71 And as soon as I had heard these things, I tore my clothes and my holy garment, and plucked the hair from off my head and beard, and sat down sad and full of heaviness. 72 So all those who were moved at the word of the master, the god of Yisrael, assembled to me while I mourned for the iniquity, but I sat still full of heaviness until the evening sacrifice. 73 Then rising up from the fast with my clothes and my holy garment torn, and bowing my knees and stretching out my hands to the master, 74 I said, “Oh master, I am ashamed and confounded before your face, 75 for our sins are multiplied above our heads, and our errors have reached up to heaven 76 ever since the time of our fathers. We are in great sin, even to this day. 77 Because our sins and our fathers’ we with our kindred, our kings, and our priests were given up to the kings of the earth, to the sword, and to captivity, and for a prey with shame, to this day. 78 Now in some measure mercy has been shown to us from you, Oh master, that there should be left us a root and a name in the place of your sanctuary, 79 and to uncover a light in the house of the master our god, and to give us food in the time of our servitude. 80 Yes, when we were in bondage, we were not forsaken by our master, but he gave us favour before the kings of Paras (Persia), so that they gave us food, 81 glorified the temple of our master, and raised up the desolate Tsiyon (Zion), to give us a sure dwelling in Yehudah (Judea) and Yerushalem (Jerusalem).

82 “Now, Oh master, what shall we say, having these things? Because we have transgressed your commandments which you gave by the hand of your servants the prophets, saying, 83 ‘The land, which you enter into to possess as an inheritance, is a land polluted with the pollutions of the foreigners of the land, and they have filled it with their uncleanness. 84 Therefore now you shall not join your daughters to their sons, neither shall you take their daughters for your sons. 85 You shall never seek to have peace with them, that you may be strong, and eat the good things of the land, and that you may leave it for an inheritance to your children for evermore.’ 86 All that has happened is done to us for our wicked works and great sins, for you, Oh master, made our sins light, 87 and gave to us such a root; but we have turned back again to transgress your law in mingling ourselves with the uncleanness of the heathen of the land. 88 You weren’t angry with us to destroy us until you had left us neither root, seed, nor name. 89 Oh master of Yisrael (Israel), you are true, for we are left a root this day. 90 Listen, now we are before you in our iniquities, for we can’t stand any longer before you because of these things.”