Ezra 9

¹ When this was completed, the officials came to me and said, “The people of Israel, the priests, and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands. They follow their detestable practices: those of the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites.

² For they have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and for their sons, and the holy offspring have become mixed with the peoples of the lands. The officials and prefects were the first to be unfaithful in this matter.”

³ When I heard this, I tore my clothes and my robe, pulled hair from my head and beard, and sat down, stunned.

⁴ Then all who trembled at the words of the God of Israel gathered around me because of the unfaithfulness of the returned exiles. I sat stunned until the evening offering.

⁵ At the evening offering, I rose from my humiliation, with my clothes and robe torn. I fell to my knees and spread out my hands to the LORD my God.

⁶ And I said, “My God, I am too ashamed and humiliated to lift my face to you, my God, because our guilt has risen above our heads, and our wrongdoing has reached the heavens.

⁷ From the days of our ancestors until today, we have been deeply guilty. Because of our guilt, we, our kings, and our priests have been handed over to the kings of the lands—to the sword, captivity, plunder, and public shame, as we are today.

⁸ And now, for a brief moment, the LORD our God has shown us favor, leaving us a remnant that escaped and giving us a stake in his holy place, to brighten our eyes, our God, and grant us a little life in our servitude.

⁹ For we are slaves, yet our God has not abandoned us in our servitude. He has shown us loyal love before the kings of Persia, giving us new life so we can raise up the house of our God, restore its ruins, and have a protective wall in Judah and Jerusalem.

¹⁰ And now, our God, what can we say after this? For we have abandoned your commandments,

¹¹ which you gave through your servants the prophets, saying, ‘The land you are entering to possess is an unclean land, made unclean by the peoples of the lands and by their detestable practices, with which they have filled it from end to end in their impurity.

¹² So do not give your daughters to their sons, or take their daughters for your sons. Never seek their peace or prosperity, so that you may be strong, eat the good things of the land, and leave it as an inheritance to your children forever.’

¹³ After all that has come upon us because of our evil deeds and great guilt, you, our God, have spared us from what our guilt deserved and given us a remnant like this.

¹⁴ Would we break your commandments again and intermarry with these peoples who practice such detestable things? Would you not be angry with us until you destroyed us, leaving no remnant or survivor?

¹⁵ LORD, God of Israel, you are righteous, for we remain as a remnant, as we are today. Here we stand before you in our guilt, for no one can stand before you because of this.”

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