Ezra 9:9-15

9 For we be servants; and our God forsook us not in our servage/in our thralldom; and he bowed down mercy upon us before the king(s) of Persia, that he should give life to us, and (so we could) enhance the house of our God, and that he should build (again) the wildernesses thereof, or the desolate things thereof, and give to us hope, or mercy, in Judah and in Jerusalem. (For we be slaves; but our God hath not left us in our servitude, or our slavery; but he bowed down mercy upon us from the kings of Persia, to give life to us, so that we could rebuild the House of our God, and repair its ruins, and so give us a wall of defence, or a safe place, here in Judah and in Jerusalem.)
10 And now, Lord our God, what shall we say after these things? For we have forsaken thy commandments,
11 which thou commandedest in the hand of thy servants (the) prophets, and saidest, The land, to which ye shall enter, to hold it in possession, is an unclean land, by the uncleanness of peoples, and of other lands, in the abominations of them, that (have) filled it with their defouling, from the mouth till to the mouth. (which thou commandedest by thy servants the prophets, and saidest, The land, to which ye shall enter to have for a possession, is an unclean land, because of the uncleanness and the abominations of the people there, from other lands, who have filled it with their defiling, from one end to the other.)
12 Now therefore, ye Jews, give ye not your daughters to their sons, nor take ye their daughters to your sons; nor seek ye the peace of them, nor their prosperity unto without end; that ye be comforted, and eat the good things, that be of the earth, and that ye have your sons (as) your heirs, unto without end (so that ye be strengthened, and eat the good things of the land, and that ye leave it for an inheritance to your sons forevermore).
13 And after all things, or dis-eases, that came upon us in our worst works, and in our great trespass, thou, our God, hast delivered us from our wickedness, and hast given health to us, as it is today, (And though much suffering came upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass, thou, our God, hast not punished us as we deserved, but thou hast rescued us, or hast saved us, from our wickedness, and hast given us the deliverance, which we have today,)
14 that we should not be turned away from thee, and make void thy commandments, and that we should not join matrimonies with the peoples of these abominations. Whether thou art wroth to us till to the ending, that thou shouldest not leave to us remnants, that is, a few men, and health? (so now should we turn away from thee, and make void thy commandments, and join matrimonies with the peoples of these abominations? Nay! For wouldest thou not then be angry with us unto the end, so that thou wouldest leave no remnant, that is, even a few people, who would survive?)
15 Lord God of Israel, thou art just; for we be left, that should be saved, as in this day, lo! we be before thee in our sin; for men may not stand before thee on this thing. (Lord God of Israel, thou art righteous; we who be left, be but a remnant, that thou hast let survive, unto this day; lo! we be before thee in our sin; but because of it we cannot stand before thee.)

Ezra 9:9-15 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EZRA 9

Ezra being informed, by some of the princes who complained unto him, of the marriages of many of the Israelites with the people of the land, the Canaanites and others, was greatly grieved and distressed, Ezr 9:1-5, upon which he made a confession of their sins to God, with great shame, sorrow, and contrition, and deprecated the evils which they deserved, Ezr 9:6-15.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.