Study Desk

And at the evening offering I rose up from my fasting, and with my garment and my robe torn, I even fell on my knees and spread out my hands to Jehovah my God.

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.

And now, for a little time grace has been shown from Jehovah our God to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in His holy place, so that our God may enlighten our eyes and give us a little reviving in our bondage.

For we were slaves, yet our God has not left us in our bondage, but has given mercy to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to raise up the house of our God, and tomake stand its ruins, and to give to us awall in Judah and in Jerusalem.

And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken Your commandments

And after all that has come on us for our evil deeds, and for our great guilt, since You our God have held back the rod on our iniquities, and have given us such an escape as this,

O Jehovah the God of Israel, You are righteous. For we are left an escapee, as it is this day. Behold, we are before You in our guilt, for none is able to stand before You because of this.

And while Ezra was praying and making his confession, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, a very great congregation of men and women and children gathered to him out of Israel. For the people wept with a greatweeping.

And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, of the sons of Elam, answered and said to Ezra, We have sinned against our God, and have dwelt with foreign women from the peoples of the land. Yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing.

And now let us cut a covenant with our God to cause to go out all the women, and those born of them, according to the counsel of the Lord and of those who tremble at the command of our God. And let it be done according to the Law.

Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God and went into the room of Johanan the son of Eliashib. And he went there, and he did not eat food, nor did he drink, for he mourned for the perfidy of the exiles.

Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered to Jerusalem within three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth of the month. And all the people sat in the plaza of the house of God, trembling because of the matter, and because of theheavy rain.

And now make confession to Jehovah God of your fathers and do His will. And separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign women.

Please let our rulers for all the congregation stand, and let all those who have dwelt with foreign women in our cities come at a set time, and with them the elders of every city, and its judges, until the fierce wrath of our God for thismatter has turned from us.

And it happened, when I heard these words, I sat down and wept, and mourned for days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of Heaven.

And I said, I beseech You, Jehovah God of Heaven, the great and awesome God, keeping the covenant and mercy to those loving Him, and to keepers of His commandments,

Then the king said to me, For what do you ask? So I prayed to the God of Heaven,

also a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, so that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the temple which is for the house, and for the city wall, and for the house into which I shall enter. And the king granted it to me, according to the good hand of my God on me.

And I rose up in the night, I and a few men with me. And I told no man what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem. And there was no animal with me except the animal that I rode on.

Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good on me, and also the king's words that he had spoken to me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they made their hands strong for good.