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Ezra’s Prayer About Intermarriage
9:1 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.
9:2 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.
9:3 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.
9:4 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.
9:5 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,
9:6 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.
9:7 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.
9:8 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.
9:9 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.
9:10 And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? for
we have forsaken thy commandments,
9:11 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.
9:12 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.
9:13 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;
9:14 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?
9:15 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. |
Cults 
Why Did God Permit Sin?
