Ezra 3:3

3:3 They established the altar on its foundations, even though they were in terror of the local peoples, ¹  and they offered burnt offerings on it to the Lord, both the morning and the evening offerings.

Ezra 10:11

10:11 Now give praise to the Lord God of your fathers, and do his will. Separate yourselves from the local residents ²  and from these foreign wives.”

Ezra 9:1

A Prayer of Ezra

9:1 Now when these things had been completed, the leaders approached me and said, “The people of Israel, the priests, and the Levites have not separated themselves from the local residents ³  who practice detestable things similar to those of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.

Ezra 10:2

10:2 Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, from the descendants of Elam, ⁴  addressed Ezra:

“We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying ⁵  foreign women from the local peoples. ⁶  Nonetheless, there is still hope for Israel in this regard. ⁷ 

¹ tn Heb “the peoples of the lands.”

² tn Heb “the peoples of the land.”

³ tn Heb “the peoples of the lands.” So also in v. 2.

⁴ tc The translation reads with the Qere, many medieval Hebrew MSS, the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate עֵילָם (’elam, “Elam”) rather than the reading עוֹלָם (’olam, “eternity”) found in the MT.

⁵ tn Heb “in that we have given a dwelling to.” So also in vv. 14, 17, 18.

⁶ tn Heb “the peoples of the lands.”

⁷ tn Heb “upon this.”