Ezra 9
1 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.
這些事完畢後，眾首領來到我面前說：「以色列民眾、司祭和肋未人可的事上，並沒有離開當地的人民：客納罕人、希威人、培黎齊人、耶步斯人、阿孟人、摩阿布人、埃及人和阿摩黎人，
2 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.”
因為他們為自己和自己是兒子，娶了他們的女子，以致聖潔的曲裔，與當地的人民合；尤其首長和官，是這罪孽的魁首」。
3 When I heard about this, I tore my clothes, pulled out some hair from my head and beard, and sat down, absolutely appalled.
我一聽這話，便撕裂了我的衣服和外氅，拔我的頭髮和鬍鬚，絕望地坐下。
4 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.
當時凡對以色列天主的誡命起敬起畏的人，為了充軍歸的罪孽，都聚集在我周圍，我絕望地坐著，直到晚祭。
5 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.
到了獻晚祭時，我悲憤人起來，仍穿著撕碎的衣服和外氅，雙膝跪下，伸手向上主我的天主說：
6 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.
「我的天主，我實覺慚愧! 我的天主! 我不敢向你仰面，因為我們的邪惡，積累得高過了我們的頭頂，我們的罪孽上達於天。
7 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.
自從我們的祖先時代，直到今日，我們犯了重大的罪孽；為了我們的罪惡，我們連我們的君王司祭，都被交在異地的君王手中，喪身刀下，被俘擄，遭劫，丟臉受辱，就像今日一樣。
8 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.
但是現在，轉瞬之間，上主我們的天主，對我們施了仁慈，留給了我們一些殘存的人，又在聖地給了我們居所；並且我們的天主，還使我們的眼目明亮，在我們為奴隸期中，使我們尚有少許生氣。
9 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.
我們原是奴隸，但我們在為奴隸期中，我們的天主沒有離棄我們，反而使我們在波斯王，獲得了寵遇，使我們有了生氣，得以重建天主的殿宇，修廢壚，我們在猶大和耶路撒冷，得了保障。
10 But now, our God, what do we have to say for ourselves after all this? For we have given up following your commands
現今，我們的天主! 在這些事後，我們還有什麼可說的呢﹖只能說我們又遺棄了你的誡命，
11 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.
因你曾藉你的僕人眾先知，吩咐說：『你們要去佔領的地方，因各地異民的卑污行為，成了不潔之地；他們的醜行和罪孽，充滿了那地方的各個角落，
12 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.’
所以你們絕不可將你們的女兒嫁給他們的兒子；也不給你們的兒子，他們的女兒為妻，也永不可他們共謀平安和福利：這樣你們才會強盛，才能吃那地方的出產，將這地留給你們的子孫，作為永遠基業」。
13 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—
為了我們的許多罪行和重大的罪孽，這一切降到了我們身上之後，──我們的天主! 其實你估了我們的罪惡，還給我們留下了這些亡命的人，──
14 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.
我們還敢破壞你的誡命，而同這些不潔的民族聯婚嗎﹖難道還要你向我們發怒，一直將我們完全消滅，不一個遺民或亡命的人嗎﹖
15 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.”
上主，以色列的天主! 因你仁慈，才剩下了我們這些亡的人，像今天一樣；看，我們在你面前都帶有罪孽，因此，沒有一個能在你面前站得住。
