⁴ Then everyone who ^(A)trembled 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 ^(B)evening 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 ^(C)spread out my hands to the Lord my God. ⁶ And I said: “O my God, I am too ^(D)ashamed and humiliated to lift up my face to You, my God; for ^(E)our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has ^(F)grown up to the heavens. ⁷ Since the days of our fathers to this day ^(G)we have been very guilty, and for our iniquities ^(H)we, our kings, and our priests have been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the ^(I)sword, to captivity, to plunder, and to ^(J)humiliation,^[a] as it is 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 ^(K)enlighten our eyes and give us a measure of revival in our bondage. ^9 (L)For we were slaves. ^(M)Yet our God did not forsake us in our bondage; but ^(N)He extended mercy to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to revive us, to repair the house of our God, to rebuild its ruins, and to give us ^(O)a wall in Judah and Jerusalem. ¹⁰ And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken Your commandments, ¹¹ which You commanded by Your servants the prophets, saying, ‘The land which you are entering to possess is an unclean land, with the ^(P)uncleanness of the peoples of the lands, with their abominations which have filled it from one end to another with their impurity. ¹² Now therefore, ^(Q)do not give your daughters as wives for their sons, nor take their daughters to your sons; and ^(R)never seek their peace or prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good of the land, and ^(S)leave it as an inheritance to your children forever.’ ¹³ And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, since You our God ^(T)have punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and have given us such deliverance as this, ¹⁴ should we ^(U)again break Your commandments, and ^(V)join in marriage with the people committing these abominations? Would You not be ^(W)angry with us until You had ^[b]consumed us, so that there would be no remnant or survivor? ¹⁵ O Lord God of Israel, ^(X)You are righteous, for we are left as a remnant, as it is this day. ^(Y)Here we are before You, ^(Z)in our guilt, though no one can stand before You because of this!”