KJV ORIGINAL
And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down astonied.
Close to the original. Clear modern English.
✦ MADE SIMPLE
When I heard about this, I tore my clothes and my robe, pulled out hair from my head and beard, and sat down in complete shock.
⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE
Ezra was devastated and showed extreme grief when he learned that God's people had disobeyed by marrying people from other nations who worshiped false gods.
📚 Historical Context
Ezra had just returned from Babylon to help rebuild Jerusalem and restore proper worship. He discovered that many Israelites, including priests and leaders, had married people from surrounding nations who practiced idolatry, directly violating God's commands. This threatened the spiritual purity and identity of God's chosen people who had just been freed from exile.
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