Ezra 9
1 Now when these things were accomplished, the princes approached me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the nations of the lands, notwithstanding their abominations, from the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the 'Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Emorites;
And at the completion of these things, the heads have drawn near to me, saying, “The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not been separated from the peoples of the lands, as to their abominations, even the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite, the Ammonite, the Moabite, the Egyptian, and the Amorite,
2 For they have taken of their daughters for themselves and for their sons; and the holy seed have mingled themselves with the nations of these lands; and the hand of the princes and rulers hath been the first in this trespass.
for they have taken of their daughters to them, and to their sons, and the holy seed have mingled themselves among the peoples of the lands, and the hand of the heads and of the seconds have been first in this trespass.”
3 And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and I plucked out some of the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down astounded.
And at my hearing this word, I have torn my garment and my upper robe, and pluck out of the hair of my head, and of my beard, and sit astonished,
4 And then assembled themselves unto me every one that trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the trespass of the exiles; and I sat astounded until the evening sacrifice.
and to me are gathered everyone trembling at the words of the God of Israel, because of the trespass of the expulsion, and I am sitting astonished until the present of the evening.
5 And at the evening sacrifice I rose up from my fasting, and while rending my garment and my mantle, I knelt down upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the Lord my God.
And at the present of the evening I have risen from my affliction, and at my tearing my garment and my upper robe, then I bow down on my knees, and spread out my hands to my God YHWH,
6 And I said, O my God, I am ashamed and confounded to lift up my face unto thee, my God! for our iniquities are increased above our head, and our guiltiness is grown up as far as the heavens.
and say, “O my God, I have been ashamed, and have blushed to lift up, O my God, my face to You, for our iniquities have increased over the head, and our guilt has become great to the heavens.
7 From the days of our fathers have we been in a great guiltiness even until this day; and through our iniquities have we been delivered, we, our kings, and our priests, into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to a spoil, and to the shame of face, as it is this day.
From the days of our fathers we [are] in great guilt to this day, and in our iniquities we have been given—we, our kings, our priests—into the hand of the kings of the lands, with sword, with captivity, and with spoiling, and with shame of face, as [at] this day.
8 And now for a little moment hath grace been extended from the Lord our God, to preserve us a remnant to escape, and to give us a stake in his holy place, that our God might enlighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage.
And now, as a small moment grace has been from our God YHWH, to leave an escape for us, and to give to us a nail in His holy place, by our God’s enlightening our eyes, and by giving us a little quickening in our servitude;
9 For we are bondmen: yet in our bondage hath our God not forsaken us, but hath extended unto us kindness before the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to exalt the house of our God, and to erect again its ruins, and to give us a fence in Judah and in Jerusalem.
for we [are] servants, and in our servitude our God has not forsaken us, and stretches out to us kindness before the kings of Persia, to give to us a quickening to lift up the house of our God, and to cause its ruins to cease, and to give to us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.
10 And now what shall we say, O our God, after this? for we have forsaken thy commandments,
And now, what do we say, O our God, after this? For we have forsaken Your commands,
11 Which thou hast commanded through means of thy servants the prophets, saying, The land, unto which ye go to take possession thereof, is a land defiled through the defilement of the nations of the lands, through their abominations, with which they have filled it from one end to another through their uncleanness.
that You have commanded by the hands of Your servants the prophets, saying, The land into which you are going to possess it, [is] a land of impurity, by the impurity of the people of the lands, by their abominations with which they have filled it—from mouth to mouth—by their uncleanness;
12 And now your daughters shall ye not give unto their sons, and their daughters shall ye not take for your sons, and ye shall not seek their peace and their welfare unto eternity: in order that ye may be strong, and eat the best of the land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children unto eternity.
and now, your daughters you do not give to their sons, and their daughters you do not take to your sons, and you do not seek their peace, and their good—for all time, so that you are strong, and have eaten the good of the land, and given possession to your sons for all time.
13 And after all that is come over us for our evil deeds, and for our great guiltiness, seeing that thou our God hast spared us [punishing us] less than our iniquities [deserved], and hast given us such deliverance as this:
And after all that has come on us for our evil works, and for our great guilt (for You, O our God, have kept back of the rod from our iniquities, and have given to us an escape like this),
14 Should we again make void thy commandments, and make marriage with these people of abominations? wouldst thou not be angry with us even to make an end of us, so that there would not be any remnant or escape?
do we turn back to break Your commands, and to join ourselves in marriage with the people of these abominations? Are You not angry against us—even to consumption—until there is no remnant and escaped part?
15 O Lord, God of Israel, thou art righteous; for we have been left a remnant that hath escaped, as it is this day; behold, we are before thee in our guiltiness; for there is no standing before thee because of this.
O YHWH, God of Israel, You [are] righteous, for we have been left an escape, as [it is] this day; behold, we [are] before You in our guilt, for there is none to stand before You concerning this.”
