Now whenthesethingsweredone, the princescame to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separatedthemselvesfrom the people of the lands, doingaccording to theirabominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.
For theyhavetaken of theirdaughters for themselves, and for theirsons: so that the holyseedhavemingledthemselveswith the people of thoselands: yea, the hand of the princes and rulershathbeenchief in thistrespass.
Thenwereassembledunto me every one thattrembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the transgression of thosethat had beencarriedaway; and I sat astonieduntil the eveningsacrifice.
And at the eveningsacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and havingrent my garment and my mantle, I fellupon my knees, and spread out my handsunto the LORD my God,
And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increasedover our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens.
Since the days of our fathershave we been in a greattrespassuntothis day; and for our iniquitieshave we, our kings, and our priests, beendeliveredinto 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.
And now for a littlespacegracehathbeenshewedfrom the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holyplace, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a littlereviving in our bondage.
For we werebondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hathextendedmercyunto 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 desolationsthereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.
Whichthouhastcommanded by thy servants the prophets, saying, The land, untowhich ye go to possess it, is an uncleanlandwith the filthiness of the people of the lands, withtheirabominations, whichhavefilled it from one end to anotherwiththeiruncleanness.
Now thereforegive not yourdaughtersuntotheirsons, neithertaketheirdaughtersuntoyoursons, nor seektheirpeace or theirwealth for ever: that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave it for an inheritance to yourchildren for ever.
And after all that is comeupon us for our evildeeds, and for our greattrespass, seeingthatthou our God hastpunished us lessthan our iniquitiesdeserve, and hastgiven us suchdeliverance as this;
Should we againbreak thy commandments, and join in affinitywith the people of theseabominations? wouldest not thou be angrywith us tillthouhadstconsumed us, so thatthereshould be no remnant nor escaping?
O LORD God of Israel, thou art righteous: for we remain yet escaped, as it is this day: behold, we are beforethee in our trespasses: for we cannotstandbeforetheebecause of this.