Emily: Welcome To Immerse: The Daily Bible Reading Experience.
Day 300 and 51.
When these things had been done, the Jewish leaders came to me and said,
many of the people of Israel and even some of the priests and Levites have
not kept themselves separate from the other people's living in the land.
They have taken up the detestable practices of the Canaanites, Hittites
parasites, Jebusites Ammonites, Moabites Egyptians, and the Amorites.
For the men of Israel have married women from these people and have taken them as
wives for their sons, so the holy race has become polluted by these mixed marriages.
Worse yet, the leaders and officials have led the way in this outrage.
When I heard this, I tore my cloak and my shirt, pulled hair from my head and
beard, and sat down utterly shocked.
Then all who trembled at the words of the God of Israel came and sat with me because
of this outrage committed by the returned exiles that I sat there utterly appalled
until the time of the evening sacrifice.
At the time of the sacrifice, I stood up from where I had sat in
mourning with my clothes torn.
I fell to my knees and lifted my hands to the Lord.
My God.
I prayed, oh my God.
I am utterly ashamed.
I blush to lift up my face to you.
For our sins are piled higher than our heads, and our guilt
has reached to the heavens.
From the days of our ancestors until now, we have been steeped in sin.
That is why we in our kings and our priests have been at the mercy
of the pagan kings of the land.
We have been killed, captured, robbed and disgraced just as we are today.
But now we have been given a brief moment of grace for the Lord.
Our God has allowed a few of us to survive as a remnant.
He has given us security in this holy place.
Our God has brightened our eyes and granted us some relief from
our slavery for we were slaves, but in his unveiling love, our God
did not abandon us in our slavery.
Instead, he caused the kings of Persia to treat us favorably.
He revived us so we could rebuild the temple of our God and repair its ruins.
He has given us a protective wall in Judah and Jerusalem and now, oh our God.
What can we say after all of this?
For once again, we have abandoned your commands, your servants.
The prophets warned us when they said, The land you are entering to
possess is totally defiled by the detestable practices of the people
living there from one end to the other.
The land is filled with corruption.
Don't let your daughters marry their sons.
Don't take their daughters as wives for your sons.
Don't ever promote the peace and prosperity of those nations.
If you follow these instructions, you will be strong and will enjoy the good things
the land produces, and you will leave this prosperity to your children forever.
Now, we are being punished because of our wickedness and our great
guilt, but we have actually been punished far less than we deserve.
For you.
Our God have allowed some of us to survive as a remnant, but even so,
We are again, breaking your commands and intermarrying with people
who do these detestable things.
Won't your anger be enough to destroy us so that even this little remnant no
longer survives, oh Lord God of Israel, you are just, we come before you in
our guilt as nothing but an escaped remnant, though, in such a condition,
none of us can stand in your presence.
While as rep prayed and made this confession weeping and lying face down
on the ground in front of the temple of God, a very large crowd of people
from Israel, men, women, and children, gathered and wept bitterly with him a
then Ze Anaya, son of Jaha, a descendant of Elam, said to Ezra, we have been
unfaithful to our God for we have married these pagan women of the land.
But in spite of this, there is hope for Israel.
Let us now make a covenant with our God to divorce our pagan wives and to
send them away with their children.
We will follow the advice given by you and by the others who
respect the commands of our God.
Let it be done according to the law of God.
Get up for it.
Is your duty to tell us how to proceed in setting things straight.
We are behind you, so be strong and take action.
So Ezra stood up and demanded that the leaders of the priests and the
Levites and all the people of Israel swear that they would do Asaya had
said, and they all swore a solemn oath.
Then Ezra left the front of the temple of God and went to the
room of Gho naan, son of Eliashib.
He spent the night there without eating or drinking anything.
He was still in mourning because of the unfaithfulness of the returned exiles.
Then a proclamation was made throughout Judah and Jerusalem that all the
exiles should come to Jerusalem.
Those who failed to come within three days would if the leaders and elders so
decided forfeit all their property and be expelled from the assembly of the exiles.
Within three days, all the people of Judah and Benjamin had gathered in Jerusalem.
This took place on December 19th, and all the people were sitting in
the square before the temple of God.
They were trembling both because of the seriousness of the matter
and because it was reigning.
Then Ezra, the priest, stood and said to them, you have committed a terrible sin.
By marrying pagan women, you have increased Israel's guilt.
So now confess your sin to the Lord, the God of your ancestors,
and do what he demands.
Separate yourselves from the people of the land and from these pagan women.
Then the whole assembly raised their voices and answered, yes, you are right.
We must do, as you say.
Then they added.
This isn't something that can be done in a day or two for many of us are
involved in this extremely sinful affair, and this is the rainy season, so we
cannot stay out here much longer, let our leaders act on behalf of us all.
Let everyone who has a Pagan wife come at a scheduled time accompanied by the
leaders and judges of his city, so that the fierce anger of our God concerning
this affair may be turned away from us.
Only Jonathan, son of Ashel and Jaa, son of Tikva opposed this course
of action, and they were supported by Machu and Shopify, the Levite.
So this was the plan they followed.
As RUS elected leaders to represent their families, designating each
of the representatives by name.
On December 29th, the leaders sat down to investigate the matter.
By March 27th, the first day of the new year, they had finished dealing with
all the men who had married Pagan wives.
These are the priests who had married pagan wives.
From the family of Je son of Jeh, Dak, and his brothers, Maia, zer, Jareb,
and Gaal, they vow to divorce their wives and they each acknowledge their
guilt by offering a ram as a guilt offering from the family of Immer, ha,
NAI, and Zedi from the family of Harem, Maia, Elijah, Shama, Jaha, and Isaiah.
From the family of Hur, EAI, Maia, Ishmael, Nathaniel Jbad, and Elsa.
These are the Levites who were guilty.
Jbad Shiai.
Kalea, also called Kaleida Path.
Judah and Ellie Ezer.
This is the singer who was guilty.
Elia Sheib.
These are the gatekeepers who were guilty.
Shalom, Thiam and Yuri.
These are the other people of Israel who were guilty from the
family of Pash, AYA, Isiah, mal.
Caja, Benjamin Zer.
Aya, and Aya.
From the family of Elam, Madaya, Zacharia, Jaha, Abdi, Jere, and Elijah.
From the family of Za Elio, Inai, Elia, Sheib, Madaya, Jema, Zeba, and
Aziza from the family of Biba, G.
Hanan, AYA, ZBA, and Aai from the family of Bena, Machu, Malik,
AYA, Jacob Shield, and Jema.
From the family of Paha, Moab.
Tna.
Kila.
Be Meia.
Madaya.
Beel Nui.
And Man From the family of Haram, ezer, SJA, Malka,
Benjamin Malik, and Shamiah from the family of Haitham.
Madai, Matata, Zeba, ALIT, Jeremiah, man and Shiai.
From the family of Bena.
Medi.
Amam.
Yuel.
Be Badia Kei.
Vanaya Marath, Elia Sheib, Madaya, Madai, and jsu.
From the family of Bin Uai, shiai Shamiah, Nathan Aya.
Magna Hai.
Sheri Elle Shelemiah, shamiah, Shalom Amiah, and Joseph from the Family of Nebo.
Jael.
Matt Zad.
Zaina, Jadi.
Joel and bene each of these men had a pagan wife and some even
had children by these wives.
These are the memoirs of Nehemiah son of Hack Aya in late Autumn in
the month of Kislev in the 20th year of King Art Erie's Reign.
I was at the fortress of suse.
Hane nai.
One of my brothers came to visit me with some other men
who had just arrived from Judah.
I asked them about the Jews who had returned there from captivity and about
how things were going in Jerusalem.
They said to me, things are not going well for those who
returned to the province of Judah.
They are in great trouble and disgrace.
The wall of Jerusalem has been torn down and the gates have been destroyed by fire.
When I heard this, I sat down and wept.
In fact, for days I mourned, fasted and prayed to the God of heaven.
Then I said, oh Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his
covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands.
Listen to my prayer, look down and see me praying night and
day for your people, Israel.
I confess that we have sinned against you.
Yes.
Even my own family and I have sinned.
We have sinned terribly by not obeying the commands, decrees, and regulations that
you gave us through your servant Moses.
Please remember what you told your servant, Moses.
If you are unfaithful to me, I will scatter you among the nations.
But if you return to me and obey my commands and live by them.
Then even if you are exiled to the ends of the earth, I will
bring you back to the place I have chosen for my name to be honored.
The people you rescued by your great power and strong hand are your servants.
Oh Lord, please hear my prayer.
Listen to the prayers of those of us who delight in honoring you.
Please grant me success today by making the king favorable to me.
Put it into his heart to be kind to me.
In those days, I was the King's Cup bearer
early the following spring in the month of Nyan during the 20th
year of King Artis Erie's reign.
I was serving the king.
His wine I had never before appeared sad in his presence.
So the king asked me, why are you looking so sad?
You don't look sick to me.
You must be deeply troubled.
Then I was terrified, but I replied, I.
Long live the king.
How can I not be sad for the city where my ancestors are buried is in ruins and
the gates have been destroyed by fire?
The king asked, well, how can I help you with a prayer to the God of heaven?
I replied, if it please the king, and if you are pleased with me, your
servant send me to Judah to rebuild the city where my ancestors are buried.
The king with the queen sitting beside him asked, how long will you be gone?
When will you return?
After I told him how long I would be gone, the king agreed to my request.
I also said to the king, if it please, the king let me have letters
addressed to the governors of the province, west of the Euphrates River,
instructing them to let me travel safely through their territories.
On my way to Judah.
And please give me a letter addressed to Asaf, the manager of the King's Forest,
instructing him to give me timber.
I will need it to make beams for the gates of the temple fortress, for the
city walls, and for a house for myself and the king Granted these requests because
the gracious hand of God was on me.
When I came to the governors of the province, west of the Euphrates River,
I delivered the king's letters to them.
The king I should add, had sent along Army officers and horsemen to protect me.
But when Sand Ballad the Ho Night and Tobiah, the Ammonite official
heard of my arrival, they were very displeased that someone had come
to help the people of his Israel.