The Daily Audio Bible

Preparing to Return

²¹ I proclaimed a fast^(A) by the River Ahava,^[a] so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us, our dependents, and all our possessions. ²² I did this because I was ashamed to ask the king for infantry and cavalry to protect us from enemies during the journey, since we had told him, ‘The hand of our God is gracious to all who seek him, but his fierce anger is against all who abandon him.’^{(B) 23} So we fasted and pleaded with our God about this, and he was receptive to our prayer.

²⁴ I selected twelve of the leading priests, along with Sherebiah,^(C) Hashabiah, and ten of their brothers. ²⁵ I weighed out to them the silver, the gold, and the articles – the contribution for the house of our God that the king, his counsellors, his leaders, and all the Israelites who were present had offered. ²⁶ I weighed out to them 22.5 tonnes^[b] of silver, silver articles weighing 3.5 tonnes,^[c] 3.5 tonnes of gold, ²⁷ twenty gold bowls worth a thousand gold coins,^[d] and two articles of fine gleaming bronze, as valuable as gold.^{(D) 28} Then I said to them, ‘You are holy to the Lord, and the articles are holy. The silver and gold are a freewill offering^(E) to the Lord God of your ancestors. ²⁹ Guard them carefully until you weigh them out in the chambers of the Lord’s house before the leading priests, Levites, and heads of the Israelite families in Jerusalem.’ ³⁰ So the priests and Levites took charge of the silver, the gold, and the articles that had been weighed out, to bring them to the house of our God in Jerusalem.^(F)

Arrival in Jerusalem

³¹ We set out from the River Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month to go to Jerusalem. We were strengthened by our God,^[e](G) and he kept us from the grasp of the enemy and from ambush along the way.^{(H) 32} So we arrived at Jerusalem and rested there for three days.^{(I) 33} On the fourth day the silver, the gold, and the articles were weighed out in the house of our God into the care of the priest Meremoth son of Uriah. Eleazar son of Phinehas was with him. The Levites Jozabad^(J) son of Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui were also with them. ³⁴ Everything was verified by number and weight, and the total weight was recorded at that time.

³⁵ The exiles who had returned from the captivity^(K) offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel: twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, and seventy-seven lambs, along with twelve male goats as a sin offering. All this was a burnt offering for the Lord.^{(L) 36} They also delivered the king’s edicts to the royal satraps and governors of the region west of the Euphrates,^(M) so that they would support the people and the house of God.^(N)

Israel’s Intermarriage

9 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^(O) from the surrounding peoples whose detestable practices^(P) are like those of the Canaanites, Hethites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites.^{(Q) 2} Indeed, the Israelite men^[f] have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, so that the holy seed^(R) has become mixed with the surrounding peoples.^(S) The leaders^[g] and officials have taken the lead in this unfaithfulness! ’^{(T) 3} When I heard this report, I tore my tunic and robe, pulled out some of the hair from my head and beard, and sat down devastated.^(U)

Ezra’s Confession

⁴ Everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel^(V) gathered around me, because of the unfaithfulness of the exiles,^(W) while I sat devastated until the evening offering.^{(X) 5} At the evening offering, I got up from my time of humiliation, with my tunic and robe torn. Then I fell on my knees and spread out my hands to the Lord my God.^{(Y) 6} And I said:^(Z)

My God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift my face towards you, my God, because our iniquities are higher than our heads and our guilt is as high as the heavens.^{(AA) 7} Our guilt has been terrible from the days of our ancestors until the present. Because of our iniquities we have been handed over, along with our kings and priests, to the surrounding kings, and to the sword, captivity, plundering, and open shame,^(AB) as it is today. ⁸ But now, for a brief moment, grace has come from the Lord our God to preserve a remnant^(AC) for us and give us a stake^(AD) in his holy place. Even in our slavery, God has given us a little relief and light to our eyes.^{(AE) 9} Though we are slaves,^(AF) our God has not abandoned us in our slavery. He has extended grace to us in the presence of the Persian kings,^(AG) giving us relief, so that we can rebuild the house of our God and repair its ruins,^(AH) to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem.

¹⁰ Now, our God, what can we say in light of^[h] this? For we have abandoned the commands ¹¹ you gave through your servants the prophets, saying, ‘The land you are entering to possess is an impure land. The surrounding peoples have filled it from end to end with their uncleanness by their impurity and detestable practices.^{(AI) 12} So do not give your daughters to their sons in marriage or take their daughters for your sons.^(AJ) Never pursue their welfare or prosperity,^(AK) so that you will be strong, eat the good things of the land, and leave it as an inheritance to your sons for ever.’ ¹³ After all that has happened to us because of our evil deeds and terrible guilt – though you, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserve and have allowed us to survive^[i](AL) –  ¹⁴ should we break your commands again and intermarry with the peoples who commit these detestable practices?^(AM) Wouldn’t you become so angry with us that you would destroy us, leaving neither remnant nor survivor?^{(AN) 15} Lord God of Israel, you are righteous, for we survive as a remnant^(AO) today. Here we are before you with our guilt, though no one can stand in your presence because of this.^(AP)

Immoral Church Members

5 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality^(A) among you, and the kind of sexual immorality that is not even tolerated^[a] among the Gentiles^(B) – a man is sleeping with his father’s wife.^{(C) 2} And you are arrogant! Shouldn’t you be filled with grief^(D) and remove from your congregation the one who did this? ³ Even though I am absent in the body, I am present in spirit.^(E) As one who is present with you in this way, I have already pronounced judgement on the one who has been doing such a thing. ⁴ When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus, and I am with you in spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus, ⁵ hand that one over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh,^(F) so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.^(G)

⁶ Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little leaven^[b](H) leavens the whole batch of dough?^{(I) 7} Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new unleavened batch, as indeed you are. For Christ our Passover lamb^(J) has been sacrificed.^{[c] 8} Therefore, let us observe the feast, not with old leaven or with the leaven of malice and evil,^(K) but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Church Discipline

⁹ I wrote to you in a letter not to associate^(L) with sexually immoral people.^{(M) 10} I did not mean the immoral people of this world or the greedy^(N) and swindlers^(O) or idolaters; otherwise you would have to leave the world.^{(P) 11} But actually, I wrote^[d] you not to associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister^(Q) and is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or verbally abusive, a drunkard^(R) or a swindler. Do not even eat with such a person. ¹² For what business is it of mine to judge^(S) outsiders? Don’t you judge those who are inside? ¹³ God judges outsiders. Remove the evil person from among you.^[e](T)

A Plea for Protection

For the choir director. A psalm of David.