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Sunday, July 27th, 2025
the Week of Proper 12 / Ordinary 17
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Read the Bible

Contemporary English Version

Ezra 9:6

and prayed: I am much too ashamed to face you, Lord God. Our sins and our guilt have swept over us like a flood that reaches up to the heavens.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Afflictions and Adversities;   Blushing;   Intercession;   Prayer;   Repentance;   Sin;   Scofield Reference Index - Bible Prayers;   Thompson Chain Reference - Confession of Sin;   Conscience;   Guilt;   Guilty Conscience;   Honour-Dishonour;   Innocence-Guilt;   Nation;   Prayer;   Shame;   Shame, Sin's;   Sin;   Sin's;   Wicked, the;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Confession of Sin;   Prayer, Private;   Repentance;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Confession;   Sorrow;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Legalism;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Confession;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Ezra, the Book of;   Malachi;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Ezra, Book of;   Guilt;   Lift;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ezra;   Fasting;   Genealogy;   Gestures;   Prayer;   Shame;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Heaven ;   Sacrifices ;   Sinlessness;   Synagogue;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Confession;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Lift;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Babylonish Captivity, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Ashamed;   Captivity;   Esdras, the First Book of;   Intercession;   Lift;   Prayer;   Proselyte;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Adoration, Forms of;   Prayer;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
And I said:
Hebrew Names Version
and I said, my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to you, my God; for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our guiltiness is grown up to the heavens.
King James Version
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.
English Standard Version
saying: "O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to you, my God, for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens.
New Century Version
I prayed, "My God, I am too ashamed and embarrassed to lift up my face to you, my God, because our sins are so many. They are higher than our heads. Our guilt even reaches up to the sky.
New English Translation
I prayed, "O my God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift my face to you, my God! For our iniquities have climbed higher than our heads, and our guilt extends to the heavens.
Amplified Bible
and I said, "O my God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift up my face to You, my God, for our wrongdoings have risen higher than our heads and our guilt has grown to the heavens.
New American Standard Bible
and I said, "My God, I am ashamed and humiliated to lift up my face to You, my God, for our wrongful deeds have risen above our heads, and our guilt has grown even to the heavens.
World English Bible
and I said, my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to you, my God; for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our guiltiness is grown up to the heavens.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And said, O my God, I am confounded & ashamed, to lift vp mine eyes vnto thee my God: for our iniquities are increased ouer our head, & our trespasse is growen vp vnto the heauen.
Legacy Standard Bible
and I said, "O my God, I am ashamed and humiliated to lift up my face to You, my God, for our iniquities have multiplied above our heads and our guilt has become great even to the heavens.
Berean Standard Bible
and said: "O my God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift up my face to You, my God, because our iniquities are higher than our heads, and our guilt has reached the heavens.
Complete Jewish Bible
and said, "My God, I am ashamed. I blush to lift my face to you, my God! For our sins tower over our heads; our guilt reaches up to heaven.
Darby Translation
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 to the heavens.
Easy-to-Read Version
Then I prayed this prayer: "My God, I am too ashamed and embarrassed to look at you. I am ashamed because our sins are higher than our heads. Our guilt has reached all the way up to the heavens.
George Lamsa Translation
And said, O my God, we are ashamed to lift up our faces to thee, our God; for our iniquities are increased over our head and our great sins have reached to the very heavens.
Good News Translation
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.
Lexham English Bible
and said, "My God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift my face to you, my God. For our sins have risen above our heads and our guilt has grown up to the heavens.
Literal Translation
And I said, O my God, I am ashamed and wounded to lift up my face to You, O my God. For our iniquities have increased over our head, and our guiltiness has grown to the heavens.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
and sayde: My God, I am ashamed, and darre not lifte vp mine eies vnto the my God: for oure wickednesses are growne ouer oure heade, & oure trespaces are waxen greate vnto ye heaue.
American Standard Version
and I 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 guiltiness is grown up unto the heavens.
Bible in Basic English
I said, O my God, shame keeps me from lifting up my face to you, my God: for our sins are increased higher than our heads and our evil-doing has come up to heaven.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And sayde: My God, I am ashamed, and dare not lift vp myne eyes vnto thee my God: for our wickednesses are growen ouer our head, and our trespasse is waxed great vnto the heauen.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
and I 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 guiltiness is grown up unto the heavens.
King James Version (1611)
And said, O my God, I am ashamed, and blush to lift vp my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased ouer our head, and our trespasse is growen vp vnto the heauens.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
and I said, O Lord, I am ashamed and confounded, O my God, to lift up my face to thee: for our transgressions have abounded over our head, and our trespasses have increased even to heaven.
English Revised Version
and I 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 guiltiness is grown up unto the heavens.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and Y seide, My God, Y am confoundid and aschamed to reise my face to thee, for oure wickidnessis ben multiplied `on myn heed, and oure trespassis encreessiden `til to heuene,
Update Bible Version
and I said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to you, my God; for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our guiltiness has grown up to the heavens.
Webster's Bible Translation
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 to the heavens.
New King James Version
And I said: "O my God, I am too ashamed and humiliated to lift up my face to You, my God; for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has grown up to the heavens.
New Living Translation
I prayed, "O my God, I am utterly ashamed; I blush to lift up my face to you. For our sins are piled higher than our heads, and our guilt has reached to the heavens.
New Life Bible
I said, "O my God, I am ashamed to lift up my face to You, my God, for our sins have risen above our heads. Our guilt has grown even to the heavens.
New Revised Standard
and said, "O my God, I am too ashamed and embarrassed to lift my face to you, my God, for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
and said, O my God, I turn pale and am ashamed, to lift up, O my God, my face unto thee, - for, our iniquities, have multiplied above the head, and our guilt hath magnified itself unto the heavens.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And said: My God I am confounded and ashamed to lift up my face to thee: for our iniquities are multiplied over our heads, and our sins are grown up even unto heaven,
Revised Standard Version
saying: "O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to thee, my God, for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens.
Young's Literal Translation
and say, `O my God, I have been ashamed, and have blushed to lift up, O my God, my face unto Thee, for our iniquities have increased over the head, and our guilt hath become great unto the heavens.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
and I said, "O my God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift up my face to You, my God, for our iniquities have risen above our heads and our guilt has grown even to the heavens.

Contextual Overview

5 At the time of the evening sacrifice, I was still sitting there in sorrow with my clothes all torn. So I got down on my knees, then lifted my arms, 6 and prayed: I am much too ashamed to face you, Lord God. Our sins and our guilt have swept over us like a flood that reaches up to the heavens. 7 Since the time of our ancestors, all of us have sinned. That's why we, our kings, and our priests have often been defeated by other kings. They have killed some of us and made slaves of others; they have taken our possessions and made us ashamed, just as we are today. 8 But for now, Lord God, you have shown great kindness to us. You made us truly happy by letting some of us settle in this sacred place and by helping us in our time of slavery. 9 We are slaves, but you have never turned your back on us. You love us, and because of you, the kings of Persia have helped us. It's as though you have given us new life! You let us rebuild your temple and live safely in Judah and Jerusalem. 10 Our God, what can we say now? Even after all this, we have disobeyed the commands 11 that were given to us by your servants the prophets. They said the land you are giving us is full of sinful and wicked people, who never stop doing disgusting things. 12 And we were warned not to let our daughters and sons marry their sons and daughters. Your prophets also told us never to help those foreigners or even let them live in peace. You wanted us to become strong and to enjoy the good things in the land, then someday to leave it to our children forever. 13 You punished us because of our terrible sins. But you did not punish us nearly as much as we deserve, and you have brought some of us back home. 14 Why should we disobey your commands again by letting our sons and daughters marry these foreigners who do such disgusting things? That would make you angry enough to destroy us all!

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

I am ashamed: Job 40:4, Job 42:6, Jeremiah 3:3, Jeremiah 3:24, Jeremiah 3:25, Jeremiah 6:15, Jeremiah 8:12, Jeremiah 31:19, Ezekiel 16:63, Daniel 9:7, Daniel 9:8, Romans 6:21

our iniquities: Genesis 13:13, Psalms 38:4, Isaiah 1:18, Isaiah 59:12

trespass: or, guiltiness

grown up: 2 Chronicles 28:9, Luke 15:21, Revelation 18:5

Reciprocal: Genesis 18:27 - I have Exodus 32:31 - sinned Joshua 7:1 - committed 1 Kings 8:47 - saying 1 Kings 18:42 - put his face 2 Chronicles 6:37 - We have sinned Ezra 10:10 - to increase Nehemiah 1:6 - confess Nehemiah 9:2 - confessed Psalms 44:15 - confusion Psalms 106:6 - General Song of Solomon 2:14 - that art Song of Solomon 4:3 - thy temples Isaiah 24:5 - because Jeremiah 5:6 - because Jeremiah 14:7 - for our Jeremiah 14:20 - We acknowledge Jeremiah 30:15 - for the Jeremiah 44:3 - of their Jeremiah 51:9 - her judgment Ezekiel 14:13 - when Ezekiel 36:31 - shall ye Ezekiel 36:32 - be ashamed Daniel 9:5 - have sinned Hosea 2:5 - hath done Jonah 1:2 - for Zechariah 1:2 - Lord Matthew 18:24 - ten thousand Luke 18:13 - standing 2 Thessalonians 3:14 - that he

Cross-References

Genesis 4:14
"You're making me leave my home and live far from you. I will have to wander about without a home, and just anyone could kill me."
Genesis 5:1
God created men and women to be like himself. He gave them his blessing and called them human beings. This is a list of the descendants of Adam, the first man:
Genesis 9:2
All animals, birds, reptiles, and fish will be afraid of you. I have placed them under your control,
Genesis 9:3
and I have given them to you for food. From now on, you may eat them, as well as the green plants that you have always eaten.
Genesis 9:5
I created humans to be like me, and I will punish any animal or person that takes a human life. If an animal kills someone, that animal must die. And if a person takes the life of another, that person must be put to death.
Genesis 9:12
The rainbow that I have put in the sky will be my sign to you and to every living creature on earth. It will remind you that I will keep this promise forever.
Genesis 9:14
When I send clouds over the earth, and a rainbow appears in the sky,
Genesis 9:26
I ask the Lord my God to bless Shem and make Canaan his slave.
Genesis 9:27
I pray that the Lord will give Japheth more and more land and let him take over the territory of Shem. May Canaan be his slave."
Genesis 9:28
Noah lived three hundred fifty years after the flood

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And said, O my God,.... Here begins the prayer of Ezra, and that with faith in God as covenant God, even when he was about to make confession of sin, and repentance for it; that prayer is right which is put up in faith, and that repentance genuine which is accompanied with faith, and flows from it:

I am ashamed, and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God; a true sight and sense of sin causes shame and blushing, and never more than when a man is sensible of his covenant interest in God, and of his grace and favour to him, particularly in the forgiveness of his sin, see Ezekiel 16:61

for our iniquities are increased over our head; arisen and swelled like mighty waters, which seemed to threaten an overwhelming of them:

and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens; being done in an open, public, and insolent manner, and in such numbers, that they were, as it were, piled up in heaps, reaching to heaven, and calling down vengeance from thence. Ezra includes himself as being one of the same nation; and these sins being so common were become national ones, which involved all the individuals, and exposed them to the divine resentment.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Ezra 9:6. I am ashamed and blush — God had been so often provoked, and had so often pardoned them, and they had continued to transgress, that he was ashamed to go back again to the throne of grace to ask for mercy in their behalf. This is the genuine feeling of every reawakened backslider.


 
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