EZRA 9 (King James Version)
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 astonished.
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.
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