Ezra 9
1 Te rhoek te a coeng phoeiah tah kai taengla mangpa rhoek ha mop uh tih, “Israel pilnam khaw, khosoih rhoek neh Levi rhoek khaw khohmuen pilnam taeng lamloh hoep uh boel saeh a? Amih te Kanaan, Khitti, Perizzi, Jebusi, Ammoni, Moab, Egypt neh Amori bangla tueilaehkoi neh om uh.
Some time later after all this had happened, the leaders came and told me, “The people of Israel, including the priests and Levites, have not kept themselves separate from the people around us whose disgusting religious practices are similar to those of the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites.
2 Amih nu te amamih ham neh a ca ham khaw a loh uh. Cangtii cae he khohmuen pilnam neh pitpom uh coeng. Te dongah mangpa kut neh ukkung rhoek he boekoeknah neh lamhma la om,” a ti nah.
Some Israelites have even married women from these people, both themselves and their sons, mixing the holy race with these people of the land. Our leaders and officials are at the forefront of this sinful behavior.”
3 He ol he ka yaak vaengah ka himbai neh ka hnikul te ka phen. Ka lu sam neh ka hmuimul te ka poelh tih dingrhak la ka ngol.
When I heard about this, I tore my clothes, pulled out some hair from my head and beard, and sat down, absolutely appalled.
4 Vangsawn kah boekoeknah dongah ni ka kaepvai khaw Israel Pathen ol bangla a thuen neh boeih tingtun uh. Kai khaw hlaemhmah khocang hil dingrhak ka ngol.
Everyone who respected the instructions of the God of Israel gathered around me because of this sin on the part of the exiles. I sat there shocked and appalled until the evening sacrifice.
5 Hlaem khocang vaengah tah ka komawtnah lamloh, ka himbai neh ka hnikul a pawnsoem la ka thoo. Ka khuklu dongah ka cungkueng tih ka Pathen BOEIPA taengah kut ka phuel.
At the evening sacrifice, I stood up from where I had been sitting in grief, with my clothes torn, and I kneeled down and held out my hands to the Lord my God.
6 Te vaengah, “Ka Pathen taengah ka yak coeng tih ka maelhmai he ka Pathen nang taengah ka mik huel ham khaw ka hmaithae. Kaimih kah thaesainah loh ka lu so la poe hang tih, kaimih kah dumlai loh vaan duela a puet.
I prayed, “My God, I am so ashamed and embarrassed to come and pray to you, my God, because we are in over our heads in sin, and our guilt has risen to the heavens.
7 A pa rhoek tue lamloh tahae khohnin duela kaimih he lai puei neh ka om uh. Kaimih kah thaesainah loh kaimih khaw, ka manghai rhoek khaw, ka khosoih rhoek khaw, khohmuen manghai rhoek kut dongah, cunghang dongah, tamna la, kutbuem la, tahae khohnin kah bangla maelhmai yahpohnah dongla m'voeih.
From the time of our forefathers to now, we have been deeply guilty. Because of our sins, we, our kings, and our priests have been handed over to the kings of the earth, killed and taken prisoner, robbed and humiliated, just like we are today.
8 Tedae kaimih kah rhalyong aka sueng ham kaimih kah Pathen BOEIPA taeng lamkah lungmacil tah mikhaptok ca kah ham khaw om coeng. Kaimih ham a hmuencim hmuen ah hlingcong aka pae ham ni. Kaimih kah Pathen tah kaimih mik aka sae sak neh, kaimih he pinyennah khuiah kaimih hinglu hlawtnah bet aka pae la om.
Now for a short time the Lord our God has given us grace, preserving a few of us as a remnant, and giving us safety in his holy place. Our God has brightened our lives by giving us some relief from our slavery.
9 Kaimih he sal la om sitoe cakhaw kaimih kah pinyennah khuiah kaimih kah Pathen loh kaimih n'hnoo moenih. Kaimih taengah Persia manghai mikhmuh ah kaimih he hinglu hlawtnah paek ham, kaimih kah Pathen im pomsang ham, a imrhong thoh ham, Judah khui neh Jerusalem kah vongtung te kaimih taengah paek ham sitlohnah a tueng sak.
Though we are slaves, our God did not abandon us in our slavery, but he showed us his trustworthy love by making the kings of Persia kind to us, by reviving us so we could rebuild the Temple of our God and repair its ruined state, and by giving us a wall of protection around Judah and Jerusalem.
10 “Na olpaek ka hnawt uh dongah he hnukah kaimih kah Pathen te metlam ka thui pueng eh?
But now, our God, what do we have to say for ourselves after all this? For we have given up following your commands
11 Na sal tonghma kut ah na uen tih, “Pang hamla na kun thil khohmuen te khohmuen rhalawt, khohmuen pilnam khaw a tueilaehkoi la pumom neh baetawt, a ka a ka ah a tihnai neh om.
that you gave through your servants the prophets, telling us, ‘The land you are entering to become its owners is contaminated by the sins of its peoples, the disgusting religious practices that they have filled it with, from one side to the other.
12 Te dongah na canu rhoek te amih koca rhoek taengah pae uh boeh. Amih nu rhoek te na ca rhoek ham loh pah boeh. Amih sadingnah neh a hnothen khaw kumhal duela toem uh boeh. Na tlung tih khohmuen a thennah te na caak mai akhaw, kumhal duela na ca rhoek taengah na phaeng ham akhaw.
So do not let your daughters marry their sons, or allow their daughters marry your sons. Never make a peace or friendship treaty with them, so that you may live well and eat the good food the land produces, and give the land as an inheritance to your children forever.’
13 Kaimih kah boethae khoboe dongah, kaimih kah lai puei dongah ni kaimih taengah boeih a thoeng. Tedae kaimih kah Pathen namah loh kaimih kah thaesainah lakah a toem la nan hoeptlang dongah tahae kah bangla kaimih taengah loeihnah nan paek.
Now that we are receiving all this punishment because of our sinful actions and our terrible guilt—though you, our God, have not punished us as much as our sins deserve, and have still given us this remnant—
14 Na olpaek phae tih pilnam tueilaehkoi nen he masae cava nah ham ka mael uh aya? A meet neh rhalyong a tal hil khah hamla kaimih taengah na thintoek pawt nim?
shall we break your commandments once again and intermarry with the peoples who commit these disgusting religious practices? Wouldn't you become so angry with us that you would destroy us? No remnant would be left, not a single survivor.
15 Israel Pathen BOEIPA tah na dueng pai tih tahae khohnin kah bangla loeihnah neh ka sueng uh. Kaimih he namah mikhmuh ah kamamih kah dumlai neh ka om uh. He dongah na mikhmuh ah ka pai ngoeng pawh,” a ti.
Lord, God of Israel, you do what is right. Today we're all that is left, a remnant. We are before you in our guilt, but no one can stand before you because of it.”
