1 Now when these things were done, the princes came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, doing according to their abominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. 2 For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands: yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass. 3 And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down astonied. 4 Then were assembled unto me every one that trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the transgression of those that had been carried away; and I sat astonied until the evening sacrifice.
5 ¶ And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the LORD my God, 6 And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens. 7 Since the days of our fathers have we been in a great trespass unto this day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, and our priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to a spoil, and to confusion of face, as it is this day. 8 And now for a little space grace hath been shewed from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage. 9 For we were bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the desolations thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem. 10 And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? for we have forsaken thy commandments, 11 Which thou hast commanded by thy servants the prophets, saying, The land, unto which ye go to possess it, is an unclean land with the filthiness of the people of the lands, with their abominations, which have filled it from one end to another with their uncleanness. 12 Now therefore give not your daughters unto their sons, neither take their daughters unto your sons, nor seek their peace or their wealth for ever: that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children for ever. 13 And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass, seeing that thou our God hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve , and hast given us such deliverance as this; 14 Should we again break thy commandments, and join in affinity with the people of these abominations? wouldest not thou be angry with us till thou hadst consumed us , so that there should be no remnant nor escaping? 15 O LORD God of Israel, thou art righteous: for we remain yet escaped, as it is this day: behold, we are before thee in our trespasses: for we cannot stand before thee because of this.
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.”