1 Now when these things were done, the princes came to me,
saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not
separated themselves from the people of the lands, doing according
to their abominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the
Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the
Amorites.
2 For
they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that
the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands:
yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass.
3 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.
4 Then
were assembled unto me every one that trembled at the words of the God of Israel,
because of the transgression of those that had been carried away; and I sat
astonied until the evening sacrifice.
5 And
at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my
garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the
LORD my God,
6 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.
7 Since
the days of our fathers have we been in a great trespass unto this day; and
for our iniquities have we, our kings, and our priests, been delivered into the
hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to a spoil, and
to confusion of face, as it is this day.
8 And
now for a little space grace hath been shewed from the LORD our God, to leave us a
remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may
lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage.
9 For
we were bondmen;
yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto
us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the
house of our God, and to repair the desolations thereof, and to give us a wall
in Judah and in Jerusalem.
10 And
now, O our God, what shall we say after this? for we have forsaken thy
commandments,
11 Which
thou hast commanded by thy servants the prophets, saying, The land, unto which
ye go to possess it, is an unclean land with the filthiness of the people of
the lands, with their abominations, which have filled it from one end to
another with their uncleanness.
12 Now
therefore give not your daughters unto their sons, neither take their daughters
unto your sons, nor seek their peace or their wealth for ever: that ye may be
strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave it for an
inheritance to your children for ever.
13 And
after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass,
seeing that thou our God hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and hast given us such deliverance
as this;
14 Should
we again break thy commandments, and join in affinity with the people of these
abominations? wouldest not thou be angry with us till thou hadst consumed us, so that there should be no remnant nor escaping?
15 O
LORD God of Israel, thou art righteous: for we remain yet escaped,
as it is this
day: behold, we are before thee in our trespasses: for we
cannot stand before thee because of this.
