Nehemiah 9

1 Now in the twenty and fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackcloths, and earth on them.

El día veinticuatro de este mismo mes, los israelitas se reunieron, ayunando y vistiendo de cilicio, con polvo en la cabeza.

2 And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers.

Los de ascendencia israelita se separaron de los extranjeros y se pusieron de pie para confesar sus pecados y los de sus antepasados.

3 And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of the LORD their God one fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed, and worshipped the LORD their God.

Pasaron tres horas de pie leyendo el Libro de la Ley del Señor su Dios, y otras tres horas confesando sus pecados y adorando al Señor su Dios.

4 Then stood up on the stairs, of the Levites, Jeshua, and Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani, and cried with a loud voice to the LORD their God.

Los levitas se pusieron de pie en el estrado y clamaron en voz alta al Señor su Dios. (Sus nombres eran Jesúa, Baní, Cadmiel, Sebanías, Buní, Serebías, Baní y Chenani).

5 Then the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said, Stand up and bless the LORD your God for ever and ever: and blessed be your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise.

Entonces los levitas anunciaron: “Pónganse de pie y alaben al Señor, su Dios, que vive eternamente: ‘Que sean bendecidos quienes son y su gloria, y que sean elevados por encima de toda bendición y alabanza’”. (Los nombres de los levitas eran Jesúa, Cadmiel, Bani, Hasabneías, Serebías, Hodías, Sebanías y Petaías).

6 You, even you, are LORD alone; you have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and you preserve them all; and the host of heaven worships you.

Ellos oraron: “Sólo tú eres el Señor. Tú hiciste el cielo, los cielos con todas sus estrellas, la tierra y todo lo que hay en ella, los mares y todo lo que hay en ellos. Tú les das vida a todos ellos, y todos los seres celestiales te adoran.

7 You are the LORD the God, who did choose Abram, and brought him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gave him the name of Abraham;

“Tú eres el Señor, el Dios que eligió a Abram, que lo sacó de Ur de los caldeos y le dio el nombre de Abraham.

8 And found his heart faithful before you, and made a 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, I say, to his seed, and have performed your words; for you are righteous:

Tú sabías que te sería fiel, e hiciste un acuerdo con él para darle a él y a su descendencia la tierra de los cananeos, hititas, amorreos, ferezeos, jebuseos y gergeseos. Cumpliste tu promesa, porque haces lo que es justo.

9 And did see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heard their cry by the Red sea;

“Viste cuánto sufrían nuestros antepasados en Egipto. Oíste sus gritos de auxilio en el Mar Rojo.

10 And showed signs and wonders on Pharaoh, and on all his servants, and on all the people of his land: for you knew that they dealt proudly against them. So did you get you a name, as it is this day.

Te manifestaste con señales y milagros contra el Faraón, todos sus funcionarios y todo el pueblo de su tierra, porque reconociste la arrogancia con que trataron a nuestros antepasados. Te creaste una maravillosa fama que la gente sigue reconociendo hasta el día de hoy.

11 And you did divide the sea before them, so that they went through the middle of the sea on the dry land; and their persecutors you threw into the deeps, as a stone into the mighty waters.

Dividiste el mar delante de ellos para que pudieran atravesarlo en seco. Pero arrojaste a sus perseguidores a las profundidades del mar, como piedras arrojadas a las aguas embravecidas.

12 Moreover you led them in the day by a cloudy pillar; and in the night by a pillar of fire, to give them light in the way wherein they should go.

“Los guiaste con una columna de nube durante el día y con una columna de fuego durante la noche, mostrándoles el camino que debían seguir.

13 You came down also on mount Sinai, and spoke with them from heaven, and gave them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments:

Descendiste en el monte Sinaí. Les hablaste desde el cielo. Les diste caminos correctos para vivir, leyes verdaderas, y buenos reglamentos y mandamientos.

14 And made known to them your holy sabbath, and commanded them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses your servant:

Les explicaste tu santo sábado. Les diste mandamientos, reglamentos y leyes por medio de tu siervo Moisés.

15 And gave them bread from heaven for their hunger, and brought forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and promised them that they should go in to possess the land which you had sworn to give them.

Cuando tuvieron hambre les diste pan del cielo, y cuando tuvieron sed les sacaste agua de la roca. Les dijiste que fueran a tomar posesión de la tierra que habías jurado darles.

16 But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their necks, and listened not to your commandments,

“Pero ellos y nuestros antepasados actuaron con arrogancia y se volvieron obstinados, y no prestaron atención a tus mandatos.

17 And refused to obey, neither were mindful of your wonders that you did among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage: but you are a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsook them not.

Se negaron a escucharte y se olvidaron de todos los milagros que hiciste por ellos. Se obstinaron y decidieron elegir ellos mismos un líder que los llevara de vuelta a la esclavitud en Egipto. “Pero tú eres un Dios que perdona, clemente y misericordioso, lento para enojarse y lleno de amor confiable. No los abandonaste,

18 Yes, when they had made them a molten calf, and said, This is your God that brought you up out of Egypt, and had worked great provocations;

ni siquiera cuando se hicieron un becerro de metal y dijeron: ‘Este es su dios que los sacó de Egipto’, y cometieron terribles blasfemias.

19 Yet you in your manifold mercies forsook them not in the wilderness: the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to show them light, and the way wherein they should go.

“Pero tú, por ser tan misericordioso, no los abandonaste en el desierto. La columna de nube no dejó de guiarlos durante el día, y la columna de fuego siguió iluminando su camino por la noche.

20 You gave also your good spirit to instruct them, and withheld not your manna from their mouth, and gave them water for their thirst.

Les diste tu buen Espíritu para enseñarles. No dejaste de alimentarlos con tu maná, y les diste agua cuando tuvieron sed.

21 Yes, forty years did you sustain them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not old, and their feet swelled not.

Cuidaste de ellos durante cuarenta años en el desierto. Sus ropas no se desgastaron, no les faltó nada. Ni siquiera se les hincharon los pies.

22 Moreover you gave them kingdoms and nations, and did divide them into corners: so they possessed the land of Sihon, and the land of the king of Heshbon, and the land of Og king of Bashan.

“Les diste reinos y naciones; les asignaste sus fronteras. Se apoderaron de la tierra de Sehón, rey de Hesbón, y de Og, rey de Basán.

23 Their children also multiplied you as the stars of heaven, and brought them into the land, concerning which you had promised to their fathers, that they should go in to possess it.

Hiciste que sus descendientes fueran tan innumerables como las estrellas del cielo, y los condujiste a la tierra que habías prometido a sus padres que entrarían y poseerían.

24 So the children went in and possessed the land, and you subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gave them into their hands, with their kings, and the people of the land, that they might do with them as they would.

Sus descendientes entraron y se apoderaron de la tierra. Delante de ellos conquistaste a los cananeos que vivían allí, entregándoles sus reyes y su pueblo para que hicieran con ellos lo que quisieran.

25 And they took strong cities, and a fat land, and possessed houses full of all goods, wells dig, vineyards, and olive groves, and fruit trees in abundance: so they did eat, and were filled, and became fat, and delighted themselves in your great goodness.

Capturaron ciudades fortificadas y tierras fértiles. Se apoderaron de casas llenas de cosas valiosas, cisternas de agua, viñedos, olivares y muchos árboles frutales. Comieron hasta saciarse y engordaron. Estaban muy contentos de lo buenos que eran con ellos.

26 Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against you, and cast your law behind their backs, and slew your prophets which testified against them to turn them to you, and they worked great provocations.

“Pero se rebelaron por completo contra ti. Arrojaron tu Ley tras sus espaldas. Mataron a tus profetas que les advertían para que intentaran volver a ti, y cometieron terribles blasfemias.

27 Therefore you delivered them into the hand of their enemies, who vexed them: and in the time of their trouble, when they cried to you, you heard them from heaven; and according to your manifold mercies you gave them saviors, who saved them out of the hand of their enemies.

Por eso los entregaste a sus enemigos, que los trataron mal. En su sufrimiento clamaron a ti por ayuda. “Pero tú oíste sus gritos desde el cielo y, como eres tan misericordioso, les enviaste líderes para salvarlos de sus enemigos.

28 But after they had rest, they did evil again before you: therefore left you them in the land of their enemies, so that they had the dominion over them: yet when they returned, and cried to you, you heard them from heaven; and many times did you deliver them according to your mercies;

“Sin embargo, en cuanto tuvieron paz, volvieron a hacer el mal ante tus ojos. Así que una vez más los entregaste a sus enemigos, que los dominaron. Volvieron a ti, y te gritaron de nuevo. “Pero tú oíste desde el cielo una vez más, y los salvaste una y otra vez porque eres muy misericordioso.

29 And testified against them, that you might bring them again to your law: yet they dealt proudly, and listened not to your commandments, but sinned against your judgments, (which if a man do, he shall live in them; ) and withdrew the shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear.

Les advertiste que volvieran a tu Ley, pero fueron arrogantes. Ignoraron tus mandatos y pecaron contra tus reglas, que, como ya dijiste, ‘Si la gente obedece vivirá por ellos’. Se obstinaron en darte la espalda y se negaron a escuchar.

30 Yet many years did you forbear them, and testified against them by your spirit in your prophets: yet would they not give ear: therefore gave you them into the hand of the people of the lands.

Tuviste paciencia con ellos durante muchos años. Les advertiste con tu Espíritu por medio de tus profetas, pero no te escucharon, así que los entregaste a las demás naciones.

31 Nevertheless for your great mercies’ sake you did not utterly consume them, nor forsake them; for you are a gracious and merciful God.

Pero por tu maravillosa misericordia no terminaste con ellos y no los abandonaste, porque eres un Dios clemente y misericordioso.

32 Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who keep covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble seem little before you, that has come on us, on our kings, on our princes, and on our priests, and on our prophets, and on our fathers, and on all your people, since the time of the kings of Assyria to this day.

“Así que ahora, nuestro Dios, el grande y poderoso y asombroso Dios que mantiene su acuerdo de amor confiable, por favor no ve como sin importancia todas las dificultades que nos han sucedido a nosotros, y a nuestros reyes y líderes, a nuestros sacerdotes y profetas, a nuestro antepasado y a todo tu pueblo, desde el tiempo de los reyes asirios de Asiria hasta ahora.

33 However, you are just in all that is brought on us; for you have done right, but we have done wickedly:

“Pero tú has hecho lo correcto con respecto a todo lo que nos ha sucedido. Siempre has actuado con fidelidad, mientras que nosotros hemos hecho tanto mal.

34 Neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, nor our fathers, kept your law, nor listened to your commandments and your testimonies, with which you did testify against them.

Nuestros reyes, nuestros dirigentes, nuestros sacerdotes y nuestros antepasados no siguieron tu Ley, e ignoraron tus mandatos y reglamentos que les ordenaste cumplir.

35 For they have not served you in their kingdom, and in your great goodness that you gave them, and in the large and fat land which you gave before them, neither turned they from their wicked works.

“Pero ellos, incluso durante el tiempo en que tuvieron su propio reino, con tantas bendiciones que les habías dado en la tierra amplia y fértil que les habías proporcionado, incluso entonces se negaron a servirte y no se apartaron de sus malos caminos.

36 Behold, we are servants this day, and for the land that you gave to our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof, behold, we are servants in it:

“Míranos ahora, esclavos en la tierra que diste a nuestros antepasados para disfrutar de sus frutos y de todas sus cosas buenas. Míranos a nosotros, esclavos aquí.

37 And it yields much increase to the kings whom you have set over us because of our sins: also they have dominion over our bodies, and over our cattle, at their pleasure, and we are in great distress.

Las ricas cosechas de esta tierra son para los reyes que has puesto sobre nosotros a causa de nuestros pecados. Ellos gobiernan nuestros cuerpos y nuestro ganado, haciendo lo que quieren. Estamos sufriendo mucho”.

38 And because of all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, Levites, and priests, seal to it.

En respuesta, el pueblo declaró, “Teniendo en cuenta todo esto, estamos haciendo un acuerdo solemne, poniéndolo por escrito. Está sellado por nuestros líderes, levitas y sacerdotes”.