After these things had been done, the officials approached me and
said, “The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have
not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands with their
abominations, from the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites,
the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the
Amorites. For they have taken some of their daughters to be wives
for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy race has mixed
itself with the peoples of the lands. And in this faithlessness the
hand of the officials and chief men has been foremost.” As soon as
I heard this, I tore my garment and my cloak and pulled hair from
my head and beard and sat appalled. Then all who trembled at the
words of the God of Israel, because of the faithlessness of the
returned exiles, gathered around me while I sat appalled until the
evening sacrifice. And at the evening sacrifice I rose from my
fasting, with my garment and my cloak torn, and fell upon my knees
and spread out my hands to the LORD my God, saying:

  “O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to you, my God,
for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt
has mounted up to the heavens. From the days of our fathers to this
day we have been in great guilt. And for our iniquities we, our
kings, and our priests have been given into the hand of the kings
of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plundering, and to
utter shame, as it is today. But now for a brief moment favor has
been shown by the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant and to give
us a secure hold within his holy place, that our God may brighten
our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our slavery. For we are
slaves. Yet our God has not forsaken us in our slavery, but has
extended to us his steadfast love before the kings of Persia, to
grant us some reviving to set up the house of our God, to repair
its ruins, and to give us protection in Judea and Jerusalem.

  “And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? For we have
forsaken your commandments, which you commanded by your servants
the prophets, saying, ‘The land that you are entering, to take
possession of it, is a land impure with the impurity of the peoples
of the lands, with their abominations that have filled it from end
to end with their uncleanness. Therefore do not give your daughters
to their sons, neither take their daughters for your sons, and
never seek their peace or prosperity, that you may be strong and
eat the good of the land and leave it for an inheritance to your
children forever.’ And after all that has come upon us for our evil
deeds and for our great guilt, seeing that you, our God, have
punished us less than our iniquities deserved and have given us
such a remnant as this, shall we break your commandments again and
intermarry with the peoples who practice these abominations? Would
you not be angry with us until you consumed us, so that there
should be no remnant, nor any to escape? O LORD, the God of Israel,
you are just, for we are left a remnant that has escaped, as it is
today. Behold, we are before you in our guilt, for none can stand
before you because of this.”

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001
by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by
permission. All rights reserved.