Nehemiah 9
1 Now on the twenty-fourth day of the same month the people of Israel were assembled and they were fasting, and they were wearing sackcloth, and they put dust on their heads.
El día veinticuatro de este mismo mes, los israelitas se reunieron, ayunando y vistiendo de cilicio, con polvo en la cabeza.
2 The descendants of Israel separated themselves from all the foreigners. They stood and confessed their own sins and the evil actions of their ancestors.
Los de ascendencia israelita se separaron de los extranjeros y se pusieron de pie para confesar sus pecados y los de sus antepasados.
3 They stood up in their places, and for one-fourth of the day they read from the book of the law of Yahweh their God. For another fourth of the day they were confessing and bowing down before Yahweh 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 The Levites, Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Kenani, stood on the stairs and they called out with a loud voice to Yahweh 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, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah said, “Stand up and give praise to Yahweh your God forever and ever.” “May they bless your glorious name, and may it be exalted above every 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 are Yahweh. You alone. You have made heaven, the highest heavens, with all their host, and the earth and everything on it, and the seas and all that is in them. You give life to them all, and the host of heaven worship 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 Yahweh, the God who chose Abram, and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gave him the name 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 You found his heart was faithful before you, and you made with him the covenant to give to his descendants the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, and the Girgashites. You have kept your promise because 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 You saw the affliction of our forefathers in Egypt and you heard their cry by the Sea of Reeds.
“Viste cuánto sufrían nuestros antepasados en Egipto. Oíste sus gritos de auxilio en el Mar Rojo.
10 You gave signs and wonders against Pharaoh, and all his servants, and on all the people of his land, for you knew that the Egyptians acted with arrogance against them. But you made a name for yourself which stands to 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 Then you divided the sea before them, so that they went through the middle of the sea on the dry land; and threw those who pursued them into the depths, as a stone into deep 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 You led them by a pillar of cloud during by day, and by a pillar of fire during the night to light the way for them to 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 On Mount Sinai you came down and you spoke with them from heaven and gave to them righteous decrees 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 You made your holy Sabbath known to them, and you gave them commandments and statutes and a law through Moses your servant.
Les explicaste tu santo sábado. Les diste mandamientos, reglamentos y leyes por medio de tu siervo Moisés.
15 You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger, and water from a rock for their thirst, and you said to them to go in to possess the land you swore on oath 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 ancestors acted disrespectfully, and they were stubborn, and did not listen to your commandments.
“Pero ellos y nuestros antepasados actuaron con arrogancia y se volvieron obstinados, y no prestaron atención a tus mandatos.
17 They refused to listen, and they did not think about the wonders that you had done among them, but became stubborn, and in their rebellion they appointed a leader to return to their slavery. But you are a God who is full of forgiveness, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. You did not abandon them.
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 Even when they had cast a calf out of molten metal and said, 'This is your God who brought you up out of Egypt,' and had committed great blasphemies,
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 you, in your compassion, did not abandon them in the wilderness. The pillar of cloud to lead them on the way did not leave them during day, neither did the pillar of fire by night to light the way for them to 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 Your good Spirit you gave them to instruct them, and your manna you did not withhold from their mouths, and water you gave them 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 For forty years you provided for them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell.
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 You gave them kingdoms and peoples, assigning to them every corner of the land. Then they took possession of the land of Sihon 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 You made their children as numerous as the stars of heaven, and you brought them into the land that you told their ancestors to go in and possess.
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 people went in and possessed the land and you subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites. You gave them into their hands, with their kings and the peoples of the land, that Israel might do with them as they pleased.
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 They captured the fortified cities and a productive land, and they captured houses full of all good things, cisterns already cut out, vineyards and olive orchards, and fruit trees in abundance. So they ate and were satisfied and grew fat and enjoyed 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 Then they became disobedient and they rebelled against you. They threw your law behind their backs. They murdered your prophets who had warned them to turn back to you, and they committed great blasphemies.
“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 So you gave them into the hand of their enemies, who made them suffer. In the time of their suffering, they cried out to you, and you heard them from heaven, and because of your great mercies you sent them rescuers who rescued 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, and you abandoned them to the hand of their enemies, so their enemies ruled over them. Yet when they returned and cried out to you, you heard from heaven, and many times because of your compassion you rescued them.
“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 You warned them so they might turn back to your law. Yet they acted arrogantly and did not listen to your commands. They sinned against your decrees which give life to anyone who obeys them. They gave the stubborn shoulder-blade and stiffened their neck and refused to listen.
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 For many years you put up with them and warned them by your Spirit through your prophets. Yet they did not listen. So you gave them into the hand of the neighboring peoples.
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 But in your great mercies you did not make a complete end of them, or 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—you great, mighty, and awesome God who keep your covenant and steadfast love—do not let all this hardship seem little to you that has come on us, on our kings, on our princes, and on our priests, and on our prophets, and on our ancestors, and on all your people from the days of the kings of Assyria until today.
“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 You are just in everything that has come on us, for you have dealt faithfully, but we have acted 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 Our kings, our princes, our priests, and our ancestors have not kept your law, nor paid attention to your commandments or your covenant decrees by which you warned 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 Even in their own kingdom, while they enjoyed your great goodness to them, in the large and productive land you set before them, they did not serve you or turn away from their evil ways.
“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 Now we are slaves in the land you gave our ancestors to enjoy its fruit and its good gifts, and behold, we are slaves 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 The rich yield from our land goes to the kings you have set over us because of our sins. They rule over our bodies and over our livestock as they please. 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 Because of all this, we make a firm covenant in writing. On the sealed document are the names of our princes, Levites, and priests.”
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”.
