116IMMERSE•CHRONICLES9:10–10:6unfailing love our God did not abandon us in our slavery. Instead, hecaused the kings of Persia to treat us favorably. He revived us so wecould rebuild the Temple of our God and repair its ruins. He has givenus a protective wall in Judah and Jerusalem.“And now, O our God, what can we say after all of this? For onceagain we have abandoned your commands! Your servants the prophetswarned us when they said, ‘The land you are entering to possess istotally defiled by the detestable practices of the people living there.From one end to the other, the land is filled with corruption. Don’tlet your daughters marry their sons! Don’t take their daughters aswives for your sons. Don’t ever promote the peace and prosperity ofthose nations. If you follow these instructions, you will be strong andwill enjoy the good things the land produces, and you will leave thisprosperity to your children forever.’“Now we are being punished because of our wickedness and ourgreat guilt. But we have actually been punished far less than wedeserve, for you, our God, have allowed some of us to survive as aremnant. But even so, we are again breaking your commands andintermarrying with people who do these detestable things. Won’tyour anger be enough to destroy us, so that even this little remnant nolonger survives? O Lord, God of Israel, you are just. We come beforeyou in our guilt as nothing but an escaped remnant, though in such acondition none of us can stand in your presence.”While Ezra prayed and made this confession, weeping and lying facedown on the ground in front of the Temple of God, a very large crowd ofpeople from Israel—men, women, and children—gathered and wept bitterly with him. Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, a descendant of Elam, saidto Ezra, “We have been unfaithful to our God, for we have married thesepagan women of the land. But in spite of this there is hope for Israel. Letus now make a covenant with our God to divorce our pagan wives andto send them away with their children. We will follow the advice givenby you and by the others who respect the commands of our God. Let itbe done according to the Law of God. Get up, for it is your duty to tell ushow to proceed in setting things straight. We are behind you, so be strongand take action.”So Ezra stood up and demanded that the leaders of the priests and theLevites and all the people of Israel swear that they would do as Shecaniahhad said. And they all swore a solemn oath. Then Ezra left the front of theTemple of God and went to the room of Jehohanan son of Eliashib. Hespent the night there without eating or drinking anything. He was still inmourning because of the unfaithfulness of the returned exiles.ImmerseChronicles_NLT.indd 1166/21/2017 10:01:36 AM
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