Ezra 9:6 (DRB)

Passage

And said: My God I am confounded and ashamed to lift up my face to thee: for our iniquities are multiplied over our heads, and our sins are grown up even unto heaven,

Nearby Context

Ezra 9:4 And there were assembled to me all that feared the God of Israel, because of the transgression of those that were come from the captivity, and I sat sorrowful, until the evening sacrifice.

Ezra 9:5 And at the evening sacrifice I rose up from my affliction, and having rent my mantle and my garment, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands to the Lord my God,

Ezra 9:6 And said: My God I am confounded and ashamed to lift up my face to thee: for our iniquities are multiplied over our heads, and our sins are grown up even unto heaven,

Ezra 9:7 From the days of our fathers: and we ourselves also have sinned grievously unto this day, and for our iniquities we and our kings, and our priests have been delivered into the hands of the kings of the lands, and to the sword, and to captivity, and to spoil, and to confusion of face, as it is at this day.

Ezra 9:8 And now as a little, and for a moment has our prayer been made before the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant, and give us a pin in his holy place, and that our God would enlighten our eyes, and would give us a little life in our bondage.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "iniquities", "said", "confounded", "ashamed", "lift", "face", "thee", and "multiplied". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "iniquities" and "said", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 5's "And at the evening sacrifice I rose..." into verse 7's "From the days of our fathers and...", so "iniquities" and "said" belong inside that flow. In Ezra context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "iniquities" and "said" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.