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and said, “My God, I am ashamed. I blush to lift my face to you, my God! For our sins tower over our heads; our guilt reaches up to heaven. Since the times of our ancestors, we have been deeply guilty; and because of our sins, we, our kings and our cohanim have been handed over to the kings of the lands, to the sword, to exile, to pillage and to disgrace, as is the case today. Now, for a brief moment, Adonai our God has shown us the favor of allowing a remnant to escape and giving us a secure foothold in his holy place, in order for God to make things look brighter to us and revive us a little in our slavery.

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and prayed:

“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) 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.

“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.

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Footnotes

  1. Ezra 9:8 Or a foothold