1 When these things were done, the leaders came to me, saying, “The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not aseparated themselves from the peoples of the lands, bwith respect to the abominations of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.
2 For they have ataken some of their daughters aswives for themselves and their sons, so that the bholy seed is cmixed with the peoples of those lands. Indeed, the hand of the leaders and rulers has been foremost in this1 trespass.”
3 So when I heard this thing, aI tore my garment and my robe, and plucked out some of the hair of my head and beard, and sat down bastonished.
4 Then everyone who atrembled at the words of the God of Israel assembled to me, because of the transgression of those who had been carried away captive, and I sat astonished until the bevening sacrifice.
5 At the evening sacrifice I arose from my fasting; and having torn my garment and my robe, I fell on my knees and aspread out my hands to the Lord my God.
6 And I said: “O my God, I am too aashamed and humiliated to lift up my face to You, my God; for bour iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has cgrown up to the heavens.
7 Since the days of our fathers to this day awe havebeen very guilty, and for our iniquities bwe, our kings, and our priests have been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the csword, to captivity, to plunder, and to dhumiliation, as itis this day.
8 And now for a little while grace has been shown from the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a peg in His holy place, that our God may aenlighten our eyes and give us a measure of revival in our bondage.
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