Now when these things were done, the princes drew near to me, saying, “The people of Israel, and the priests and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the peoples 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. 2For they have taken of their daughters for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy seed have mixed themselves with the peoples of the lands: yes, the hand of the princes and rulers has been chief in this trespass.”
3When I heard this thing, I tore my garment and my robe, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down confounded. 4Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel were assembled to me, because of the trespass of those of the exiles; and I sat confounded until the evening offering.
5At the evening offering I arose up from my humiliation, even with my garment and my robe torn; and I fell on my knees, and spread out my hands to YAHWEH1 my God; 6and I said, “My God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to you, my God; for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our guilt is grown up to the heavens. 7Since the days of our fathers we have been very guilty to this day; and for our iniquities, we, our kings, and our priests have been delivered into the hands of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to plunder, and to confusion of face, as it is this day. 8Now for a brief moment, grace has been shown from YAHWEH 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 revive us a little in our bondage. 9For we are slaves; yet our God has not forsaken us in our bondage, but has extended loving kindness to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to revive us, to set up the House of our God, and to repair its ruins, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.
10“Now, our God, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken your commandments, 11which you commanded by your servants the prophets, saying, ‘The land which you go to possess is an unclean land through the uncleanness of the peoples of the lands, through their abominations, which have filled it from one end to the other with their filthiness. 12Now therefore do not give your daughters to their sons, neither take their daughters to your sons, nor seek their peace or their prosperity forever; that you may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children forever.’
13“After all that is come on us for our evil deeds, and for our great guilt, seeing that you our God have punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and have given us such a remnant, 14shall we again break your commandments, and join in affinity with the peoples that do these abominations? Would you not be angry with us until you had consumed us, so that there should be no remnant, nor any to escape? 15YAHWEH, God of Israel, you are righteous; for we are left a remnant that is escaped, as it is this day. Behold, we are before you in our guilt; for no one can stand before you because of this.”
- 9:5 YAHWEH, God’s personal Name revealed to Prophet Musa in the Taurat, Exodus 3:15: ‘God said moreover to Musa, “You shall tell Bani-Israel this, ‘YAHWEH, the God of your fathers, the God of Ibrahim, the God of Ishaq, and the God of Yaqub, has sent me to you.’ This is my Name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered to all generations.”’ ↩︎