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.

And Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them, Ye have transgressed, and have taken strange wives, to increase the trespass of Israel. {have taken: Heb. have caused to dwell, or, have brought back}

And that we would not give our daughters unto the people of the land, nor take their daughters for our sons:

On that day they read in the book of Moses in the audience of the people; and therein was found written, that the Ammonite and the Moabite should not come into the congregation of God for ever; {they...: Heb. there was read} {audience: Heb. ears}

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

All these had taken strange wives: and {some} of them had wives by whom they had children.

But it came to pass, {that} when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, {and} that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth, {were made up: Heb. ascended}

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. {by: Heb. by the hand of} {from...: Heb. from mouth to mouth}

And the Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it from Ebenezer unto Ashdod.

Ephraim, he hath mixed himself among the people; Ephraim is a cake not turned.

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.

Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son.

And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods.

But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, {and} Hittites; {together...: or, beside}

On that day they read in the book of Moses in the audience of the people; and therein was found written, that the Ammonite and the Moabite should not come into the congregation of God for ever; {they...: Heb. there was read} {audience: Heb. ears}

Thou shalt not seek their peace nor their prosperity all thy days for ever. {prosperity: Heb. good}

He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab: for his mother was his counsellor to do wickedly.

Therefore thou hast forsaken thy people the house of Jacob, because they be replenished from the east, and {are} soothsayers like the Philistines, and they please themselves in the children of strangers. {from...: or, more than the} {please...: or, abound with the}

Judah hath dealt treacherously, and an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah hath profaned the holiness of the LORD which he loved, and hath married the daughter of a strange god. {loved: or, ought to love}

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

They that forsake the law praise the wicked: but such as keep the law contend with them.

They have dealt treacherously against the LORD: for they have begotten strange children: now shall a month devour them with their portions.

And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Benammi: the same {is} the father of the children of Ammon unto this day.

Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not?

Neither shall he profane his seed among his people: for I the LORD do sanctify him.

An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the LORD for ever:

There was none of the Anakims left in the land of the children of Israel: only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod, there remained.

From Ekron even unto the sea, all that {lay} near Ashdod, with their villages: {near: Heb. by the place of}

Else if ye do in any wise go back, and cleave unto the remnant of these nations, {even} these that remain among you, and shall make marriages with them, and go in unto them, and they to you:

And they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their sons, and served their gods.

And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him. {as if...: Heb. was it a light thing, etc}

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?

Then all the congregation answered and said with a loud voice, As thou hast said, so must we do.

But it came to pass, {that} when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, {and} that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth, {were made up: Heb. ascended}

And all the mingled people, and all the kings of the land of Uz, and all the kings of the land of the Philistines, and Ashkelon, and Azzah, and Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod,