Leaders tell Ezra that the people, priests and Levites have intermarried with the surrounding peoples. Ezra tears his clothes and, sitting appalled, prays a prayer of confession on behalf of the people.
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 , doing according to their abominations , even 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 : yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath 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 astonied .
4 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 .
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 unto the LORD my God ,
6 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 .
7 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 .
8 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 .
9 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.