1
Now when
these things had been
completed, the
princes approached me,
saying, "The
people of
Israel and the
priests and the
Levites have not
separated themselves from the
peoples of the
lands, according to their
abominations, those of the
Canaanites, the
Hittites, the
Perizzites, the
Jebusites, the
Ammonites, the
Moabites, the
Egyptians and the
Amorites.
r{mael ~yir'F;h y;lea .Wv.Gin h,Lea tw{L;k.k.W ? ~iYiw.l;h.w ~yin]h{K;h.w lea'r.fIy ~'['h .Wl.D.bin -a{l ? yiTix;h yin][;n.K;l ~,hyet{b][w{t.K tw{c'r]a'h yeM;[em ? yir.ciM;h yib'a{M;h yin{M;['h yis.Wb.y;h yiZir.P;h ? yir{m/a'h.w
2
"For they have
taken some of their
daughters as wives for themselves and for their
sons, so that the
holy race has
intermingled with the
peoples of the
lands; indeed, the
hands of the
princes and the
rulers have
been foremost in
this unfaithfulness."
.Wb.r'[.tih.w ~,hyen.bil.w ~,h'l ~,hyet{n.Bim .Wa.f'n -yiK ? ~yir'F;h d;y.w tw{c'r]a'h yeM;[.B v,d{Q;h [;r,z ? h'nw{vair h,Z;h l;[;M;B ]h't.y'h ~yin'g.S;h.w
3
When I
heard about
this matter, I
tore my
garment and my
robe, and
pulled some of the
hair from my
head and my
beard, and
sat down appalled.
yid.giB -t,a yiT.[;r'q h,Z;h r'b'D;h -t,a yi[.m'v.k.W ? h'b.vea'w yin'q.z.W yiva{r r;[.Fim h'j.r.m,a'w yilyi[.m.W ? ~emw{v.m
4
Then
everyone who
trembled at the
words of the
God of
Israel on
account of the
unfaithfulness of the
exiles gathered to me, and I
sat appalled until the
evening offering.
lea'r.fIy -yeh{l/a yer.bid.B der'x l{K .Wp.s'aey y;lea.w ? d;[ ~emw{v.m bev{y yin]a;w h'lw{G;h l;[;m l;[ ? b,r'['h t;x.nim.l
5
But at the
evening offering I
arose from my
humiliation, even with my
garment and my
robe torn, and I
fell on my
knees and
stretched out my
hands to the
LORD my
God;
yi[.r'q.b.W yityin][;Tim yiT.m;q b,r,['h t;x.nim.b.W ? h'f.r.p,a'w y;K.riB -l;[ h'[.r.k,a'w yilyi[.m.W yid.gib ? y'h{l/a h'wh.y -l,a y;P;k
6
and I
said, "O my
God, I am
ashamed and
embarrassed to
lift up my
face to You, my
God, for our
iniquities have
risen above our
heads and our
guilt has
grown even to the
heavens.
y;h{l/a ~yir'h.l yiT.m;l.kin.w yiT.v{B y;h{l/a h'r.m{a'w ? va{R h'l.[;m.l .Wb'r .Wnyet{n{w][ yiK '$y,lea y;n'P ? ~Iy'm'V;l d;[ h'l.d'g .Wnet'm.v;a.w
7
"Since the
days of our
fathers to
this day we have been in
great guilt, and on account of our
iniquities we, our
kings and our
priests have been
given into the
hand of the
kings of the
lands, to the
sword, to
captivity and to
plunder and to
open shame, as it is
this day.
d;[ h'l{d.g h'm.v;a.B .Wn.x;n]a .Wnyet{b]a yemyim ? .Wnyek'l.m .Wn.x;n]a .WN;Tin .Wnyet{n{w][;b.W h,Z;h ~w{Y;h ? yib.V;B b,r,x;B tw{c'r]a'h yek.l;m d;y.B .Wnyen]h{k ? h,Z;h ~w{Y;h.K ~yin'P t,v{b.b.W h'ZiB;b.W
8
"But
now for a
brief moment grace has
been shown from the
LORD our
God, to
leave us an
escaped remnant and to
give us a
peg in His
holy place, that our
God may
enlighten our
eyes and
grant us a
little reviving in our
bondage.
h'wh.y teaem h'Nix.t h't.y'h [;g,r -j;[.miK h'T;[.w ? .Wn'l -t,t'l.w h'jyel.P .Wn'l ryia.v;h.l .Wnyeh{l/a ? .Wnyeh{l/a .Wnyenye[ ryia'h.l w{v.d'q ~w{q.miB det'y ? .WnetUd.b;[.B j;[.m h'y.xim .WneTit.l.W
9
"For we are
slaves; yet in our
bondage our
God has not
forsaken us, but has
extended lovingkindness to us in the
sight of the
kings of
Persia, to
give us
reviving to
raise up the
house of our
God, to
restore its
ruins and to
give us a
wall in
Judah and
Jerusalem.
.Wn'b'z][ a{l ].WnetUd.b;[.b.W .Wn.x;n]a ~yid'b][ -yiK ? yek.l;m yen.pil d,s,x .Wnyel'[ -j;Y;w .Wnyeh{l/a ? tyeB -t,a ~emw{r.l h'y.xim .Wn'l -t,t'l s;r'p ? .Wn'l -t,t'l.w wy't{b.r'x -t,a dyim][;h.l.W .Wnyeh{l/a ? ~i'l'v.Wryib.W h'd.WhyiB red'g
10
"Now, our
God,
what shall we
say after this? For we have
forsaken Your
commandments,
ta{z -yer]x;a .Wnyeh{l/a r;ma{N -h;m h'T;[.w ? '$y,t{w.cim .Wn.b;z'[ yiK
11
which 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 with their
impurity.
r{mael ~yiayib.N;h '$y,d'b][ d;y.B 'tyi.Wic r,v]a ? h'Din #,r,a H'T.vir.l ~yia'B ~,T;a r,v]a #,r'a'h ? r,v]a ~,hyet{b][w{t.B tw{c'r]a'h yeM;[ t;Din.B ayih ? ~'t'a.mUj.B h,P -l,a h,Pim 'h.Wa.lim
12
'So
now do not
give your
daughters to their
sons nor take their
daughters to your
sons, and
never seek their
peace or their
prosperity, that you may be
strong and
eat the
good things of the
land and
leave it as an
inheritance to your
sons forever *.'
~,hyen.bil .Wn.TiT -l;a ~,kyetw{n.B h'T;[.w ? .Wv.r.dit -a{l.w ~,kyen.bil .Wa.fiT -l;a ~,hyet{n.b.W ? .Wq.z,x,T !;[;m.l ~'lw{[ -d;[ ~'t'bw{j.w ~'m{l.v ? ~'lw{[ -d;[ ~,kyen.bil ~,T.v;rw{h.w #,r'a'h b.Wj -t,a ~,T.l;k]a;w
13
"After all that has
come upon us for our
evil deeds and our
great guilt,
since You our
God have
requited us
less than our
iniquities deserve, and have
given us an
escaped remnant as
this,
~yi['r'h .Wnyef][;m.B .Wnyel'[ a'B;h -l'K yer]x;a.w ? 'T.k;f'x .Wnyeh{l/a h'T;a yiK h'l{d.G;h .Wnet'm.v;a.b.W ? ta{z'K h'jyel.P .Wn'L h'T;t'n.w .Wnen{w][em h'J;m.l
14
shall we
again break Your
commandments and
intermarry with the
peoples who commit
these abominations? Would You not be
angry with us to the
point of
destruction,
until there is
no remnant nor any who
escape?
yeM;[.B !eT;x.tih.l.W '$y,t{w.cim rep'h.l b.Wv'n]h ? heL;K -d;[ .Wn'B -p;n/a,t aw{l]h h,Lea'h tw{be[{T;h ? h'jyel.p.W tyirea.v !yea.l
15
"O
LORD God of
Israel, You are
righteous, for we have been
left an
escaped remnant, as it is
this day;
behold, we are
before You in our
guilt, for
no one can
stand before You
because of
this."
.Wn.r;a.vin -yiK h'T;a qyiD;c lea'r.fIy yeh{l/a h'wh.y ? .Wnyet'm.v;a.B '$y,n'p.l .Wn.nih h,Z;h ~w{Y;h.K h'jyel.p ? ta{z -l;[ '$y,n'p.l dw{m][;l !yea yiK