Ezra plucks out his hair and sits down astonished
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.
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.
The princes came to me (Ezra) saying,
The men of Israel are offending God by taking foreign wives (including Moabites) [1]
and corrupting the holy seed.
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 astonished.
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 astonished until the evening sacrifice.
When I heard this thing,
2, plucked off the hair on my head and beard,
and sat down astonished.
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,
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.
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.
8
And now for a little space grace hath been shewed 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.
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.
10
And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? for we have forsaken thy
commandments,
That evening, I fell on my knees, spread out my hands, and said to God,
O God, I am ashamed and blush in front of you.
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.
You said to your prophets,
The land that I am giving you is unclean with the filthiness of its inhabitants.
Their abominations fill it with uncleanness.
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.
Don't give your daughters to their sons, or take their daughters for your sons.
And don't seek peace with them or try to help them in any way.
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;
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?
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.
And now we've offended you again by making friends with our neighbors.
We can't stand in front of you because of this.
9:1-15
Every Jot and Tittle: All the commandments in the Bible