וּכְכַלּוֹת אֵלֶּה נִגְּשׁוּ אֵלַי הַשָּׂרִים לֵאמֹר לֹא־נִבְדְּלוּ הָעָם יִשְׂרָאֵל וְהַכֹּהֲנִים וְהַלְוִיִּם מֵעַמֵּי הָאֲרָצוֹת כְּתֹעֲבֹתֵיהֶם לַכְּנַעֲנִי הַחִתִּי הַפְּרִזִּי הַיְבוּסִי הָעַמֹּנִי הַמֹּאָבִי הַמִּצְרִי וְהָאֱמֹרִי

With the conclusion of all this, the rituals of bringing the gifts of the immigrants to the Temple treasury and the offering of sacrifices for atonement, purification, and general inspiration, the princes approached me, saying: The people of the tribes of Israel, who arrived in the first wave of immigration and who have been living in the land for several years already, the priests, and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands, the local nations. Rather, their abominations are like those of the Canaanites, the Hitites, the Perizites, the Yevusites, the Amonites, the Moavites, the Egyptians, and the Emorites.

כִּי־נָשְׂאוּ מִבְּנֹתֵיהֶם לָהֶם וְלִבְנֵיהֶם וְהִתְעָרְבוּ זֶרַע הַקֹּדֶשׁ בְּעַמֵּי הָאֲרָצוֹת ויַד הַשָּׂרִים וְהַסְּגָנִים הָיְתָה בַּמַּעַל הַזֶּה רִאשׁוֹנָה

for they have taken from their, the nations’, daughters as wives for themselves and for their sons, and they have mingled the holy seed with the peoples of the lands. What is more, the hand of the princes and the prefects, the senior officials, close to the governor, has been first in this act of trespass. It can happen that the simple folk at the margins of society might fall prey to assimilation, as the lower members of different societies are less particular about such matters and sometimes intermingle with each other. However, in this case the leaders of the people had married gentiles, perhaps women of noble status. This was a very serious situation, as they served as a bad example for others. Apparently, Ezra was unaware of all this.

וּכְשָׁמְעִי אֶת־הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה קָרַעְתִּי אֶת־בִּגְדִי וּמְעִילִי וָאֶמְרְטָה מִשְּׂעַר רֹאשִׁי וּזְקָנִי וָאֵשְׁבָה מְשׁוֹמֵם

When I heard this matter, I rent my garment and my robe, and I ripped out some of the hair of my head and my beard, as a sign of mourning, and I sat desolate, silent, angry, and shocked at what I had heard. Ezra had ascended to the Holy Land with a sizeable number of people, and he had been granted the authority and the opportunity to become a great spiritual leader. He intended to raise the status of the local Judean population to a high spiritual level, and yet he discovered that the society was in need of a far more basic, fundamental transformation.

וְאֵלַי יֵאָסְפוּ כֹּל חָרֵד בְּדִבְרֵי אֱלֹהֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל עַל מַעַל הַגּוֹלָה וַאֲנִי יֹשֵׁב מְשׁוֹמֵם עַד לְמִנְחַת הָעָרֶב

Everyone fervent for the words of the God of Israel gathered around me because of the trespass of the earlier returnees from exile. Upon seeing my reaction, more people who were upset over the sins of the earlier immigrants gathered around me, and I sat desolate until the time of the evening offering, the late afternoon.

וּבְמִנְחַת הָעֶרֶב קַמְתִּי מִתַּעֲנִיתִי וּבְקָרְעִי בִגְדִי וּמְעִילִי ואֶכְרְעָה עַל־בִּרְכַּי וָאֶפְרְשָׂה כַפַּי אֶל־ה' אֱלֹהָי

At the time of the evening offering I arose from my fast, for I had not eaten in my sorrow, and with my garment and my robe rent, and in my torn clothing, I bowed on my knees and extended my hands to the Lord my God. Ezra began to pray, probably as part of a communal prayer rather than a strictly private supplication,

וָאֹמְרָה אֱלֹהַי בֹּשְׁתִּי וְנִכְלַמְתִּי לְהָרִים אֱלֹהַי פָּנַי אֵלֶיךָ כִּי עֲוֹנֹתֵינוּ רָבוּ לְמַעְלָה רֹּאשׁ וְאַשְׁמָתֵנוּ גָדְלָה עַד לַשָּׁמָיִם

and said: My God, I am ashamed and humiliated to raise my face to You, my God, as our iniquities are higher than our head, they are too many to number, and our guilt has grown to the heavens.

מִימֵי אֲבֹתֵינוּ אֲנַחְנוּ בְּאַשְׁמָה גְדֹלָה עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה וּבַעֲוֹנֹתֵינוּ נִתַּנּוּ אֲנַחְנוּ מְלָכֵינוּ כֹהֲנֵינוּ בְּיַד מַלְכֵי הָאֲרָצוֹת בַּחֶרֶב בַּשְּׁבִי וּבַבִּזָּה וּבְבֹשֶׁת פָּנִים כְּהַיּוֹם הַזֶּה

Since the days of our fathers we, the people in exile, have been exceedingly guilty, to this day, and due to our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity and to spoils, and to shame, as it is clear to us this day.

וְעַתָּה כִּמְעַט־רֶגַע הָיְתָה תְחִנָּה מֵאֵת ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ לְהַשְׁאִיר לָנוּ פְּלֵיטָה וְלָתֶת־לָנוּ יָתֵד בִּמְקוֹם קָדְשׁוֹ לְהָאִיר עֵינֵינוּ אֱלֹהֵינוּ וּלְתִתֵּנוּ מִחְיָה מְעַט בּעַבְדֻתֵנוּ

Now, for a brief moment, temporarily, there has been pardon from the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant, and to give us a stake, a small, but permanent foundation, in the place of His holiness, for God to brighten our eyes, and to provide us with sustenance, some sort of existence, in our period of enslavement.

כִּי עֲבָדִים אֲנַחְנוּ ובְעַבְדֻתֵנוּ לֹא עֲזָבָנוּ אֱלֹהֵינוּ וַיַּט־עָלֵינוּ חֶסֶד לִפְנֵי מַלְכֵי פָרַס לָתֶת־לָנוּ מִחְיָה לְרוֹמֵם אֶת־בֵּית אֱלֹהֵינוּ וּלְהַעֲמִיד אֶת־חָרְבֹתָיו וְלָתֶת־לָנוּ גָדֵר בִּיהוּדָה וּבִירוּשָׁלִָם

For ultimately we must keep in mind that we are slaves, not independent; but our God has not forsaken us in our enslavement; He has extended favor toward us before the kings of Persia, to provide us sustenance, to raise the House of our God, to restore its ruins, and to give us a holding in Judah and in Jerusalem. Although we are still subjugated to foreign rule, a gracious kingdom supports our spiritual development and provides us with protection.

וְעַתָּה מַה־נֹּאמַר אֱלֹהֵינוּ אַחֲרֵי זֹאת כִּי עָזַבְנוּ מִצְוֹתֶיךָ

Now, what can we say, our God, after all this good that You have bestowed upon us, as we have forsaken Your commandments

אֲשֶׁר צִוִּיתָ בְּיַד עֲבָדֶיךָ הַנְּבִיאִים לֵאמֹר הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אַתֶּם בָּאִים לְרִשְׁתָּהּ אֶרֶץ נִדָּה הִיא בְּנִדַּת עַמֵּי הָאֲרָצוֹת בְּתוֹעֲבֹתֵיהֶם אֲשֶׁר מִלְאוּהָ מִפֶּה אֶל־פֶּה בְּטֻמְאָתָם

that You commanded through Your servants the prophets, saying: The land to which you are coming to take possession of it is a defiled land with the defilements of the peoples of the lands, through their abominations with which they filled it from one end to another, in its entirety, with their impurity. They have befouled the land, so that it is now utterly filthy and impure.

וְעַתָּה בְּנוֹתֵיכֶם אַל־תִּתְּנוּ לִבְנֵיהֶם וּבְנֹתֵיהֶם אַל־תִּשְׂאוּ לִבְנֵיכֶם וְלֹא־תִדְרְשׁוּ שְׁלֹמָם וְטוֹבָתָם עַד־עוֹלָם לְמַעַן תֶּחֶזְקוּ וַאֲכַלְתֶּם אֶת־טוּב הָאָרֶץ וְהוֹרַשְׁתֶּם לִבְנֵיכֶם עַד־עוֹלָם

Now, do not give your daughters to their sons, and do not marry their daughters to your sons, and do not seek their peace or their prosperity forever, as is written several times in the Torah; so that you will be strong, and eat the goodness of the land, and bequeath it to your children forever.

וְאַחֲרֵי כָּל־הַבָּא עָלֵינוּ בְּמַעֲשֵׂינוּ הָרָעִים וּבְאַשְׁמָתֵנוּ הַגְּדֹלָה כִּי אַתָּה אֱלֹהֵינוּ חָשַׂכְתָּ לְמַטָּה מֵעֲוֹנֵינוּ וְנָתַתָּה לָּנוּ פְּלֵיטָה כָּזֹאת

After all that has come upon us over the generations due to our evil actions, and due to our immense guilt, though You, our God, have mitigated our iniquities, and You have given us a remnant like this,

הנָשׁוּב לְהָפֵר מִצְוֹתֶיךָ וּלְהִתְחַתֵּן בְּעַמֵּי הַתֹּעֵבוֹת הָאֵלֶּה הֲלוֹא תֶאֱנַף בָּנוּ עַד־כַּלֵּה לְאֵין שְׁאֵרִית וּפְלֵיטָה

will we go back to violating Your commandments now, and to marry into these peoples of abominations? Wouldn’t You then be incensed with us to the point of our entire destruction, with no remainder or remnant? We have survived only due to Your mercy, and now with these intermarriages we are spoiling all that we merited to receive from Your hand.

ה' אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל צַדִּיק אַתָּה כִּי־נִשְׁאַרְנוּ פְלֵיטָה כְּהַיּוֹם הַזֶּה הִנְנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ בְּאַשְׁמָתֵינוּ כִּי אֵין לַעֲמוֹד לְפָנֶיךָ עַל זֹאת

Lord, God of Israel, You are righteous, for we still remain as a remnant, as it is this day; behold, we are here before You in our guilt, as no one can stand, or we have no merit to stand, before You for this transgression.