rd

Ezra 9

1 Ezrá complaineth on the people that had turned them selves from God, and married with the Gentiles. 5 He praieth unto God.
1.When *as these things were done, the rulers came to me, saying, The people of Israél, and the Priests and the Levites are not aseparated from the people of the lands (as touching their abominations) to wit, of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.
2.For they have taken their daughters to them selves, and to their sons, and they have mixed the holy seed with the people of the lands, and the hand of the bprinces and rulers hath been chief in this trespass.
3.But when I heard this saying, I rent my clothes & my garment, and plucked off the hair of mine head, and of my beard, and sat done castonied.
4.And there assembled unto me all that feared the words of the God of Israél, because of the transgression of them of the captivity. And I sat down astonied until the *evening sacrifice.
5.And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from mine heaviness, and when I had rent my clothes and my garment, I fell upon my knees, and spread out mine hands unto the Lord my God,
6.And said, O my God, I am confounded and ashamed, to lift up mine eyes unto thee my God: for our iniquities are increased over dour head, and our trespass is grown up unto ethe heaven.
7.From 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, unto the sword, into captivity, into a spoil, and into confusion of face, as appeareth this day.
8.And now for a little space grace hath been showed from the Lord our God, in causing a remnant to escape, and in giving us a fnail in his holy place, that our God may light our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our servitude.
9.For though we were bondmen, yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath inclined mercy unto us in the sight of the Kings of Persia, to give us life, and to erect the house of our God, and to redress the desolate places thereof, and to give us a wall in Judáh and in Jerusalém.
10.And now, our God, what shal we say after this? for we have forsaken thy commandments.
11.Which thou hast commanded by thy servants the Prophets, saying, *The land whereunto ye go to possess it, is an unclean land, because of the filthiness of the people of the lands, which by their abominations, and by their uncleanness have filed it from corner to corner.
12.Now therefore shal ye not give your daughters unto their sons, neither shal ye take their daughters unto your sons, nor seek their *peace nor wealth for ever, that ye may be strong and eat the goodness of the land, and leave it for an inheritance to your sons for ever.
13.And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, & for our great trespasses (seeing that thou our God hast staied us from being beneath gfor our iniquities, and hast given us such deliverance)
14.Should we return to break thy commandments, and join in affinity with the people of such abominations? woldest not thou be angry toward us til thou haddest consumed us, so that there should be no remnant nor any escaping?
15.O Lord God of Israél, thou art just, for we have been hreserved to escape, as appeareth this day: behold, we are before thee in our trespass: therefore we cannot stand before thee because of it.

Notes

1-*.
1 Esdr. 8.69.
1-a.
From the time they came home under Zerubbabel until the coming of Ezra, they had degenerate contrary to the Law of God, and married where it was not lawful. Deu. 7.3.
2-b.
That is, the governors are the chief beginners hereof.
3-c.
As one doubting whether God would continue his benefits toward us or els destroy this which he had begun.
4-*.
Ex. 29.39, Num. 28.4.
6-d.
That is, we are drowned in sin.
6-e.
They so exceed that they can not grow greater.
8-f.
In giving us a resting place, it is a similitude taken of them that remain still in a place, which smite nails to hang things upon, Is. 22.23.
11-*.
Ex. 23.32 and 34.12,15, Deut. 7.23.
12-*.
Deut. 23.6.
13-g.
Has not utterly cast us down and destroyed us for our sins, Deu. 28.15.
15-h.
He shows that God is just in punishing his people, and yet merciful in reserving a residue to whom he shows favour.