1 Now after these things were done, the captains came to me and said, The people of Israel and the priests and Levites have not kept themselves separate from the people of the lands, but have taken part in the disgusting ways of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.

1 וּכְכַלֹּ֣ות אֵ֗לֶּה נִגְּשׁ֨וּ אֵלַ֤י הַשָּׂרִים֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר לֹֽא־נִבְדְּל֞וּ הָעָ֤ם יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ וְהַכֹּהֲנִ֣ים וְהַלְוִיִּ֔ם מֵעַמֵּ֖י הָאֲרָצֹ֑ות כְּ֠תֹועֲבֹֽתֵיהֶם לַכְּנַעֲנִ֨י הַחִתִּ֜י הַפְּרִזִּ֣י הַיְבוּסִ֗י הָֽעַמֹּנִי֙ הַמֹּ֣אָבִ֔י הַמִּצְרִ֖י וְהָאֱמֹרִֽי׃

2 For they have taken their daughters for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy seed has been mixed with the peoples of the lands; and in fact the captains and rulers have been the first to do this evil.

2 כִּֽי־נָשְׂא֣וּ מִבְּנֹֽתֵיהֶ֗ם לָהֶם֙ וְלִבְנֵיהֶ֔ם וְהִתְעָֽרְבוּ֙ זֶ֣רַע הַקֹּ֔דֶשׁ בְּעַמֵּ֖י הָאֲרָצֹ֑ות וְיַ֧ד הַשָּׂרִ֣ים וְהַסְּגָנִ֗ים הָ֥יְתָ֛ה³ בַּמַּ֥עַל הַזֶּ֖ה רִאשֹׁונָֽה׃

3 And hearing this, with signs of grief and pulling out the hair of my head and my chin, I took my seat on the earth deeply troubled.

3 וּכְשָׁמְעִי֙ אֶת־הַדָּבָ֣ר הַזֶּ֔ה קָרַ֥עְתִּי אֶת־בִּגְדִ֖י וּמְעִילִ֑י וָאֶמְרְטָ֞ה מִשְּׂעַ֤ר רֹאשִׁי֙ וּזְקָנִ֔י וָאֵשְׁבָ֖ה מְשֹׁומֵֽם׃

4 Then everyone who went in fear of the words of the God of Israel, because of the sin of those who had come back, came together to me; and I kept where I was, overcome with grief, till the evening offering.

4 וְאֵלַ֣י יֵאָסְפ֗וּ כֹּ֤ל חָרֵד֙ בְּדִבְרֵ֣י אֱלֹהֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל עַ֖ל מַ֣עַל הַגֹּולָ֑ה וַאֲנִי֙ יֹשֵׁ֣ב מְשֹׁומֵ֔ם עַ֖ד לְמִנְחַ֥ת הָעָֽרֶב׃

5 And at the evening offering, having made myself low before God, I got up, and with signs of grief, falling down on my knees, with my hands stretched out to the Lord my God,

5 וּבְמִנְחַ֣ת הָעֶ֗רֶב קַ֚מְתִּי מִתַּֽעֲנִיתִ֔י וּבְקָרְעִ֥י בִגְדִ֖י וּמְעִילִ֑י וָֽאֶכְרְעָה֙ עַל־בִּרְכַּ֔י וָאֶפְרְשָׂ֥ה כַפַּ֖י אֶל־יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהָֽי׃

6 I said, O my God, shame keeps me from lifting up my face to you, my God: for our sins are increased higher than our heads and our evil-doing has come up to heaven.

6 וָאֹמְרָ֗ה אֱלֹהַי֙ בֹּ֣שְׁתִּי וְנִכְלַ֔מְתִּי לְהָרִ֧ים אֱלֹהַ֛י פָּנַ֖י אֵלֶ֑יךָ כִּ֣י עֲוֹנֹתֵ֤ינוּ רָבוּ֙ לְמַ֣עְלָה רֹּ֔אשׁ וְאַשְׁמָתֵ֥נוּ גָדְלָ֖ה עַ֥ד לַשָּׁמָֽיִם׃

7 From the days of our fathers till this day we have been great sinners; and for our sins, we and our kings and our priests have been given up into the hands of the kings of the lands, to the sword and to prison and to loss of goods and to shame of face, as it is this day.

7 מִימֵ֣י אֲבֹתֵ֗ינוּ אֲנַ֙חְנוּ֙ בְּאַשְׁמָ֣ה גְדֹלָ֔ה עַ֖ד הַיֹּ֣ום הַזֶּ֑ה וּבַעֲוֹנֹתֵ֡ינוּ נִתַּ֡נּוּ אֲנַחְנוּ֩ מְלָכֵ֨ינוּ כֹהֲנֵ֜ינוּ בְּיַ֣ד׀ מַלְכֵ֣י הָאֲרָצֹ֗ות בַּחֶ֜רֶב בַּשְּׁבִ֧י וּבַבִּזָּ֛ה וּבְבֹ֥שֶׁת פָּנִ֖ים כְּהַיֹּ֥ום הַזֶּֽה׃

8 And now for a little time grace has come to us from the Lord our God, to let a small band of us get free and to give us a nail in his holy place, so that our God may give light to our eyes and a measure of new life in our prison chains.

8 וְעַתָּ֡ה כִּמְעַט־רֶגַע֩ הָיְתָ֨ה תְחִנָּ֜ה מֵאֵ֣ת׀ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֵ֗ינוּ לְהַשְׁאִ֥יר לָ֙נוּ֙ פְּלֵיטָ֔ה וְלָתֶת־לָ֥נוּ יָתֵ֖ד בִּמְקֹ֣ום קָדְשֹׁ֑ו לְהָאִ֤יר עֵינֵ֙ינוּ֙ אֱלֹהֵ֔ינוּ וּלְתִתֵּ֛נוּ מִֽחְיָ֥ה מְעַ֖ט בְּעַבְדֻתֵֽנוּ׃

9 For we are servants; but our God has not been turned away from us in our prison, but has had mercy on us before the eyes of the kings of Persia, to give us new strength to put up again the house of our God and to make fair its waste places, and to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem.

9 כִּֽי־עֲבָדִ֣ים אֲנַ֔חְנוּ וּבְעַבְדֻתֵ֔נוּ³ לֹ֥א עֲזָבָ֖נוּ אֱלֹהֵ֑ינוּ וַֽיַּט־עָלֵ֣ינוּ חֶ֡סֶד לִפְנֵי֩ מַלְכֵ֨י פָרַ֜ס לָֽתֶת־לָ֣נוּ מִֽחְיָ֗ה לְרֹומֵ֞ם אֶת־בֵּ֤ית אֱלֹהֵ֙ינוּ֙ וּלְהַעֲמִ֣יד אֶת־חָרְבֹתָ֔יו וְלָֽתֶת־לָ֣נוּ גָדֵ֔ר בִּֽיהוּדָ֖ה וּבִירוּשָׁלִָֽם׃

10 And now, O our God, what are we to say after this? for we have not kept your laws,

10 וְעַתָּ֛ה מַה־נֹּאמַ֥ר אֱלֹהֵ֖ינוּ אַֽחֲרֵי־זֹ֑את כִּ֥י עָזַ֖בְנוּ מִצְוֹתֶֽיךָ׃

11 Which you gave to your servants the prophets, saying, The land into which you are going, to take it for a heritage, is an unclean land, because of the evil lives of the peoples of the land and their disgusting ways, which have made the land unclean from end to end.

11 אֲשֶׁ֣ר צִוִּ֗יתָ בְּיַ֨ד עֲבָדֶ֣יךָ הַנְּבִיאִים֮ לֵאמֹר֒ הָאָ֗רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֨ר אַתֶּ֤ם בָּאִים֙ לְרִשְׁתָּ֔הּ אֶ֤רֶץ נִדָּה֙ הִ֔יא בְּנִדַּ֖ת עַמֵּ֣י הָאֲרָצֹ֑ות בְּתֹועֲבֹֽתֵיהֶ֗ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר מִלְא֛וּהָ מִפֶּ֥ה אֶל־פֶּ֖ה בְּטֻמְאָתָֽם׃

12 So now do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons or do anything for their peace or well-being for ever; so that you may be strong, living on the good of the land, and handing it on to your children for a heritage for ever.

12 וְ֠עַתָּה בְּֽנֹותֵיכֶ֞ם אַל־תִּתְּנ֣וּ לִבְנֵיהֶ֗ם וּבְנֹֽתֵיהֶם֙ אַל־תִּשְׂא֣וּ לִבְנֵיכֶ֔ם וְלֹֽא־תִדְרְשׁ֧וּ שְׁלֹמָ֛ם וְטֹובָתָ֖ם עַד־עֹולָ֑ם לְמַ֣עַן תֶּחֶזְק֗וּ וַאֲכַלְתֶּם֙ אֶת־ט֣וּב הָאָ֔רֶץ וְהֹורַשְׁתֶּ֥ם לִבְנֵיכֶ֖ם עַד־עֹולָֽם׃

13 And after everything which has come on us because of our evil-doing and our great sin, and seeing that the punishment which you, O God, have given us, is less than the measure of our sins, and that you have kept from death those of us who are here;

13 וְאַֽחֲרֵי֙ כָּל־הַבָּ֣א עָלֵ֔ינוּ בְּמַעֲשֵׂ֙ינוּ֙ הָרָעִ֔ים וּבְאַשְׁמָתֵ֖נוּ הַגְּדֹלָ֑ה כִּ֣י׀ אַתָּ֣ה אֱלֹהֵ֗ינוּ חָשַׂ֤כְתָּֽ לְמַ֙טָּה֙ מֵֽעֲוֹנֵ֔נוּ וְנָתַ֥תָּה לָּ֛נוּ פְּלֵיטָ֖ה כָּזֹֽאת׃

14 Are we again to go against your orders, taking wives from among the people who do these disgusting things? would you not be angry with us till our destruction was complete, till there was not one who got away safe?

14 הֲנָשׁוּב֙ לְהָפֵ֣ר מִצְוֹתֶ֔יךָ וּ֨לְהִתְחַתֵּ֔ן בְּעַמֵּ֥י הַתֹּעֵבֹ֖ות הָאֵ֑לֶּה הֲלֹ֤וא תֶֽאֱנַף־בָּ֙נוּ֙ עַד־כַּלֵּ֔ה לְאֵ֥ין שְׁאֵרִ֖ית וּפְלֵיטָֽה׃

15 O Lord God of Israel, righteousness is yours; we are only a small band which has been kept from death, as at this day: see, we are before you in our sin; for no one may keep his place before you because of this.

15 יְהוָ֞ה אֱלֹהֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ צַדִּ֣יק אַ֔תָּה כִּֽי־נִשְׁאַ֥רְנוּ פְלֵיטָ֖ה כְּהַיֹּ֣ום הַזֶּ֑ה הִנְנ֤וּ לְפָנֶ֙יךָ֙ בְּאַשְׁמָתֵ֔ינוּ כִּ֣י אֵ֥ין לַעֲמֹ֛וד לְפָנֶ֖יךָ עַל־זֹֽאת׃