1. And when these matters had been done, the leaders came to me, saying, “The people of Yisra’ĕl and the priests and the Lĕwites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands, as to their abominations, those of the Kena‛anites, the Ḥittites, the Perizzites, the Yeḇusites, the Ammonites, the Mo’aḇites, the Mitsrites, and the Amorites,
2. for they have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, so that the set-apart seed is intermingled with the peoples of those lands. And the hand of the leaders and rulers has been foremost in this trespass.”
3. And when I heard this word, I tore my garment and my robe, and plucked out some of the hair of my head and beard, and sat down astonished.
4. Then all those who trembled at the words of the Elohim of Yisra’ĕl gathered to me, because of the trespass of the exiles, and I sat astonished until the evening offering.
5. And at the evening offering I rose from my affliction. And having torn my garment and my robe, I fell on my knees and spread out my hands to יהוה my Elohim,
6. and said, “O my Elohim, I am too ashamed and wounded to lift up my face to You, my Elohim, for our crookednesses have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has grown up to the heavens.
7. “Since the days of our fathers to this day we have been very guilty, and for our crookednesses we, our sovereigns, and our priests have been given into the hand of the sovereigns of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to plunder, and to shame of faces, as it is this day.