Nehemiah 9

1 Forsothe in the foure and twentithe dai of this monethe, the sones of Israel camen togidere in fastyng,

Now in the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, with sackcloth, and dirt on them.

2 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.

The offspring of Israel separated themselves from all foreigners and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers.

3 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.

They stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of the LORD their God a fourth part of the day; and a fourth part they confessed and worshiped the LORD their God.

4 Forsothe `thei risiden on the degree, of dekenes, Jesuy, and Bany, Cedynyel, Remmy, Abany, Sarabie, Bany, and Chanany.

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

5 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.

Then the Levites, Jeshua, and 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, which is exalted above all blessing and praise!

6 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.

You are the LORD, even you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their army, the earth and all things that are on it, the seas and all that is in them, and you preserve them all. The army of heaven worships you.

7 Thou thi silf art the Lord God, that chesidist Abram, and leddist hym out of the fier of Caldeis, and settidist his name Abraham;

You are the LORD, the God who chose Abram, brought him out of Ur of the Chaldees, gave him the name of Abraham,

8 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.

found his heart faithful before you, and made a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite, and the Girgashite, to give it to his offspring, and have performed your words, for you are righteous.

9 And thou hast seyn the turment of oure fadris in Egipt, and thou herdist the cry of hem on the reed see.

“You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heard their cry by the Red Sea,

10 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.

and showed signs and wonders against Pharaoh, against all his servants, and against all the people of his land, for you knew that they dealt proudly against them, and made a name for yourself, as it is today.

11 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.

You divided the sea before them, so that they went through the middle of the sea on the dry land; and you cast their pursuers into the depths, as a stone into the mighty waters.

12 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.

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

13 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.

“You also came down on Mount Sinai, and spoke with them from heaven, and gave them right ordinances and true laws, good statutes and commandments,

14 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.

and made known to them your holy Sabbath, and commanded them commandments, statutes, and a law, by Moses your servant,

15 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.

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

16 But `thei and oure fadris diden proudli, and maden hard her nollis, and herden not thi comaundementis.

“But they and our fathers behaved proudly, hardened their neck, did not listen to your commandments,

17 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;

and refused to obey. They were not mindful of your wonders that you did among them, but hardened their neck, 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 abundant in loving kindness, and did not forsake them.

18 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.

Yes, when they had made themselves a molded calf, and said, ‘This is your God who brought you up out of Egypt,’ and had committed awful blasphemies,

19 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.

yet you in your manifold mercies did not forsake them in the wilderness. The pillar of cloud did not depart from over them by day, to lead them in the way; neither did the pillar of fire by night, to show them light, and the way in which they should go.

20 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.

You gave also your good Spirit to instruct them, and did not withhold your manna from their mouth, and gave them water for their thirst.

21 Fourti yeer thou feddist hem in deseert, and no thing failide to hem; her clothis wexiden not elde, and her feet weren not hirt.

“Yes, forty years you sustained them in the wilderness. They lacked nothing. Their clothes did not grow old, and their feet did not swell.

22 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.

Moreover you gave them kingdoms and peoples, which you allotted according to their portions. So they possessed the land of Sihon, even the land of the king of Heshbon, and the land of Og king of Bashan.

23 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.

You also multiplied their children as the stars of the sky, and brought them into the land concerning which you said to their fathers that they should go in to possess it.

24 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.

“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 peoples of the land, that they might do with them as they pleased.

25 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.

They took fortified cities and a rich land, and possessed houses full of all good things, cisterns dug out, vineyards, olive groves, and fruit trees in abundance. So they ate, were filled, became fat, and delighted themselves in your great goodness.

26 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.

“Nevertheless they were disobedient and rebelled against you, cast your law behind their back, killed your prophets that testified against them to turn them again to you, and they committed awful blasphemies.

27 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.

Therefore you delivered them into the hand of their adversaries, who distressed them. In the time of their trouble, when they cried to you, you heard from heaven; and according to your manifold mercies you gave them saviors who saved them out of the hands of their adversaries.

28 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.

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

29 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.

and testified against them, that you might bring them again to your law. Yet they were arrogant, and did not listen to your commandments, but sinned against your ordinances (which if a man does, he shall live in them), turned their backs, stiffened their neck, and would not hear.

30 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.

Yet many years you put up with them, and testified against them by your Spirit through your prophets. Yet they would not listen. Therefore you gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.

31 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.

“Nevertheless in your manifold mercies you did not make a full end of them, nor forsake them; for you are a gracious and merciful God.

32 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.

Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and loving kindness, do not let all the travail seem little before you that has come on us, on our kings, on our princes, on our priests, on our prophets, on our fathers, and on all your people, since the time of the kings of Assyria to this day.

33 And thou art iust in alle thingis, that camen on vs, for thou didist trewthe to vs; but we han do wickidli.

However you are just in all that has come on us; for you have dealt truly, but we have done wickedly.

34 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.

Also our kings, our princes, our priests, and our fathers have not kept your law, nor listened to your commandments and your testimonies with which you testified against them.

35 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.

For they have not served you in their kingdom, and in your great goodness that you gave them, and in the large and rich land which you gave before them. They did not turn from their wicked works.

36 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.

“Behold, we are servants today, and as for the land that you gave to our fathers to eat its fruit and its good, behold, we are servants in it.

37 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.

It yields much increase to the kings whom you have set over us because of our sins. Also they have power over our bodies and over our livestock, at their pleasure, and we are in great distress.

38 Therfor on alle these thingis we `vs silf smyten and writen boond of pees, and oure princes, oure dekenes, and oure prestis aseelen.

Yet for all this, we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, our Levites, and our priests, seal it.”