Intermarriage with Pagans

9 When these things were done, the leaders came to me, saying, “The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not ^(A)separated themselves from the peoples of the lands, ^(B)with respect to the abominations of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.

^24 (A)‘Do not defile yourselves with any of these things; ^(B)for by all these the nations are defiled, which I am casting out before you. ²⁵ For ^(C)the land is defiled; therefore I ^(D)visit^[a] the punishment of its iniquity upon it, and the land ^(E)vomits out its inhabitants. ^26 (F)You shall therefore ^[b]keep My statutes and My judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations, either any of your own nation or any stranger who dwells among you ²⁷ (for all these abominations the men of the land have done, who were before you, and thus the land is defiled), ²⁸ lest ^(G)the land vomit you out also when you defile it, as it vomited out the nations that were before you. ²⁹ For whoever commits any of these abominations, the persons who commit them shall be ^[c]cut off from among their people.

³⁰ ‘Therefore you shall keep My ^[d]ordinance, so ^(H)that you do not commit any of these abominable customs which were committed before you, and that you do not defile yourselves by them: ^(I)I am the Lord your God.’ ”

² Then ^(A)those of Israelite lineage separated themselves from all foreigners; and they stood and ^(B)confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers.

The Jews Guilty as the Gentiles

^17 [a]Indeed ^(A)you are called a Jew, and ^(B)rest^[b] on the law, ^(C)and make your boast in God, ¹⁸ and ^(D)know His will, and ^(E)approve the things that are excellent, being instructed out of the law, ¹⁹ and ^(F)are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, ²⁰ an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, ^(G)having the form of knowledge and truth in the law. ^21 (H)You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that a man should not steal, do you steal? ²² You who say, “Do not commit adultery,” do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, ^(I)do you rob temples? ²³ You who ^(J)make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law? ²⁴ For ^(K)“the name of God is ^(L)blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,” as it is written.

Circumcision of No Avail

^25 (M)For circumcision is indeed profitable if you keep the law; but if you are a breaker of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.

³⁰ take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.’ ^31 (A)You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way; for every ^[a]abomination to the Lord which He hates they have done to their gods; for ^(B)they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.

¹⁶ For how then will it be known that Your people and I have found grace in Your sight, ^(A)except You go with us? So we ^(B)shall be separate, Your people and I, from all the people who are upon the face of the earth.”

^14 (A)Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For ^(B)what ^[a]fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what ^[b]communion has light with darkness? ¹⁵ And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? ¹⁶ And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For ^(C)you^[c] are the temple of the living God. As God has said:

¹⁷ Therefore

¹⁶ So the princes and all the people said to the priests and the prophets, “This man does not deserve to die. For he has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God.”

¹⁰ When the princes of Judah heard these things, they came up from the king’s house to the house of the Lord and sat down in the entry of the New Gate of the Lord’s house.