9 *Now when these things were done, the princes came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not aseparated themselves from the people of the lands, bdoing according to their abominations, even of the cCanaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the dAmmonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. 2 For they have etaken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the fholy seed have gmingled themselves with the people of those lands: yea, the hand of the princes and hrulers hath been chief in this trespass. 3 And when I heard this thing, iI rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down kastonied. 4 Then were assembled unto me every one that ltrembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the transgression of those that had been carried away; and I sat kastonied until the mevening sacrifice. 5 And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my ||heaviness; and nhaving rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and ospread 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 pour iniquities are increased over our head, and our ||trespass qis grown up unto the heavens. 7 rSince the days of our fathers have we been in a great trespass unto this day; and for our iniquities shave 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 tconfusion 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 uremnant to escape, and to give us ||a nail in his holy place, that our God may wlighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage. 9 xFor we were bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but yhath 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 za 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 auncleanness. 12 Now therefore bgive not your daughters unto their sons, neither take their daughters unto your sons, nor cseek their peace or their wealth for ever: that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and dleave it for an inheritance to your children for ever. 13 And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for eour great trespass, seeing that thou our God f†hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and hast given us such gdeliverance as this; 14 Should we again break thy commandments, and hjoin in affinity with the people of these abominations? wouldest not thou be iangry with us till thou hadst consumed us, so that there should be no remnant nor gescaping? 15 O Lord God of Israel, kthou art righteous: for we remain yet gescaped, as it is this day: behold, we are before thee lin our trespasses: for we cannot mstand before thee because of this.