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 ¹  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.

Nehemiah 13:3

13:3 When they heard the law, they removed from Israel all who were of mixed ancestry.

Nehemiah 13:2

13:2 for they had not met the Israelites with food ²  and water, but instead had hired Balaam to curse them. (Our God, however, turned the curse into blessing.)

Colossians 1:17

1:17 He himself is before all things and all things are held together ³  in him.

¹ tn Heb “the peoples of the lands.” So also in v. 2.

² tn Heb “bread.” The Hebrew term is generic here, however, referring to more than bread alone.

³ tn BDAG 973 s.v. συνίστημι B.3 suggests “continue, endure, exist, hold together” here.