Israel’s Intermarriage with Pagans

After these things had been done, the leaders approached me and said: “The people of Israel, the priests, and the Levites have not separated themselves(A) from the surrounding peoples whose detestable practices(B) are like those of the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites.(C) Indeed, the Israelite men[a] have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, so that the holy seed(D) has become mixed with the surrounding peoples.(E) The leaders[b] and officials have taken the lead in this unfaithfulness!”(F)

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Footnotes

  1. Ezra 9:2 Lit they
  2. Ezra 9:2 Lit hand of the leaders

23 In those days I also saw Jews who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab.(A) 24 Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod or the language of one of the other peoples but could not speak Hebrew.[a](B) 25 I rebuked them, cursed them, beat some of their men, and pulled out their hair.(C) I forced them to take an oath(D) before God and said: “You must not give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take their daughters as wives for your sons or yourselves!(E) 26 Didn’t King Solomon of Israel sin in matters like this? There was not a king like him among many nations. He was loved by his God and God made him king over all Israel, yet foreign women drew him into sin.(F) 27 Why then should we hear about you doing all this terrible evil and acting unfaithfully against our God by marrying foreign women?”(G)

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Footnotes

  1. Nehemiah 13:24 Lit Judahite

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