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Ezra 9:1-15 — Ezra's Prayer About Intermarriage

Ezra.9.1-15

¹After these things were completed, the leaders approached me and said, "The people of Israel, and the priests and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands, with their abominations—the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites. ²For they have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy seed has mixed itself with the peoples of the lands. And the leaders and officials have been foremost in this unfaithfulness." ³When I heard this matter, I tore my garment and my robe, pulled out hair from my head and beard, and sat appalled. ⁴Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel gathered around me because of the unfaithfulness of the exiles, while I sat appalled until the evening offering. ⁵At the evening offering I rose from my affliction, with my garment and robe torn, and I fell on my knees and spread out my hands to the LORD my God. ⁶And I said: "My God, I am ashamed and humiliated to lift up my face to you, my God, for our iniquities have risen above our heads, and our guilt has grown as high as the heavens. ⁷From the days of our fathers to this day we have been in great guilt. Because 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, to plunder, and to open shame, as it is today. ⁸But now, for a brief moment, there has been mercy from the LORD our God, to leave us survivors and to give us a secure hold in his holy place , so that our God may brighten our eyes and give us a little reviving in our servitude. ⁹For we are slaves; yet in our servitude our God has not forsaken us, but has extended steadfast love to us before 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. ¹⁰"And now, our God, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken your commandments, ¹¹which you commanded through your servants the prophets, saying, 'The land that you are entering to possess is a land made impure by the impurity of the peoples of the lands, by their abominations, with which they have filled it from end to end in their uncleanness. ¹²Now therefore do not give your daughters to their sons, and do not take their daughters for your sons; never seek their peace or their prosperity, so that you may be strong, eat the good of the land, and leave it as an inheritance to your sons forever.' ¹³And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt—though you, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserved and have given us survivors such as these— ¹⁴shall we again break your commandments and intermarry with the peoples who commit these abominations? Would you not be angry with us until you consumed us, with no remnant and no survivors? ¹⁵O LORD, God of Israel, you are righteous, for we remain survivors as we are now. Here we are before you in our guilt, for none can stand before you because of this."

Translation Notes

4/11/2026

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