EZR-9:1  Now when these things were done, the princes came to me, saying, The

people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated

themselves from the people of the lands, [doing] according to their

abominations, [even] of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the

Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.

EZR-9:2  For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their

sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of [those]

lands: yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this

trespass.

EZR-9:3  And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and

plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down astonied.

EZR-9:4  Then were assembled unto me every one that trembled at the words of

the God of Israel, because of the transgression of those that had been carried

away; and I sat astonied until the evening sacrifice.

EZR-9:5  And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having

rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands

unto the LORD my God,

EZR-9:6  And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to

thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over [our] head, and our

trespass is grown up unto the heavens.

EZR-9:7  Since the days of our fathers [have] we [been] in a great trespass

unto this day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, [and] our priests,

been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to

captivity, and to a spoil, and to confusion of face, as [it is] this day.

EZR-9:8  And now for a little space grace hath been [showed] from the LORD our

God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place,

that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our

bondage.

EZR-9:9  For we [were] bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our

bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia,

to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the

desolations thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.

EZR-9:10  And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? for we have

forsaken thy commandments,

EZR-9:11  Which thou hast commanded by thy servants the prophets, saying, The

land, unto which ye go to possess it, is an unclean land with the filthiness

of the people of the lands, with their abominations, which have filled it from

one end to another with their uncleanness.

EZR-9:12  Now therefore give not your daughters unto their sons, neither take

their daughters unto your sons, nor seek their peace or their wealth for ever:

that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave [it] for an

inheritance to your children for ever.

EZR-9:13  And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our

great trespass, seeing that thou our God hast punished us less than our

iniquities [deserve], and hast given us [such] deliverance as this;

EZR-9:14  Should we again break thy commandments, and join in affinity with

the people of these abominations? wouldest not thou be angry with us till thou

hadst consumed [us], so that [there should be] no remnant nor escaping?

EZR-9:15  O LORD God of Israel, thou [art] righteous: for we remain yet

escaped, as [it is] this day: behold, we [are] before thee in our trespasses:

for we cannot stand before thee because of this.

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