Ezra’s Prayer About Intermarriage
1After these things had been done, the leaders came to me and said, “The people of Israel, including the priests and the Levites, have not kept themselves separate from the neighboring peoples with their detestable practices, like those of the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians and Amorites. 2They have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, and have mingled the holy race with the peoples around them. And the leaders and officials have led the way in this unfaithfulness.”
3When I heard this, I tore my tunic and cloak, pulled hair from my head and beard and sat down appalled. 4Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel gathered around me because of this unfaithfulness of the exiles. And I sat there appalled until the evening sacrifice.
5Then, at the evening sacrifice, I rose from my self-abasement, with my tunic and cloak torn, and fell on my knees with my hands spread out to the Lord my God 6and prayed:
“I am too ashamed and disgraced, my God, to lift up my face to you, because our sins are higher than our heads and our guilt has reached to the heavens. 7From the days of our ancestors until now, our guilt has been great. Because of our sins, we and our kings and our priests have been subjected to the sword and captivity, to pillage and humiliation at the hand of foreign kings, as it is today.
8“But now, for a brief moment, the Lord our God has been gracious in leaving us a remnant and giving us a firm place9:8 Or a foothold in his sanctuary, and so our God gives light to our eyes and a little relief in our bondage. 9Though we are slaves, our God has not forsaken us in our bondage. He has shown us kindness in the sight of the kings of Persia: He has granted us new life to rebuild the house of our God and repair its ruins, and he has given us a wall of protection in Judah and Jerusalem.
10“But now, our God, what can we say after this? For we have forsaken the commands 11you gave through your servants the prophets when you said: ‘The land you are entering to possess is a land polluted by the corruption of its peoples. By their detestable practices they have filled it with their impurity from one end to the other. 12Therefore, do not give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take their daughters for your sons. Do not seek a treaty of friendship with them at any time, that you may be strong and eat the good things of the land and leave it to your children as an everlasting inheritance.’
13“What has happened to us is a result of our evil deeds and our great guilt, and yet, our God, you have punished us less than our sins deserved and have given us a remnant like this. 14Shall we then break your commands again and intermarry with the peoples who commit such detestable practices? Would you not be angry enough with us to destroy us, leaving us no remnant or survivor? 15Lord, the God of Israel, you are righteous! We are left this day as a remnant. Here we are before you in our guilt, though because of it not one of us can stand in your presence.”
以斯拉的禱告
1完成這些事以後，眾首領來告訴我說：「以色列民眾、祭司和利未人還沒有與當地各族分開，他們仍隨從迦南人、赫人、比利洗人、耶布斯人、亞捫人、摩押人、埃及人和亞摩利人的可憎行為。 2他們為自己和自己的兒子娶這些人的女兒為妻，使聖潔的民族與當地的人混雜。首領和官員是這種不忠之事的罪魁。」 3一聽到這些，我便撕裂衣服和外袍，拔掉頭髮和鬍鬚，驚恐地坐下。 4聽了以色列上帝的話而顫抖的人都聚集在我周圍，因為流亡歸來的人不忠。我驚恐地坐在那裡，直到獻晚祭的時候。
5獻晚祭的時候，我滿懷憂傷地起來，穿著那撕裂的衣服和外袍，雙膝跪下，向我的上帝耶和華伸出雙手， 6說：「我的上帝啊，我羞愧難當，不敢抬頭看你，因為我們的惡行滅頂，我們的罪惡滔天。 7從我們的祖先開始到現在，我們罪惡深重。由於我們的罪惡，我們、我們的君王和祭司都落在外邦君王的手中，被他們殺害、俘虜、搶掠和羞辱，如同今天的光景。 8但如今我們的上帝耶和華暫且施恩於我們，為我們存留一些餘民，使我們安然住在這聖潔之地，讓我們眼睛明亮，在我們受奴役時賜給我們一點生機。 9雖然我們是奴隸，我們的上帝卻沒有離棄受奴役的我們。祂在波斯眾王面前施恩於我們，使我們復興，得以重建毀壞的上帝的殿，讓我們在猶大和耶路撒冷有護牆。
10「如今，我們的上帝啊，事已至此，我們還能說什麼呢？因為我們背棄了你的誡命， 11就是你藉著你的僕人——眾先知給我們的吩咐，『你們將要佔領的那片土地被當地人的污穢玷污，他們的可憎行徑使那裡充滿污穢。 12所以不要讓你們的女兒嫁給他們的兒子，也不要讓你們的兒子娶他們的女兒。永不可為他們謀求平安和好處。這樣，你們就可強盛，吃那裡的美好出產，也可將那地方留給你們的子孫作為永久的產業。』
13「這一切事臨到我們，皆因我們的惡行和大罪。但我們的上帝啊，你給我們的懲罰比我們該受的輕多了，你還施恩給我們留下這些餘民。 14我們豈能再違背你的誡命，與這些行為可憎之民通婚？若我們這樣行，你豈不發怒毀滅我們，使我們無人存活嗎？ 15以色列的上帝耶和華啊，你是公義的，所以今天我們這些餘民才得以倖存。看啊，我們在你面前身負罪惡，因而無人能在你面前站立得住。」
