Intermarriage with Neighboring Peoples
(Nehemiah 13:23–31)

1And at the completion of these things the leaders came to me, saying, “The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands as to their abominations, even the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite, the Ammonite, the Moabite, the Egyptian, and the Amorite. 2For they have taken from their daughters for themselves and for their sons, and the holy seed is mixed with the peoples of the lands. And indeed the hand of the leaders and the rulers has been foremost in this trespass.”

3And at my hearing this word, I tore my garment and my robe, and I pulled out some of the hair of my head and beard, and I sat down appalled.

4And they assembled to me—everyone trembling at the words of the God of Israel, because of the trespass of the exiles. And I sat appalled until the sacrifice of the evening.

Ezra’s Prayer of Confession

5And at the sacrifice of the evening I arose from my humiliation, and having torn my garment and my robe, I fell on my knees and spread out my hands to YHWH my God, 6and I said,

“O my God, I am too ashamed and humiliated to lift up, my God, my face to You, for our iniquities have risen higher than the head, and our guilt has grown up as far as to the heavens. 7Since the days of our fathers we have great guilt to this day, and in our iniquities we have been given—we, our kings, our priests—into the hand of the kings of the lands, with the sword, with captivity, and with spoil, and with shame of face, as this day.

8And for a little while grace has come from YHWH our God, to leave a remnant to us to escape, and to give us a stake† in His holy place, that our God may enlighten our eyes and give us a little revival in our bondage. 9For we were slaves, and in our bondage our God did not forsake us, and He extended to us mercy in the eyes of the kings of Persia, to give to us revival, to lift up the house of our God and to rebuild its ruins, and to give to us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem.

10And what shall we say, our God, after this? For we have forsaken Your commandments, 11that You commanded by Your servants the prophets, saying, ‘The land that you⁺ are entering to possess, it is a land of impurity, by the impurity of the peoples of the lands with their abominations that have filled it from one end to another with their uncleanness. 12And now, do not give as wives your⁺ daughters for their sons, and lift not their daughters to your⁺ sons, and never seek their peace or prosperity even to forever, that you⁺ may be strong and eat the good of the land, and give possession to your⁺ children even to forever.’

13And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great guilt (since You, our God, you have restrained it to lower than our iniquities and have given us a deliverance like this), 14should we turn back to break Your commandments and join in marriage with the peoples of these abominations? Would You not be angry with us until You had consumed us without remnant or survivor?

15O YHWH, God of Israel, You are righteous, for we are left as a remnant, as this day. Here we are before You in our guilt, though no one can stand before You because of this.”