Ezra 9: The report about the peoples of the lands, and Ezra's prayer
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What happens?
The princes tell Ezra that the people of Israel, the priests, and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands, and that they have taken some of the daughters of those peoples for themselves and for their sons. Ezra tears his garment and his robe, pulls out hair from his head and his beard, and sits stunned until the evening offering, while everyone who trembles at the words of the God of Israel gathers to him. Then he gets up, falls on his knees, spreads out his hands, and prays to Yahweh, confessing guilt.
Who is speaking?
No one in this chapter is God speaking, so no verse is in gold. Ezra tells it as "I" (the first person), from the princes coming to him in verse 1 to the end of his prayer in verse 15. The princes speak in verses 1 and 2. Ezra speaks to God in verses 6 to 15. Inside his prayer, in verses 11 and 12, he repeats what God commanded by the prophets: those are the words Ezra reports, so they are not in gold. God's own words are printed in gold, and those verses are marked God speaks
1Now when these things were done, the princes came near to me, saying, “The people of Israel, the priests, and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands, following their abominations, even those of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.
In plain English: When these things were done, the princes (or: leaders) came to me and said, "The people of Israel, the priests, and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands. They have followed their abominations, those of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.
The Hebrew words: "The people of Israel" and "the peoples of the lands" use the same Hebrew word, am, which the dictionary gives as "a people (as a congregated unit)". The verse says the people of Israel have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands.
How it is translated: The word is in 19 verses of Ezra, and the WEB says "people" or "peoples" in all 19, and "peoples" in 7 of them. The Hebrew uses the one word for Israel and for the others. The WEB's "people" and "peoples" show the one and the many.
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2For they have taken of their daughters for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy offspring have mixed themselves with the peoples of the lands. Yes, the hand of the princes and rulers has been chief in this trespass.”
In plain English: For they have taken some of their daughters for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy offspring have mixed themselves with the peoples of the lands. The hand of the princes and rulers (or: officials) has been first (or: chief) in this trespass."
The Hebrew words: "Holy offspring" is zera ha-qodesh, which reads literally "the seed of the holy (or: of holiness)". The dictionary gives zera as "seed; figuratively, fruit, plant, sowing-time, posterity" and qodesh as "a sacred place or thing; rarely abstract, sanctity".
How it is translated: Zera is in 2 verses of Ezra, this one and , and the WEB says "offspring" in both.
The Hebrew word: "Trespass" is maal, which the dictionary gives as "treachery, i.e. sin". It is in 3 verses of Ezra ( and are the other two), and the WEB says "trespass" in all 3. A related word from the same root, which the dictionary gives as "to act covertly, i.e. treacherously", is in and , and the WEB says "trespassed" in both.
The Hebrew word: "Chief" is rishon, which the dictionary gives as "first, in place, time or rank".
How it is translated: The word is in 6 verses of Ezra. The WEB says "first" in 5 of them and "chief" here, in the line "the hand of the princes and rulers has been chief in this trespass".
What changes: With "first" the verse says the hand of the princes and rulers was the first in this trespass. With "chief" it says their hand was the leading one. The Hebrew word allows both, and the verse does not choose.
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3When I heard this thing, I tore my garment and my robe, and pulled the hair out of my head and of my beard, and sat down confounded.
In plain English: When I heard this, I tore my garment and my robe, pulled out some of the hair of my head and my beard, and sat down confounded (or: stunned).
The Hebrew word: "Confounded" is shamem, which the dictionary gives as "to stun", "devastate" or "stupefy".
How it is translated: The word is in 2 verses of Ezra, this one and , and the WEB says "confounded" in both. The word-by-word meaning in the STEPBible data is "appalled".
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4Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel were assembled to me because of the trespass of the exiles; and I sat confounded until the evening offering.
In plain English: Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel gathered to me because of the trespass of the exiles. And I sat confounded until the evening offering.
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5At the evening offering I rose up from my humiliation, even with my garment and my robe torn; and I fell on my knees, and spread out my hands to Yahweh my God;
In plain English: At the evening offering I got up from my humiliation, with my garment and my robe torn. I fell on my knees and spread out my hands to Yahweh my God.
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6and I said, “My God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to you, my God, for our iniquities have increased over our head, and our guiltiness has grown up to the heavens.
In plain English: And I said, "My God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to you, my God, for our iniquities have increased over our head, and our guilt has grown great up to the heavens.
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7Since the days of our fathers we have been exceedingly guilty to this day; and for our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plunder, and to confusion of face, as it is this day.
In plain English: From the days of our fathers until this day we have been in great guilt. Because of our iniquities, we, our kings, and our priests were given into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plunder, and to shame of face (or: confusion of face), as it is this day.
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8Now for a little moment grace has been shown from Yahweh our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a stake in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and revive us a little in our bondage.
In plain English: But now, for a little moment, grace has come from Yahweh our God, to leave us an escaped remnant and to give us a stake (literally: a peg) in his holy place, so that our God may light up our eyes and give us a little reviving in our bondage.
The Hebrew words: "A remnant to escape" is peleytah, which the dictionary gives as "deliverance; concretely, an escaped portion". "A stake" is yated, which the dictionary gives as "a peg".
How it is translated: Peleytah is in 4 verses of Ezra (here and in , and ). The WEB says "remnant" in all 4 and "escape" or "escaped" in 3 of them. Yated is in this verse only in Ezra, and the WEB says "stake". The Hebrew word is a peg, and the verse does not say a tent.
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9For we are bondservants; yet our God has not forsaken us in our bondage, but has extended loving kindness to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to revive us, to set up the house of our God, and to repair its ruins, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.
In plain English: For we are slaves (or: bondservants), yet our God has not abandoned us in our bondage. He has extended loving kindness to us before the kings of Persia, giving us reviving, to raise up the house of our God, to repair (literally: set up) its ruins, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.
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10“Now, our God, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken your commandments,
In plain English: And now, our God, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken your commandments,
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11which you have commanded by your servants the prophets, saying, ‘The land to which you go to possess is an unclean land through the uncleanness of the peoples of the lands, through their abominations, which have filled it from one end to another with their filthiness.
In plain English: which you commanded by your servants the prophets (literally: by the hand of your servants the prophets), saying, 'The land that you are going in to possess is an unclean land, through the uncleanness of the peoples of the lands, through their abominations, with which they have filled it from one end to the other (literally: from mouth to mouth) with their filthiness.
Good to know: Verses 11 and 12 are Ezra praying and repeating what God commanded by the prophets. The verse does not name which prophets, or when they said it. These are not in gold, because they are Ezra's report of the words.
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12Now therefore don’t give your daughters to their sons. Don’t take their daughters to your sons, nor seek their peace or their prosperity forever, that you may be strong and eat the good of the land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children forever.’
In plain English: So now, do not give your daughters to their sons, and do not take their daughters for your sons. Do not seek their peace or their good forever, so that you may be strong, eat the good of the land, and leave it as an inheritance to your sons forever.'
Good to know: has a command in similar words: "You shall not give your daughter to his son, nor shall you take his daughter for your son." Ezra's prayer says the command came by the prophets, and it does not name Deuteronomy.
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13“After all that has come on us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, since you, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and have given us such a remnant,
In plain English: After all that has come on us because of our evil deeds and our great guilt, since you, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserve (literally: you held back downward from our iniquity), and have given us such an escaped remnant,
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14shall we again break your commandments, and join ourselves with the peoples that do these abominations? Wouldn’t you be angry with us until you had consumed us, so that there would be no remnant, nor any to escape?
In plain English: shall we go back to breaking your commandments and join ourselves by marriage to the peoples who do these abominations? Would you not be angry with us until you had finished us, so that there would be no remnant and no one escaped?
The Hebrew word: "Join ourselves" is chathan, which the dictionary gives as "to give (a daughter) away in marriage; hence (generally) to contract affinity by marriage".
How it is translated: The word is in this verse only in Ezra, and the WEB says "join". The Hebrew word is about a joining by marriage, which fits verse 12, where daughters are given and taken.
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15Yahweh, the God of Israel, you are righteous; for we are left a remnant that has escaped, as it is today. Behold, we are before you in our guiltiness; for no one can stand before you because of this.”
In plain English: Yahweh, God of Israel, you are righteous, for we are left as an escaped remnant, as it is today. Look, we are before you in our guilt, for no one can stand before you because of this."
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