## our evil practices and our great guilt ##

Israel did not utterly destroy the people practicing evil before God. Israel began marrying them and following their religious practices being led astray from God.

## since you...have held back what our iniquities deserve and left us survivors ##

This is an example of God's mercy in action.

## should we again break your commandments  ##

This was exactly what some of the returnees have done. They broke God's commands by marrying the people of the land and worshiping their gods.

## Will you not be angry and annihilate us ##

God destroyed all of Israel before and Ezra feared that He would do it again and then there would no one left.