Ezra 9:3-9

New American Standard Bible

³ When I heard about this matter, I ^(A)tore my garment and my robe, and pulled out some of the hair from my head and my beard, and ^(B)sat down ^[a]appalled. ⁴ Then ^(C)everyone who was frightened by the words of the God of Israel on account of the unfaithfulness of the exiles gathered to me, and I sat ^[b]appalled until ^(D)the evening offering.

Prayer of Confession

⁵ But at the evening offering I stood up from my ^[c]humiliation, even with my garment and my robe torn, and I bowed down on my knees and ^(E)spread out my ^[d]hands to the Lord my God; ⁶ and I said, “My God, I am ashamed and humiliated to lift up my face to You, my God, for our wrongful deeds have ^[e]risen above our heads, and our ^(F)guilt has grown even to the heavens. ^7 (G)Since the days of our fathers to this day we have been in great guilt, and because of our wrongful deeds we, our kings, and our priests have been handed over to the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plunder, and to ^[f](H)open shame, as it is this day. ⁸ But now for a brief moment grace has been shown from the Lord our God, ^(I)to leave us an escaped remnant and to give us a ^[g](J)peg in His holy place, so that our God may ^(K)enlighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our bondage. ^9 (L)For we are slaves; yet in our bondage our God has not abandoned us, but ^(M)has extended favor to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us reviving to erect the house of our God, to restore its ruins, and to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem.