以斯拉记 9
Revised Chinese Union Version (Simplified Script) Shen Edition
谴责跟异族通婚
9 这些事完成以后，众领袖来接近我，说：“以色列百姓、祭司和利未人没有弃绝迦南人、赫人、比利洗人、耶布斯人、亚扪人、摩押人、埃及人和亚摩利人等列邦民族所行可憎的事。 2 因他们为自己和儿子娶了这些外邦女子，以致圣洁的种子和列邦民族混杂，而且领袖和官长在这事上是罪魁。” 3 我一听见这事，就撕裂衣服和外袍，拔了头发和胡须，惊惶地坐着。 4 凡为以色列 神言语战兢的人，都因被掳归回之人所犯的罪，聚集到我这里来。我惊惶地坐着，直到献晚祭的时候。 5 献晚祭的时候我从愁烦中起来，穿着撕裂的衣服和外袍，双膝跪下，向耶和华—我的 神举手， 6 说：
“我的 神啊，我抱愧蒙羞，不敢向你—我的 神仰面，因为我们的罪孽多到灭顶，我们的罪恶滔天。 7 从我们祖先的日子直到今日，我们的罪恶深重；因我们的罪孽，我们和君王、祭司都交在邻国诸王的手中，被杀害，掳掠，抢夺，脸上蒙羞，正如今日的景况。 8 现在耶和华—我们的 神暂且向我们施恩，为我们留下一些残存之民，使我们如钉子钉在他的圣所，让我们的 神光照我们的眼目，使我们在受辖制之中稍微复兴。 9 我们是奴仆，然而在受辖制之中，我们的 神没有丢弃我们，在波斯诸王面前向我们施恩，叫我们复兴，能重建我们 神的殿，修补毁坏之处，使我们在犹大和耶路撒冷有城墙。
10 “我们的 神啊，既然如此，现在我们还有什么话可说呢？因为我们离弃了你的诫命， 11 就是你藉你仆人众先知所吩咐的，说：‘你们要去得为业之地是污秽之地，因列邦民族的污秽和可憎的事，叫这地从这边到那边都充满了污秽。 12 现在，不可把你们的女儿嫁给他们的儿子，也不可为你们的儿子娶他们的女儿，永不可求他们的平安和他们的利益，这样你们就可以强盛，吃这地的美物，并把这地留给你们的子孙永远为业。’ 13 我们因自己的恶行和大罪，遭遇这一切的事，但你—我们的 神惩罚我们轻于我们罪所当得的，又为我们留下这些残存之民。 14 我们岂可再违背你的诫命，与行这些可憎之事的民族结亲呢？若我们这样行，你岂不向我们发怒，将我们灭绝，以致没有一个余民或残存之民吗？ 15 耶和华—以色列的 神啊，你是公义的，我们才能剩下这些残存之民，正如今日的景况。看哪，我们在你面前有罪恶，因此无人能在你面前站立得住。”
Ezra 9
International Standard Version
Ezra’s Reaction to Foreign Marriages(A)
9 After these things occurred, certain[a] officials approached me and said “The people of Israel, the priests, and the descendants of Levi have not separated themselves from the people of the lands or from the detestable behavior of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites, 2 because they and their sons have married foreign women.[b] As a result, the holy people[c] have mingled themselves among the people who live in these lands. As a matter of fact, the senior officials and the rulers have been foremost in this sin.”
3 When I heard this, I tore both my garment and robe, plucked hair from both my head and my beard, and collapsed in shock! 4 Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel gathered together as a group because of the sin committed by those who had been led astray. As for me, I remained seated, in shock, until the evening sacrifice.
Ezra’s Prayer of Repentance
5 At the time of the evening sacrifice, I arose from my discouragement. Still in my torn garment and robe, I fell to my knees with my hands outstretched to the Lord my God, 6 and said,
“My God, I am too ashamed and hurt to turn to you, because we’re in our iniquities over our heads. Furthermore, my God, our sins have grown as high as the heavens. 7 We have lived in great sin from the days of our ancestors even until today, and because of those iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been delivered over to foreign kings, for execution, for captivity, for plunder, and for humiliation, as is the case[d] today. 8 Though now, for a moment, grace has been shown[e] from the Lord our God, leaving a few survivors to escape, and providing us a secure hold in his Holy Place, so that our God might enlighten us and give us relief from our servitude. 9 Even though we are slaves, our God has not abandoned us in our slavery. Instead, he has extended gracious love to us in the presence of the kings of Persia, to grant us revival, to set up the Temple of our God, to repair its damage, and to give us a protective wall for Judah and Jerusalem.
10 Now, our God, what can we say besides this? Because we have abandoned your commandments 11 that you gave in the writings[f] of your servants, the prophets:
‘The land you are entering to possess is a morally unclean land due to the moral uncleanness of the people who live in there—along with their abominations—that has filled it from one end to the other with their impurities. 12 So, therefore, do not give your daughters in marriage to their sons, nor marry their daughters to your sons, and under no circumstances are you to seek their well-being or their wealth, so that you may remain strong, enjoying the best things the land has to give, and so that you may establish an inheritance for your children forever.’[g]
13 “After all that has happened to us because of our evil behavior, and because of our great sin—considering that you our God have punished us less than our iniquities deserve[h] and have given us this deliverance— 14 should we violate your commandments by intermarrying with the nations[i] who practice these abominations? Would you not be angry with us until you had consumed us, with not even a remnant surviving[j] to escape?
15 Lord God of Israel, you are just: As a result, we remain here today delivered. Look at us! Because of our sin, we cannot stand in your presence as a result of everything that has happened.”
Footnotes
- Ezra 9:1 The Heb. lacks certain
- Ezra 9:2 Lit. married some of their daughters
- Ezra 9:2 Lit. seed
- Ezra 9:7 The Heb. lacks is the case
- Ezra 9:8 The Heb. lacks shown
- Ezra 9:11 Lit. you ordered by the hand
- Ezra 9:12 This quotation from the prophets is not contained in MT
- Ezra 9:13 The Heb. lacks deserve
- Ezra 9:14 Lit. peoples
- Ezra 9:14 The Heb. lacks surviving
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