8
And now our God has dealt mercifully with us, so as to leave us to escape, and to give us an establishment in the place of his sanctuary, to enlighten our eyes, and to give a little quickening in our servitude.
9
For we are slaves, yet in our servitude the Lord our God has not deserted us; and he has extended favour to us in the sight of the kings of the Persians, to give us a quickening, that they should raise up the house of our God, and restore the desolate places of it, and to give us a fence in Juda and Jerusalem.
10
What shall we say, our God, after this? for we have forsaken thy commandments,
11
which thou hast given us by the hand of thy servants the prophets, saying, The land, into which ye go to inherit it, is a land subject to disturbance by the removal of the people of the nations for their abominations, wherewith they have filled it from one end to the other by their uncleanness.
12
And now give not your daughters to their sons, and take not of their daughters for your sons, neither shall ye seek their peace or their good for ever: that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and transmit it as an inheritance to your children for ever.
13
And after all that is come upon us because of our evil deeds, and our great trespass, that there is none such as our God, for thou has lightly visited our iniquities, and given us deliverance;
14
whereas we have repeatedly broken thy commandments, and intermarried with the people of the lands: be not very angry with us to utter destruction, so that there should be no remnant or escaping one.
15
O Lord God of Israel, thou righteous; for we remain escaped, as at this day: behold, we before thee in our trespasses: for we cannot stand before thee on this account.