Ezera unozibisiwa ngekwe kulobolana kwe njudzi dze Bajuta ne basi Bajuta
1 Kwakati zose izwezwi zwathamwa zwapela, batungamili bakazha kundili bakati, “Bathu be Iziraela bakashangana ne bapirisiti ne Balevi abazozwishalula mu bathu babakabapa nabo be njudzi dzipoga, banoshinga mishingo isingadike inobhatisa shoni, banoshinga mishingo inonga ye bathu be Bakanana, Bahiti, Baperizi, Bajebusi, Baamoni, Bamoabu, Baegipiti ne Baamori. 2 Bakatola bakololokadzi babo bakabathama bakadzi babo ne bakadzi be bakololo babo. Mbewu yakayengemala ya zwishanganya ne be zwitjaba. Batungamili ne makulukota ndibo banonyanyisa mu kusangalamoyo ikoku.” 3 Ndakati ndihwa ikoku apalula tjiambalo tjangu, asimula mavudzi mu nsholo wangu, asimula ne ndedu, agala pasi ndakazhalilana nge shungu. 4 Ngono bose bakabe betja matama e Ndzimu we Iziraela bakandikubunganila ngekwe kusagalamoyo kwe bakabuya kutapiwa.
Ntembezelo wa Ezera
5 Kwakati mu tjibaka tje tjibhayilo tje madekwana amilika pandakabe ndili gele ndakazhalilana, ndakaambala zwiambalo zwakapaluka, athigama, amilidzila maboko angu kuna Yahwe Ndzimu wangu, 6 atembezela nditi, “Ndobhakhwa nge shoni kukotamusila nsholo wangu kumuli Ndzimu wangu, ngobe jinyo ledu lipezhugwi kwazo, lopinda misholo yedu ne milandu yedu yakaswika kudzimu. 7 Kudwa tjose mu mazhuba a bobatategulu bedu kuswikilila ngwenu milandu yedu yakabe mikulu kwazo. Ngono ikoku kuthamwa nge jinyo ledu, iswi na bomambo bedu ne bapirisiti takalingisanyiwa nge thumo, nge kutapiwa, nge kutapigwa ne kubhatisiwa shoni ndi bomambo be njudzi dzipoga sekwa kuli iko ngwenu. 8 Ngono mu tjibaka tjifupi Yahwe, Ndzimu wedu bakabe ne ngoni mu kutisiyila malimbelimbe, ngono bakatipa magalo mabuyanana mu magalo abo akayengemala, ndizo Ndzimu wedu unopa tjedza mu mesho edu ne kusununguka kushomanana mu bulanda gwedu. 9 Nenguba takabe tili balanda Ndzimu wedu auzotitizhila mu bulanda gwedu. Wakatilakidza buthu gwawo mbeli kwa bomambo be Pheshiya. Wakatipa tjibaka tjimwe kakale kuti timuse Ng'umba ye Ndzimu ne kuilulwamisa, kakale wakatipa guma le mbakililo mu Juda ne mu Jerusalema.
10 “Ngono ngwenu Ndzimu wedu tingatjalebani shule kwa itjetji kene? Se tisakasala shule milayo yenyu, 11 yamakapa balanda benyu be balebesambeli muti, ‘Shango yamunongina muili kube yenyu, i shango yakabipa ibipisiwa nge mishingo ye bathu bamuili. Nge mishingo yabo yakabipa bakazhadza shango nge kutemapala. 12 Ndizo musitongolobodza bakololokadzi benyu bakololo babo kene bakololo benyu bakalobola bakololokadzi babo. Kakale atizofanila shaka mbakiso kene fumwa mu bali tjibaka tjipi kene tjipi, kuti ndizo musime muje zwithu zwakanaka zwe shango, ngono mu zwisiyile bana benyu zwili lukata gusingapele.’ 13 Tjakatishingikalila i mbuyilo ye zwithu zwakabipa zwatakashinga, milandu mikulu koga imwi Ndzimu wedu makatiloba shamu tukununu koga, kusakalizana jinyo ledu, koga mukatisiyila malimbelimbe anonga iyawa. 14 Tingatjuluka nlayo wenyu kakale, tikalobolana ne bathu be njudzi dzipoga banothama zwithu zwakabipa tjini kene? Ate mungatidelusila bushongola bukulu tjose, mukatilobesa tose kukasala kusina limbelimbe ne nge ling'ompela linotjila kene? 15 Imwi Yahwe Ndzimu we Iziraela makalulwama! Ndiswi koga bakasala mu zhuba lino tili malimbelimbe. Ndiswi ibaba tazha mbeli kwenyu nge milandu yedu, nenguba kusina wedu ungama mbeli kwenyu.”
Ezra Condemns Mixed Marriages
1 Later the Jewish leaders came to me and said:
Many Israelites, including priests and Levites, are living just like the people around them. They are even guilty of some of the horrible sins of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.
2 Some Israelite men have married foreign women and have let their sons do the same thing. Our own officials and leaders were the first to commit this disgusting sin, and now God's holy people are mixed with foreigners.
3 This news made me so angry that I ripped my clothes and tore hair from my head and beard. Then I just sat in shock 4 until the time for the evening sacrifice. Many of our people were greatly concerned and gathered around me, because the God of Israel had warned us to stay away from foreigners.
Ezra's Prayer
5 At the time of the evening sacrifice, I was still sitting there in sorrow with my clothes all torn. So I got down on my knees, then lifted my arms, 6 and prayed:
I am much too ashamed to face you, Lord God. Our sins and our guilt have swept over us like a flood that reaches up to the heavens. 7 Since the time of our ancestors, all of us have sinned. That's why we, our kings, and our priests have often been defeated by other kings. They have killed some of us and made slaves of others; they have taken our possessions and made us ashamed, just as we are today.
8 But for now, Lord God, you have shown great kindness to us. You made us truly happy by letting some of us settle in this sacred place and by helping us in our time of slavery. 9 We are slaves, but you have never turned your back on us. You love us, and because of you, the kings of Persia have helped us. It's as though you have given us new life! You let us rebuild your temple and live safely in Judah and Jerusalem.
10 Our God, what can we say now? Even after all this, we have disobeyed the commands 11 that were given to us by your servants the prophets. They said the land you are giving us is full of sinful and wicked people, who never stop doing disgusting things. 12 And we were warned not to let our daughters and sons marry their sons and daughters.
Your prophets also told us never to help those foreigners or even let them live in peace. You wanted us to become strong and to enjoy the good things in the land, then someday to leave it to our children forever.
13 You punished us because of our terrible sins. But you did not punish us nearly as much as we deserve, and you have brought some of us back home. 14 Why should we disobey your commands again by letting our sons and daughters marry these foreigners who do such disgusting things? That would make you angry enough to destroy us all! 15 Lord God of Israel, you have been more than fair by letting a few of us survive. But once again, our sins have made us ashamed to face you.