Douay Rheims Original ↷
Ezra 9 📜 📕 ↷
Intermarriage with Neighboring Peoples
1 AND after these things were accomplished, the Princes came to me, saying: The people of Israel, and the Priests and Levites are not separated from the people of the lands, and from the abominations of them, to wit, of the Chanaaneite, and Hetheite, and Pherezeite, and Jebuseite, and of the Ammonites, and Moabites, and the AEgyptians, and Amorrheites.📜💬📚
2 For they have taken of their daughters to them and to their sons, and have mingled the holy seed with the people of the lands. The hand also of the Princes and magistrates hath been first in this transgression.📜💬📚
3 And when I had heard this word, I rent my cloak and my coat, and plucked off the hairs of my head and beard, and sat mourning.📜💬📚
4 And there assembled to me all that feared the God of Israel, for the transgression of them that were come from the captivity, and I sat sorrowful, until the evening sacrifice.📜💬📚
Ezra's Prayer of Confession
5 And at the evening sacrifice I rose out of my affliction, and my cloak and coat being rent I fell upon my knees, and spread forth my hands to our Lord my God,📜💬📚
6 and said: My God I am confounded and ashamed to lift up my face to thee: because our iniquities are multiplied over our head, and our sins have grown even unto heaven.📜💬📚
7 from the days of our fathers: yea and we our selves also have sinned grievously unto this day, and in our iniquities have we been delivered, our selves, and our kings, and our Priests, into the hand of the kings of the lands, and into the sword, and into captivity, and into spoil, and into confusion of countenance, as also at this day.📜💬📚
8 And now as it were a little, and for a moment was our prayer made before the Lord our God, that a remnant might be left us, and a nail might be given us in his holy place, and that our God would illuminate our eyes, and would give us a little life in our bondage.📜💬📚
9 Because we are bondmen, and in our bondage our God did not forsake us, but he inclined mercy upon us before the king of the Persians, to give us life, & to advance the house of our God, & to build the desolations thereof, & to give us a hedge in Juda & Jerusalem.📜💬📚
10 And now what shall we say, o our God, after these things? Because we have forsaken thy commandments,📜💬📚
11 which thou hast commanded in the hand of thy servants the Prophets, saying: The land, to the which you enter to possess it, is an unclean land, according to the uncleanness of peoples, and of other lands, by the abominations of them that have filled it from mouth unto mouth in their coinquination.📜💬📚
12 Now therefore give not your daughters to their sons, and their daughters take not for your sons, and do ye not seek their peace, and their prosperity for ever: that you may be strengthened, and may eat the goods that are of the land, and may have your children heirs for ever.📜💬📚
13 And after all things that come upon us in our most wicked works, and our most great sin, because thou our God hast delivered us from our iniquity, and hast given us health as it is at this day,📜💬📚
14 that we shall not turn away, & make frustrate thy commandments, neither should join matrimonies with the peoples of these abominations. Why art thou angry with us unto utter destruction, not to leave us a remnant unto salvation?📜💬📚
15 Lord God of Israel thou art just: because we are left, which should be saved as at this day. Behold we are before thee in our sin, for there can be no standing before thee upon this.📜💬📚
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