Ezra Prays About Intermarriage

After these things had been done, the officials approached me and said, “The people of Israel and the priests and the (A)Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands (B)with their abominations, from the (C)Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. (D)For they have taken some of their daughters to be wives for themselves and for their sons, so that the (E)holy race[a] has (F)mixed itself with the peoples of the lands. And in this faithlessness the hand of the officials and chief men has been foremost.” As soon as I heard this, I (G)tore my garment and my cloak and pulled hair from my head and beard and (H)sat appalled. Then all who (I)trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the faithlessness of the returned exiles, gathered around me while I sat (J)appalled until the evening sacrifice. And at the (K)evening sacrifice I rose from my fasting, with my garment (L)and my cloak torn, and fell upon my knees (M)and spread out my hands to the Lord my God, saying:

“O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to you, my God, for our iniquities (N)have risen higher than our heads, and our (O)guilt has (P)mounted up to the heavens. (Q)From the days of our fathers to this day we have been in great (R)guilt. And for our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been given into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plundering, (S)and to utter shame, as it is today. But now for a brief moment favor has been shown by the Lord our God, to leave us a (T)remnant and to give us a (U)secure hold[b] within his holy place, that our God may (V)brighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our slavery. (W)For we are slaves. Yet our God has not forsaken us in our slavery, (X)but has extended to us his steadfast love before the kings of Persia, to grant us some reviving to set up the house of our God, to repair its ruins, and to give us protection[c] in Judea 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 that you are entering, to take possession of it, is a land impure with the impurity of the peoples of the lands, with their abominations that have filled it from end to end with (Y)their uncleanness. 12 (Z)Therefore do not give your daughters to their sons, neither take their daughters for your sons, and never seek their peace or prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good of the land (AA)and leave it for an inheritance to your children forever.’ 13 And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for (AB)our great guilt, seeing that you, our (AC)God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserved and have given us such a (AD)remnant as this, 14 shall we break your commandments again and (AE)intermarry with the peoples who practice these abominations? Would you not be angry with us (AF)until you consumed us, so that there should be no (AG)remnant, nor any to escape? 15 O Lord, the God of Israel, you are just, for we are left a (AH)remnant that has escaped, as it is today. Behold, we are before you in our (AI)guilt, (AJ)for none can stand before you because of this.”

Footnotes

  1. Ezra 9:2 Hebrew offspring
  2. Ezra 9:8 Hebrew nail, or tent-pin
  3. Ezra 9:9 Hebrew a wall

Ezra’s Prayer About Intermarriage

After these things had been done, the leaders came to me and said, “The people of Israel, including the priests and the Levites, have not kept themselves separate(A) from the neighboring peoples with their detestable practices, like those of the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites,(B) Ammonites,(C) Moabites,(D) Egyptians and Amorites.(E) They have taken some of their daughters(F) as wives for themselves and their sons, and have mingled(G) the holy race(H) with the peoples around them. And the leaders and officials have led the way in this unfaithfulness.”(I)

When I heard this, I tore(J) my tunic and cloak, pulled hair from my head and beard and sat down appalled.(K) Then everyone who trembled(L) at the words of the God of Israel gathered around me because of this unfaithfulness of the exiles. And I sat there appalled(M) until the evening sacrifice.

Then, at the evening sacrifice,(N) I rose from my self-abasement, with my tunic and cloak torn, and fell on my knees with my hands(O) spread out to the Lord my God and prayed:

“I am too ashamed(P) and disgraced, my God, to lift up my face to you, because our sins are higher than our heads and our guilt has reached to the heavens.(Q) From the days of our ancestors(R) until now, our guilt has been great. Because of our sins, we and our kings and our priests have been subjected to the sword(S) and captivity,(T) to pillage and humiliation(U) at the hand of foreign kings, as it is today.

“But now, for a brief moment, the Lord our God has been gracious(V) in leaving us a remnant(W) and giving us a firm place[a](X) in his sanctuary, and so our God gives light to our eyes(Y) and a little relief in our bondage. Though we are slaves,(Z) our God has not forsaken us in our bondage. He has shown us kindness(AA) in the sight of the kings of Persia: He has granted us new life to rebuild the house of our God and repair its ruins,(AB) and he has given us a wall of protection in Judah and Jerusalem.

10 “But now, our God, what can we say after this? For we have forsaken the commands(AC) 11 you gave through your servants the prophets when you said: ‘The land you are entering(AD) to possess is a land polluted(AE) by the corruption of its peoples. By their detestable practices(AF) they have filled it with their impurity from one end to the other. 12 Therefore, do not give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take their daughters for your sons. Do not seek a treaty of friendship with them(AG) at any time, that you may be strong(AH) and eat the good things(AI) of the land and leave it to your children as an everlasting inheritance.’(AJ)

13 “What has happened to us is a result of our evil(AK) deeds and our great guilt, and yet, our God, you have punished us less than our sins deserved(AL) and have given us a remnant like this. 14 Shall we then break your commands again and intermarry(AM) with the peoples who commit such detestable practices? Would you not be angry enough with us to destroy us,(AN) leaving us no remnant(AO) or survivor? 15 Lord, the God of Israel, you are righteous!(AP) We are left this day as a remnant. Here we are before you in our guilt, though because of it not one of us can stand(AQ) in your presence.(AR)

Footnotes

  1. Ezra 9:8 Or a foothold