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to revive us, to repair the house of our God, to rebuild its ruins, and to give us ^da wall in Judah and Jerusalem. 10 And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken Your commandments, 11 which You commanded by Your servants the prophets, saying, ‘The land which you are entering to possess is an unclean land, with the ^auncleanness of the peoples of the lands, with their abominations which have filled it from one end to another with their impurity. 12 Now therefore, ^ado not give your daughters as wives for their sons, nor take their daughters to your sons; and ^bnever seek their peace or prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good of the land, and ^cleave it as an inheritance to your children forever.’ 13 And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, since You our God ^ahave punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and have given us such deliverance as this, 14 should we ^aagain break Your commandments, and ^bjoin in marriage with the people committing these abominations? Would You not be ^cangry with us until You had ¹consumed us, so that there would be no remnant or survivor? 15 O Lord God of Israel, ^aYou are righteous, for we are left as a remnant, as it is this day. ^bHere we are before You, ^cin our guilt, though no one can stand before You because of this!”

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