CHAPTER 9
1 And after that these things were fulfilled, the princes nighed to me, Ezra, and said, The people of Israel, and the priests, and deacons [or Levites], be not separated from the peoples of lands, and from [the] abominations of them, that is, of Canaanites, of Hittites, and of Perizzites, and of Jebusites, and of Ammonites, and of Moabites, and of Egyptians, and of Amorites.
2 For they have taken of their daughters wives to themselves, and to their sons, and they have meddled [or mingled] holy seed with the peoples of lands; also the hand of princes and of magistrates was the first in this trespassing.
3 And when I had heard this word, I rent my mantle and my coat, and I pulled away the hairs of mine head and of my beard, and I sat mourning.
4 Forsooth all that dreaded the word of God of Israel came together to me, for the trespassing of them that were come from [the] captivity; and I sat sorry till to the sacrifice of eventide.
5 And in the sacrifice of eventide I rose up from mine affliction, and after that I had rent my mantle and my coat, I bowed my knees, and I spreaded abroad mine hands to the Lord my God,
6 and I said, My God, I am confounded and ashamed to raise up my face to thee, for our wickednesses be multiplied on mine head, and our trespasses have increased unto heaven,
7 from the days of our fathers hitherto; and also we ourselves have sinned grievously unto this day, and for our wickednesses we, and our kings, and our priests be betaken into the hands of kings of heathen lands, both into sword, and into captivity, into raven, and into shame of cheer, as also in this day.
8 And now as at a little time and at a moment our prayer is made with the Lord our God, that [the] relics, or remnants, should be left to us, and that a little stake, that is, some setting, and stableness, should be given in his holy place, and that our God should lighten our eyes, and give to us a little life in our servage.
9 For we be servants; and our God forsook us not in our servage or thralldom; and he bowed down mercy upon us before the kings of Persia, that he should give life to us, and enhance the house of our God, and that he should build the wildernesses thereof, or the desolate things thereof, and give to us hope, or mercy, in Judah and in Jerusalem.
10 And now, Lord our God, what shall we say after these things? For we have forsaken thy commandments,
11 which thou commandedest in the hand of thy servants prophets, and saidest, The land, to which ye shall enter, to hold it in possession, is an unclean land, by the uncleanness of peoples, and of other lands, in the abominations of them, that filled it with their defouling, from the mouth till to the mouth.
12 Now therefore, ye Jews, give ye not your daughters to their sons, nor take ye their daughters to your sons; nor seek ye the peace of them, nor their prosperity unto without end; that ye be comforted, and eat the good things, that be of the earth, and that ye have your sons your heirs, unto without end.
13 And after all things, or dis-eases, that came upon us in our worst works, and in our great trespass, thou, our God, hast delivered us from our wickedness, and hast given health to us, as it is today,
14 that we should not be turned away from thee, and make void thy commandments, and that we should not join matrimonies with the peoples of these abominations. Whether thou art wroth to us till to the ending, that thou shouldest not leave to us remnants, that is, a few men, and health?
15 Lord God of Israel, thou art just; for we be left, that should be saved, as in this day, lo! we be before thee in our sin; for men may not stand before thee on this thing.