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, 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 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.
[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 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 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 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.
[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 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.
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 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.
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 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.
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 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.
“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 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.
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 “Na olpaek ka hnawt uh dongah he hnukah kaimih kah Pathen te metlam ka thui pueng eh?
“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 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.
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 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.
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 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.
“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 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?
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 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.
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.”
