Ezra 9 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.

After all this was done, the leaders came to me and said, "The people of Israel, including the priests and the Levites, have not kept themselves separate from the peoples of the surrounding lands and their detestable practices — the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites."

"They've taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and for their sons, mixing the set-apart bloodline with the peoples of the surrounding lands. And the leaders and officials have been the worst offenders."

When I heard this, I tore my robe and my cloak, pulled hair from my head and beard, and sat down in shock.

Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel gathered around me because of the unfaithfulness of the returned exiles. I sat there in shock until the evening offering.

At the evening offering, I got up from my humiliation — still with my robe and cloak torn — and fell on my knees with my hands spread out to Yahweh my God.

I said: "My God, I am too ashamed and humiliated to lift my face to you, my God, because our failures have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has reached up to the heavens."

"From the days of our ancestors until now, our guilt has been enormous. Because of our failures, we, our kings, and our priests have been handed over to the kings of other lands — to the sword, captivity, plundering, and public humiliation, as it is today."

"But now, for a brief moment, Yahweh our God has shown us undeserved kindness by leaving us a remnant and giving us a foothold in his set-apart place. Our God has brightened our eyes and given us a little relief in our slavery."

"We were slaves, but our God has not abandoned us in our slavery. He has shown us loyal love in the eyes of the kings of Persia, giving us new life to rebuild the house of our God and repair its ruins, and giving us a wall of protection in Judah and Jerusalem."

"And now, our God, what can we even say after this? Because we have abandoned your commands —"

"the commands you gave through your servants the prophets when you said: 'The land you are entering to possess is a land polluted by the corruption of the peoples of those lands, with their detestable practices. They have filled it from end to end with their uncleanness.'"

"'So don't give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons. Never seek their peace or prosperity, so that you may be strong, eat the good things of the land, and leave it as an inheritance to your children forever.'"

"After everything that has come on us because of our evil deeds and our great guilt — and you, our God, have punished us less than our failures deserved and have given us this surviving remnant — "

"should we go back to breaking your commands and intermarrying with the peoples who practice these detestable things? Wouldn't you be angry enough to destroy us completely, until there's no remnant or survivor left?"

"Yahweh, God of Israel, you are just — because we exist today as a remnant that escaped. Here we are before you in our guilt, even though because of it, not one of us can stand in your presence."