Intermarriage with Pagans
1 When these things were done, the leaders came to me, saying, “The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have notseparated themselves from the peoples of the lands,with respect to the abominations of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.
2 For they havetaken some of their daughtersaswivesfor themselves and their sons, so that theholy seed ismixed with the peoples ofthoselands. Indeed, the hand of the leaders and rulers has been foremost in this trespass.”
3 So when I heard this thing,I tore my garment and my robe, and plucked out some of the hair of my head and beard, and sat downastonished.
4 Then everyone whotrembled at the words of the God of Israel assembled to me, because of the transgression of those who had been carried away captive, and I sat astonished until theevening sacrifice.
5 At the evening sacrifice I arose from my fasting; and having torn my garment and my robe, I fell on my knees andspread out my hands to theLordmy God.
6 And I said: “O my God, I am tooashamed and humiliated to lift up my face to You, my God; forour iniquities have risen higher thanourheads, and our guilt hasgrown up to the heavens.
7 Since the days of our fathers to this daywehavebeenvery guilty, and for our iniquitieswe, our kings,andour priests have been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to thesword, to captivity, to plunder, and tohumiliation, asitisthis day.
8 And now for a little while grace has beenshownfrom theLordour God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a peg in His holy place, that our God mayenlighten our eyes and give us a measure of revival in our bondage.
9 For wewereslaves.Yet our God did not forsake us in our bondage; butHe extended mercy to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to revive us, to repair the house of our God, to rebuild its ruins, and to give usa wall in Judah and Jerusalem.
10 And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken Your commandments,
11 which You commanded by Your servants the prophets, saying, ‘The land which you are entering to possess is an unclean land, with theuncleanness of the peoples of the lands, with their abominations which have filled it from one end to another with their impurity.
12 Now therefore,do not give your daughters as wives for their sons, nor take their daughters to your sons; andnever seek their peace or prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good of the land, andleaveitas an inheritance to your children forever.’
13 And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, since You our Godhave punished us less than our iniquitiesdeserve,and have given ussuchdeliverance as this,
14 should weagain break Your commandments, andjoin in marriage with the peoplecommittingthese abominations? Would You not beangry with us until You had consumedus,so thattherewouldbeno remnant or survivor?
15 OLordGod of Israel,Youarerighteous, for we are left as a remnant, asitisthis day.Here wearebefore You,in our guilt, though no one can stand before You because of this!”