Nehemiah 9

1 And in the twenty-fourth day of this month the sons of Israel have been gathered with fasting, and with sackcloth, and earth on them;

And in the four and twentieth day of the month the children of Israel came together with fasting and with sackcloth, and earth upon them.

2 and the seed of Israel are separated from all sons of a stranger, and stand and confess concerning their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers,

And the seed of the children of Israel separated themselves from every stranger: and they stood, and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers.

3 and rise up on their station, and read in the Scroll of the Law of their God YHWH a fourth of the day, and a fourth they are confessing and bowing themselves to their God YHWH.

And they rose up to stand: and they read in the book of the law of the Lord their God, four times in the day, and four times they confessed, and adored the Lord their God.

4 And there stand up on the ascent, of the Levites, Jeshua, and Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, Chenani, and they cry with a loud voice to their God YHWH.

And there stood up upon the seep of the Levites, Josue, and Bani, and Cedmihel, Sabania, Bonni, Sarebias, Bani, and Chanani: and they cried with a loud voice to the Lord their God.

5 And the Levites say, [even] Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, Pethahiah, “Rise, bless your God YHWH, From age to age, And they bless the Name of Your glory That [is] exalted above all blessing and praise.

And the Levites Josue and Cedmihel, Bonni, Hasebnia, Serebia, Oduia, Sebnia, and Phathahia, said: Arise, bless the Lord your God from eternity to eternity: and blessed be the high name of thy glory with all blessing and praise.

6 You [are] He, O YHWH, Yourself—You have made the heavens, The heavens of the heavens, and all their host, The earth and all that [are] on it, The seas and all that [are] in them, And You are keeping all of them alive, And the host of the heavens are bowing themselves to You.

Thou thyself, O Lord alone, thou hast made heaven, and the heaven of heavens, and all the host thereof: the earth and all things that are in it: the seas and all that are therein: and thou givest life to all these things, and the host of heaven adoreth thee.

7 You [are] He, O YHWH God, Who fixed on Abraham, And brought him out from Ur of the Chaldeans, And made his name Abraham,

Thou, O Lord God, art he who chosest Abram, and broughtest him forth out of the fire of the Chaldeans, and gavest him the name of Abraham.

8 And found his heart steadfast before You, So as to make with him the covenant, To give the land of the Canaanite, The Hittite, the Amorite, and the Perizzite, and the Jebusite, and the Girgashite, To give [it] to his seed. And You establish Your words, For You [are] righteous,

And thou didst find his heart faithful before thee: and thou madest a covenant with him, to give him the land of the Chanaanite, of the Hethite, and of the Amorrhite, and of the Pherezite, and of the Jebusite, and of the Gergezite, to give it to his seed: and thou hast fulfilled thy words, because thou art just.

9 And see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, And their cry have heard by the Sea of Suph,

And thou sawest the affliction of our fathers in Egypt: and thou didst hear their cry by the Red Sea.

10 And give signs and wonders on Pharaoh, And on all his servants, And on all the people of his land, For You have known that they have acted proudly against them, And You make to Yourself a name as [at] this day.

And thou shewedst signs and wonders upon Pharao, and upon all his servants, and upon the people of his land: for thou knewest that they dealt proudly against them: and thou madest thyself a name, as it is at this day.

11 And You have cleaved the sea before them, And they pass over into the midst of the sea on the dry land, And their pursuers You have cast into the depths, As a stone, into the strong waters.

And thou didst divide the sea before them, and they passed through the midst of the sea on dry land: but their persecutors thou threwest into the depth, as a stone into mighty waters.

12 And by a pillar of cloud You have led them by day, And by a pillar of fire by night, To lighten to them the way in which they go.

And in a pillar of a cloud thou wast their leader by day, and in a pillar of Are by night, that they might see the way by which they went.

13 And on Mount Sinai You have come down, Even to speak with them from the heavens, And You give to them right judgments, And true laws, good statutes and commands.

Thou camest down also to mount Sinai, and didst speak with them from heaven, and thou gavest them right judgments, and the law of truth, ceremonies, and good precepts.

14 And Your holy Sabbath You have made known to them, And commands, and statutes, and law, You have commanded for them, By the hand of Your servant Moses;

Thou madest known to them thy holy sabbath, and didst prescribe to them commandments, and ceremonies, and the law by the hand of Moses thy servant.

15 And bread from the heavens You have given to them for their hunger, And water from a rock have brought out to them for their thirst, And say to them to go in to possess the land That You have lifted up Your hand to give to them.

And thou gavest them bread from heaven in their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock in their thirst, and thou saidst to them that they should go in, and possess the land, upon which thou hadst lifted up thy hand to give it them.

16 And they and our fathers have acted proudly, And harden their neck, And have not listened to Your commands,

But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their necks and hearkened not to thy commandments.

17 Indeed, they refuse to listen, And have not remembered Your wonders that You have done with them, And harden their neck and appoint a head, To turn back to their service, in their rebellion; And You [are] a God of pardons, Gracious, and merciful, long-suffering, and abundant in kindness, And have not forsaken them.

And they would not hear, and they remembered not thy wonders which thou hadst done for them. And they hardened their necks, and gave the head to return to their bondage, as it were by contention. But thou, a forgiving God, gracious, and merciful, longsuffering, and full of compassion, didst not forsake them.

18 Also, when they have made to themselves a molten calf, And say, This [is] your god That brought you up out of Egypt, And do great despisings,

Yea when they had made also to themselves a molten calf, and had said: This is thy God, that brought thee out of Egypt: and hail committed great blasphemies:

19 and You, in Your abundant mercies, Have not forsaken them in the wilderness—The pillar of the cloud has not turned aside from off them by day, To lead them in the way, And the pillar of the fire by night, To give light to them and the way in which they go.

Yet thou, in thy many mercies, didst not leave them in the desert: the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day to lead them in the way, and the pillar of fire by night to shew them the way by which they should go.

20 And Your good Spirit You have given, To cause them to act wisely; And Your manna You have not withheld from their mouth, And water You have given to them for their thirst,

And thou gavest them thy good Spirit to teach them, and thy manna thou didst not withhold from their mouth, and thou gavest them water for their thirst.

21 And forty years You have nourished them in a wilderness; They have not lacked; Their garments have not worn out, And their feet have not swelled.

Forty years didst thou feed them in the desert, and nothing was wanting to them: their garments did not grow old, and their feet were not worn.

22 And You give to them kingdoms, and peoples, And apportion them to the corner, And they possess the land of Sihon, And the land of the king of Heshbon, And the land of Og king of Bashan.

And thou gavest them kingdoms, and nations, and didst divide lots for them: and they possessed the land of Sehon, and the land of the king of Hesebon, and the land of Og king of Basan.

23 And You have multiplied their sons as the stars of the heavens, And bring them into the land That You have said to their fathers to go in to possess.

And thou didst multiply their children as the stars of heaven, and broughtest them to the land concerning which thou hadst said to their fathers, that they should go in and possess it.

24 And the sons come in, and possess the land, And You humble the inhabitants of the land—the Canaanites—before them, And give them into their hand, and their kings, And the peoples of the land, To do with them according to their pleasure.

And the children came and possessed the land, and thou didst humble before them the inhabitants of the land, the Chanaanites, and gavest them into their hands, with their kings, and the people of the land, that they might do with them as it pleased them.

25 And they capture fortified cities, and fat ground, And possess houses full of all good, Dug-wells, vineyards, and olive-yards, And fruit-trees in abundance, And they eat, and are satisfied, And become fat, And delight themselves in Your great goodness.

And they took strong cities and a fat land, and possessed houses full of all goods: cisterns made by others, vineyards, and oliveyards, and fruit trees in abundance: and they ate, and were filled, and became fat, and abounded with delight in thy great goodness.

26 And they are disobedient, And rebel against You, And cast Your law behind their back, And Your prophets they have slain, Who testified against them, To bring them back to You, And they do great despisings,

But they provoked thee to wrath, and departed from thee, and threw thy law behind their backs: and they killed thy prophets, who admonished them earnestly to return to thee: and they were guilty of great blasphemies.

27 And You give them into the hand of their adversaries, And they distress them, And in the time of their distress they cry to You, And You, from the heavens, hear, And according to Your abundant mercies, Give saviors to them, And they save them out of the hand of their adversaries.

And thou gavest them into the hands of their enemies, and they afflicted them. And in the time of their tribulation they cried to thee, and thou heardest from heaven, and according to the multitude of thy tender mercies thou gavest them saviours, to save them from the hands of their enemies.

28 And when they have rest, They turn back to do evil before You, And You leave them in the hand of their enemies, And they rule over them; And they return, and call You, And You hear from the heavens, And deliver them many times, According to Your mercies,

But after they had rest, they returned to do evil in thy sight: and thou leftest them in the hand of their enemies, and they had dominion over them. Then they returned, and cried to thee: and thou heardest from heaven, and deliveredst them many times in thy mercies.

29 And testify against them, To bring them back to Your law; And they have acted proudly, And have not listened to Your commands, And against Your judgments have sinned—Which man does and has lived in them—And they give a stubborn shoulder, And have hardened their neck, And have not listened.

And thou didst admonish them to return to thy law. But they dealt proudly, and hearkened not to thy commandments, but sinned against thy judgments, which if a man do, he shall live in them: and they withdrew the shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear.

30 And You draw over them many years, And testify against them by Your Spirit, By the hand of Your prophets, And they have not given ear, And You give them into the hand of peoples of the lands,

And thou didst forbear with them for many years, and didst testify against them by thy spirit by the hand of thy prophets: and they heard not, and thou didst deliver them into the hand of the people of the lands.

31 and in Your abundant mercies You have not made them a consumption, Nor have forsaken them; For a God, gracious and merciful, [are] You.

Yet in thy very many mercies thou didst not utterly consume them, nor forsake them: because thou art a merciful and gracious God.

32 And now, O our God—God, the great, the mighty, And the fearful, Keeping the covenant and the kindness—Do not let all the travail that has found us be little before You, For our kings, for our heads, and for our priests, And for our prophets, and for our fathers, And for all Your people, From the days of the kings of Asshur to this day;

Now therefore our God, great, strong and terrible, who keepest covenant and mercy, turn not away from thy face all the labour which hath come upon us, upon our kings, and our princes, and our priests, and our prophets, and our fathers, and all the people from the days of the king of Assur, until this day.

33 And You [are] righteous concerning all that has come on us, For You have done truth, And we have done wickedly;

And thou art just in all things that have come upon us: because thou hast done truth, but we have done wickedly.

34 And our kings, our heads, Our priests, and our fathers, Have not done Your law, Nor attended to Your commands, And to Your testimonies, That You have testified against them;

Our kings, our princes, our priests, and our fathers have not kept thy law, and have not minded thy commandments, and thy testimonies which thou hast testified among them.

35 And they, in their kingdom, And in Your abundant goodness, That You have given to them, And in the land, the large and the fat, That You have set before them, Have not served You, Nor turned back from their evil doings.

And they have not served thee in their kingdoms, and in thy manifold goodness, which thou gavest them, and in the large and fat land, which thou deliveredst before them, nor did they return from their most wicked devices.

36 Behold, we—today—[are] servants, And the land that You have given to our fathers, To eat its fruit and its good, Behold, we [are] servants on it,

Behold we ourselves this day are bondmen: and the land, which thou gavest our fathers, to eat the bread thereof, and the good things thereof, and we ourselves are servants in it.

37 And its increase it is multiplying to the kings Whom You have set over us In our sins; And over our bodies they are ruling, And over our livestock, According to their pleasure, And we [are] in great distress.

And the fruits thereof grow up for the kings, whom thou hast set over us for our sins, and they have dominion over our bodies, and over our beasts, according to their will, and we are in great tribulation.

38 And for all this we are making a steadfast covenant, And are writing, And over him who is sealed [Are] our heads, our Levites, [and] our priests.”

And because of all this we ourselves make a covenant, and write it, and our princes, our Levites, and our priests sign it.