1 Now when these things were done, the princes came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands and the disgusting things of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.
2 For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands: yes, the hand of the princes and rulers has been chief in this trespass.
3 And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down stunned.
4 Then were assembled to me every one who trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the transgression of those who had been carried away; and I sat stunned until the evening sacrifice.
5 And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands to Jehovah  my God,
6 And said, Oh my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to you, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up to the heavens.
7 Since the days of our fathers have we been in a great trespass to this day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, and our priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to a spoil, and to confusion of face, as it is this day.
8 And now for a little space grace has been showed from Jehovah  our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage.
9 For we were bondmen; yet our God has not forsaken us in our bondage, but has extended mercy to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the desolations, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.
10 And now, Oh our God, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken your commandments,
11 which You have commanded by Your servants the prophets, saying, The land, to which you go to possess it, is an impure land with the impurity of the people of the lands.  Their disgusting things have filled it from one end to another with impurity.
12 Now therefore give not your daughters to their sons, neither take their daughters to your sons, nor seek their completeness  or their wealth to the Kingdom Age, that you may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children to the Age.
13 And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass, seeing that you our God have corrected us less than our iniquities deserve, and have given us such deliverance as this;
14 Should we again break Your commandments and join in affinity with the people of these disgusting things? Would not you be angry with us until you had consumed us, so that there should be no remnant nor escaping?
15 Oh Jehovah  God of  Israel, you are righteous: for we remain yet escaped, as it is this day: we are before you in our trespasses: for we cannot stand before you because of this.