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.
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.
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.
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.
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,
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.
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.
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 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.
10 And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? for we have forsaken thy commandments,
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.
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.
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;
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?
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.

1Nowe when these things were done, the Princes came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests and the Leuites, haue not separated themselues from the people of the lands, doing according to their abominations, euen of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Iebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.

2For they haue taken of their daughters for themselues, and for their sonnes: so that the holy seed haue mingled themselues with the people of those lands, yea the hand of the princes and rulers hath bin chiefe in this trespasse.

3And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and pluckt off the haire of my head, and of my beard, and sate downe astonied.

4Then were assembled vnto me euery one that trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the transgression of those that had bene caried away, and I sate astonied, vntill the euening sacrifice.

5 And at the euening sacrifice, I arose vp from my heauinesse, and hauing rent my garment and my mantle, I fell vpon my knees, and spread out my hands vnto the Lord my God,

6And said, O my God, I am ashamed, and blush to lift vp my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased ouer our head, and our trespasse is growen vp vnto the heauens.

7Since the dayes of our fathers, haue wee beene in a great trespasse vnto this day, & for our iniquities haue we, our kings and our priests, bin deliuered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captiuitie, and to a spoile, and to confusion of face, as it is this day.

8And now for a litle space grace hath bene shewed from the Lord our God, to leaue vs a remnant to escape, and to giue vs a naile in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and giue vs a litle reuiuing in our bondage:

9For wee were bondmen, yet our God hath not forsaken vs in our bondage, but hath extended mercie vnto vs in the sight of the kings of Persia, to giue vs a reuiuing to set vp the house of our God, and to repaire the desolations thereof, and to giue vs a wall in Iudah and in Ierusalem.

10And now, O our God, what shal we say after this? for we haue forsaken thy commandements,

11Which thou hast commanded by thy seruants the prophets, saying, The land vnto which ye go to possesse it, is an vncleane land, with the filthinesse of the people of the lands, with their abominations, which haue filled it from one end to another, with their vncleannesse.

12Nowe therefore giue not your daughters vnto their sonnes, neither take their daughters vnto your sonnes, nor seeke their peace or their wealth for euer: that ye may bee strong, and eate the good of the land, and leaue it for an inheritance to your children for euer.

13And after all that is come vpon vs, for our euill deeds, and for our great trespasse, seeing that thou, our God, hast punished vs lesse, then our iniquities deserue, and hast giuen vs such deliuerance as this:

14Should wee againe breake thy commandements, and ioyne in affinitie with the people of these abominations? wouldest thou not be angry with vs, til thou haddest consumed vs, so that there should be no remnant, nor escaping?

15O Lord God of Israel, thou art righteous, for wee remaine yet escaped, as it is this day: Behold, we are before thee in our trespasses: for wee can not stand before thee, because of this.

I == Deut 12:30-31 ; Ezra 6:21 ; Neh 9:2

 

 

 

 

II == Ez 19:6 ; 22:31 ; 34:16 ; Deut 7:3 , 6 ; 14:2 ; Neh 13:23 ; 2nd cor 6:14

 

 

III == Job 1:20 ; Ps 143:4

 

IV == Ex 29:39 ; Ezra 10:3 ; Isa 66:2

 

 

V == Ez 9:29 , 33

 

 

VI == 2nd Chr 28:9 ; Ps 38:4 ; Dan 9:7-8 ; Rev 18:5

 

VII == Deut 28:36 , 64 ; Neh 9:30 ; Ps 106:6 ; Dan 9:5-8

 

 

 

VIII Ps 13:3 ; 34:5 ; Isa 22:23

 

 

IX == Ezra 7:28 ; Neh 9:36 ; Ps 136:23 ; Isa 5:2

 

 

 

 

 

 

XI == 2nd Kings 21:16 ; Ezra 6:21

 

 

 

 

XII == Ez 23:32 ; 34:16 ; Deut 7:3 ; 23:6 ; Prov 13:22 ; 20:7

 

 

 

XIII == Ps 103:10

 

 

 

XIV == Deut 9:8 ; Ezra 9:2 ; Neh 13:23 , 27 ; John 5:14 ; 2nd Peter 2:20-21

 

XV == Neh 9:33 ; Ps 130:3 ; Dan 9:14 ; Rom 3:19 ; 1st Cor 15:17

 

1 When these matters had been concluded, the leaders approached me with this report: "Neither the Israelite laymen nor the priests nor the Levites have kept themselves aloof from the peoples of the land and their abominations (Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites);

2 for they have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, and thus they have desecrated the holy race with the peoples of the land. Furthermore, the leaders and rulers have taken a leading part in this apostasy!"

3 When I had heard this thing, I tore my cloak and my mantle, plucked hair from my head and beard, and sat there stupefied.

4 Around me gathered all who were in dread of the sentence of the God of Israel on this apostasy of the exiles, while I remained motionless until the evening sacrifice.

5 Then, at the time of the evening sacrifice, I rose in my wretchedness, and with cloak and mantle torn I fell on my knees, stretching out my hands to the LORD, my God.

6 I said: "My God, I am too ashamed and confounded to raise my face to you, O my God, for our wicked deeds are heaped up above our heads and our guilt reaches up to heaven.

7 From the time of our fathers even to this day great has been our guilt, and for our wicked deeds we have been delivered over, we and our kings and our priests, to the will of the kings of foreign lands, to the sword, to captivity, to pillage, and to disgrace, as is the case today.

8 "And now, but a short time ago, mercy came to us from the LORD, our God, who left us a remnant and gave us a stake in his holy place; thus our God has brightened our eyes and given us relief in our servitude.

9 For slaves we are, but in our servitude our God has not abandoned us; rather, he has turned the good will of the kings of Persia toward us. Thus he has given us new life to raise again the house of our God and restore its ruins, and has granted us a fence in Judah and Jerusalem.

10 But now, O our God, what can we say after all this? For we have abandoned your commandments,

11 which you gave through your servants the prophets: the land which you are entering to take as your possession is a land unclean with the filth of the peoples of the land, with the abominations with which they have filled it from one end to the other in their uncleanness.

12 Do not, then, give your daughters to their sons in marriage, and do not take their daughters for your sons. Never promote their peace and prosperity; thus you will grow strong, enjoy the produce of the land, and leave it as an inheritance to your children forever.

13 "After all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and our great guilt-though you, our God, have made less of our sinfulness than it deserved and have allowed us to survive as we do - 

14 shall we again violate your commandments by intermarrying with these abominable peoples? Would you not become so angered with us as to destroy us without remnant or survivor?

15 O LORD, God of Israel, you are just; yet we have been spared, the remnant we are today. Here we are before you in our sins. Because of all this, we can no longer stand in your presence."

v 1. Comparing 7:8 and 10:9, Ezra has returned and has no doubt been teaching the word for nearly five months, and the princes have been convicted of the lack of separation of all the people from their pagan neighbors.

v 2. People, priests and Levites were intermarrying with people of the land along with their sins, contrary to God’s commands, Deut. 7:1-4, 2 Cor. 6:14, with princes and rulers setting example. Our president, Clinton, set an immoral example in America.

v 3. Tearing their garment in grief was common in Israel, but tearing both inner and outer garment and pulling out hair was only in great, extreme sorrow. Ezra knew this sin had led to their captivity, and he feared it might happen again.

v 4. Those who saw Ezra’s grief and repented, appeared trembling before him, perhaps continuing to come until he stirred himself at the evening sacrifice.

v 5-7. Ezra recognized confession should be made before sacrifice, and took a physical position before the Lord, throwing himself on God’s mercy. Though he was not guilty of those things, he classed himself with the others saying “our”. (In a local church, the sin of some can bring reproach upon “our” whole group.) This does not mean this must be our position of prayer, but can be. He was able to blush at the sins, compare Jer. 6:15 and 8:12, where wickedness was so ingrained they couldn’t blush.  Eph 5:1 For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. Yet TV and films now are brain washing society to be accustomed to open foul language, implied and explicit sex, and same sex marriages or homemakers. 

v 8,9. Ezra acknowledges God has given Israel a nail (tent peg or peg), meaning a remnant returned to the land God had given them. God had taken them out of slavery   by causing the kings to have mercy and return them to rebuild the temple and walls.

v 10-12. He confesses that they have specifically disobeyed God by marrying the corrupt people of the land, with the result that they had forfeited God’s promises.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

v 13,14. They had been very wicked, but the Lord had punished them less than they deserved and delivered them. It may be that even some of the latest to return have begun to fall into the same practices. Ezra fears that if the people fall back into the same abominations, God will destroy them without leaving a remnant. This states the condition of all who sin against God, La 3:22 “It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.”

v 15. Makes no excuse for their sin and asks no specific request, but throws himself and his people upon the mercies of God.