<p class="poetry"><sc>Lordsc>, we confess that we have been wicked.p> <p class="poetry">We confess that our ancestors have done wrong.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">We have indeed<n id="2" /> sinned against you.p>

<p class="bodytext">Then I said,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;O <sc>Lordsc>, intervene for the honor of your name<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">even though our sins speak out against us.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">Indeed,<n id="4" /> we have turned away from you many times.p> <p class="poetry">We have sinned against you.p>

<p class="poetry">Let us acknowledge<n id="1" /> our shame.p> <p class="poetry">Let us bear the disgrace that we deserve.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">For we have sinned against the <sc>Lordsc> our God,p> <p class="poetry">both we and our ancestors.p> <p class="poetry">From earliest times to this very dayp> <p class="poetry">we have not obeyed the <sc>Lordsc> our God.&#8217;p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">The people say,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;Why are we just sitting here?p> <p class="poetry">Let us gather together inside the fortified cities.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">Let us at least die there fighting,<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">since the <sc>Lordsc> our God has condemned us to die.p> <p class="poetry">He has condemned us to drink the poison waters of judgment<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">because we have sinned against him.<n id="5" />p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">&#8220;When you tell these people about all this,<n id="1" /> they will undoubtedly ask you, &#8216;Why has the <sc>Lordsc> threatened us with such great disaster? What wrong have we done? What sin have we done to offend the <sc>Lordsc> our God?&#8217;