Ezra 9:12

Easy-to-Read Version

So Israelites, don't let your children marry their children. Don't join them. Don't want the things they have. Obey my commands so that you will be strong and enjoy the good things of the land. And then you can keep this land and give it to your children.'

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
So do not give your daughters to their sons in marriage or take their daughters for your sons. Never pursue their welfare or prosperity, so that you will be strong, eat the good things of the land, and leave it as an inheritance to your sons forever.”

Hebrew Names Version
now therefore don't give your daughters to their sons, neither take their daughters to your sons, nor seek their shalom or their prosperity forever; that you may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children forever.

King James Version
Now therefore give not your daughters unto their sons, neither take their daughters unto your sons, nor seek their peace or their wealth for ever: that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children for ever.

English Standard Version
Therefore do not give your daughters to their sons, neither take their daughters for your sons, and never seek their peace or prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good of the land and leave it for an inheritance to your children forever.'

New Century Version
So do not let your daughters marry their sons, and do not let their daughters marry your sons. Do not wish for their peace or success. Then you will be strong and eat the good things of the land. Then you can leave this land to your descendants forever.'

New English Translation
Therefore do not give your daughters in marriage to their sons, and do not take their daughters in marriage for your sons. Do not ever seek their peace or welfare, so that you may be strong and may eat the good of the land and may leave it as an inheritance for your children forever.'

Amplified Bible
'So now do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons; and never seek their peace or their prosperity, so that you may be strong and eat the good things of the land and leave it as an inheritance to your children forever.'

New American Standard Bible
'So now do not give your daughters to their sons nor take their daughters for your sons, and never seek their peace or their prosperity, so that you may be strong and may eat the good things of the land, and leave it as an inheritance to your sons forever.'

World English Bible
now therefore don't give your daughters to their sons, neither take their daughters to your sons, nor seek their peace or their prosperity forever; that you may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children forever.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Now therfore shal ye not giue your daughters vnto their sonnes, neither shall ye take their daughters vnto your sonnes, nor seeke their peace nor wealth for euer, that yee may be strong and eate the goodnes of the lande, and leaue it for an inheritance to your sonnes for euer.

Legacy Standard Bible
So now do not give your daughters to their sons nor take their daughters to your sons, and never seek their peace or their prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good things of the land and leave it as a possession to your sons forever.'

Berean Standard Bible
Now, therefore, do not give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take their daughters for your sons. Never seek their peace or prosperity, so that you may be strong and may eat the good things of the land, leaving it as an inheritance to your sons forever.'

Contemporary English Version
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.

Complete Jewish Bible
Therefore, you are not to give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons; and you are not to promote their peace or prosperity ever. Only in this way will you grow strong, enjoy the good things of the land and leave it as a lasting inheritance to your children.'

Darby Translation
Now therefore give not your daughters to their sons, neither take their daughters to your sons, nor seek their peace or their prosperity for ever; that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children for ever.

George Lamsa Translation
Now therefore give not your daughters to their sons, neither take their daughters to your sons, nor seek their peace or their prosperity for ever, that you may be strong, and eat the good of the land and leave it for an inheritance to your children for ever.

Good News Translation
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.

Lexham English Bible
Therefore, do not give your daughters to their sons, and do not take their daughters for your sons. Do not seek their peace and prosperity so that forever you may be strong and eat the good of the land and may give it as an inheritance to your sons.'

Literal Translation
And now do not give your daughters to their sons, and do not take their daughters to your sons, or seek their peace, or their wealth forever, so that you may be strong and eat the good of the land, and leave it for an inheritance toyour sons forever.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Therfore shal ye not geue youre doughters vnto their sonnes, and their doughters shall ye not take vnto youre sonnes, and seke not their peace and welth for euer, that ye maye be stronge, and enioye the good in the londe, and yt ye and youre children maye haue the inheritaunce of it for euermore.

American Standard Version
now therefore give not your daughters unto their sons, neither take their daughters unto your sons, nor seek their peace or their prosperity for ever; that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children for ever.

Bible in Basic English
So now do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons or do anything for their peace or well-being for ever; so that you may be strong, living on the good of the land, and handing it on to your children for a heritage for ever.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Therfore shal ye not geue your daughters vnto their sonnes, and their daughters shall ye not take vnto your sonnes, nor seke their peace and wealth for euer: that ye may be strong and enioy the goodnesse of the lande, and that ye and your children may haue the inheritaunce of it for euermore.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Now therefore give not your daughters unto their sons, neither take their daughters unto your sons, nor seek their peace or their prosperity for ever; that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children for ever.

King James Version (1611)
Nowe therefore giue not your daughters vnto their sonnes, neither take their daughters vnto your sonnes, nor seeke their peace or their wealth for euer: that ye may bee strong, and eate the good of the land, and leaue it for an inheritance to your children for euer.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And now give not your daughters to their sons, and take not of their daughters for your sons, neither shall ye seek their peace or their good for ever: that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and transmit it as an inheritance to your children for ever.

English Revised Version
now therefore give not your daughters unto their sons, neither take their daughters unto your sons, nor seek their peace or their prosperity t for ever: that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children for ever.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Now therfor yiue ye not youre douytris to her sones, and take ye not her douytris to youre sones; and seke ye not the pees of hem and the prosperite `of hem `til in to with outen ende; that ye be coumfortid, and ete the goodis, that ben of the lond, and that ye haue eiris, youre sones, `til in to `the world.

Update Bible Version
now therefore do not give your daughters to their sons, neither take their daughters to your sons, nor seek their peace or their prosperity forever; that you may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave it for an inheritance to your sons forever.

Webster's Bible Translation
Now therefore give not your daughters to their sons, neither take their daughters to your sons, nor seek their peace or their wealth for ever: that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave [it] for an inheritance to your children for ever.

New King James Version
Now therefore, do not give your daughters as wives for their sons, nor take their daughters to your sons; and never seek their peace or prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good of the land, and leave it as an inheritance to your children forever.'

New Living Translation
Don't let your daughters marry their sons! Don't take their daughters as wives for your sons. Don't ever promote the peace and prosperity of those nations. If you follow these instructions, you will be strong and will enjoy the good things the land produces, and you will leave this prosperity to your children forever.'

New Life Bible
So do not let your daughters marry their sons, or their daughters marry your sons. Never look for their peace or their well-being, that you may be strong and eat the good things of the land, and leave it as a gift to your children forever.'

New Revised Standard
Therefore do not give your daughters to their sons, neither take their daughters for your sons, and never seek their peace or prosperity, so that you may be strong and eat the good of the land and leave it for an inheritance to your children forever.'

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Now, therefore, your daughters, do not ye give to their sons, and, their daughters, do not ye take for your sons, neither shall ye seek their prosperity nor their pleasure unto times age-abiding, - to the end ye may become strong, and may eat the good of the land, and may suffer your children to possess I, unto times age-abiding.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Now therefore give not your daughters to their sons, and take not their daughters for your sons, and seek not their peace, nor their prosperity for ever: that you may be strengthened, and may eat the good things of the land, and may have your children your heirs for ever.

Revised Standard Version
Therefore give not your daughters to their sons, neither take their daughters for your sons, and never seek their peace or prosperity, that you may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children for ever.'

Young's Literal Translation
and now, your daughters ye do not give to their sons, and their daughters ye do not take to your sons, and ye do not seek their peace, and their good -- unto the age, so that ye are strong, and have eaten the good of the land, and given possession to your sons unto the age.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
'So now do not give your daughters to their sons nor take their daughters to your sons, and never seek their peace or their prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good things of the land and leave it as an inheritance to your sons forever.'

Contextual Overview

⁵ Then, when it was time for the evening sacrifice, I got up. I had made myself look shameful while I was sitting there. My robe and coat were torn, and I fell on my knees with my hands spread out to the Lord my God. ⁶ 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. ⁷ We have been guilty of many sins from the days of our ancestors until now. We sinned so our kings and priests were punished. Foreign kings attacked us and took our people away. They took away our wealth and made us ashamed. It is the same even today. ⁸ "But now, finally, you have been kind to us. You have let a few of us escape captivity and come to live in this holy place. Lord , you gave us new life and relief from our slavery. ⁹ Yes, we were slaves, but you would not let us be slaves forever. You were kind to us. You made the kings of Persia be kind to us. Your Temple was ruined, but you gave us new life so that we can rebuild your Temple and repair it like new. God, you helped us build a wall to protect Judah and Jerusalem. ¹⁰ "Now, God, what can we say to you? We have stopped obeying you again. ¹¹ You used your servants the prophets to give these commands to us. You said, ‘The land you are going to live in and own is a ruined land. It has been ruined by evil things the people living there have done. They have done very bad things in every place in this land. They have made this land dirty with their sins. ¹² So Israelites, don't let your children marry their children. Don't join them. Don't want the things they have. Obey my commands so that you will be strong and enjoy the good things of the land. And then you can keep this land and give it to your children.' ¹³ "What has happened to us is our own fault. We have done evil things, and we have much guilt. But you, our God, have punished us much less than we should have been. We have done many terrible sins, and we should have been punished worse. And you have even let some of our people escape captivity. ¹⁴ So we know that we must not break your commands. We must not marry those people. They do very bad things. God, if we continue to marry these bad people, we know you will destroy us. Then there would be no one from the Israelites left alive.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

give not: Exodus 23:32, Exodus 34:16, Deuteronomy 7:3, Joshua 23:12, Joshua 23:13

nor seek their peace: Deuteronomy 23:6, 2 Chronicles 19:2, 2 John 1:10, 2 John 1:11

that ye may: Deuteronomy 6:1, Deuteronomy 6:2, Joshua 1:6-9

and eat: Isaiah 1:19

and leave it: Genesis 18:18, Genesis 18:19, Psalms 112:1, Psalms 112:2, Proverbs 13:22, Proverbs 20:7

Reciprocal: Genesis 6:2 - and they Genesis 45:20 - the good Judges 3:6 - General 1 Kings 11:2 - Ye shall not go in 1 Chronicles 28:8 - leave it Nehemiah 10:30 - General Nehemiah 13:23 - married Hosea 7:8 - he hath Malachi 2:11 - and hath Acts 11:8 - unclean 2 Corinthians 6:14 - unequally

Cross-References

Genesis 9:17
So God said to Noah, "This rainbow is proof of the agreement that I made with all living things on earth."

Genesis 9:23
Shem and Japheth took a robe, put it across their shoulders, and walked backward into the tent. Then they covered their father without looking at him.

Genesis 9:25
he said, "May there be a curse on Canaan! May he be a slave to his brothers."

Genesis 9:26
Noah also said, "May the Lord , the God of Shem, be praised! May Canaan be Shem's slave.

Genesis 9:28
After the flood Noah lived 350 years.

Genesis 17:11
You will cut the skin to show that you follow the agreement between me and you.

Exodus 12:13
But the blood on your houses will be a special sign. When I see the blood, I will pass over your house. I will cause bad things to happen to the people of Egypt. But none of these bad diseases will hurt you.

Exodus 13:16
This is like a string tied on your hand, like a sign in front of your eyes. It helps you remember that the Lord brought us out of Egypt with his great power."

Joshua 2:12
So now, I want you to make a promise to me. I was kind to you and helped you. So promise me before the Lord that you will be kind to my family. Please tell me that you will do this.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Now therefore give not your daughters unto their sons, nor take their daughters unto your sons,.... That is, in marriage, see Deuteronomy 7:3, where the prohibition is expressed in the same language:

nor seek their peace or their wealth for ever; that is, as long as they continue in their idolatries and impurities, see Deuteronomy 23:6,

that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children for ever; that they might be strengthened and established in the land into which they were brought, and enjoy all the good things it produced, and leave their children in the possession of it, to hold at least until the Messiah came, see Isaiah 1:19.