الإصحَاحُ
التَّاسِعُ

 

Chapter
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.

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.