Nehemiah 9
1 And on the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackclothes, and earth upon them.
Forsothe in the foure and twentithe dai of this monethe, the sones of Israel camen togidere in fastyng,
2 And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all foreigners, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers.
and in sackis, and `erthe was on hem. And the seed of the sones of Israel was departid fro ech alien sone. And thei stoden bifor the Lord, and knoulechiden her synnes, and the wickidnessis of her fadris.
3 And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of Jehovah their God a fourth part of the day; and a fourth part they confessed, and worshipped Jehovah their God.
And thei risiden togidere to stonde; and thei redden in the book of the lawe of `her Lord God fouresithis in the dai, and fouresithis in the niyt; thei knoulechiden, and herieden `her Lord God.
4 Then stood up upon the platform of the Levites, Jeshua, and Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, Chenani, and cried with a loud voice to Jehovah their God.
Forsothe `thei risiden on the degree, of dekenes, Jesuy, and Bany, Cedynyel, Remmy, Abany, Sarabie, Bany, and Chanany.
5 And the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, Pethahiah, said, Stand up, bless Jehovah your God from eternity to eternity. And let [men] bless the name of thy glory, which is exalted above all blessing and praise.
And the dekenes crieden with grete vois to her Lord God. And Jesue, and Cedyniel, Bonny, Assebie, Serebie, Arabie, Odaie, Sebua, and Facaia, seiden, Rise ye, and blesse ye `youre Lord God fro without bigynnyng and til in to with outen ende; and blesse thei the hiye name of thi glorie in al blessyng and preysyng.
6 Thou art the Same, thou alone, Jehovah, who hast made the heaven of heavens, and all their host, the earth and all that is therein, the seas and all that is therein. And thou quickenest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee.
And Esdras seide, Thou thi silf, Lord, art aloone; thou madist heuene and the heuene of heuenes, and al the oost of tho heuenes; thou madist the erthe and alle thingis that ben there ynne; `thou madist the sees and alle thingis that ben in tho; and thou quikenyst alle these thingis; and the oost of heuene worschipith thee.
7 Thou art the Same, Jehovah Elohim, who didst choose Abram and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham;
Thou thi silf art the Lord God, that chesidist Abram, and leddist hym out of the fier of Caldeis, and settidist his name Abraham;
8 and foundest his heart faithful before thee, and madest the covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Jebusites, and the Girgashites, — to give it to his seed; and thou hast performed thy words, for thou art righteous.
and foundist his herte feithful bifor thee, and thou hast smyte with hym a boond of pees, that thou woldist yyue to hym the lond of Cananei, of Ethei, of Euey, and of Ammorrei, and of Pherezei, and of Jebuzei, and of Gergesei, that thou woldist yyue it to his seed; and thou hast fillid thi wordis, for thou art iust.
9 And thou sawest the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heardest their cry by the Red Sea;
And thou hast seyn the turment of oure fadris in Egipt, and thou herdist the cry of hem on the reed see.
10 and didst shew signs and wonders upon Pharaoh, and upon all his servants, and upon all the people of his land; for thou knewest that they dealt proudly against them, and thou didst make thee a name, as it is this day.
And thou hast youe signes and grete wondris in Farao, and in alle hise seruauntis, and in al the puple of that lond; for thou knowist, that thei diden proudli ayens oure fadris; and thou madist to thee a name, as also in this dai.
11 And thou didst divide the sea before them, and they went through the midst of the sea on dry [ground]; and their pursuers thou threwest into the depths, as a stone into the mighty waters.
And thou departidist the see bifor hem, and thei passiden thorou the `myddis of the see in the drie place; forsothe thou castidist doun the pursueris of hem into depthe, as a stoon in strong watris.
12 And thou leddest them in the day by a pillar of cloud, and in the night by a pillar of fire, to give them light in the way wherein they should go.
And in a piler of cloude thou were the ledere of hem bi dai, and in a piler of fier bi nyyt, that the weie, bi which thei entriden, schulde appere to hem.
13 And thou camest down on mount Sinai, and didst speak with them from the heavens, and gavest them right judgments and true laws, good statutes and commandments.
Also thou camest doun at the hil of Synai, and spakist with hem fro heuene, and thou yauest to hem riytful domes, and the lawe of trewthe, cerymonyes, and goode comaundementis.
14 And thou madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and prescribedst for them commandments and statutes and a law, through Moses thy servant.
And thou schewidist to hem an halewid sabat; and thou comaundidist `to hem comaundementis, and cerymonyes, and lawe, in the hond of Moises, thi seruaunt.
15 And thou gavest them bread from the heavens for their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and didst say to them that they should go in to possess the land which thou hadst sworn to give them.
Also thou yauest to hem breed fro heuene in her hungur; and thou leddist out of the stoon watir to hem thirstinge; and thou seidist to hem, that thei schulden entre, and haue in possessioun the lond, on which lond thou reisidist thin hond, that thou schuldist yyue it to hem.
16 But they, our fathers, dealt proudly, and hardened their neck, and hearkened not to thy commandments,
But `thei and oure fadris diden proudli, and maden hard her nollis, and herden not thi comaundementis.
17 and refused to obey, neither were they mindful of thy wonders which thou hadst done among them; but hardened their neck, and in their rebellion made a captain to return to their bondage. But thou art a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great loving-kindness, and thou forsookest them not.
And thei nolden here; and thei hadden not mynde of thi merueils, which thou haddist do to hem; and thei maden hard her nollis; and thei yauen the heed, that thei `weren al turned to her seruage as bi strijf; but thou art God helpful, meke, and merciful, abidynge longe, `ether pacient, and of myche merciful doyng, and forsokist not hem;
18 Yea, when they had made them a molten calf, and said, This is thy god that brought thee up out of Egypt! and they had wrought great provocation,
and sotheli whanne thei hadden maad to hem a yotun calf, as bi strijf, and hadden seid, This is thi God, that `ledde thee out of Egipt, and thei diden grete blasfemyes.
19 yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness. The pillar of the cloud departed not from over them by day, to lead them on the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to shew them light, and the way wherein they should go.
But thou in thi many mercyes leftist not hem in deseert; for a piler of cloude yede not awei fro hem bi the dai, that it schulde lede hem in to the weie; and a piler of fier yede not awei `fro hem bi nyyt, that it schulde schewe to hem the weie, bi which thei schulden entre.
20 Thou gavest also thy good Spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst.
And thou yauest to hem thi good Spirit, that tauyte hem; and thou forbedist not thin aungels mete fro her mouth, and thou yauest to hem water in thirst.
21 Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness; they lacked nothing; their clothes grew not old, and their feet swelled not.
Fourti yeer thou feddist hem in deseert, and no thing failide to hem; her clothis wexiden not elde, and her feet weren not hirt.
22 And thou gavest them kingdoms and peoples, and didst divide them by countries; and they possessed the land of Sihon, as well the land of the king of Heshbon, as the land of Og king of Bashan.
And thou yauest to hem rewmes, and puplis; and thou departidist lottis, `ether eritagis, to hem, and thei hadden in possessioun the lond of Seon, and the lond of the kyng of Esebon, and the lond of Og, kyng of Basan.
23 And their children thou didst multiply as the stars of heaven, and thou broughtest them into the land concerning which thou didst say to their fathers that they should go in to possess it.
And thou multipliedist the sones of hem, as the sterris of heuene; and thou brouytist hem to the lond, of which thou seidist to her fadris, that thei schulden entre, and holde it in possessioun.
24 And the children went in and possessed the land; and thou subduedst before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gavest them into their hands, both their kings and the peoples of the land, that they might do with them as they would.
And the sones of Israel camen, and hadden the lond in possessioun; and bifor hem thou madist low the dwellers of the lond, Cananeis; and thou yauest hem in to the hondis of the sones of Israel, and the kyngis of hem, and the puplis of the lond, that thei diden to hem, as it pleside hem.
25 And they took strong cities, and a fat land, and possessed houses full of all good things, wells digged, vineyards and olive-gardens, and fruit trees in abundance. And they did eat and were filled, and became fat, and delighted themselves in thy great goodness.
And thei token citees maad strong, and fat erthe; and thei hadden in possessioun housis fulle of alle goodis, cisternes maad of othere men, vineris, and places of olyues, and many apple trees. And thei eeten, and weren fillid, and weren maad fat; and hadden plentee of ritchessis `in thi greet goodnesse.
26 But they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs, and slew thy prophets who testified against them to turn them to thee, and they wrought great provocations.
Sotheli thei terriden thee to wrathfulnesse, and yeden awei fro thee, and castiden awei thi lawe bihynde her backis; and thei killiden thi prophetis, that witnessiden to hem, that thei schulden turne ayen to thee; and thei diden grete blasfemyes.
27 And thou gavest them into the hand of their oppressors, and they oppressed them; and in the time of their distress, when they cried unto thee, thou heardest them from the heavens, and according to thy manifold mercies thou gavest them saviours, who saved them out of the hand of their oppressors.
And thou yauest hem in to the hond of her enemyes; and thei turmentiden hem; and in the tyme of her tribulacioun thei crieden to thee; and thou herdist them fro heuyn, and bi thi many merciful doyngis thou yauest hem sauyours, that sauyden hem fro the hond of her enemyes.
28 But when they had rest, they did evil again before thee; and thou didst leave them in the hand of their enemies, and they had dominion over them; and again they cried unto thee, and thou heardest [them] from the heavens, and many times didst thou deliver them, according to thy mercies.
And whanne thei hadden restid, thei turneden ayen to do yuel in thi siyt; and thou forsokist hem in the hond of her enemyes, and enemyes hadden hem in possessioun; and thei weren conuertid, and thei crieden to thee; forsothe thou herdist hem fro heuene, and delyueridist hem `in thi mercies in many tymes.
29 And thou testifiedst against them, that thou mightest bring them again unto thy law; but they dealt proudly, and hearkened not unto thy commandments, but sinned against thine ordinances (which if a man do, he shall live in them); and they withdrew the shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear.
And thou witnessidist to hem, that thei schulden turne ayen to thi lawe; but thei diden proudli, and herden not thin heestis, and synneden in thi domes, whiche a man that schal do schal lyue in tho; and thei yauen the schuldre goynge awei, and thei maden hard her nol.
30 And many years didst thou forbear with them, and testifiedst against them by thy Spirit through thy prophets; but they would not give ear: and thou gavest them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.
And thou drowist along many yeeris on hem, and thou witnessidist to hem in thi Spirit bi the hond of thi prophetis; and thei herden not; and thou yauest hem in to the hond of the puplis of londis.
31 Nevertheless for thy manifold mercies' sake, thou didst not make a full end of them nor forsake them; for thou art a gracious and merciful God.
But in thi mercies ful manye thou madist not hem in to wastyng, nethir thou forsokist hem; for thou art God of merciful doynges, and meke.
32 And now, our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who keepest covenant and loving-kindness, let not all the trouble seem little before thee, that hath come upon us, on our kings, on our princes, and on our priests, and on our prophets, and on our fathers, and on all thy people, since the days of the kings of Assyria unto this day.
Now therfor, oure Lord God, greet God, strong, and ferdful, kepynge couenaunt and merci, turne thou not awei thi face in al the trauel that foond vs, oure kyngis, and oure princes, and oure fadris, and oure preestis, and oure profetis, and al thi puple, fro the daies of kyng Assur til to this dai.
33 But thou art just in all that is come upon us; for thou hast acted according to truth, and we have done wickedly.
And thou art iust in alle thingis, that camen on vs, for thou didist trewthe to vs; but we han do wickidli.
34 And our kings, our princes, our priests, and our fathers, have not performed thy law, nor hearkened unto thy commandments and thy testimonies, wherewith thou didst testify against them.
Oure kyngis, and oure princes, oure prestis, and fadris `diden not thi lawe; and thei perseyueden not thin heestis and witnessyngis, whiche thou witnessidist in hem.
35 And they have not served thee in their kingdom, and in thy great goodness that thou gavest them, and in the large and fat land that thou didst set before them, neither turned they from their wicked works.
And thei in her good rewmes, and in thi myche goodnesse, which thou yauest to hem, and in the largest lond and fat, whych thou haddist youe in the siyt of hem, serueden not thee, nether turneden ayen fro her werste studies.
36 Behold, we are servants this day, and the land that thou gavest unto our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof, behold, we are bondmen in it.
Lo! we `vs silf ben thrallis to dai; and the lond which thou yauest to oure fadris, that thei schulden ete the breed therof, and the goodis that ben therof, `is thral; and we `vs silf ben thrallis, `ethir boonde men, in that lond.
37 And it yieldeth much increase unto the kings whom thou hast set over us because of our sins: and they have dominion over our bodies, and over our cattle, at their pleasure; and we are in great distress.
And the fruytis therof ben multiplied to kyngis, whiche thou hast set on vs for oure synnes; and thei ben lordis of oure bodies, and of oure beestis, bi her wille, and we ben in greet tribulacioun.
38 And because of all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, our Levites, [and] our priests are at the sealing.
Therfor on alle these thingis we `vs silf smyten and writen boond of pees, and oure princes, oure dekenes, and oure prestis aseelen.
