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} They have taken some of their daughters^(F) as wives for themselves and their sons, and have mingled^(G) the holy race^(H) with the peoples around them. And the leaders and officials have led the way in this unfaithfulness.”^(I)

³ When I heard this, I tore^(J) my tunic and cloak, pulled hair from my head and beard and sat down appalled.^{(K) 4} Then everyone who trembled^(L) at the words of the God of Israel gathered around me because of this unfaithfulness of the exiles. And I sat there appalled^(M) until the evening sacrifice.

⁵ Then, at the evening sacrifice,^(N) I rose from my self-abasement, with my tunic and cloak torn, and fell on my knees with my hands^(O) spread out to the Lord my God ⁶ and prayed:

²³ Moreover, in those days I saw men of Judah who had married^(A) women from Ashdod, Ammon and Moab.^{(B) 24} Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod or the language of one of the other peoples, and did not know how to speak the language^(C) of Judah. ²⁵ I rebuked them and called curses down on them. I beat some of the men and pulled out their hair. I made them take an oath^(D) in God’s name and said: “You are not to give your daughters in marriage to their sons, nor are you to take their daughters in marriage for your sons or for yourselves.^{(E) 26} Was it not because of marriages like these that Solomon king of Israel sinned? Among the many nations there was no king like him.^(F) He was loved by his God,^(G) and God made him king over all Israel, but even he was led into sin by foreign women.^{(H) 27} Must we hear now that you too are doing all this terrible wickedness and are being unfaithful to our God by marrying^(I) foreign women?”