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.”
Ekemo laEsra molweehombo dOvaisraeli novapaani neilikano laye
1 Eshi va mana ashishe osho, ovakulunhu ve uya kwaame ndele tava ti: “Ovanhu Ovaisraeli novapristeli nOvalevi inave litukula noiwana yomoilongo nomoilonga yavo ii, mOvakaanan, mOvaheti, mOvaperesi, mOvajebusi, mOvaammoni, mOvamoab, mOvaegipiti nomOvaamori. 2 Osheshi va kufa mo movana vavo oukadona, va ninga ovalikadi vavo novovana vavo ovamati, onghee hano oludi liyapuki la lumbakanifwa kumwe novanhu vomoilongo. Novakulunhu novakomesho va tetekela meliteeko olo.” 3 Ndele eshi nde shi uda nda pombaula oshikutu shange nelwakani lange, ndele nde liduda eexwiki komutwe wange neendjedi dange, ndele nda kala omutumba nda nyika oluhodi. 4 Ndele ava va kakama molweendjovo daKalunga kaIsrael omolweliteeko leenghwate, ove uya aveshe kwaame. Ndele ame nda li omutumba nda nyika oluhodi fiyo okeyambo longuloshi.
5 Ndelenee pefimbo leyambo longuloshi ame nda penduka mokunyika oluhodi lange. Ndele fimbo handi pombaula oshikutu shange nelwakani lange, ame nda twa eengolo nokulinyongamena ndele nda yelula omaoko ange kOmwene Kalunga kange, 6 ndele handi ti: “Kalunga kange, ondi udite nda fya ohoni ndele ihandi dulu okuyelula oshipala shange kwoove, Kalunga kange, osheshi oulunde wetu wa lunda omitwe detu, nokuvelwa kwetu ombedi taku hange keulu. 7 Okudja komafiku ootate fiyo onena eli fye tu nombedi inene, nomolwowii wetu fye neehamba detu novapristeli vetu va yandjwa momake eehamba doilongo, nokeongamukonda nomoukwatwa nomokutikishwa po nomokufifwa ohoni, ngaashi shi li nena eli. 8 Ndele paife twa mona onghenda kOmwene Kalunga ketu okafimbo kanini, osheshi Ye e shi itavela ovamangululwa vomufye va xupa po, nokwe tu pa onhele moshiyapuki shaye, opo Kalunga ketu a yelife omesho etu tu fude po kanini moupika wetu. 9 Osheshi fye ovapika. Ndelenee moupika wetu Kalunga ketu ine tu ekelashi, ndele okwe tu fila onghenda koshipala sheehamba daPersia, onghee hano ode tu pa okafudo tu tungulule ongulu yaKalunga ketu nomakulukuma ayo tu a longolole, nokwe tu pa ohotekuma muJuda nomuJerusalem. 10 Ndele paife Kalunga ketu hatu ti shike omolwoinima ei? Osheshi twa efa oipango yoye, 11 we i lombwela ovapiya voye ovaxunganeki, eshi wa tile: ‘Oshilongo osho tamu i mo mu ke shi nangale, osho oshilongo sha nyata, omolweenyata doiwana yomoilongo molwoilonga yavo ii, va yadifa nayo oshilongo okudja kongaba imwe fiyo okongaba ikwao neenyata davo. 12 Paife inamu yandja ovana veni oukadona kovana vavo ovamati, ndele inamu kufa ovana vavo oukadona va ninge ovalikadi vovana veni ovamati, ndele inamu konga nande oukaume nelao lavo fiyo alushe, opo nye mu kale mwa pama nokulya ouwa woshilongo, ndele mu shi yandje kovana veni oshitukulwa fiyo alushe.’ 13 Ndele konima yoinima aishe oyo ye uya kombada yetu molwoilonga yetu ii nomolwombedi yetu inene, osheshi Ove Kalunga ketu ino tu valela pawii wetu twe u lilongela, ndele we tu pa natango ovamangululwa vahapu ve fike opo. 14 Tu tauluke vali ngeno oipango yoye ndele tu ninge haukwe noiwana oyo tai longo oixuna? Ehandu loye itali ka kala ngeno kombada yetu fiyo twa kombwa po, ndele itapa fyaala nande oshixupe ile ovamangululwa? 15 Omwene Kalunga kaIsrael, Oove omuyapuki. Osheshi ofye atuke tu li efiku lonena ovamangululwa, twa xupa. Fye otu li po apa tu nombedi koshipala shoye, ndelenee omolwoinima ya tya ngaha kape na ou ta dulu okukala po koshipala shoye.”
