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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, doing according to
their abominations, even of the Canaanites, the
Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the
Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the
Amorites.
02 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: yea, the hand of the princes and
rulers hath been chief in this trespass.
03 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 astonied.
04 Then were assembled unto me every one that
trembled at the words of the God of Israel,
because of the transgression of those that had
been carried away; and I sat astonied until the
evening sacrifice.
05 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 unto the Lord my God,
06 And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to
lift up my face to thee, my God: for our
iniquities are increased over our head, and our
trespass is grown up unto the heavens.
07 Since the days of our fathers have we been in
a great trespass unto 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.
08 And now for a little space grace hath been
shewed from the Lord 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.
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09 For we were bondmen; yet our God hath not
forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended
mercy unto 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
thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in
Jerusalem.
10 And now, O our God, what shall we say after
this? for we have forsaken thy commandments,
11 Which thou hast commanded by thy servants the
prophets, saying, The land, unto which ye go to
possess it, is an unclean land with the
filthiness of the people of the lands, with their
abominations, which have filled it from one end
to another with their uncleanness.
12 Now therefore give not your daughters unto
their sons, neither take their daughters unto
your sons, nor seek their peace or their wealth
for ever: that ye may be strong, and eat the good
of the land, and leave it for an inheritance to
your children for ever.
13 And after all that is come upon us for our
evil deeds, and for our great trespass, seeing
that thou our God hast punished us less than our
iniquities deserve, and hast given us such
deliverance as this;
14 Should we again break thy commandments, and
join in affinity with the people of these
abominations? wouldest not thou be angry with us
till thou hadst consumed us, so that there should
be no remnant nor escaping?
15 O Lord God of Israel, thou art righteous: for
we remain yet escaped, as it is this day: behold,
we are before thee in our trespasses: for we
cannot stand before thee because of this.
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