Ezra Learns of Intermarriages with Non-Jews
1 After all this had been done, some of the leaders of the people of Israel came and told me that the people, the priests, and the Levites had not kept themselves separate from the people in the neighboring countries of Ammon, Moab, and Egypt or from the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, and Amorites. They were doing the same disgusting things which these people did. 2 Jewish men were marrying foreign women, and so God's holy people had become contaminated. The leaders and officials were the chief offenders. 3 When I heard this, I tore my clothes in despair, tore my hair and my beard, and sat down crushed with grief. 4 I sat there grieving until the time for the evening sacrifice to be offered, and people began to gather around me—all those who were frightened because of what the God of Israel had said about the sins of those who had returned from exile.
5 When the time came for the evening sacrifice, I got up from where I had been grieving, and still wearing my torn clothes, I knelt in prayer and stretched out my hands to the Lord my God. 6 I said, “O God, I am too ashamed to raise my head in your presence. Our sins pile up higher than our heads; they reach as high as the heavens. 7 From the days of our ancestors until now, we, your people, have sinned greatly. Because of our sins we, our kings, and our priests have fallen into the hands of foreign kings, and we have been slaughtered, robbed, and carried away as prisoners. We have been totally disgraced, as we still are today. 8 Now for a short time, O Lord our God, you have been gracious to us and have let some of us escape from slavery and live in safety in this holy place. You have let us escape from slavery and have given us new life. 9 We were slaves, but you did not leave us in slavery. You made the emperors of Persia favor us and permit us to go on living and to rebuild your Temple, which was in ruins, and to find safety here in Judah and Jerusalem.
10 “But now, O God, what can we say after all that has happened? We have again disobeyed the commands 11 that you gave us through your servants, the prophets. They told us that the land we were going to occupy was an impure land because the people who lived in it filled it from one end to the other with disgusting, filthy actions. 12 They told us that we were never to intermarry with those people and never to help them prosper or succeed if we wanted to enjoy the land and pass it on to our descendants forever. 13 Even after everything that has happened to us in punishment for our sins and wrongs, we know that you, our God, have punished us less than we deserve and have allowed us to survive. 14 Then how can we ignore your commandments again and intermarry with these wicked people? If we do, you will be so angry that you will destroy us completely and let no one survive. 15 Lord God of Israel, you are just, but you have let us survive. We confess our guilt to you; we have no right to come into your presence.”
Ondjivisiro ya Esra komakupasaneno kuna ovandu mbe he ri Ovajuda
1 Avihe mbi tji vya za nokutjitwa, ovanane tjiva votjiwaṋa tja Israel otji ve ya nave ndji raere kutja otjiwaṋa novapristeri nOvalevi kave yapukire peke noviwaṋa vyomahi omararanganda wOvaamoni nOvamoab nOvaengipte nOvakanaan nOvahetite nOvaperesi nOvajebusi nOvaamori. Owo ve tjita oviṋa oviyaukise tjingevyo mbi mbi tjitwa i oviwaṋa mbi. 2 Ovarumendu Ovajuda ve kupa ovakazendu wozonganda, notjiwaṋa tja Ndjambi otjiyapuke tja hovekasanena noviwaṋa mbi. Ovanane novahongore omba tenga po okutjita nai. 3 Tji mba zuva otjiṋa hi, otji mba nyondorora ozombanda zandje moruhoze, e pora ozondjise noruyezu rwandje ne kara pehi amba temwa. 4 Ami mba kara pehi mbo amba temwa nao, nga oruveze rwokupunguha ombunguhiro yongurova; novandu avehe mba mumaparere mena romambo Ndjambi wa Israel nga hungira ohunga nourunde wa imba mba kotokere okuza kouhuura, ve ndji woronganena.
5 Oruveze ndwi rwombunguhiro youngurova tji rweya, mba sekama poṋa pu mba karere pehi momburuma yandje, nu ngunda ambi nozombanda nḓa nyondoroka nao, otji mba wora ozongoro mongumbiro ne yere omake wandje ku Muhona, Ndjambi wandje, 6 e kumbu e tja: “Ndjambi, ami mba ṱohoṋi tjinene okuyera otjiuru tjandje komurungu woye. Ozondataiziro zetu maye riwezire ko nga tji maze kapita oviuru vyetu; ozo za kavaza nga keyuru. 7 Eṱe, otjiwaṋa tjoye, twa tura ondjo tjinene okuza komayuva wootate mukururume nga ku ndinondi. Mena romauvi wetu eṱe nozombara zetu novapristeri vetu twa wira momake wozombara zozonganda, nu twa ṱa atu pundwa natu twarewa mouhuura. Eṱe twa yamburuka oparukaze otja tji tu ri ndinondi. 8 Nambano moruveze orusupi, ove, Muhona, Ndjambi wetu, we tu ṱirotjari no henisa tjiva vetu mouhuura no tu turisa nokuhinatjipo moṋa momuyapuke mwi. Ove we tu pa omuinyo omupe mouhuura wetu. 9 Eṱe twa ri ovahuurwa, nungwari ove ko tu zembire ko mouhuura. Ove wa tjita kutja ozombara za Persie ze kare nondjingonekero mu eṱe, nokutja ze tu ese tu hupe komurungu nu tu tungurure ondjuwo ya Muhona, ndja ri otjitambatundu, nokutja tu kare nokuhinatjipo muno mOjuda na mOjerusalem.
10 “Nambano, Ndjambi, ngatu tje vi koviṋa avihe mbi mbya tjitwa? Eṱe rukwao twa kara nokuhinonḓuviro komarakiza 11 ngu we tu pa notjinyo tjovakarere voye, imba ovaprofete. Owo ve tu raera kutja ehi, ndi matu kakambura ra zunḓaka, orondu otjiwaṋa tji tja turire mu ro, tje urisa ehi ndo novitjitwa oviyaukise novinandova okuza kotjikoro nga kotjikoro. 12 Owo ve tu raera kutja atu ha roro okukupasana noviwaṋa mbyo, nokutja atu ha ningi ko na tja nohange nouṋingandu wawo, kokutja eṱe oveni tu kare nomasa, tu rye ovihape oviwaviwa vyehi, nu tu isire ozondekurona zetu ehi ndi ri rire otjirumatwa tjawo nga aruhe. 13 Nandarire kutja otjiṋa ngamwa atjihe tja tjitwa ku eṱe mena romauvi nozondataiziro zetu, eṱe matu tjiwa kutja oove, ngu u ri Ndjambi wetu, we tu vera kehi yaindu pu twa sokuverwa, nu we tu esa kutja tu hupe. 14 Nambano matu yenene vi okunyengwa omatwako woye rukwao mokukupasana noviwaṋa ovirunde mbi? Tji twa tjiti nai, mo ṱomazenge nga tji mo tu yandeke okumana, nu ko nakuhupisa po omundu nangarire umwe. 15 Muhona, Ndjambi wa Israel, oove omusemba; nungwari we tu hupisa. Matu rihepura ozondjo zetu kove; katu pwire okukurama komurungu woye.”
