Ezra 9:5-15

5But at the evening offering I arose from my 1humiliation, even with my garment and my robe torn, and I fell on my knees and 2stretched out my 3hands to the Lord my God; 6and I said, “O my God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift up my face to You, my God, for our iniquities have 4risen above our heads and our 5guilt has grown even to the heavens. 76Since the days of our fathers to this day we have been in great guilt, and on account of 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 and to plunder and to 78open shame, as it is this day. 8But now for a brief moment grace has been shown from the Lord our God, 9to leave us an escaped remnant and to give us a 10peg in His holy place, that our God may 11enlighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our bondage. 912For we are slaves; yet in our bondage our God has not forsaken us, but 13has extended lovingkindness to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us reviving to raise up the house of our God, to restore its ruins and to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem.

10“Now, our God, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken Your commandments, 11which You have commanded by Your servants the prophets, saying, ‘The land which you are entering to possess is an unclean land with the uncleanness of the peoples of the lands, with their abominations which have filled it from end to end and 14with their impurity. 12So now do not 15give your daughters to their sons nor take their daughters to your sons, and 16never seek their peace or their prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good things of the land and 17leave it as an inheritance to your sons forever.’ 13After all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and 18our great guilt, since You our God have requited us less than our iniquities deserve, and have given us 19an escaped remnant as this, 1420shall we again break Your commandments and intermarry with the peoples 21who commit these abominations? 22Would You not be angry with us 23to the point of destruction, until there is no remnant nor any who escape? 15O Lord God of Israel, 24You are righteous, for we have been left an escaped remnant, as it is this day; behold, we are before You in 25our guilt, for 26no one can stand before You because of this.”