Study Desk

For I was ashamed to require of the King an armie and horsemen, to helpe vs against the enemie in the way, because we had spoken to the King, saying, The hande of our God is vpon all them that seeke him in goodnesse, but his power & his wrath is against all them that forsake him.

So we fasted, aud besought our God for this: and he was intreated of vs.

Also the children of the captiuitie, which were come out of captiuitie, offred burnt offrings vnto the God of Israel, twelue bullockes for all Israel, ninetie and sixe rammes, seuentie and seuen lambes, and twelue hee goates for sinne: all was a burnt offring of the Lord.

For they haue taken their daughters to theselues, and to their sonnes, and they haue mixed the holy seede with the people of the landes, and the hande of the princes and rulers hath bene chiefe in this trespasse.

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.

From the dayes of our fathers haue we bin in a great trespasse vnto this day, and for our iniquities haue we, our Kings, & our Priestes bene deliuered into the hand of the kings of the lands, vnto the sword, into captiuitie, into a spoyle, and into confusion of face, as appeareth this day.

And now for a litle space grace hath bene shewed from the Lord our God, in causing a remnant to escape, & in giuing vs a nayle in his holy place, that our God may light our eyes, & giue vs a litle reuiuing in our seruitude.

For though we were bondmen, yet our God hath not forsaken vs in our bondage, but hath enclined mercy vnto vs in the sight of the Kings of Persia, to giue vs life, & to erect the house of our God, & to redresse the places thereof, and to giue vs a wall in Iudah and in Ierusalem.

And nowe, our God, what shal we say after this? for we haue forsaken thy commandements,

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.

And after all that is come vpon vs for our euill deedes, and for our great trespasses, (seeing that thou our God hast stayed vs from being beneath for our iniquities, and hast giuen vs such deliuerance)

O Lord God of Israel, thou art iust, for we haue bene reserued to escape, as appeareth this day: beholde, we are before thee in our trespasse: therfore we canot stand before thee because of it.

Whiles Ezra prayed thus, and confessed himselfe weeping, and falling downe before the house of God, there assembled vnto him of Israel a very great Congregation of men and women and children: for the people wept with a great lamentation.

Arise: for the matter belogeth vnto thee: we also wil be with thee: be of comfort and do it.

And Ezra rose vp from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Iohanan the sonne of Eliashib: he went euen thither, but he did eate neither bread, nor drunke water: for he mourned, because of the transgression of them of the captiuitie.

Then all the men of Iudah & Beniamin assembled theselues vnto Ierusalem within three dayes, which was the twentieth day of the ninth moneth, and all the people sate in the streete of the house of God, trembling for this matter, and for the raine.

But the people are many, and it is a raynie weather, and we are not able to stande without, neither is it the worke of one day or two: for we are many that haue offended in this thing.

Let our rulers stand therefore before all the Congregation, & let all them which haue taken strange wiues in our cities, come at the time appoynted, & with them the Elders of euery citie and the Iudges thereof, til the fierce wrath of our God for this matter turne away from vs.

And they gaue their hads, that they would put away their wiues, & they that had trespassed, gaue a ramme for their trespasse.

And sayde, O Lorde God of heauen, the great and terrible God, that keepeth couenant and mercy for them that loue him, and obserue his commandements,