“I am too ashamed^(A) and disgraced, my God, to lift up my face to you, because our sins are higher than our heads and our guilt has reached to the heavens.^{(B) 7} From the days of our ancestors^(C) until now, our guilt has been great. Because of our sins, we and our kings and our priests have been subjected to the sword^(D) and captivity,^(E) to pillage and humiliation^(F) at the hand of foreign kings, as it is today.

⁸ “But now, for a brief moment, the Lord our God has been gracious^(G) in leaving us a remnant^(H) and giving us a firm place^[a](I) in his sanctuary, and so our God gives light to our eyes^(J) and a little relief in our bondage. ⁹ Though we are slaves,^(K) our God has not forsaken us in our bondage. He has shown us kindness^(L) in the sight of the kings of Persia: He has granted us new life to rebuild the house of our God and repair its ruins,^(M) and he has given us a wall of protection in Judah and Jerusalem.

¹⁰ “But now, our God, what can we say after this? For we have forsaken the commands^{(N) 11} you gave through your servants the prophets when you said: ‘The land you are entering^(O) to possess is a land polluted^(P) by the corruption of its peoples. By their detestable practices^(Q) they have filled it with their impurity from one end to the other. ¹² Therefore, do not give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take their daughters for your sons. Do not seek a treaty of friendship with them^(R) at any time, that you may be strong^(S) and eat the good things^(T) of the land and leave it to your children as an everlasting inheritance.’^(U)

¹³ “What has happened to us is a result of our evil^(V) deeds and our great guilt, and yet, our God, you have punished us less than our sins deserved^(W) and have given us a remnant like this. ¹⁴ Shall we then break your commands again and intermarry^(X) with the peoples who commit such detestable practices? Would you not be angry enough with us to destroy us,^(Y) leaving us no remnant^(Z) or survivor? ¹⁵ Lord, the God of Israel, you are righteous!^(AA) We are left this day as a remnant. Here we are before you in our guilt, though because of it not one of us can stand^(AB) in your presence.^(AC)”

⁶ You alone are the Lord.^(A) You made the heavens,^(B) even the highest heavens, and all their starry host,^(C) the earth^(D) and all that is on it, the seas^(E) and all that is in them.^(F) You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven^(G) worship you.

⁷ “You are the Lord God, who chose Abram^(H) and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans^(I) and named him Abraham.^{(J) 8} You found his heart faithful to you, and you made a covenant with him to give to his descendants the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites and Girgashites.^(K) You have kept your promise^(L) because you are righteous.^(M)

⁹ “You saw the suffering of our ancestors in Egypt;^(N) you heard their cry at the Red Sea.^{[a](O) 10} You sent signs^(P) and wonders^(Q) against Pharaoh, against all his officials and all the people of his land, for you knew how arrogantly the Egyptians treated them. You made a name^(R) for yourself,^(S) which remains to this day. ¹¹ You divided the sea before them,^(T) so that they passed through it on dry ground, but you hurled their pursuers into the depths,^(U) like a stone into mighty waters.^{(V) 12} By day^(W) you led^(X) them with a pillar of cloud,^(Y) and by night with a pillar of fire to give them light on the way they were to take.

¹³ “You came down on Mount Sinai;^(Z) you spoke^(AA) to them from heaven.^(AB) You gave them regulations and laws that are just^(AC) and right, and decrees and commands that are good.^{(AD) 14} You made known to them your holy Sabbath^(AE) and gave them commands, decrees and laws through your servant Moses. ¹⁵ In their hunger you gave them bread from heaven^(AF) and in their thirst you brought them water from the rock;^(AG) you told them to go in and take possession of the land you had sworn with uplifted hand^(AH) to give them.^(AI)

¹⁶ “But they, our ancestors, became arrogant and stiff-necked,^(AJ) and they did not obey your commands.^{(AK) 17} They refused to listen and failed to remember^(AL) the miracles^(AM) you performed among them. They became stiff-necked^(AN) and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery.^(AO) But you are a forgiving God,^(AP) gracious and compassionate,^(AQ) slow to anger^(AR) and abounding in love.^(AS) Therefore you did not desert them,^{(AT) 18} even when they cast for themselves an image of a calf^(AU) and said, ‘This is your god, who brought you up out of Egypt,’ or when they committed awful blasphemies.^(AV)

¹⁹ “Because of your great compassion you did not abandon^(AW) them in the wilderness. By day the pillar of cloud^(AX) did not fail to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take. ²⁰ You gave your good Spirit^(AY) to instruct^(AZ) them. You did not withhold your manna^(BA) from their mouths, and you gave them water^(BB) for their thirst. ²¹ For forty years^(BC) you sustained them in the wilderness; they lacked nothing,^(BD) their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet become swollen.^(BE)

²² “You gave them kingdoms and nations, allotting to them even the remotest frontiers. They took over the country of Sihon^[b](BF) king of Heshbon and the country of Og king of Bashan.^{(BG) 23} You made their children as numerous as the stars in the sky,^(BH) and you brought them into the land that you told their parents to enter and possess. ²⁴ Their children went in and took possession of the land.^(BI) You subdued^(BJ) before them the Canaanites, who lived in the land; you gave the Canaanites into their hands, along with their kings and the peoples of the land, to deal with them as they pleased. ²⁵ They captured fortified cities and fertile land;^(BK) they took possession of houses filled with all kinds of good things,^(BL) wells already dug, vineyards, olive groves and fruit trees in abundance. They ate to the full and were well-nourished;^(BM) they reveled in your great goodness.^(BN)

²⁶ “But they were disobedient and rebelled against you; they turned their backs on your law.^(BO) They killed^(BP) your prophets,^(BQ) who had warned them in order to turn them back to you; they committed awful blasphemies.^{(BR) 27} So you delivered them into the hands of their enemies,^(BS) who oppressed them. But when they were oppressed they cried out to you. From heaven you heard them, and in your great compassion^(BT) you gave them deliverers,^(BU) who rescued them from the hand of their enemies.

²⁸ “But as soon as they were at rest, they again did what was evil in your sight.^(BV) Then you abandoned them to the hand of their enemies so that they ruled over them. And when they cried out to you again, you heard from heaven, and in your compassion^(BW) you delivered them^(BX) time after time.

²⁹ “You warned^(BY) them in order to turn them back to your law, but they became arrogant^(BZ) and disobeyed your commands. They sinned against your ordinances, of which you said, ‘The person who obeys them will live by them.’^(CA) Stubbornly they turned their backs^(CB) on you, became stiff-necked^(CC) and refused to listen.^{(CD) 30} For many years you were patient with them. By your Spirit you warned them through your prophets.^(CE) Yet they paid no attention, so you gave them into the hands of the neighboring peoples.^{(CF) 31} But in your great mercy you did not put an end^(CG) to them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful^(CH) God.

³² “Now therefore, our God, the great God, mighty^(CI) and awesome,^(CJ) who keeps his covenant of love,^(CK) do not let all this hardship seem trifling in your eyes—the hardship^(CL) that has come on us, on our kings and leaders, on our priests and prophets, on our ancestors and all your people, from the days of the kings of Assyria until today. ³³ In all that has happened to us, you have remained righteous;^(CM) you have acted faithfully, while we acted wickedly.^{(CN) 34} Our kings,^(CO) our leaders, our priests and our ancestors^(CP) did not follow your law; they did not pay attention to your commands or the statutes you warned them to keep. ³⁵ Even while they were in their kingdom, enjoying your great goodness^(CQ) to them in the spacious and fertile land you gave them, they did not serve you^(CR) or turn from their evil ways.

³⁶ “But see, we are slaves^(CS) today, slaves in the land you gave our ancestors so they could eat its fruit and the other good things it produces. ³⁷ Because of our sins, its abundant harvest goes to the kings you have placed over us. They rule over our bodies and our cattle as they please. We are in great distress.^(CT)