Ezra Chapter 9
So, all this popped off, and the crew rolled up to me, saying, "Yo, the Israelites, the priests, and Levites are totally mingling with the locals, doing their sus stuff, like the Canaanites and others."
Now when these things were done, the princes came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, {doing} according to their abominations, {even} of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.
They’re scooping up their daughters for their families, so the holy crew is blending with those folks, and the leaders are driving this whole situation.
For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of {those} lands: yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass.
Upon hearing this, I was shook, tore my clothes, yanked out my hair, and just plopped down, thinking, "What even?"
And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down astonied.
Then all the folks feeling the heaviness of God’s words surrounded me, because of the chaos from those who got taken, and I just sat there, floored, until evening came.
Then were assembled unto me every one that trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the transgression of those that had been carried away; and I sat astonied until the evening sacrifice.
During the evening sacrifice, I rose from my emotions; after tearing my clothes, I hit my knees and lifted my hands to the Lord, like, "Help me!"
And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the LORD my God, {heaviness: or, affliction}
I said, "O my God, I’m so embarrassed I can’t even look up at you, 'cause our wrongs are piled high, and our sins are soaring into the sky."
And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over {our} head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens. {trespass: or, guiltiness}
Since the days of our ancestors, we’ve been in a serious mess till now; our sins got us and our kings handed over to the kings of the lands, facing the sword and all that madness, just like today.
Since the days of our fathers {have} we {been} in a great trespass unto this day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, {and} our priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to a spoil, and to confusion of face, as {it is} this day.
But for a hot minute, God showed us mercy, leaving a remnant to escape and giving us a glimmer of hope in His holy place, to brighten our eyes and give us a boost in this struggle.
And now for a little space grace hath been {shewed} from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage. {space: Heb. moment} {a nail: or, a pin: that is, a constant and sure abode}
We were trapped, but our God didn’t bail on us; He showed us love in front of the kings of Persia, reviving us to rebuild our God’s house and fix the disaster, giving us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem.
For we {were} bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the desolations thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem. {to repair: Heb. to set up}
So now, O our God, what’s the next step? We’ve totally ghosted your commandments.
And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? for we have forsaken thy commandments,
You told your prophets, saying, "The land you’re heading to is filthy, filled with all the wicked stuff from the locals."
Which thou hast commanded by thy servants the prophets, saying, The land, unto which ye go to possess it, is an unclean land with the filthiness of the people of the lands, with their abominations, which have filled it from one end to another with their uncleanness. {by: Heb. by the hand of} {from...: Heb. from mouth to mouth}
So, for real, don’t give your daughters to their sons, and don’t take their daughters for your sons, or chase after their peace or wealth forever; that way, you can stay strong, enjoy the land, and pass it down to your kids endlessly.
Now therefore give not your daughters unto their sons, neither take their daughters unto your sons, nor seek their peace or their wealth for ever: that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave {it} for an inheritance to your children for ever.
After all the chaos we’ve encountered for our mistakes, and for our major screw-up, realizing that you, our God, have low-key punished us less than we deserved, and gave us this kind of escape;
And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass, seeing that thou our God hast punished us less than our iniquities {deserve}, and hast given us {such} deliverance as this; {hast punished...: Heb. hast withheld beneath our iniquities}
Should we go and break your commandments again, getting cozy with these folks and their sus vibes? Wouldn’t you be furious with us until there’s no one left to escape?
Should we again break thy commandments, and join in affinity with the people of these abominations? wouldest not thou be angry with us till thou hadst consumed {us}, so that {there should be} no remnant nor escaping?
O Lord God of Israel, you’re straight-up righteous; we’re still here, like, "What’s good?" We’re in our mess before you, 'cause we can’t even stand in front of you right now.
O LORD God of Israel, thou {art} righteous: for we remain yet escaped, as {it is} this day: behold, we {are} before thee in our trespasses: for we cannot stand before thee because of this.