Study Desk

O Lord God of Israel, thou art righteous, for wee remaine yet escaped, as it is this day: Behold, we are before thee in our trespasses: for wee can not stand before thee, because of this.

Now when Ezra had praised, and when he had confessed, weeping, and casting himselfe downe before the house of God, there assembled vnto him out of Israel, a very great congregation of men, and women, and children: for the people wept very sore.

Arise, for this matter belongeth vnto thee, wee also will be with thee: be of good courage, and doe it.

Then Ezra rose vp from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Iohanan, the sonne of Eliashib: and when hee came thither, hee did eate no bread, nor drinke water: for hee mourned because of the transgression of them that had bene caried away.

Then all the men of Iudah and Beniamin, gathered themselues together vnto Ierusalem, within three dayes: it was the ninth moneth, on the twentieth day of the moneth, and all the people sate in the streete of the house of God, trembling because of this matter, and for the great raine.

But the people are many, and it is a time of much raine, and we are not able to stand without; neither is this a worke of one day or two: for wee are many that haue transgressed in this thing.

Let now our rulers of all the congregation stand, and let all them which haue taken strange wiues in our cities, come at appointed times, & with them the Elders of euery citie, and the Iudges thereof; vntill the fierce wrath of our God for this matter, be turned from vs.

And they gaue their hands, that they would put away their wiues: and being guiltie, they offered a ramme of the flocke for their trespasse.

And said, I beseech thee, O Lord God of heauen, the great and terrible God, that keepeth couenant and mercie for them that loue him, and obserue his commandements:

Let thine eare now be attentiue, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest heare the prayer of thy seruant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy seruants, and confesse the sinnes of the children of Israel, which wee haue sinned against thee: both I, and my fathers house haue sinned.

O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine eare be attentiue to the prayer of thy seruant, and to the prayer of thy seruants, who desire to feare thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy seruant this day, and grant him mercie in the sight of this man. For I was the kings cup-bearer.

And said vnto the king, Let the king liue for euer: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers Sepulchres, lyeth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire?

Then the king said vnto me, For what doest thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heauen.

And the king saide vnto mee (the Queene also sitting by him) For how long shall thy iourney bee? and when wilt thou returne? So it pleased the king to send me, and I set him a time.

And a letter vnto Asaph the keeper of the kings forrest, that he may giue me timber to make beames for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the Citie, and for the house that I shall enter into: And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God vpon me.

Then I went on to the gate of the fountaine, and to the kings poole: but there was no place for the beast that was vnder me, to passe.

Then I told them of the hand of my God, which was good vpon me; as also the kings wordes that he had spoken vnto me. And they said, Let vs rise vp and builde. So they strengthened their hands for this good worke.

Heare, O our God, for we are despised: and turne their reproch vpon their owne head, and giue them for a pray, in the land of captiuitie.

And couer not their iniquitie, and let not their sinne bee blotted out from before thee: for they haue prouoked thee to anger before the builders.

So built we the wall, and all the wall was ioyned together vnto the halfe therof: for the people had a minde to worke.