< Nehemiah 9 >

1 On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth, with dust on their heads.
Pada hari kedua puluh empat, masih di bulan ketujuh, seluruh rakyat Israel berkumpul untuk mengaku dosa. Mereka berpuasa, memakai kain karung, dan menaruh abu di atas kepala sebagai tanda berkabung karena dosa mereka sendiri. Mereka sudah memisahkan diri dari semua orang yang bukan bangsa Israel. Mereka berdoa mengakui dosa-dosa dan kesalahan-kesalahan mereka maupun nenek moyang mereka.
2 Those of Israelite descent separated themselves from all the foreigners, and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers.
3 While they stood in their places, they read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for a quarter of the day, and they spent another quarter of the day in confession and worship of the LORD their God.
Selama tiga jam, kitab Taurat dibacakan kepada mereka, dan selama tiga jam berikutnya mereka mengaku dosa di hadapan TUHAN sambil bersujud menyembah Dia.
4 And the Levites—Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani—stood on the raised platform and cried out in a loud voice to the LORD their God.
Sekelompok orang Lewi— yaitu Yesua, Bani, Kadmiel, Sebanya, Buni, Serebya, Bani, dan Kenani— berdiri di panggung. Mereka memanjatkan doa dengan nyaring kepada TUHAN Allah.
5 Then the Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah—said, “Stand up and bless the LORD your God from everlasting to everlasting: Blessed be Your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise.
Selanjutnya, Yesua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hasabneya, Serebya, Hodia, Sebanya, dan Petahya berkata, “Berdirilah dan pujilah TUHAN Allahmu yang hidup selama-lamanya!” Lalu mereka berdoa, “Ya, Allah yang mulia, biarlah Engkau dipuji dan diagungkan dengan segala hormat!
6 You alone are the LORD. You created the heavens, the highest heavens with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to all things, and the host of heaven worships You.
Ya Allah, Engkaulah TUHAN yang Mahaesa. Engkau yang menciptakan seluruh tingkat surga dan langit, bumi dan segala isinya, serta lautan dan semua yang ada di dalamnya. Engkau yang memberi kehidupan bagi segala makhluk. Pasukan malaikat surgawi pun bersujud menyembah-Mu.
7 You are the LORD, the God who chose Abram, who brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and gave him the name Abraham.
Engkaulah TUHAN Allah yang sudah memilih Abram. Engkau membawa dia keluar dari Ur di wilayah Babel dan mengubah namanya menjadi Abraham.
8 You found his heart faithful before You, and made a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites and Hittites, of the Amorites and Perizzites, of the Jebusites and Girgashites— to give it to his descendants. You have kept Your promise, because You are righteous.
Engkau mengetahui bahwa dia setia kepada-Mu, maka Engkau mengadakan perjanjian dengannya untuk memberikan negeri yang didiami bangsa Kanaan, Het, Amori, Feris, Yebus, dan Girgasi kepada anak cucunya. Engkau sudah menepati janji-Mu itu, karena Engkau adil dan setia.
9 You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt; You heard their cry at the Red Sea.
Engkau melihat penderitaan nenek moyang kami di negeri Mesir dan mendengar jeritan mereka minta tolong di tepi Laut Merah.
10 You performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh, all his officials, and all the people of his land, for You knew they had acted with arrogance against our fathers. You made a name for Yourself that endures to this day.
Maka Engkau melakukan perbuatan dahsyat dan membuat keajaiban melawan raja Mesir, para pejabatnya, dan seluruh rakyatnya, sebab Engkau tahu betapa kejamnya mereka terhadap nenek moyang kami. Karena perbuatan ajaib-Mu itu, Engkau ditakuti bangsa-bangsa sampai sekarang.
11 You divided the sea before them, and they crossed through it on dry ground. You hurled their pursuers into the depths like a stone into raging waters.
Engkau membelah Laut Merah di hadapan nenek moyang kami sehingga mereka bisa menyeberang melalui tanah yang kering. Ke dalam laut Engkau menenggelamkan pasukan Mesir yang mengejar mereka, bagaikan batu dilempar ke dasar lautan yang bergelora.
12 You led them with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, to light for them the way in which they should travel.
Di padang belantara, Engkau menuntun mereka dengan tiang awan pada siang hari, dan pada waktu malam, Engkau menerangi jalan mereka dengan tiang berapi.
13 You came down on Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven. You gave them just ordinances, true laws, and good statutes and commandments.
Dari surga Engkau turun ke atas gunung Sinai dan berbicara kepada mereka. Engkau memberi mereka peraturan-peraturan dan ketetapan-ketetapan yang adil serta hukum-hukum dan perintah-perintah yang baik.
14 You revealed to them Your holy Sabbath and gave them commandments and statutes and laws through Your servant Moses.
Melalui hamba-Mu Musa, Engkau mengajar mereka untuk menjaga kesucian hari Sabat-Mu dan memberikan berbagai perintah, ketetapan, serta hukum kepada mereka.
15 In their hunger You gave them bread from heaven; in their thirst You brought them water from the rock. You told them to go in and possess the land which You had sworn to give them.
Ketika umat-Mu lapar, Engkau menyediakan roti surgawi yang disebut manna. Ketika mereka haus, Engkau mengeluarkan air dari sebuah batu. Engkau memerintahkan mereka untuk merebut dan menduduki negeri yang sudah Engkau janjikan kepada mereka.
16 But they and our fathers became arrogant and stiff-necked and did not obey Your commandments.
Tetapi nenek moyang kami sombong. Mereka keras kepala dan tidak menaati perintah-perintah-Mu.
17 They refused to listen and failed to remember the wonders You performed among them. They stiffened their necks and appointed a leader to return them to their bondage in Egypt. But You are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in loving devotion, and You did not forsake them.
Mereka menolak untuk taat. Mereka lupa hal-hal ajaib yang sudah Engkau lakukan di hadapan mereka. Karena keras kepala, mereka malah ingin mengangkat seorang pemimpin untuk membawa mereka kembali ke dalam perbudakan di Mesir. Tetapi Engkau Allah yang maha pengampun. Engkau murah hati, penuh belas kasih, panjang sabar, dan setia. Engkau tidak meninggalkan mereka.
18 Even when they cast for themselves an image of a calf and said, ‘This is your God who brought you up out of Egypt,’ and when they committed terrible blasphemies,
Nenek moyang kami membuat berhala berbentuk anak sapi. Kata mereka, ‘Inilah dewa kita yang sudah membawa kita keluar dari Mesir.’ Mereka berulang kali menghina Engkau dengan perbuatan yang keterlaluan seperti itu.
19 You in Your great compassion did not forsake them in the wilderness. By day the pillar of cloud never turned away from guiding them on their path; and by the night the pillar of fire illuminated the way they should go.
“Namun, Engkau TUHAN yang maha pengasih! Engkau tidak meninggalkan mereka di padang belantara. Tiang awan-Mu tetap menuntun mereka pada waktu siang dan tiang berapi tetap menerangi jalan mereka di kala malam.
20 You gave Your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold Your manna from their mouths, and You gave them water for their thirst.
Roh-Mu memberikan kuasa kepada Musa untuk mengajar mereka dengan lemah lembut. Engkau tetap menurunkan manna untuk mereka makan dan menyediakan air ketika mereka haus.
21 For forty years You sustained them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell.
Selama empat puluh tahun di padang belantara Engkau memelihara mereka. Pakaian mereka tidak menjadi usang dan kaki mereka tidak pernah menjadi bengkak.
22 You gave them kingdoms and peoples and allotted to them every corner of the land. So they took the land of Sihon king of Heshbon and of Og king of Bashan.
Engkau menolong mereka mengalahkan banyak kerajaan dan bangsa, lalu Engkau membagi-bagikan negeri Kanaan kepada suku-suku umat-Mu. Mereka mengambil alih seluruh wilayah Raja Sihon dari Hesbon dan Raja Og dari Basan.
23 You multiplied their descendants like the stars of heaven and brought them to the land You had told their fathers to enter and possess.
Engkau membuat anak cucu mereka sebanyak bintang-bintang di langit, dan menuntun mereka memasuki negeri yang sudah Engkau janjikan kepada nenek moyang mereka.
24 So their descendants went in and possessed the land; You subdued before them the Canaanites dwelling in the land. You delivered into their hands the kings and peoples of the land, to do with them as they wished.
Saat umat-Mu masuk untuk menguasai, Engkau menolong mereka menaklukkan bangsa Kanaan, penduduk negeri ini. Engkau menyerahkan raja-raja dan rakyat mereka, sehingga nenek moyang kami berkuasa penuh atas mereka.
25 They captured fortified cities and fertile land and took houses full of all goods, wells already dug, vineyards, olive groves, and fruit trees in abundance. So they ate and were filled; they grew fat and delighted in Your great goodness.
Bangsa Israel merebut kota-kota berbenteng dan tanah yang subur. Mereka merampas rumah-rumah yang penuh dengan berbagai harta, sumur-sumur yang sudah digali, kebun-kebun anggur dan zaitun yang sudah ditanami, juga pohon buah-buahan yang berlimpah. Mereka makan sampai kenyang dan menjadi gemuk. Bangsa Israel hidup senang karena kebaikan-Mu.
26 But they were disobedient and rebelled against You; they flung Your law behind their backs. They killed Your prophets, who had admonished them to return to You. They committed terrible blasphemies.
Tetapi kemudian mereka menjadi tidak taat kepada-Mu dan memberontak melawan Engkau. Mereka mengabaikan Hukum-Mu, dan membunuh para nabi-Mu yang memperingatkan mereka untuk kembali kepada-Mu. Mereka terus menghina Engkau dengan berbagai perbuatan yang sangat keterlaluan.
27 So You delivered them into the hands of enemies who oppressed them, and in their time of distress they cried out to You. From heaven You heard them, and in Your great compassion You gave them deliverers who saved them from the hands of their enemies.
Oleh sebab itu, Engkau menyerahkan umat-Mu kepada musuh-musuh yang menindas mereka. Di saat menderita, mereka berseru kepada-Mu minta tolong. Dari surga Engkau mendengar jeritan mereka, dan satu demi satu Engkau mengutus para hakim untuk menyelamatkan mereka, sebab Engkau penuh belas kasihan.
28 But as soon as they had rest, they again did evil in Your sight. So You abandoned them to the hands of their enemies, who had dominion over them. When they cried out to You again, You heard from heaven, and You delivered them many times in Your compassion.
Namun, saat keadaan tenteram mereka kembali berdosa kepada-Mu. Maka Engkau membiarkan musuh-musuh menindas mereka. Ketika mereka berseru minta tolong lagi, Engkau mendengarkan mereka dari surga. Berulang kali Engkau tetap menyelamatkan mereka, sebab Engkau sungguh penuh belas kasihan.
29 You admonished them to turn back to Your law, but they were arrogant and disobeyed Your commandments. They sinned against Your ordinances, by which a man will live if he practices them. They stubbornly shrugged their shoulders; they stiffened their necks and would not obey.
Engkau memberi peringatan kepada mereka untuk kembali pada hukum-Mu, tetapi mereka sombong dan tidak mau menaati perintah-perintah-Mu. Padahal, jika seseorang menaati perintah-perintah-Mu, dia akan hidup sejahtera, tetapi mereka terus saja berdosa, keras kepala, suka memberontak, dan menutup telinga terhadap Engkau.
30 You were patient with them for many years, and Your Spirit admonished them through Your prophets. Yet they would not listen, so You gave them into the hands of the neighboring peoples.
Selama bertahun-tahun, Engkau tetap sabar. Roh-Mu memberikan kuasa kepada para nabi untuk mengajar dan memperingatkan mereka, tetapi mereka tetap tidak mau taat. Maka Engkau membiarkan mereka dikalahkan oleh pasukan bangsa-bangsa di sekeliling mereka.
31 But in Your great compassion, You did not put an end to them; nor did You forsake them, for You are a gracious and compassionate God.
Walaupun begitu, Engkau tidak meninggalkan mereka ataupun memusnahkan mereka seluruhnya, karena Engkau murah hati dan penuh belas kasihan.
32 So now, our God, the great and mighty and awesome God who keeps His gracious covenant, do not view lightly all the hardship that has come upon us, and upon our kings and leaders, our priests and prophets, our ancestors and all Your people, from the days of the kings of Assyria until today.
Oleh sebab itu, ya Allah, Engkau yang sangat mengagumkan karena Engkau mahabesar, mahakuasa, dan selalu setia pada perjanjian-Mu, janganlah abaikan semua penderitaan yang sudah kami alami, baik para raja, imam, nabi, nenek moyang, maupun seluruh rakyat kami. Kami sudah tertindas sejak zaman raja Asyur sampai hari ini.
33 You are just in all that has befallen us, because You have acted faithfully, while we have acted wickedly.
Semua hukuman yang sudah menimpa kami adalah wujud keadilan-Mu. Kami memang layak dihukum, karena kami sudah melakukan banyak kesalahan terhadap Engkau yang selalu setia.
34 Our kings and leaders and priests and fathers did not obey Your law or listen to Your commandments and warnings that You gave them.
Para raja, pejabat, imam, dan nenek moyang kami tidak menaati hukum-hukum-Mu. Mereka tidak menghiraukan perintah-perintah dan peringatan-peringatan-Mu.
35 For even while they were in their kingdom, with the abundant goodness that You had given them, and in the spacious and fertile land that You had set before them, they would not serve You or turn from their wicked ways.
Mendekati waktu pembuangan umat Israel ke negeri Babel, saat mereka masih menikmati berbagai berkat yang Engkau limpahkan di negeri yang subur dan luas ini, mereka tidak melayani Engkau dan tidak berpaling dari perbuatan jahat mereka.
36 So here we are today as slaves in the land You gave our fathers to enjoy its fruit and goodness— here we are as slaves!
Lihatlah, ya Allah, negeri yang sudah Engkau berikan kepada nenek moyang kami sekarang dijajah bangsa lain. Di tanah kami sendiri, yang seharusnya kami nikmati, kami justru menjadi budak!
37 Its abundant harvest goes to the kings You have set over us because of our sins. And they rule over our bodies and our livestock as they please. We are in great distress.
Hasil panen dan ternak kami menjadi milik para raja yang sudah Engkau tempatkan untuk menguasai kami. Bahkan kehidupan kami pun dikendalikan mereka! Ya, akibat dosa kami sendiri, sekarang kami sangat menderita.”
38 In view of all this, we make a binding agreement, putting it in writing and sealing it with the names of our leaders, Levites, and priests.”
Berdasarkan doa pengakuan dosa itu, kami membuat sebuah perjanjian tertulis, yang disahkan dengan stempel oleh para pemimpin, orang-orang Lewi, dan imam-imam.

< Nehemiah 9 >