3 son of Aaron from the tribe of Levi. Ezra was a captive in the region of the Medes during the rule of King Artaxerxes of the Persians.
4 The Lord’s word came to Ezra, Chusi’s son, in the days of King Nebuchadnezzar:
5 Go and announce to my people their crimes. Tell their children about the sins they committed against me. Let their children also announce this to their own children,
6 because the children have added to their parents’ sins. They forgot me and offered sacrifices to foreign gods!
7 Didn’t I bring them out of the land of Egypt where they lived in slavery? Why then have they angered me and rejected my advice?
8 Therefore, the Lord says: Tear out your hair and hurl every kind of disaster at them, because they haven’t obeyed my Law. Undisciplined people!
9 How long will I put up with them—and after I granted them so many favors?