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1 | Now when these things were done, the princes came to me,
saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the
Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the
lands, doing according to their abominations, even of the
Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the
Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. |
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2 | For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for
their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with
the people of those lands: yea, the hand of the princes and
rulers hath been chief in this trespass. |
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3 | And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle,
and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat
down astonied. |
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4 | Then were assembled unto me every one that trembled at the
words of the God of Israel, because of the transgression of
those that had been carried away; and I sat astonied until the
evening sacrifice. |
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5 | And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and
having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees,
and spread out my hands unto the LORD my God, |
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6 | And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face
to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our
head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens. |
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7 | Since the days of our fathers have we been in a great trespass
unto this day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, and
our priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the
lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to a spoil, and to
confusion of face, as it is this day. |
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8 | And now for a little space grace hath been shewed from the
LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us
a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes,
and give us a little reviving in our bondage. |
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9 | For we were bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our
bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the
kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house of
our God, and to repair the desolations thereof, and to give us
a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem. |
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10 | And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? for we have
forsaken thy commandments, |
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11 | Which thou hast commanded by thy servants the prophets,
saying, The land, unto which ye go to possess it, is an
unclean land with the filthiness of the people of the lands,
with their abominations, which have filled it from one end to
another with their uncleanness. |
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12 | Now therefore give not your daughters unto their sons, neither
take their daughters unto your sons, nor seek their peace or
their wealth for ever: that ye may be strong, and eat the good
of the land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children
for ever. |
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13 | And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for
our great trespass, seeing that thou our God hast punished us
less than our iniquities deserve, and hast given us such
deliverance as this; |
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14 | Should we again break thy commandments, and join in affinity
with the people of these abominations? wouldest not thou be
angry with us till thou hadst consumed us, so that there
should be no remnant nor escaping? |
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15 | O LORD God of Israel, thou art righteous: for we remain yet
escaped, as it is this day: behold, we are before thee in our
trespasses: for we cannot stand before thee because of this. |
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