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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width; initial-scale=1.0; maximum-scale=1.0; user-scalable=0;"/><title>Ezra 9 ISV</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/ezra/9.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="../topmenuchap/ezra/9-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="http://biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="../">ISV</a> > Ezra 9</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../ezra/8.htm" title="Ezra 8">◄</a> Ezra 9 <a href="../ezra/10.htm" title="Ezra 10">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top">International Standard Version</td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/p/isv/esv/ezra/9.shtml" style="color:#001320" title="Parallel Chapters"> Par ▾ </a></tr></table></div><div class="chap"><p class="heading">Ezra’s Reaction to Foreign Marriages</p><p class="cross_ref">(<a href="http://isv.scripturetext.com/nehemiah/13.htm">Nehemiah 13:23</a>)</p><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ezra/9-1.htm"><b>1</b></a></span>After these things occurred, certain<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="9:1 The Heb. lacks certain">a</a></span> officials approached me and said “The people of Israel, the priests, and the descendants of Levi have not separated themselves from the people of the lands or from the detestable behavior of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites, <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ezra/9-2.htm"><b>2</b></a></span>because they and their sons have married foreign women.<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="9:2 Lit. married some of their daughters">b</a></span> As a result, the holy people<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="9:2 Lit. seed">c</a></span> have mingled themselves among the peoples of these lands. As a matter of fact, the senior officials and the rulers have been foremost in this sin.”</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ezra/9-3.htm"><b>3</b></a></span>When I heard this, I tore both my garment and robe, plucked hair from both my head and my beard, and collapsed in shock! <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ezra/9-4.htm"><b>4</b></a></span>Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel gathered together as a group because of the sin committed by those who had been led astray. As for me, I remained seated, in shock, until the evening sacrifice.</p> <p class="heading">Ezra’s Prayer of Repentance</p><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ezra/9-5.htm"><b>5</b></a></span>At the time of the evening sacrifice, I arose from my discouragement. Still in my torn garment and robe, I fell to my knees with my hands outstretched to the LORD my God, <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ezra/9-6.htm"><b>6</b></a></span>and said,</p> <p class="reg margintop">“My God, I am too ashamed and hurt to turn to you, because we’re in our iniquities over our heads. Furthermore, my God, our sins have grown as high as the heavens. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ezra/9-7.htm"><b>7</b></a></span>We have lived in great sin from the days of our ancestors even until today, and because of those iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been delivered over to foreign kings, for execution, for captivity, for plunder, and for humiliation, as is the case<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="9:7 The Heb. lacks is the case">d</a></span> today. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ezra/9-8.htm"><b>8</b></a></span>Though now, for a moment, grace has been shown<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="9:8 The Heb. lacks shown">e</a></span> from the LORD our God, leaving a few survivors to escape, and providing us a secure hold in his Holy Place, so that our God might enlighten us and give us relief from our servitude. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ezra/9-9.htm"><b>9</b></a></span>Even though we are slaves, our God has not abandoned us in our slavery. Instead, he has extended gracious love to us in the presence of the kings of Persia, to grant us revival, to set up the Temple of our God, to repair its damage, and to give us a protective wall for Judah and Jerusalem.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ezra/9-10.htm"><b>10</b></a></span>Now, our God, what can we say besides this? Because we have abandoned your commandments <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ezra/9-11.htm"><b>11</b></a></span>that you gave in the writings<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="9:11 Lit. you ordered by the hand">f</a></span> of your servants, the prophets:</p> <p class="reg margintop">‘The land you are entering to possess is a morally unclean land due to the moral uncleanness of the peoples of the lands—along with their abominations—that has filled it from one end to the other with their impurities. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ezra/9-12.htm"><b>12</b></a></span>So, therefore, do not give your daughters in marriage to their sons, nor marry their daughters to your sons, and under no circumstances are you to seek their well-being or their wealth, so that you may remain strong, enjoying the best things the land has to give, and so that you may establish an inheritance for your children forever.’<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="9:12 This quotation from the prophets is not contained in MT">g</a></span> </p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ezra/9-13.htm"><b>13</b></a></span>“After all that has happened to us because of our evil behavior, and because of our great sin—considering that you our God have punished us less than our iniquities deserve<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="9:13 The Heb. lacks deserve">h</a></span> and have given us this deliverance— <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ezra/9-14.htm"><b>14</b></a></span>should we violate your commandments by intermarrying with the peoples who practice these abominations? Would you not be angry with us until you had consumed us, with not even a remnant surviving<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="9:14 The Heb. lacks surviving">i</a></span> to escape?</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ezra/9-15.htm"><b>15</b></a></span>LORD God of Israel, you are just: As a result, we remain here today delivered. Look at us! Because of our sin, we cannot stand in your presence as a result of everything that has happened.”</p><hr size="1" color="DDEEFF"><span class="mainfootnotes"><A name="ftn"></a><span class="mainfootnoteshdg">Footnotes:</span><br><span class="fn1"><span class="fnb">a</span> 9:1 The Heb. lacks <i>certain</i><br /><span class="fnb">b</span> 9:2 Lit. <i>married some of their daughters</i><br /><span class="fnb">c</span> 9:2 Lit. <i>seed</i><br /><span class="fnb">d</span> 9:7 The Heb. lacks <i>is the case</i><br /><span class="fnb">e</span> 9:8 The Heb. lacks <i>shown</i><br /><span class="fnb">f</span> 9:11 Lit. <i>you ordered by the hand</i><br /><span class="fnb">g</span> 9:12 This quotation from the prophets is not contained in MT<br /><span class="fnb">h</span> 9:13 The Heb. lacks <i>deserve</i><br /><span class="fnb">i</span> 9:14 The Heb. lacks <i>surviving</i><br /></span><br><br><hr size="1" color="DDEEFF"><div align="center"><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center">The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1<br />Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation<br />ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/">Bible Hub</a></div></div></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="../ezra/8.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Ezra 8"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Ezra 8" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="../ezra/10.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Ezra 10"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Ezra 10" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="rightbox"><div class="padright"><div id="pic"><iframe width="100%" height="860" scrolling="no" src="//biblescan.com/mpc/ezra/9-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></div></div><div id="rightbox4"><div class="padright2"><div id="spons1"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td class="sp1"><iframe width="122" height="860" scrolling="no" src="../sidemenu.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="bot"><div align="center" style="background-color:#F2FAFF"><br /><br /><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><script async src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>  <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="6710025936" data-ad-format="auto"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script></td></tr></table><br /><br /><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><script async src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>  <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="6710025936" data-ad-format="auto"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script></td></tr></table></div><br /><br /> </div><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="//biblehu.com/botmenubhnm2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe><div align="center"><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span></div></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>