²⁴ “‘Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you^(A) became defiled.^{(B) 25} Even the land was defiled;^(C) so I punished it for its sin,^(D) and the land vomited out its inhabitants.^{(E) 26} But you must keep my decrees and my laws.^(F) The native-born and the foreigners residing among you must not do any of these detestable things, ²⁷ for all these things were done by the people who lived in the land before you, and the land became defiled. ²⁸ And if you defile the land,^(G) it will vomit you out^(H) as it vomited out the nations that were before you.

²⁹ “‘Everyone who does any of these detestable things—such persons must be cut off from their people. ³⁰ Keep my requirements^(I) and do not follow any of the detestable customs that were practiced before you came and do not defile yourselves with them. I am the Lord your God.^(J)’”

²¹ So the Israelites who had returned from the exile ate it, together with all who had separated themselves^(A) from the unclean practices^(B) of their Gentile neighbors in order to seek the Lord,^(C) the God of Israel.

7 Therefore, since we have these promises,^(A) dear friends,^(B) let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness^(C) out of reverence for God.

²⁵ I will sprinkle^(A) clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse^(B) you from all your impurities^(C) and from all your idols.^{(D) 26} I will give you a new heart^(E) and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone^(F) and give you a heart of flesh.^{(G) 27} And I will put my Spirit^(H) in you and move you to follow my decrees^(I) and be careful to keep my laws.^(J)

Ezra’s Prayer About Intermarriage

9 After these things had been done, the leaders came to me and said, “The people of Israel, including the priests and the Levites, have not kept themselves separate^(A) from the neighboring peoples with their detestable practices, like those of the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites,^(B) Ammonites,^(C) Moabites,^(D) Egyptians and Amorites.^(E)

² He did evil in the eyes of the Lord,^(A) following the detestable^(B) practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites.

¹² Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord; because of these same detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you.^(A)

³¹ You must not worship the Lord your God in their way, because in worshiping their gods, they do all kinds of detestable things the Lord hates.^(A) They even burn their sons^(B) and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods.^(C)