With antiphonal response they sang,<n id="1" /> praising and glorifying the <sc>Lordsc>:p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;For he is good;p> <p class="poetry">his loyal love toward Israel is forever.&#8221;p> <p class="bodytext">All the people gave a loud<n id="2" /> shout as they praised the <sc>Lordsc> when the temple of the <sc>Lordsc> was established.

They observed the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days with joy, for the <sc>Lordsc> had given them joy and had changed the opinion<n id="1" /> of the king of Assyria<n id="2" /> toward them, so that he assisted<n id="3" /> them in the work on the temple of God, the God of Israel.p>

This Ezra is the one who came up from Babylon. He was a scribe who was skilled in the law of Moses which the <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel had given. The king supplied him with everything he requested, for the hand of the <sc>Lordsc> his God was on him.

He has also conferred his favor on me before the king, his advisers, and all the influential leaders of the king. I gained strength as the hand of the <sc>Lordsc> my God was on me, and I gathered leaders from Israel to go up with me.p>

<p class="bodytext">Due to the fact that the good hand of our God was on us, they brought us a skilled man, from the descendants of Mahli the son of Levi son of Israel. This man was Sherebiah,<n id="1" /> who was accompanied by his sons and brothers,<n id="2" /> 18 men,

<t /><p class="bodytext">Now when these things had been completed, the leaders approached me and said, &#8220;The people of Israel, the priests, and the Levites have not separated themselves from the local residents<n id="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.

O <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel, you are righteous, for we are left as a remnant this day. Indeed, we stand before you in our guilt. However, because of this guilt<n id="1" /> no one can really stand before you.&#8221;p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">While Ezra was praying and confessing, weeping and throwing himself to the ground before the temple of God, a very large crowd of Israelites &#8211; men, women, and children alike &#8211; gathered around him. The people wept loudly.<n id="1" />

Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, from the descendants of Elam,<n id="1" /> addressed Ezra:p> <p class="bodytext">&#8220;We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying<n id="2" /> foreign women from the local peoples.<n id="3" /> Nonetheless, there is still hope for Israel in this regard.<n id="4" />