Ezra 9:7-14

71Since 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 23open shame, as it is this day. 8But now for a brief moment grace has been shown from the Lord our God, 4to leave us an escaped remnant and to give us a 5peg in His holy place, that our God may 6enlighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our bondage. 97For we are slaves; yet in our bondage our God has not forsaken us, but 8has 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 9with their impurity. 12So now do not 10give your daughters to their sons nor take their daughters to your sons, and 11never seek their peace or their prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good things of the land and 12leave it as an inheritance to your sons forever.’ 13After all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and 13our great guilt, since You our God have requited us less than our iniquities deserve, and have given us 14an escaped remnant as this, 1415shall we again break Your commandments and intermarry with the peoples 16who commit these abominations? 17Would You not be angry with us 18to the point of destruction, until there is no remnant nor any who escape?