Ezra 9:6–9

I am too ashamed 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.

From the days of our ancestors until now,
our guilt has been great.
Because of our sins,
we and our kings and our priests
have been subjected
to the sword and captivity,
to pillage and humiliation
at the hand of foreign kings,
as it is today.

But now, for a brief moment,
the Lord our God has been gracious
in leaving us a remnant
and giving us a firm place in his sanctuary,
and so our God gives light to our eyes
and a little relief in our bondage.
Though we are slaves,
our God has not forsaken us in our bondage.

He has shown us kindness
in the sight of the kings of Persia:
He has granted us new life
to rebuild the house of our God
and repair its ruins,
and he has given us a wall of protection
in Judah and Jerusalem.