The .ix. Chapter.
1 Esdras complayneth on the people that had turned them selues from God, and ma∣ried with the gentiles, 5 He prayeth vnto God;
[unspec A] 1 WHen these thinges were done, the rulers came to me, and sayde: The people of Israel, and the priestes & Leuites are not separated from the people of the landes, as touching their abhomina∣tions: namely of the Chanaanites, He∣thites, Pherezites, Iebusites, Ammo∣nites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amo∣rites.
2 * 1.1For they haue taken the daughters of the same to them selues and to their sonnes, and the holy seede is mixed with the nations of the landes, & the hand of the princes and rulers hath ben princi∣pall in the trespasse.
3 * 1.2And when I heard this saying, I rent my clothes and my garment, & pluckt of the heere of my head & of my beard, and “ 1.3 sate mourning.
4 And there resorted vnto me all such as feared the wordes of the God of Israel, because of the transgression of the [peo∣ple] of the captiuitie: And I sat “ 1.4 mour∣ning vntill the euening sacrifice.
5 And about the euening sacrifice I arose vp from my heauinesse, and rent my clothes and my rayment, and fell vpon my knees, and spread out my handes vnto the Lorde my God,
6 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 tres∣passe is waxed great vnto the heauen.
7 Since the time of our fathers haue [unspec B] we ben in great trespasse vnto this day, * 1.5and because of our wickednesses haue we and our kinges and our priestes ben deliuered into the hande of the kinges of the nations, vnto the sworde, into cap∣tiuitie, into a spoyle, and into confusion of face, as it is to see this day.
8 And nowe for a litle space grace hath ben shewed from the Lorde our God, in causing a remnaunt to escape, and in ge∣uing vs a nayle in his holy place, that our God may light our eyes, and geue vs a litle lyfe to take breath in our bondage:
9 For we were bondmen, and yet our God hath not forsaken vs in our bon∣dage, but hath enclined mercie vnto vs in the sight of the king of Persia, to geue vs lyfe to set vp the house of our God, and to redresse the desolation ther∣of, and to geue vs a wall in Iuda and Hierusalem.
10 And nowe O our God, what shall we say after this? for we haue forsaken thy commaundementes,
11 Whiche thou hast commaunded by thy seruauntes the prophetes, saying: The lande vnto which ye go to possesse, it is an vncleane lande, because of the fil∣thinesse of the people of the landes, whiche with their abhominations haue made it full of vncleannesse on eue∣ry syde.
12 * 1.6Therfore shal ye not geue your daugh∣ters vnto their sonnes, and their daugh∣ters shall ye not take vnto your sonnes, nor seke their peace and wealth for euer: that ye may be strong and “ 1.7 enioy the goodnesse of the lande, and that ye and your children may haue the inheritaunce of it for euermore.