Ezra Prays About Intermarriage
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After these things had been done, the officials approached me and said, "The people of Israel and the priests and the 1Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands 2with their abominations, from the 3Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.
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4For they have taken some of their daughters to be wives for themselves and for their sons, so that the 5holy racea has 6mixed itself with the peoples of the lands. And in this faithlessness the hand of the officials and chief men has been foremost."
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As soon as I heard this, I 7tore my garment and my cloak and pulled hair from my head and beard and 8sat appalled.
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Then all who 9trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the faithlessness of the returned exiles, gathered around me while I sat 10appalled until the evening sacrifice.
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And at the 11evening sacrifice I rose from my fasting, with my garment 12and my cloak torn, and fell upon my knees 13and spread out my hands to the LORD my God,
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saying: "O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to you, my God, for our iniquities 14have risen higher than our heads, and our 15guilt has 16mounted up to the heavens.
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17From the days of our fathers to this day we have been in great 18guilt. 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, 19and to utter shame, as it is today.
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But now for a brief moment favor has been shown by the LORD our God, to leave us a 20remnant and to give us a 21secure holdb within his holy place, that our God may 22brighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our slavery.
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23For we are slaves. Yet our God has not forsaken us in our slavery, 24but 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 protectionc in Judea and Jerusalem.
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"And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken your commandments,
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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 25their uncleanness.
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26Therefore 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 27and leave it for an inheritance to your children forever.'
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And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for 28our great guilt, seeing that you, our 29God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserved and have given us such a 30remnant as this,
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
(English Standard Version - The Holy Bible Online)