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

¹Ko pa je to vse bilo opravljeno, pristopijo k meni poglavarji, govoreč: Ljudstvo Izraelovo in duhovniki in leviti se niso ločili od ljudstev dežele, delajoč po njih gnusobah, Kanaancev in Hetejcev, Ferizejcev, Jebusejcev, Amoncev, Moabcev, Egipčanov in Amorejcev.

²For they have taken of their daughters for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy seed have mixed themselves with the peoples of the lands. Yes, the hand of the princes and rulers has been chief in this trespass.”

²Zakaj jemali so njih hčere zase in za svoje sinove in so se, sveto seme, zmešali z ljudmi teh dežel, in roka poglavarjev in načelnikov je bila prva v tej nezvestobi.

³When I heard this thing, I tore my garment and my robe, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down confounded.

³Ko sem to zaslišal, sem si raztrgal suknjo in plašč ter si pulil lase iz glave in brado in sedel potrt.

⁴Then were assembled to me everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of their trespass of the captivity; and I sat confounded until the evening offering.

⁴Tedaj se zbero k meni vsi, ki so trepetali ob besedah Boga Izraelovega zaradi nezvestobe tistih, ki so prišli iz ujetništva. Jaz pa sem sedel potrt do večerne daritve.

⁵At the evening offering I arose up from my humiliation, even with my garment and my robe torn; and I fell on my knees, and spread out my hands to Yahweh my God;

⁵In ob večerni daritvi vstanem od svojega ponižanja z raztrgano suknjo in raztrganim plaščem, in padem na kolena in razprostrem roke proti GOSPODU, Bogu svojemu,

⁶and I said, “My God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to you, my God; for our iniquities have increased over our head, and our guiltiness has grown up to the heavens.

⁶in rečem: O Bog moj, sramujem se in bojim se povzdigniti obličje k tebi, moj Bog; zakaj krivice naše so nam zrasle nad glavo in krivda naša je dospela do neba!

⁷Since the days of our fathers we have been exceeding guilty to this day; and for 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, to plunder, and to confusion of face, as it is this day.

⁷Od očetov naših časa smo v veliki krivdi do tega dne, in zaradi krivic svojih smo bili izročeni mi, kralji naši in duhovniki naši rokam kraljev dežel, meču, ujetništvu, plenjenju in očitni sramoti, kakor je danes.

⁸Now for a little moment grace has been shown from Yahweh 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.

⁸In sedaj nam je za kratek trenutek izkazal milost GOSPOD, naš Bog, da nam je pustil ostanek rešencev in dal, da smemo zabiti šatorov klin na svetem kraju njegovem, da bi nam Bog naš razsvetlil oči ter nas malo poživil v sužnosti naši.

⁹For we are bondservants; yet our God has not forsaken us in our bondage, but has extended loving kindness to 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 its ruins, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.

⁹Zakaj sužnji smo; vendar pa nas ni zapustil Bog naš v sužnosti naši, ampak nam je naklonil milost pred kralji Perzije, da bi nam pripravili oživitev, da postavimo hišo Božjo in popravimo razvaline njene, ter da bi nam dali zid v Judi in v Jeruzalemu.

¹⁰“Now, our God, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken your commandments,

¹⁰In sedaj, Bog naš, kaj hočemo reči po vsem tem? Kajti zapustili smo tvoje zapovedi,

¹¹which you have commanded by your servants the prophets, saying, ‘The land, to which you go to possess it, is an unclean land through the uncleanness of the peoples of the lands, through their abominations, which have filled it from one end to another with their filthiness.

¹¹ki si jih zapovedal po hlapcih svojih, prorokih, rekši: Zemlja, v katero greste, da jo posedete, je nečista dežela vsled nečistosti poganskih ljudstev v deželi, vsled njih gnusob, s katerimi so jo napolnili od konca do kraja po svojem oskrunjevanju.

¹²Now therefore don’t give your daughters to their sons, neither take their daughters to your sons, nor seek their peace or their prosperity forever; that you may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children forever.’

¹²Sedaj torej ne dajajte hčer svojih njih sinovom, tudi ne jemljite njih hčer sinovom svojim, niti ne iščite njih miru in blaginje vekomaj, da bodete mogočni in boste uživali dobrino dežele ter jo zapustili v dediščino otrokom svojim vekomaj.

¹³“After all that has come on us for our evil deeds, and for our great guilt, since you, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and have given us such a remnant,

¹³Po vsem tem pa, kar je prišlo nad nas za huda dela naša in za našo krivdo veliko (ker si ti, Bog naš, nas kaznoval manj, nego zaslužijo krivice naše, in si nam dal toliko rešencev tukaj),

¹⁴shall we again break your commandments, and join in affinity with the peoples that do these abominations? Wouldn’t you be angry with us until you had consumed us, so that there should be no remnant, nor any to escape?

¹⁴bomo li zopet prelamljali zapovedi tvoje in svaštvo sklepali z ljudstvi, ki počenjajo te gnusobe? Bi se li ne srdil nad nami, dokler nas ne bo konec, da ne ostane nikogar in se nihče ne reši?O GOSPOD, Bog Izraelov, ti si pravičen; kajti preostali smo kot rešenci, kakor se danes vidi. Glej, pred teboj smo v krivdi svoji, kajti nihče ne more stati pred teboj zaradi tega.

¹⁵Yahweh, the God of Israel, you are righteous; for we are left a remnant that has escaped, as it is this day. Behold, we are before you in our guiltiness; for none can stand before you because of this.”

¹⁵O GOSPOD, Bog Izraelov, ti si pravičen; kajti preostali smo kot rešenci, kakor se danes vidi. Glej, pred teboj smo v krivdi svoji, kajti nihče ne more stati pred teboj zaradi tega.