⁷ From the days of our ancestors^(A) until now, our guilt has been great. Because of our sins, we and our kings and our priests have been subjected to the sword^(B) and captivity,^(C) to pillage and humiliation^(D) at the hand of foreign kings, as it is today.

³⁴ Our kings,^(A) our leaders, our priests and our ancestors^(B) did not follow your law; they did not pay attention to your commands or the statutes you warned them to keep.