And after these things were accomplished, the princes came to me, saying: The people of Israel, and the priests and Levites have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, and from their abominations, namely, of the Chanaanites, and the Hethites, and the Pherezites, and the Jebusites, and the Ammonites, and the Moabites, and the Egyptians, and the Amorrhites.

Postquam autem hæc completa sunt, accesserunt ad me principes, dicentes: Non est separatus populus Israël, sacerdotes et Levitæ, a populis terrarum et abominationibus eorum: Chananæi videlicet, et Hethæi, et Pherezæi, et Jebusæi, et Ammonitarum, et Moabitarum, et Ægyptiorum, et Amorrhæorum:

When all this was done, a complaint was brought to me by the chieftains, against priest and Levite and common folk alike. They had not kept themselves apart from the old inhabitants of the land, Chanaanite, Hethite, Pherezite, Jebusite, Ammonite, Moabite, Egyptian and Amorrhite, or from their detestable practices;

For they have taken of their daughters for themselves and for their sons, and they have mingled the holy seed with the people of the lands. And the hand of the princes and magistrates hath been first in this transgression.

tulerunt enim de filiabus eorum sibi et filiis suis, et commiscuerunt semen sanctum cum populis terrarum: manus etiam principum et magistratuum fuit in transgressione hac prima.

foreign wives and daughters-in-law had contaminated the sacred stock of Israel, and the chief blame for this lay with the rulers and magistrates themselves.

And when I had heard this word, I rent my mantle and my coat, and plucked off the hairs of my head and my beard, and I sat down mourning.

Cumque audissem sermonem istum, scidi pallium meum et tunicam, et evelli capillos capitis mei et barbæ, et sedi mœrens.

At this news I tore cloak and tunic both, plucked hair from head and beard, and sat there lamenting.

And there were assembled to me all that feared the God of Israel, because of the transgression of those that were come from the captivity, and I sat sorrowful, until the evening sacrifice.

Convenerunt autem ad me omnes qui timebant verbum Dei Israël, pro transgressione eorum qui de captivitate venerant, et ego sedebam tristis usque ad sacrificium vespertinum:

Such as feared God’s warnings, defied by these restored exiles, rallied to my side; and still I sat lamenting until the time came for the evening sacrifice.

And at the evening sacrifice I rose up from my affliction, and having rent my mantle and my garment, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands to the Lord my God,

et in sacrificio vespertino, surrexi de afflictione mea, et scisso pallio et tunica, curvavi genua mea, et expandi manus meas ad Dominum Deum meum.

Then, at the time of the evening sacrifice, I rose up from my posture of grief; cloak and tunic still torn about me, I fell on my knees and stretched out my hands to the Lord my God.

And said: My God I am confounded and ashamed to lift up my face to thee: for our iniquities are multiplied over our heads, and our sins are grown up even unto heaven,

Et dixi: Deus meus, confundor et erubesco levare faciem meam ad te: quoniam iniquitates nostræ multiplicatæ sunt super caput nostrum, et delicta nostra creverunt usque ad cælum,

And thus I prayed: O my God, I am all confusion, I am ashamed to lift my eyes towards thee; so deep, head-deep, are we sunk in the flood of our wrong-doing, so high, heaven-high, mounts the tale of our transgressions.

From the days of our fathers: and we ourselves also have sinned grievously unto this day, and for our iniquities we and our kings, and our priests have been delivered into the hands of the kings of the lands, and to the sword, and to captivity, and to spoil, and to confusion of face, as it is at this day.

a diebus patrum nostrorum: sed et nos ipsi peccavimus graviter usque ad diem hanc, et in iniquitatibus nostris traditi sumus ipsi, et reges nostri, et sacerdotes nostri, in manum regum terrarum, et in gladium, et in captivitatem, et in rapinam, et in confusionem vultus, sicut et die hac.

Sinful fathers begot us, sinners are we to this day; in vain have we fallen a prey, we and our kings and our priests, to the power of Gentile kings, to massacre, exile, rapine, and the humiliation that is with us now.

And now as a little, and for a moment has our prayer been made before the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant, and give us a pin in his holy place, and that our God would enlighten our eyes, and would give us a little life in our bondage.

Et nunc quasi parum et ad momentum facta est deprecatio nostra apud Dominum Deum nostrum, ut dimitterentur nobis reliquiæ, et daretur nobis paxillus in loco sancto ejus, et illuminaret oculos nostros Deus noster, et daret nobis vitam modicam in servitute nostra:

For a brief moment it seemed as if the Lord our God had listened to our prayers; he would leave a remnant of our race surviving, leave us a foot-hold on this holy ground; some gleam of hope our God would afford us, some breath of life in our bondage.

For we are bondmen, and in our bondage our God hath not forsaken us, but hath extended mercy upon us before the king of the Persians, to give us life, and to set up the house of our God, and to rebuild the desolations thereof, and to give us a fence in Juda and Jerusalem.

quia servi sumus, et in servitute nostra non dereliquit nos Deus noster, sed inclinavit super nos misericordiam coram rege Persarum, ut daret nobis vitam, et sublimaret domum Dei nostri, et exstrueret solitudines ejus, et daret nobis sepem in Juda et Jerusalem.

Slaves we were, but in our slavery the Lord did not abandon us; he deigned to win us the favour of the Persian king; we were to live still, the house of our God was to rise anew, restored from its ruins, Juda and Jerusalem should have a wall to defend them.

And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? for we have forsaken thy commandments,

Et nunc quid dicemus, Deus noster, post hæc? Quia dereliquimus mandata tua,

And now, O Lord our God, after all this, what plea can we offer? Thy will stands defied.

Which thou hast commanded by the hand of thy servants the prophets, saying: The land which you go to possess, is an unclean land, according to the uncleanness of the people, and of other lands, with their abominations, who have filled it from mouth to mouth with their filth.

quæ præcepisti in manu servorum tuorum prophetarum, dicens: Terra, ad quam vos ingredimini ut possideatis eam, terra immunda est juxta immunditiam populorum, ceterarumque terrarum, abominationibus eorum qui repleverunt eam ab ore usque ad os in coinquinatione sua.

That will of thine, through thy servants the prophets, thou hast made fully known to us. They warned us, The land in whose conquest you are engaged is a heathen land, like heathen lands everywhere, unclean; detestable rites have filled it to the brim with defilement.

Now therefore give not your daughters to their sons, and take not their daughters for your sons, and seek not their peace, nor their prosperity for ever: that you may be strengthened, and may eat the good things of the land, and may have your children your heirs for ever.

Nunc ergo filias vestras ne detis filiis eorum, et filias eorum ne accipiatis filiis vestris, et non quæratis pacem eorum et prosperitatem eorum usque in æternum: ut confortemini, et comedatis quæ bona sunt terræ, et hæredes habeatis filios vestros usque in sæculum.

Never a daughter of yours for their sons, never a daughter of theirs for yours; never peace or good will between them and you, while time lasts! So you shall rise to greatness, so you shall enjoy all the blessings this land of yours can give, and bequeath them evermore to your sons for their inheritance.

And after all that is come upon us, for our most wicked deeds, and our great sin, seeing that thou our God hast saved us from our iniquity, and hast given us a deliverance as at this day,

Et post omnia quæ venerunt super nos in operibus nostris pessimis, et in delicto nostro magno, quia tu, Deus noster, liberasti nos de iniquitate nostra, et dedisti nobis salutem sicut est hodie,

And now, after so much wrong-doing, such punishment for lives ill lived, such pardon for our sins, and the deliverance that is with us this day,

That we should not turn away, nor break thy commandments, nor join in marriage with the people of these abominations. Art thou angry with us unto utter destruction, not to leave us a remnant to be saved?

ut non converteremur, et irrita faceremus mandata tua, neque matrimonia jungeremus cum populis abominationum istarum. Numquid iratus es nobis usque ad consummationem, ne dimitteres nobis reliquias ad salutem?

should we turn back? Should we defy thy commandments, by mating with these, the abominable? Oh, then indeed thy patience is at an end; no remnant of us is to be left surviving!

O Lord God of Israel, thou art just: for we remain yet to be saved as at this day. Behold we are before thee in our sin, for there can be no standing before thee in this matter.

Domine Deus Israël, justus es tu: quoniam derelicti sumus, qui salvaremur sicut die hac. Ecce coram te sumus in delicto nostro: non enim stari potest coram te super hoc.

Lord God of Israel, the fault is not with thee; that we are alive to-day is proof of it. Ours is the fault; we stand before thee guilty, and without excuse.