¹Now when these things were done, the princes came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, doing according to their abominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.

¹人民與異族通婚“完成這些事以後，眾領袖前來見我，說：‘以色列民、祭司和利未人沒有從當地的民族中分別出來，他們隨從迦南人、赫人、比利洗人、耶布斯人、亞捫人、摩押人、埃及人和亞摩利人行可憎的事。

²For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands: yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass.

²他們為自己和自己的兒子娶了這些外族的女子為妻，以致聖潔的種族與當地的民族混雜了；而領袖和官長竟是這不忠的事的罪魁。’

³And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down astonied.

³我一聽見這事，就撕裂我的衣服和外袍，拔掉頭上的頭髮和鬍鬚，驚懼地坐著。

⁴Then were assembled unto me every one that trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the transgression of those that had been carried away; and I sat astonied until the evening sacrifice.

⁴所有因著以色列　神針對被擄歸回的人之不忠、對他們所說的話而戰兢的人，都聚集到我面前。我驚懼地坐著，直到獻晚祭的時候。

⁵And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the LORD my God,

⁵以斯拉認罪禱告“獻晚祭的時候，我在禁食中起來，穿著撕裂了的衣服和外袍，雙膝跪下，向耶和華我的　神張開雙手，

⁶And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens.

⁶禱告說：‘我的　神啊，我感覺羞恥慚愧，不敢向我的　神你仰面；因為我們的罪孽多至滅頂，我們的罪過滔天。

⁷Since the days of our fathers have we been in a great trespass unto this day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, and our priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to a spoil, and to confusion of face, as it is this day.

⁷從我們列祖的日子直到今日，我們罪惡深重，由於我們的罪孽，我們和我們的王，以及祭司，都被交在各地的列王手中：被刀殺、被擄掠、被搶奪，丟臉蒙羞，就像今天的光景一樣。

⁸And now for a little space grace hath been shewed from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage.

⁸現在，耶和華我們的　神恩待我們片時，給我們存留一些逃脫的人，使我們像釘子釘在他的聖所那樣的安穩，讓我們的　神光照我們的眼睛，使我們在所受的奴役中稍得復興。

⁹For we were bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the desolations thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.

⁹雖然我們是奴隸，但在奴役中，我們的　神仍然沒有撇棄我們，反而使我們在波斯列王面前得蒙恩惠，使我們復興，建立我們　神的殿，重修毀壞的地方，使我們在猶大和耶路撒冷有牆垣。

¹⁰And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? for we have forsaken thy commandments,

¹⁰我們的　神啊，現在，我們還可以說甚麼呢？只能說：我們又離棄了你的誡命，

¹¹Which thou hast commanded by thy servants the prophets, saying, The land, unto which ye go to possess it, is an unclean land with the filthiness of the people of the lands, with their abominations, which have filled it from one end to another with their uncleanness.

¹¹就是你曾藉著你的僕人眾先知所吩咐的。你說：你們進去要得為業之地是污穢的，充滿了當地民族的污穢，他們可憎的事使這地從這邊到那邊都充滿了他們的不潔。

¹²Now therefore give not your daughters unto their sons, neither take their daughters unto your sons, nor seek their peace or their wealth for ever: that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children for ever.

¹²所以，你們不可把你們的女兒嫁給他們的兒子，也不可為你們的兒子娶他們的女兒。你們永遠不可尋求他們的平安和他們的利益；這樣，你們就可以強盛，吃這地的美物，把這地留給你們的子孫作產業，直到永遠。

¹³And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass, seeing that thou our God hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and hast given us such deliverance as this;

¹³雖然因著我們許多的惡行和重大的罪過，這一切就臨到我們身上，但我們的　神啊，你懲罰我們實在輕於我們的罪孽所應得的，還給我們留下這些逃脫的人。

¹⁴Should we again break thy commandments, and join in affinity with the people of these abominations? wouldest not thou be angry with us till thou hadst consumed us, so that there should be no remnant nor escaping?

¹⁴我們怎可以再違背你的誡命，與這些行可憎事的民族通婚呢？如果我們這樣行，你豈不向我們發怒，消滅我們，以致沒有一個剩餘，或是逃脫的人嗎？

¹⁵O LORD God of Israel, thou art righteous: for we remain yet escaped, as it is this day: behold, we are before thee in our trespasses: for we cannot stand before thee because of this.

¹⁵耶和華以色列的　神啊，你是公義的！我們現今才可以留下，成為逃脫的人。看哪，我們在你面前是有罪過的，因此沒有人能在你面前站立得住。’”