Mixed Marriages

9 Now when these things had been completed, the princes approached me, saying, “The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not ^(A)separated themselves from the peoples of the lands, ^(B)according to their abominations, those of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians and the Amorites. ² For ^(C)they have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and for their sons, so that ^(D)the holy ^[a]race has ^(E)intermingled with the peoples of the lands; indeed, the hands of the princes and the rulers have been foremost in this unfaithfulness.” ³ When I heard about this matter, I ^(F)tore my garment and my robe, and pulled some of the hair from my head and my beard, and ^(G)sat down appalled. ⁴ Then ^(H)everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel on account of the unfaithfulness of the exiles gathered to me, and I sat appalled until ^(I)the evening offering.

Prayer of Confession

⁵ But at the evening offering I arose from my ^[b]humiliation, even with my garment and my robe torn, and I fell on my knees and ^(J)stretched out my ^[c]hands to the Lord my God; ⁶ and I said, “O my God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift up my face to You, my God, for our iniquities have ^[d]risen above our heads and our ^(K)guilt has grown even to the heavens. ^7 (L)Since the days of our fathers to this day we have been in great guilt, and on account of our iniquities we, our kings and our priests have been given into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity and to plunder and to ^[e](M)open shame, as it is this day. ⁸ But now for a brief moment grace has been shown from the Lord our God, ^(N)to leave us an escaped remnant and to give us a ^(O)peg in His holy place, that our God may ^(P)enlighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our bondage. ^9 (Q)For we are slaves; yet in our bondage our God has not forsaken us, but ^(R)has extended lovingkindness to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us reviving to raise up the house of our God, to restore its ruins and to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem.

¹⁰ “Now, our God, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken Your commandments, ¹¹ which You have commanded by Your servants the prophets, saying, ‘The land which you are entering to possess is an unclean land with the uncleanness of the peoples of the lands, with their abominations which have filled it from end to end and ^(S)with their impurity. ¹² So now do not ^(T)give your daughters to their sons nor take their daughters to your sons, and ^(U)never seek their peace or their prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good things of the land and ^(V)leave it as an inheritance to your sons forever.’ ¹³ After all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and ^(W)our great guilt, since You our God have requited us less than our iniquities deserve, and have given us ^(X)an escaped remnant as this, ^14 (Y)shall we again break Your commandments and intermarry with the peoples ^[f]who commit these abominations? ^(Z)Would You not be angry with us ^[g]to the point of destruction, until there is no remnant nor any who escape? ¹⁵ O Lord God of Israel, ^(AA)You are righteous, for we have been left an escaped remnant, as it is this day; behold, we are before You in ^(AB)our guilt, for ^(AC)no one can stand before You because of this.”

God’s Omnipresence and Omniscience.

For the choir director. A Psalm of David.

Scene in Heaven

4 After ^(A)these things I looked, and behold, ^(B)a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, ^(C)like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, “^(D)Come up here, and I will ^(E)show you what must take place after these things.” ² Immediately I was ^[a](F)in the Spirit; and behold, ^(G)a throne was standing in heaven, and ^(H)One sitting on the throne. ³ And He who was sitting was like a ^(I)jasper stone and a ^(J)sardius in appearance; and there was a ^[b](K)rainbow around the throne, like an ^(L)emerald in appearance. ^4 (M)Around the throne were ^(N)twenty-four thrones; and upon the thrones I saw ^(O)twenty-four elders ^(P)sitting, clothed in ^(Q)white garments, and ^(R)golden crowns on their heads.

The Throne and Worship of the Creator

⁵ Out from the throne come ^(S)flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. And there were ^(T)seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are ^(U)the seven Spirits of God; ⁶ and before the throne there was something like a ^(V)sea of glass, like crystal; and in the ^[c]center and ^(W)around the throne, ^(X)four living creatures ^(Y)full of eyes in front and behind. ^7 (Z)The first creature was like a lion, and the second creature like a calf, and the third creature had a face like that of a man, and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle. ⁸ And the ^(AA)four living creatures, each one of them having ^(AB)six wings, are ^(AC)full of eyes around and within; and ^(AD)day and night ^[d]they do not cease to say,

⁹ And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who ^(AH)sits on the throne, to ^(AI)Him who lives forever and ever, ¹⁰ the ^(AJ)twenty-four elders will ^(AK)fall down before Him who ^(AL)sits on the throne, and will worship ^(AM)Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their ^(AN)crowns before the throne, saying,