Ezra 9:3-15 ▼

3 And at my hearing this word, I tore my garment and my robe, and I pulled out some of the hair of my head and beard, and I sat down appalled.

4 And they assembled to me—everyone trembling at the words of the God of Israel, because of the trespass of the exiles. And I sat appalled until the sacrifice of the evening.

5 And at the sacrifice of the evening I arose from my humiliation, and having torn my garment and my robe, I fell on my knees and spread out my hands to YHWH my God,

6 and I said, “O my God, I am too ashamed and humiliated to lift up, my God, my face to You, for our iniquities have risen higher than the head, and our guilt has grown up as far as to the heavens.

7 Since the days of our fathers we have great guilt to this day, and in our iniquities we have been given—we, our kings, our priests—into the hand of the kings of the lands, with the sword, with captivity, and with spoil, and with shame of face, as this day.

8 And for a little while grace has come from YHWH our God, to leave a remnant to us to escape, and to give us a stake in His holy place, that our God may enlighten our eyes and give us a little revival in our bondage.

9 For we were slaves, and in our bondage our God did not forsake us, and He extended to us mercy in the eyes of the kings of Persia, to give to us revival, to lift up the house of our God and to rebuild its ruins, and to give to us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem.

10 And what shall we say, our God, after this? For we have forsaken Your commandments,

11 that You commanded by Your servants the prophets, saying, ‘The land that you? are entering to possess, it is a land of impurity, by the impurity of the peoples of the lands with their abominations that have filled it from one end to another with their uncleanness.

12 And now, do not give as wives your? daughters for their sons, and lift not their daughters to your? sons, and never seek their peace or prosperity even to forever, that you? may be strong and eat the good of the land, and give possession to your? children even to forever.’

13 And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great guilt (since You, our God, you have restrained it to lower than our iniquities and have given us a deliverance like this),

14 should we turn back to break Your commandments and join in marriage with the peoples of these abominations? Would You not be angry with us until You had consumed us without remnant or survivor?

15 O YHWH, God of Israel, You are righteous, for we are left as a remnant, as this day. Here we are before You in our guilt, though no one can stand before You because of this.”