And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens.
And I said, 'O my God, I am so ashamed and embarrassed that I can't even look up at you, my God. Our sins have piled up higher than our heads, and our wrongdoing has grown so great it reaches up to the heavens.'
Ezra is expressing deep shame and humility before God because he recognizes how enormous the people's sins have become.
📚 Historical Context
Ezra had just returned from Babylonian exile to help rebuild Jerusalem and restore proper worship. He discovered that many of the Jewish people, including priests and leaders, had married foreign wives from pagan nations, directly violating God's commands. This intermarriage threatened to lead the people back into idolatry, the very sin that had caused their exile in the first place.
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