30 So reok the prieſts and the Levites, the weightof the ſilver, and the gold, and the veſſels, to bring them to Jeruſalem unto the houſe of our God.
31 Then we departed from the river of Ahava, on the twelfth day of the firſt month, to go unto Jeruſa- lem, and the hand of our God was upon us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy, and of ſfach as lay. in wait by the way p.
p To: wir, in the dire&t way. Whereby it may be conjeQtured, thar God dire&ed them to fetch a little compaſs, and to goa more uncouth and unſuſpe&ed way, as they had begged of Cod, v. 21+
32 And we came to Jerutalem, and abode there three days.
23 Now on the fourth day was the filver, and the gold, and the veſſels weighed in the houſe of ous God, by the hand of Meremoth the ſon of Uriah the prieſt and with him was Eleazar the ſonof Phinehas, and with them was Jozabad the ſon of Jeſhua, and Noadiah the ſon of Benui, Levites: |
34 By number and by weight of every one : and all the weight was written at that time.
ks 35 + Alſo the children of thoſe that had been carried un: ut of AWAY; Which were come out of the captivity q, offered
th apri= burnt offerings unto the God of Iſrael, twelve bullocks i, for all Iſrael, ninety and fix rams, {ſeventy and ſeven af '** lambs, twelve he-goats for a ſin offering : all this was a wm - h im, {o burnt-offering unto the LORD. Gr, 'q To wit, theſe now commers, whom God had fafe'y conducted hither. 26 And they delivered the kings commitlions unto
[Or, exe alted,
Gr. gloyi 8 fie
fide the river; and they || furchered the people, and the
houſe of God r. £-. 'r In the adorning and furniſhing of it with theſe Veſſels and other Conveniences ; and in promoting Gods Worſhip and Service herein,
CHAP. IX:
Ezra and others, hearing of the unlawful Marriage of the People with Strangers, mourn for it, 1 4. He prayeth unto God, and confeſſeth their Sins, and particularly this, 5 15s
Ow when theſe things were done, the princes 4
N came to me, ſaying, The people of Ifract, and
the priefts, and the Levites have not ſeparaced chem-
ſelves from the people of the lands b, dcing according to their abominations c, even of the Canaanite, the Hit= tite, the Perizzite, the Jebuſite, the Ammonice, the
Moabite, the Egyptian, and the Amorite.
a Who feared God, and underſtood that Ezra was come with
RK2Þ2 4
j| of the kings of the lands, tothe fword, to captivity, and
the kings lieutenants, and to the governours on this |
Chap. I
from Jer, 25, 9. ©. Or rather, 2 Since their return, as may be gathered from. v. 8, 9, !o, 14. e Who ſhould have reſtrained the People from this Sin, by their Authority and Example; and by dos ing otherwiſe, made the Sin more general, and involved them® ſelves and the Nation in the Guilt cf it. REES wy
..3 And when LI heard this thing, I rent my garment, atid my mantle, f and pluckr off the hair of my head; and of my beard g, and fat down aſtonied h.
f Both my inner and my upper, Garment. z In teſtimony of my, greatGrief and Indignation;which was uſual among all thoſe Eaſtern: and Ancient People, where vn he did not tranſgreſs; that Law, Lev. 19. 27: Deus. 14, 1+ becauſe he did not ſhave off all the Hair, bur only plucked off ſome Hiirs. - h partly tor Grief and Shame at the Sin 5 and partly for fear of ſome great and dreidful Judgmenc which he expected and feared for it, . . _ © :
4 .Then were afſembled unto me ; every one that trembled at the words of the God of Iſrael & becauſe of che tranſgreſſion of thoſe that had been carried away / and I fart aſtonied untill the evening facrifice m., _
; To joyn with me both in lamenting the Sin, and in indeavouring the redreſs of it. & #. e. Who ſtood in awe of God, andof his Word and durſt nor violate his Commands; or who feared his Threat nings againſt thoſe that did ſo, andrrembled for fear of Gods Judg» ments upon them, and upon the whole Land for their ſakes, as the following words imply. Compare 7/s. 66. 2, 5. / To wit, in- to Captivity, and were ſafely rerurned from it, and yer were not re- tormed either by their former Afictinn, or by their larrer D-liv:» _— -m When the People uſed to Afffemble together, Sce Pſal. 141. - #36 8: ; FR | t |
5 Andat the evening ſacrifice Þ aroſe from my [|hea- i Or, i= vineſs », and having rent my garment and my mantle, fiction, IJ I fellupon my knees, and fpread out my hands untothe LORD Rs... . TO RW: 6”
n i. « From that mournful poture, wv. 4. and put my ſelf into the poſture of a Petitioner. Or, by reaſon of my heavinels, or afflition.
ving mourned for the Sin, I conſidered that was nor. ſufficient, and that God expected the Confefſion and amendment of ir, and
therefore I fell to prayer. "RE '6 And faid, O my God, IT am aſhamed and bluſh to
lifr up my face to thee, my God : for our iniquitiess © _- - --. | are increaſed overour head p, and our ||treſpaſſes grown oo | up unto the heavens . OY
o He Includes himſelf in the number of the Tranſgreſſors, not only by a Rethorical Fignre called Communication, bur partly becauſe he himſelf was guilty of many Sins ; and partly becauſe the Princes and Prieſts, and ſo many of the People having done this, the Guile was now become National. p Like deep Warers, in-which we are aSIt were drowned, and ready to perith. Compare Pſal. 38.4. 7 Since the daysof our fathers, have we been in a great treſpaſs unto this day q; and for our iniquities have we, | our kings, and our prieſts been delivered into the hand ſ
to a ſpoil, and toconfuſion of face, as is is this day. q We are not purged from the Guilt and Fi!th of our Fathers Sins, but we are ſtill fecling the ſad Effects of their Sins in the crn- cinuing Captivity of a great number of our Brechren; and weare ſtill repeating the ſame Sins : | RS 8 And now for a flittle ſpace + grace hath been ſhewed fromthe LORD our God, tolcave us aremnant + 1.4, ,,; to eſcape s, and togive us a || nail ? in his holy places, mens. that our God may lighten our Eyes x, and give us a little reviving in our bondage? PF [| Or, 4