1
And when these things were finished, the princes drew near to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands in their abominations, [even] the Cannanite, the Hittites, the Perizzite, the Jebusite, the Ammonite, the Moabite, and the Moserite and the Amorite.
2
For they have taken of their daughters for themselves and their sons, and the holy seed has passed among the nations of the lands, and the hand of the rulers [has been] first in this transgression.
3
And when I heard this thing, I tore my clothes, and trembled, and plucked [some] of the hairs of my head and of my beard, and sat down mourning.
4
Then there assembled to me all that followed the word of the God of Israel, on account of the transgression of the captivity; and I remained mourning until the evening sacrifice.
5
And at the evening sacrifice I rose up from my humiliation; and when I had tore my clothes, then I trembled, and I bowed myself on my knees, and spread out my hands to the Lord God,
6
and I said, O Lord, I am ashamed and confounded, O my God, to lift up my face to You; for our transgressions have abounded over our head, and our trespasses have increased even to heaven.
7
From the days of our fathers we have been in a great trespass until this day; and because of our iniquities we, and our kings, and our children, have been delivered into the hand of the kings of the Gentiles by the sword, by captivity, by spoil, and with shame of our face, as at this day.
8
And now our God has dealt mercifully with us, so as to leave us [a remnant] to escape, and to give us an establishment in the place of His sanctuary, to enlighten our eyes, and give us a measure of revival in our bondage.
9
For we are slaves, yet in our bondage the Lord our God has not deserted us; and He has extended favor to us in the sight of the kings of the Persians, to revive us, that they should raise up the house of our God, and restore the desolate places of it, and to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem.
10
What shall we say, O our God, after this? For we have forsaken Your commandments,
11
which You have given us by the hand of Your servants the prophets, saying, The land, into which you go to inherit it, is a land subject to disturbance by the removal of the people of the nations for their abominations, wherewith they have filled it from one end to the other by their impurity.
12
And now give not your daughters to their sons, and take not of their daughters for your sons, neither shall you ever seek their peace or their goods, that you may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and transmit it as an inheritance to your children forever.
13
And after all that has come upon us because of our evil deeds, and our great trespass, [it is clear] that there is none such as our God, for You have lightly visited our iniquities, and given us deliverance;
14
whereas we have repeatedly broken Your commandments, and intermarried with the people of the lands. Be not very angry with us to [our] utter destruction, so that there should be no remnant or survivor.
15
O Lord God of Israel, You [are] righteous, for we are left as a remnant, as it is this day. Behold, we [are] before You in our trespasses, for we cannot stand before You on this account.
