1   And after these thinges were accomplished, the princes came to me, saying: The people of Israel, and the Priests and Leuites ^note are not seperated from the people of the landes, and from the abhominations of them, to witte, of the Chananeite, and Hetheite, and Pherezeite, and Iebuseite, and of the Ammonites, and Moabites, and the Ægyptians, and Amorrheites.

2   For they haue taken of their daughters to them and to their sonnes, and haue mingled the holie seede with the people of the landes. The hand also of the princes and magistrates hath bene first in this transgression.

3   And when I had heard this word, I rent my cloke and my coate, and plucked of the heares of my head and bearde, and

Artaxerxes. sate mourning.

4   And there assembled to me al that feared the God of Israel, for the trangression of them, that were come from the captiuitie, and I sate sorowful, vntil the euening sacrifice.

5   And at the euening sacrifice I rose out of my affliction, and my cloke and coate being rent I fell vpon my knees, and spred forth my hands to our Lord my God,

6   And said: My God I am confounded and ashamed to lifte vp my face to thee: because our iniquities are multiplied ouer our head, and our sinnes haue growen euen vnto heauen,

7   from the dayes of our fathers: yea and we our selues also haue sinned greuously vnto this day, and in our iniquities haue we bene deliuered our selues, and our Kinges, and our Priestes into the hand of the kinges of the landes, and into the sword, and into captuitie, and into spoyle, and into confusion of countenance, as also at this day.

8   And now as it were a litle, and for a moment was our prayer made before the Lord our God, that a remnant might be left vs, and ^note a nayle might be geuen vs in his holie place, and that our God would illuminate our eies, and would geue vs a litle life in our bondage.

9   Because we are bondmen, and in our bondage our God did not forsake vs, & he inclined mercie vpon vs before the king of the Persians, to geue vs life, and to aduance the house of our God, and to build the desolations therof and to geue vs a hedge in Iuda and Ierusalem.

10   And now what shal we say, ô our God, after these thinges? because we haue forsaken thy c&obar;mandm&ebar;ts,

11   which thou hast c&obar;manded in the hand of thy seruantes the prophetes, saying: The land, to the which you enter to possesse it, is an vncleane land, according to the vncleannesse of peoples, and of other landes, by the abhominations of them that haue filled it from mouth vnto mouth in theier coinquination.

12   Now therfore geue not your daughters to their sonnes, and their daughters take not for your sonnes, and doe ye not seeke their peace, and their prosperity for euer: that you may be strengthned, and may eate the goodes that are of the land, and may haue your children heyres for euer.

13   And after al thinges that come vpon vs in our most wicked workes, and our most great sinne, because thou our God hast deliuered vs from our iniquitie, and hast geuen vs health as it is at this day,

14   that we shal not turne away, and make frustrate thy commandementes, neither should ioyne matrimonies with the peoples of these abominations.

Artaxerxes. Why art thou angrie with vs vnto vtter destruction, not to leaue vs a remnant vnto saluation?

15   Lord God of Israel thou art iust: because we are leift, which should be saued as at this day. Behold we are before thee in our sinne, for there can be no standing before thee vpon this.

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