“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. 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. 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.”
“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, 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. 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. 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.” (Ezra 9:1-15 AV)
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