Esdras 9

¹ And at the end of these things, the rulers came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands. But [they are doing according to their abominations, those 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 the holy seed has mixed themselves with the people of [those] lands. Yes, the hand of the leaders and overseers has been chief in this sin.

³ And when I heard this thing, I tore my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down stricken dumb.

⁴ Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel was gathered to me, because of the sin of those who had been exiled. And I remained dumb until the evening sacrifice.

⁵ And at the evening sacrifice I rose up from my affliction. And tearing my garment and my mantle, I fell on my knees and spread out my hands to the LORD my God.

⁶ And I said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to You, my God. For our iniquities have increased over [our] heads, and our guiltiness has grown up to the heavens.

⁷ Since the days of our fathers [we have been] in a great sin until this day. And for our iniquities we, our kings, our priests, have been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to a spoil, and to shame of face, as it is this day.

⁸ And now for a little time grace has been [shown] from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape and to give us a nail in His holy place, so that our God may enlighten our eyes and give us a little life in our bondage.

⁹ For we [were] slaves, yet our God has not left us in our bondage, but has given mercy to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us some life, to set up the house of our God, and to repair its waste, 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 Your commandments

¹¹ which You commanded by Your servants the prophets, saying, The land into which you 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 the other with their uncleanness.

¹² And now do not give your daughters to their sons, nor take their daughters to your sons, nor seek their peace or their wealth forever, so that you may be strong and eat the good of the land and leave it] for an inheritance to your sons forever.

¹³ And after all that has come on us for our evil deeds and for our great sin, since You our God have punished us less than our iniquities [deserve], and have given us such an escape as this,

¹⁴ should we again break Your commandments and join hands with the people of these abominations? Would You not be angry with us until You had crushed [us], until there is no remnant nor survivor?

¹⁵ O LORD God of Israel, You [are] righteous. For we are left a remnant that has escaped, as today. Behold, we [are] before You in our sins, for we cannot stand before You because of this.