Ezra - Ferrar Fenton Bible Translation page 923
The Psalms, Solomon and Sacred Writers
my robes, and cloak, and pulled the hair off my head, and beard, and sat down in consternation, and all who were terrified at the words of the Gon of Israel collected to me about this great wrong, and I sat in con- sternation until the evening sacrince. But when the evening sacrifice was ofered I rose from my depression with my robe and cloak torn, and knelt on my knees, and spread my hands to my EvEk·L1v1NG G0:). and exclaimed ; ‘ My Gon ! I blush and am ashamed
to raise my face before You! for our passions increase on our head, and our sins are piled up to the skies! From the times of our fathers we have been in great sin to this day! and for our faults, we, our kings, and Priests have been given to the hands of the kings of the’Peop1es; to ruin, to shame, and to degradation, and a blushing face, as we now are. But now when a little momentary kind- ness has come from our EvER·L1v1NG GOD for a portion of us to escape, and to give us a nail in this Sacred Place,-—that our GOD may enlighten our eyes, and grant us a little revival in our bondage,--for we are slaves, but our Gov has not forsaken us in our slavery,—·but has extended mercy to us before the king of the Persians, to grant us a revival, and to raise the House of our GOD, and to repair its ashes, and has given us a fence for judah in jerusalem ;—~ then now, what can be said to our Gon after this,—-when we abandon Your com- mands, which You commanded by the means of your servants, the Preachers, saying; I`he land which you are going to
possess, is a defiled country from the delilements of the People of the country, and from their depravities with which they have filled it from place to place, in corrupting them- selves. Consequently give not your sons to their daughters, nor your daughters to their sons, and never seek their peace or prosperity for ever! So that you may be strong and eat the produce of the country, and transmit it to your children for ever! ’—And after all that has come upon us for our bad practices, and for our great offences,-——a,lthough You our Gob, have punished us less than our sins,—and given us an escape like this,——we again break Your commands, and marry with these depraved people !—··-Be not angry with us to the extreme !—-lest no portion should escape t-Evan-Lrvmc Gon of Israel! You are righteous, for we a remnant, have escaped, as to·day; Look! we are before You in our guilt! for none can stand up before You about this!
@
GI): ¥z¤plz Qrmnisz in Reform. And when Ezra was praying, and 10 confessed himself in tears, and had dung himself down before the House of Gob, a very great crowd of men, women, and children from all Israel collected to him ;—-and they wept with much weeping. And Shekaniah- ben-jekhial, one of the sons of Aulam, addressed, and said to Ezra; ‘ We have done wrong to our GOD,when we turned to marry women from the Peoples of the country; yet there is hope for Israel over this. So now let us make an agreement with our Gon to expel all the women and the children born of them, according to the advice of my Lord, and of those who tremble at the commands of our Gon! But let it be done according to law. Arise for the affair is yours,·——and we will support you in its execution. Ezra consequently arose and swore 5 the Chief Priests, and Levites, and all Israel to do according to this proposal ;——And they swore it. (B.¢. 456.) $ ¥ulrlir Meeting ®a1lzh in yzcihz ljulu. Then Ezra arose from before the
House of Gon, and went tothe resi- dence of Vjhokhanan - ben - Alishib where he lodged. He ate neither bread nor drank water, for he was grieved at the great wrong. But they made a proclamation in judah and jerusalem, to all the sons of the 923
