²¹ And Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins. And he shall ^(A)put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness.

^21 (A)For our sake he made him to be sin ^(B)who knew no sin, so that in him we might become ^(C)the righteousness of God.

The People Confess Their Sin

10 ^(A)While Ezra prayed and ^(B)made confession, weeping and ^(C)casting himself down ^(D)before the house of God, a very great assembly of men, women, and children, gathered to him out of Israel, for the people wept bitterly.

¹⁰ For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

³ Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by ^(A)prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. ⁴ I prayed to the Lord my God and ^(B)made confession, saying, ^(C)“O Lord, the ^(D)great and awesome God, who ^(E)keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, ^5 (F)we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly ^(G)and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. ^6 (H)We have not listened to ^(I)your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to ^(J)our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. ⁷ To you, ^(K)O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, ^(L)those who are near and ^(M)those who are far away, in ^(N)all the lands to which you have driven them, because of ^(O)the treachery that they have committed against you. ⁸ To us, O Lord, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because ^(P)we have sinned against you. ^9 (Q)To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him ^10 (R)and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by ^(S)his servants the prophets. ^11 (T)All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, ^(U)refusing to obey your voice. ^(V)And the curse and oath ^(W)that are written in the Law of ^(X)Moses the servant of God have been poured out upon us, because ^(Y)we have sinned against him. ¹² He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against ^(Z)our rulers who ruled us,^[a] by ^(AA)bringing upon us a great calamity. ^(AB)For under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem. ^13 (AC)As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us; yet we have not entreated the favor of the Lord our God, ^(AD)turning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth. ^14 (AE)Therefore the Lord has kept ready the calamity and has brought it upon us, ^(AF)for the Lord our God is righteous in all the works that he has done, and ^(AG)we have not obeyed his voice. ¹⁵ And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt ^(AH)with a mighty hand, and ^(AI)have made a name for yourself, as at this day, ^(AJ)we have sinned, we have done wickedly.

¹⁶ “O Lord, ^(AK)according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, ^(AL)your holy hill, ^(AM)because for our sins, and for ^(AN)the iniquities of our fathers, ^(AO)Jerusalem and your people have become ^(AP)a byword among all who are around us. ¹⁷ Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord,^{[b] (AQ)}make your face to shine upon ^(AR)your sanctuary, which is desolate. ^18 (AS)O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see ^(AT)our desolations, and ^(AU)the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. ¹⁹ O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. ^(AV)Delay not, ^(AW)for your own sake, O my God, because ^(AX)your city and ^(AY)your people are called by your name.”

Gabriel Brings an Answer

^20 (AZ)While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my plea before the Lord my God for ^(BA)the holy hill of my God,