New American Standard Bible 1995

Ezra 9:1-9

1Now when these things had been completed, the princes approached me, saying, “The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not 1separated themselves from the peoples of the lands, 2according to their abominations, those of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians and the Amorites. 2For 3they have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and for their sons, so that 4the holy 5race has 6intermingled with the peoples of the lands; indeed, the hands of the princes and the rulers have been foremost in this unfaithfulness.” 3When I heard about this matter, I 7tore my garment and my robe, and pulled some of the hair from my head and my beard, and 8sat down appalled. 4Then 9everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel on account of the unfaithfulness of the exiles gathered to me, and I sat appalled until 10the evening offering.

5But at the evening offering I arose from my 11humiliation, even with my garment and my robe torn, and I fell on my knees and 12stretched out my 13hands to the Lord my God; 6and I said, “O my God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift up my face to You, my God, for our iniquities have 14risen above our heads and our 15guilt has grown even to the heavens. 7 16Since the days of our fathers to this day we have been in great guilt, and on account of our iniquities we, our kings and our priests have been given into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity and to plunder and to 17 18open shame, as it is this day. 8But now for a brief moment grace has been shown from the Lord our God, 19to leave us an escaped remnant and to give us a 20peg in His holy place, that our God may 21enlighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our bondage. 9 22For we are slaves; yet in our bondage our God has not forsaken us, but 23has extended lovingkindness to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us reviving to raise up the house of our God, to restore its ruins and to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem.

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Notes

1. Ezra 9:1 Ezra 6:21; Neh 9:2 ↩
2. Ezra 9:1 Lev 18:24-30 ↩
3. Ezra 9:2 Deut 7:3; Ezra 10:2, 18 ↩
4. Ezra 9:2 Ex 22:31; Deut 14:2; 2 Cor 6:14 ↩
5. Ezra 9:2 Lit seed ↩
6. Ezra 9:2 Neh 13:3 ↩
7. Ezra 9:3 2 Kin 18:37 ↩
8. Ezra 9:3 Neh 1:4 ↩
9. Ezra 9:4 Ezra 10:3; Is 66:2 ↩
10. Ezra 9:4 Ex 29:39 ↩
11. Ezra 9:5 Or fasting ↩
12. Ezra 9:5 Ex 9:29 ↩
13. Ezra 9:5 Lit palms ↩
14. Ezra 9:6 Lit multiplied over the head ↩
15. Ezra 9:6 2 Chr 28:9; Ezra 9:13, 15; Rev 18:5 ↩
16. Ezra 9:7 2 Chr 29:6; Ps 106:6 ↩
17. Ezra 9:7 Lit shame of faces ↩
18. Ezra 9:7 Dan 9:7 ↩
19. Ezra 9:8 Ezra 9:13-15 ↩
20. Ezra 9:8 Is 22:23 ↩
21. Ezra 9:8 Ps 13:3 ↩
22. Ezra 9:9 Neh 9:36 ↩
23. Ezra 9:9 Ezra 7:28 ↩

Notes

Commentaries on Ezra 9