Ezra 9
1 Forsothe after that these thingis weren fillid, the princes neiyeden to me, and seiden, The puple of Israel, and the prestis, and dekenes, ben not depertid fro the `puplis of londis, and fro abhominaciouns of hem, that is, of Cananei, of Ethei, and of Pheresei, and of Jebusei, and of Amonytis, and of Moabitis, and of Egipcians, and of Ammorreis.
And at the completion of these things, drawn nigh unto me have the heads, 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 thei han take `of her douytris wyues to hem silf, and to her sones, and thei han medlid hooli seed with the puplis of londis; also the hond of princes and of magistratis was the firste in this trespassyng.
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 whanne Y hadde herd this word, Y torente my mentil and coote, and Y pullide awei the heeris of myn heed and berd, and Y sat morenynge.
And at my hearing this word, I have rent my garment and my upper robe, and pluck out of the hair of my head, and of my beard, and sit astonished,
4 Forsothe alle that dredden the word of God of Israel camen togidere to me, for the trespassyng of hem that weren comun fro caitifte; and Y sat sori `til to the sacrifice of euentid.
and unto me are gathered every one trembling at the words of the God of Israel, because of the trespass of the removal, and I am sitting astonished till the present of the evening.
5 And in the sacrifice of euentid Y roos fro myn afflicioun, and aftir that Y to-rente the mentil and coote, Y bowide my knees, and I spredde abrood myn hondis to `my Lord God,
And at the present of the evening I have risen from mine affliction, and at my rending my garment and my upper robe, then I bow down on my knees, and spread out my hands unto Jehovah my God,
6 and Y seide, My God, Y am confoundid and aschamed to reise my face to thee, for oure wickidnessis ben multiplied `on myn heed, and oure trespassis encreessiden `til to heuene,
and say, 'O my God, I have been ashamed, and have blushed to lift up, O my God, my face unto Thee, for our iniquities have increased over the head, and our guilt hath become great unto the heavens.
7 fro the daies of oure fadris; but also we vs silf han synned greuousli `til to this dai, and for our wickidnessis we, and oure kyngis, and oure prestis ben bitakun in the hondis of kyngis of londis, bothe in to swerd, and in to caitifte, in to raueyn, and in to schenship of cheer, as also in this dai.
'From the days of our fathers we [are] in great guilt unto 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 as at a litil and at a moment oure preier is maad anentis `oure Lord God, that relikis schulden be left to vs, and that `his pees schulde be youun in his hooli place, and that oure God schulde liytne oure iyen, and yyue to vs a litil lijf in oure seruage.
'And now, as a small moment hath grace been from Jehovah our God, to leave to us an escape, 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 ben seruauntis, and oure God forsoke vs not in oure seruage; and he bowide merci on vs bifor the king of Persis, that he schulde yyue lijf to vs, and enhaunse the hows of oure God, and that he schulde bilde the wildernessis therof, and yyue to vs hope in Juda and in Jerusalem.
for servants we [are], and in our servitude our God hath not forsaken us, and stretcheth out unto 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 wastes to cease, and to give to us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.
10 And now, `oure Lord God, what schulen we seie after these thingis? For we han forsake thi comaundementis,
'And now, what do we say, O our God, after this? for we have forsaken Thy commands,
11 whiche thou comaundidist in the hond of thi seruauntis profetis, and seidist, The lond, to which ye schulen entre, to holde it in possessioun, is an vnclene lond, bi the vnclennesse of puplis, and of othere londis, in the abhomynaciouns of hem, that filliden it with her defoulyng, fro the mouth `til to the mouth.
that Thou hast commanded by the hands of thy servants the prophets, saying, The land into which ye 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 unto mouth — by their uncleanness;
12 Now therfor yiue ye not youre douytris to her sones, and take ye not her douytris to youre sones; and seke ye not the pees of hem and the prosperite `of hem `til in to with outen ende; that ye be coumfortid, and ete the goodis, that ben of the lond, and that ye haue eiris, youre sones, `til in to `the world.
and now, your daughters ye do not give to their sons, and their daughters ye do not take to your sons, and ye do not seek their peace, and their good — unto the age, so that ye are strong, and have eaten the good of the land, and given possession to your sons unto the age.
13 And after alle thingis that camen on vs in oure werste werkis, and in oure grete trespas, for thou, oure God, hast delyuered vs fro oure wickidnesse, and hast youe helthe to vs,
'And after all that hath come upon us for our evil works, and for our great guilt (for Thou, O our God, hast kept back of the rod from our iniquities, and hast given to us an escape like this),
14 as `it is to dai, that we schulden not be turned, and make voide thi comaundementis, and that we schulden not ioyne matrimonyes with the puplis of these abhomynacouns. Whether thou art wrooth to vs `til to the endyng, that thou schuldist not leeue to us remenauntis, and helthe?
do we turn back to break Thy commands, and to join ourselves in marriage with the people of these abominations? art not Thou angry against us — even to consumption — till there is no remnant and escaped part?
15 Lord God of Israel, thou art iust; for we ben left, that schulden be sauyd as in this day, lo! we ben bifor thee in oure synne; for me may `not stonde bifor thee on this thing.
'O Jehovah, God of Israel, righteous [art] Thou, for we have been left an escape, as [it is] this day; lo, we [are] before Thee in our guilt, for there is none to stand before Thee concerning this.'
