Our guilt has been terrible from the days of our ancestors until the present. Because of our iniquities we have been handed over, along with our kings and priests, to the surrounding kings, and to the sword, captivity, plundering, and open shame,(A) as it is today. But now, for a brief moment, grace has come from the Lord our God to preserve a remnant(B) for us and give us a stake(C) in his holy place. Even in our slavery, God has given us a little relief and light to our eyes.(D) Though we are slaves,(E) our God has not abandoned us in our slavery. He has extended grace to us in the presence of the Persian kings,(F) giving us relief, so that we can rebuild the house of our God and repair its ruins,(G) to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem.

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