Ezra 9
1 Hae hmuennawk sak pacoengah, kacoehtanawk kai khaeah angzoh o, Israel kaminawk, qaima hoi Levinawk loe nihcae taengah kaom prae kaminawk hoi angkom o moe, Kanaan kami, Hit kami, Periz kami, Jebus kami, Ammon kami, Moab kami, Izip kami hoi Amor kaminawk mah sak o ih panuet thok hmuennawk to a sak o toeng.
Some time later, the Jewish leaders came to me and said, “Many Israelis, and even some priests and [other men who are] descendants of Levi [who work in the temple], have not kept themselves from [doing what] the other people who are living in this land [do]. They are practicing the detestable things that the Canaan, Heth, Periz, Jebus, Ammon, and Amor people-groups, and the people from Moab and Egypt do.
2 To prae ah kaom kaminawk ih canunawk to angmacae hanah lak o, a caanawk hanah doeh a lak pae o; to tiah kaciim acaeng loe kaciim ai nihcae taengah kaom kaminawk hoiah angbaeh o puk boeh; ue, zaehoikungnawk hoi ukkung angraengnawk loe hae baktih zae sakhaih bangah lu koek ah oh o boeh, tiah a thuih o.
[Specifically, some] Israeli men have married women who are not Israelis, and they have allowed their sons to do the same thing. So we, God’s sacred people, have become (contaminated/polluted in God’s sight). And some of our leaders and officials have been the first/worst ones to do this.”
3 Hae lok ka thaih naah, athung hoi anui ih khukbuen to kang khringh; ka lu sam hoi pahni mui to ka phong moe, dawnraihaih hoiah kang hnut sut.
When I heard that, [I became very angry, with the result that] I tore my clothes and tore some hair from my head and from my beard. Then I sat down, very shocked/dismayed. [The Israelis knew that God had warned us that he would punish us if we disobeyed] what he had said to us [about marrying women who are not Israelis].
4 To naah Israel Sithaw ih lok zithaih tawn kaminawk boih, kai khaeah amkhueng o; misong ah naeh ih kaminawk mah sak ih zaehaih pongah, duembang angbawnhaih atue khoek to dawnraihaih hoiah ka oh.
[So] many of the Israelis trembled/were afraid when they heard that some of those who had returned from Babylonia had sinned by disobeying the God of us Israelis like that. They came and sat with me until it was time to offer the evening sacrifices [of grain].
5 To pacoengah duembang angbawnhaih tue phak naah, dawnraihaih hoiah kang thawk; athung hoi a nui ih khukbuen to ka sih, khokkhu cangkrawn moe, ka Angraeng Sithaw khaeah ban payanghaih hoiah lawk ka thuih.
When it was time to offer those sacrifices, I was still sitting there, wearing those torn clothes and mourning/sad. I stood up, and then I quickly prostrated myself on the ground. I lifted up my hands to Yahweh, my God,
6 Aw ka Angraeng, kaicae sakpazaehaih loe kaimacae lu pongah sang kue boeh, ka zae o haih doeh vannawk to angtok boeh; to pongah ka Sithaw, na mikhmai khet hanah ka zat sut boeh.
and this is what I prayed: “Yahweh my God, I am very ashamed to raise my head in front of you. The sins that we Israelis have committed [are very great; it is as though they] have risen up higher than our heads, and our guilt [for committing those sins, it is as though it] rises up to the heavens.
7 Kam panawk dung hoi kamtong vaihni ni khoek to, paroeai kalen zaehaih ka sak o boeh; kaimacae zaehaih pongah, siangpahrangnawk, qaimanawk hoi kaicae loe vaihni ni khoek to, acaeng kalah siangpahrang ban ah paekhaih, sumsen hoi humhaih, misong ah ohhaih, anghmat angtaahaih hoi mikhmai sethaihnawk ka tongh o boeh.
Since the time that our ancestors lived until now, we have been very guilty. That is the reason that we and our kings and our priests have been defeated by [the armies of] the kings of other lands. They killed [some of our people], they captured [some], they robbed [some], and they [caused them all to be] disgraced, just like we are today.
8 Toe vaihi atue setta thungah, kaicae Angraeng Sithaw mah a tahmenhaih amtuengsak pongah, kanghmat kaicae hae ang loisak moe, a hmuenciim ah sumdik baktih kacak ohhaih ahmuen to ang paek; kaicae ih Sithaw mah mik amtuengsak moe, misong angtanghaih thung hoi kaloih hinghaih to ang paek let.
“But now, Yahweh God, you have been very kind to us. You have allowed some of us to (survive/continue to live). You have revived our spirits [IDM] and allowed us to escape from being slaves [in Babylonia] and to return safely [IDM] to live in this sacred place.
9 Kaicae loe misong ah ka oh o; misong ah ka oh o cadoeh, kaimacae ih Sithaw mah na caeh taak ai; kaimacae Sithaw ih im to ka sak o let moe, hinghaih kangtha paek hanah, kamro hmuen to pakhraih let moe, Judah hoi Jerusalem ah sipae kaom abuephaih ang paek hanah, a tahmenhaih to Persia siangpahrang hmaa ah amtuengsak boeh.
We were slaves, but you did not abandon us. Instead, because you faithfully love us, you caused the kings of Persia to be very kind to us. You have allowed us to continue to live and to rebuild your temple which had been completely destroyed. You have allowed us to start to live safely here in Jerusalem and in [other towns in] Judah.
10 Vaihiah, Aw kaicae ih Sithaw, nang paek ih lok to ka pahnawt o sut boeh pongah, hae pacoengah timaw ka thuih o han vop?
“Our God, what more can we say now [RHQ]? In spite of all that [you have done for us], we have disobeyed your commands.
11 Na tamna tahmaanawk patohhaih rang hoiah, Na caeh moe, na toep o han ih prae loe, to ah khosah kamhnong kaminawk pongah, prae doeh panuet thoh boeh, prae boih a sak o ih panuet thok hmuen hoiah koi o sak boeh.
They are commands that you gave to your servants, the prophets, to tell to us. They said that the land that we would occupy was polluted because of the detestable/disgusting things that were done by the people who lived there. They said that in the land there were people from one end to the other who did immoral/shameful things.
12 To pongah, na canunawk to nihcae capanawk hanah paek o hmah loe, nichae ih canunawk doeh na capanawk hanah zu ah la pae o hmah; natuek naah doeh nihcae hoi ampui angkomhaih sah o hmah loe, nihcae angraenghaih doeh pakrong o hmah; to tiah na oh o nahaeloe tha na cak o tih; prae thung ih kahoih hmuen to na caa o ueloe, na caanawk mah dungzan khoek to qawk ah toep o tih, tiah lok na thuih.
They said, ‘Do not allow your daughters to marry their sons! Do not allow your sons to marry their daughters! Do not even try to cause things to go well for those people-groups! If you obey these instructions, your nation will be strong, and you will enjoy the good crops that grow on the land, and the land will belong to your descendants forever.’
13 Kaicae nuiah kapha hmuen loe ka sak o ih sethaih hoi kalen parai sakpazaehaih atho ah ni oh boeh; toe kaicae ih Sithaw, kaicae mah tongh han koi zaehaih baktiah dan nang paek ai moe, hae tiah nang loisak.
“You punished us because we were very guilty for having done wicked things. But you have not punished us as much as we deserve to be punished. [I say this because] you, our God, have allowed some of us to survive.
14 Nang paek ih loknawk to ka aek o moe, panuet thok hmuen sah kaminawk hoiah kam zok o let nahaeloe, kami maeto doeh pathlung ai ah tamit boih hanah, kaicae nuiah palung na phui mak ai maw?
However, some of us are again disobeying your commands, and we are marrying women who do those detestable things. If we continue to do that, surely you will get rid of all of us [RHQ], with the result that none of us will remain alive.
15 Aw Israel Angraeng Sithaw, nang loe na toeng! Vaihniah kaicae loe anghmat kami ah ka oh o pongah, khenah, ka zaehaih na hmaa ah kang taphong o; hae baktih zaehaih pongah na hmaa ah mi doeh kang doe o thai ai boeh, tiah lawk ka thuih.
Yahweh, the God whom we Israelis [worship/belong to], you are fair/just. We are guilty. We are only a few people who have escaped [from Babylonia], but we pray to you, even though we do not deserve to stand in your presence.”
