9 On the 24th day of the same month, the Israelite people met together. They did not eat or drink. They wore sackcloth and they put dust on their heads. [ a ]
2 The Israelite people made themselves separate from foreign people. They stood up and they told God that they were sorry for their sins. They agreed that their ancestors had also done many bad things. 3 While the Israelites stood there, they read from the book of God's Law during a quarter of the day. During another quarter of the day they told the Lord their God about their sins and they worshipped him. 4 The Levites stood on some high steps. They called out in a loud voice to the Lord their God. Those Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani and Kenani. 5 Then the Levites (Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah and Pethahiah) said, ‘Stand up and praise the Lord your God. He lives always and for ever.’
They said, ‘Your name is great and wonderful. [ b ] We praise you more than words could ever say. 6 Only you are the Lord . You made the sky and the heavens above the sky. You made all the stars, the earth and everything on it. You made the seas and everything in them. You give life to everything. The great crowd of angels in heaven bend down low to worship you.
7 You are the Lord God who chose Abram. You brought him out of Ur, in Babylonia. You changed his name to be Abraham. 8 You knew that Abraham trusted you, so you made a covenant with him. You promised to give the land of Canaan to his descendants. That was the country where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites and Girgashites lived. You have done what you promised to do, because you are righteous.
9 You saw that our ancestors had trouble and pain in Egypt. You heard them cry to you for help at the Red Sea. 10 You did great miracles to show your power against Pharaoh, his officers and all his people. [ c ] You knew that they were being cruel to your people. You showed everyone that you are a great God. And people still know that it is true. 11 You divided the sea into two parts so that your people could cross it on a dry path. When Pharaoh's soldiers chased after them, you threw them into the sea. They drowned in the water, like a heavy stone. 12 During the day, you led your people with a pillar of cloud. At night, you led them with a pillar of fire to give them light. You showed them the way that they should travel.
13 At Sinai mountain, you came down from heaven and you spoke to your people. You gave them your laws, rules and commands, which are good, fair and true. 14 You told them about the Sabbath and how to make it a special day. You gave all your laws to Moses so that he would teach them to your people. 15 You gave your people bread from heaven when they were hungry. You gave them water from a rock to drink when they were thirsty. You commanded them to go to the land that you had promised to give them. You told them to take it for themselves.
16 But our ancestors turned away from you. They would not agree to obey your commands. 17 They refused to obey you. They forgot about all the miracles that you had done to help them. Instead, they turned against you. They chose a leader to take them back to Egypt, where they had been slaves. But you are a God who forgives people. You are kind to people. You are slow to get angry and your love for your people always continues. So you did not leave your people alone.
18 Our ancestors made an image of a young cow to be their god. [ d ] They said to each other, “This is our god who brought us out of Egypt.” They insulted you in that way, but you still did not turn away from your people.
19 You were kind to them while they travelled in the desert. You continued to lead them with a pillar of cloud in the day. At night, you continued to show them the way with a pillar of fire. So they always knew which way to go. 20 You gave them your good Spirit to teach them what to do. You continued to give them manna from heaven to eat. You gave them water from a rock to drink. 21 During 40 years you took care of them in the desert. Their clothes did not spoil. Their feet did not become big with pain.
22 You gave kingdoms and nations to your people. The borders of their land reached a long way. The land of King Sihon of Heshbon became their own land. So did the land of King Og of Bashan. 23 You caused your people to have many descendants, as many as the stars in the sky. You brought them to the land that you had promised to their ancestors. You had told them to go and live in it. 24 Their descendants went there and they took the land for themselves. You gave them power over the Canaanites and the other kings and nations who lived there. They could do whatever they wanted with those people. 25 They took their strong cities and their good land for themselves. The houses of those people were full of many good things. Your people could use the things that were already there. They had their wells, their vineyards, their olive trees and other fruit trees. They had as much food as they could eat, so they became fat. The many good things that you gave them made them very happy.
26 But your people did not obey you. They turned against you. They stopped obeying your laws. You sent your prophets to warn your people to return to you. But they killed the prophets that you sent to them. Your people insulted you in many bad ways. 27 So you put them under the power of their enemies. And their enemies were cruel to them. Then your people called to you for help because they were in trouble. You heard them from your home in heaven. Because you are so kind, you gave them strong leaders. And those leaders saved them from their enemies.
28 But when your people were living safely again, they did evil things again. So you left them to the power of their enemies. Your people called to you again for help. You heard them again from your home in heaven. Because you are so kind, you rescued them like that many times. 29 You warned them to obey your laws. But they refused to listen to you. They did not obey your commands. You had given them rules which would help them to have true life if they obeyed them. But they would not obey your laws. They turned away from you and they continued to do bad things.
30 You continued to help your people for many years. You sent your prophets to tell them messages from your Spirit. You warned them, but they refused to listen. So you put them under the power of the nations who lived near them. 31 But because you are very kind, you did not turn away from them or destroy them. You are a God who is very kind and you forgive people.
32 So we pray to you, our God. You are great and powerful. You continue to love your people as you have promised in your covenant with us. Please see how much trouble has come to us! Our kings, our leaders, our priests, our prophets and our ancestors and your people all belong to you. We have all had many great troubles since the time that the kings of Assyria attacked us. 33 But when you punished us like that, you were right to do it. You have always been faithful. It is us who have done wicked things. 34 Our kings, our leaders, our priests and our ancestors have not obeyed your laws. They have not listened to your commands. You warned them but they would not listen. 35 When they had their own kingdom, they still would not agree to serve you. You gave them a good land to live in, with plenty of food. They enjoyed your good gifts, but they would not obey you. They did not stop doing evil things.
36 So today we live like slaves. Yes, we are slaves in the land that you gave to our ancestors. You wanted them to enjoy all the good things that grow here. 37 But because of our sins you have caused foreign kings to rule over us. They take the food that grows in our fields. They use us and our animals in any way that they like. So we are very upset!’
38 ‘Because of this we Israelite people are all making a promise. We are writing down our agreement to serve the Lord . Our leaders, our Levites and our priests will write their names on it to give it their authority.’
9 Then on the 24th day of that same month, the Israelites gathered together for a day of fasting. They wore sackcloth and put ashes on their heads to show they were sad and upset. 2 Those people who were true Israelites separated themselves from foreigners. The Israelites stood and confessed their sins and the sins of their ancestors. 3 They stood there for about three hours, and the people read the Book of the Law of the Lord their God. Then for three more hours they confessed their sins and bowed down to worship the Lord their God.
4 Then these Levites stood on the stairs: Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Kenani. They called out to the Lord their God with loud voices. 5 Then these Levites spoke again: Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah. They said, “Stand up and praise the Lord your God! God has always lived and will live forever.
“People should praise your glorious name.
May your name be lifted above all blessing and praise.
6 You are God.
Lord , only you are God.
You made the sky and the highest heavens
and everything in them.
You made the earth
and everything on it.
You made the seas
and everything in them.
You give life to everything.
All the heavenly angels bow down and worship you.
7 You are the Lord ,
the God who chose Abram.
You led him from Ur in Babylonia.
You changed his name to Abraham.
8 You saw he was true and loyal to you,
and you made an agreement with him.
You promised to give him the land
of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites, and Girgashites.
But you promised to give that land to Abraham’s descendants.
And you kept your promise because you are good.
9 You saw our ancestors suffering in Egypt
and heard them call for help by the Red Sea.
10 You showed the miracles to Pharaoh.
You did amazing things to his officials and his people.
You knew that the Egyptians thought
they were better than our ancestors.
But you proved how great you are,
and they remember that even today.
11 You split the Red Sea in front of them,
and they walked through on dry land.
The Egyptian soldiers were chasing them,
but you threw that enemy into the sea.
And they sank like a rock into the sea.
12 With the tall cloud, you led them by day,
and at night you used the column of fire.
That is the way you lit their path
and showed them where to go.
13 Then you came down to Mount Sinai.
You spoke to them from heaven.
You gave them good laws.
You gave them true teachings.
You gave them laws and commands that were very good.
14 You told them about your special day of rest—the Sabbath.
Through your servant Moses,
you gave them commands, laws, and teachings.
15 They were hungry,
so you gave them food from heaven.
They were thirsty,
so you gave them water from a rock.
You told them,
‘Come, take this land.’
You used your power,
and took the land for them.
16 But our ancestors became proud and stubborn.
They refused to obey your commands.
17 They refused to listen.
They forgot the amazing things you did with them.
They became stubborn.
They decided to return to Egypt and become slaves again.
“But you are a forgiving God!
You are kind and full of mercy.
You are patient and full of love.
So you didn’t leave them!
18 You didn’t leave them even when they made golden calves and said,
‘These are the gods that led us out of Egypt.’
19 You are very kind,
so you didn’t leave them in the desert.
You didn’t take the tall cloud
away from them by day.
You continued to lead them.
You didn’t take the column of fire
away from them at night.
You continued to light their path
and to show them which way to go.
20 You gave them your good Spirit to make them wise.
You gave them manna for food.
You gave them water for their thirst.
21 You took care of them for 40 years.
They had all they needed in the desert.
Their clothes didn’t wear out,
and their feet didn’t swell and hurt.
22 You gave them kingdoms and nations,
and you gave them faraway places where few people live.
They got the land of King Sihon of Heshbon.
They got the land of King Og of Bashan.
23 You made their descendants
as many as the stars in the sky.
You brought them to the land
you promised to give their ancestors.
They went in and took that land.
24 Their children took the land.
They defeated the Canaanites living there.
You let them defeat those people.
You let them do whatever they wanted
to those nations, people, and kings.
25 They defeated powerful cities.
They took the fertile land.
They got houses filled with good things.
They got wells that were already dug.
They got vineyards, olive trees, and plenty of fruit trees.
They ate until they were full and fat.
They enjoyed all the wonderful things you gave them.
26 And then they turned against you.
They threw away your teachings.
They killed your prophets.
Those prophets warned the people.
They tried to bring them back to you.
But our ancestors said terrible things against you.
27 So you let their enemies have them.
The enemy caused them much trouble.
When trouble came, our ancestors called to you for help.
And in heaven, you heard them.
You are very kind,
so you sent people to save them.
And they rescued them from their enemies.
28 Then as soon as our ancestors were rested,
they started doing terrible things again!
So you let the enemy defeat them
and punish them.
They called to you for help,
and in heaven you heard them and helped them.
You are so kind.
That happened so many times.
29 You warned them.
You told them to come back,
but they were too proud.
They refused to listen to your commands.
If people obey your laws, they will live.
But our ancestors broke your laws.
They were stubborn.
They turned their backs on you.
They refused to listen.
30 “You were very patient with our ancestors.
You let them mistreat you for many years.
You warned them with your Spirit.
You sent the prophets to warn them.
But our ancestors didn’t listen.
So you gave them to people in other countries.
31 “But you are so kind!
You didn’t completely destroy them.
You didn’t leave them.
You are such a kind and merciful God!
32 Our God, you are the great God,
the awesome, powerful soldier!
You are kind and loyal.
You keep your agreement.
We have had many troubles,
and our troubles are important to you.
Bad things happened to all our people,
and to our kings and leaders,
and to our priests and prophets.
Those terrible things have happened
from the days of the king of Assyria until today!
33 But God, you were right about everything that happened to us.
You were right, and we were wrong.
34 Our kings, leaders, priests, and fathers did not obey your law.
They didn’t listen to your commands.
They ignored your warnings.
35 Our ancestors didn’t serve you even when they were living in their own kingdom.
They didn’t stop doing evil.
They enjoyed all the wonderful things you gave them.
They enjoyed the rich land and had plenty of room,
but they didn’t stop their evil ways.
36 And now, we are slaves.
We are slaves in this land,
the land you gave our ancestors
so they could enjoy its fruit
and all the good things that grow here.
37 The harvest is big in this land.
But we sinned, so that harvest goes to the kings you put over us.
They control us and our cattle.
They do anything they want.
We are in a lot of trouble.
38 “Because of all these things, we are making an agreement that cannot be changed. We are putting this agreement in writing. Our leaders, Levites, and priests are signing their names to this agreement and sealing it with a seal.”
9 Now in the twenty and fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackclothes, and earth upon them.
2 And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers.
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.
4 Then stood up upon the stairs, of the Levites, Jeshua, and Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani, and cried with a loud voice unto the Lord their God.
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 thy glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise.
6 Thou, even thou, art Lord alone; thou hast 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 thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee.
7 Thou art the Lord the God, who didst choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham;
8 And foundest his heart faithful before thee, and madest 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 hast performed thy words; for thou art righteous:
9 And didst see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heardest their cry by the Red sea;
10 And shewedst signs and wonders upon Pharaoh, and on all his servants, and on all the people of his land: for thou knewest that they dealt proudly against them. So didst thou get thee a name, as it is this day.
11 And thou didst divide the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land; and their persecutors thou threwest into the deeps, as a stone into the mighty waters.
12 Moreover thou leddest 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.
13 Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments:
14 And madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and commandedst them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses thy servant:
15 And gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and promisedst them that they should go in to possess the land which thou hadst sworn to give them.
16 But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their necks, and hearkened not to thy commandments,
17 And refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage: but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not.
18 Yea, when they had made them a molten calf, and said, This is thy God that brought thee up out of Egypt, and had wrought great provocations;
19 Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest 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 shew them light, and the way wherein they should go.
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.
21 Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not old, and their feet swelled not.
22 Moreover thou gavest them kingdoms and nations, and didst 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.
23 Their children also multipliedst thou as the stars of heaven, and broughtest them into the land, concerning which thou hadst promised to their fathers, that they should go in to possess it.
24 So 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, with their kings, and the people of the land, that they might do with them as they would.
25 And they took strong cities, and a fat land, and possessed houses full of all goods, wells digged, vineyards, and oliveyards, and fruit trees in abundance: so they did eat, and were filled, and became fat, and delighted themselves in thy great goodness.
26 Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs, and slew thy prophets which testified against them to turn them to thee, and they wrought great provocations.
27 Therefore thou deliveredst them into the hand of their enemies, who vexed them: and in the time of their trouble, when they cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven; and according to thy manifold mercies thou gavest them saviours, who saved them out of the hand of their enemies.
28 But after they had rest, they did evil again before thee: therefore leftest thou them in the land of their enemies, so that they had the dominion over them: yet when they returned, and cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven; and many times didst thou deliver them according to thy mercies;
29 And testifiedst against them, that thou mightest bring them again unto thy law: yet they dealt proudly, and hearkened not unto thy commandments, but sinned against thy judgments, (which if a man do, he shall live in them;) and withdrew the shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear.
30 Yet many years didst thou forbear them, and testifiedst against them by thy spirit in thy prophets: yet would they not give ear: therefore gavest thou them into the hand of the people of the lands.
31 Nevertheless for thy great mercies' sake thou didst not utterly consume them, nor forsake them; for thou art a gracious and merciful God.
32 Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who keepest covenant and mercy, 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 time of the kings of Assyria unto this day.
33 Howbeit thou art just in all that is brought upon us; for thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly:
34 Neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, nor our fathers, kept thy law, nor hearkened unto thy commandments and thy testimonies, wherewith thou didst testify against them.
35 For they have not served thee in their kingdom, and in thy great goodness that thou gavest them, and in the large and fat land which thou gavest before them, neither turned they from their wicked works.
36 Behold, we are servants this day, and for the land that thou gavest unto our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof, behold, we are servants in it:
37 And it yieldeth much increase unto the kings whom thou hast 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.
38 And because of all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, Levites, and priests, seal unto it.
9 Now on the twenty-fourth day of ( A ) this month the sons of Israel assembled ( B ) with fasting, in sackcloth and with ( C ) dirt upon them. 2 The [ a ] ( D ) descendants of Israel separated themselves from all foreigners, and they stood and ( E ) confessed their sins and the wrongdoings of their fathers. 3 While ( F ) they stood in their place, they read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a fourth of the day; and for another fourth they confessed and worshiped the Lord their God. 4 ( G ) Now on the Levites’ platform stood Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani, and they cried out with a loud voice to the Lord their God.
5 Then the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah said, “Arise, bless the Lord your God forever and ever!
May Your glorious name be blessed
And exalted above all blessing and praise!
6 ( H ) You alone are the Lord .
( I ) You have made the heavens,
The heaven of heavens with all their [ b ] lights,
The earth and everything that is on it,
The seas and everything that is in them.
( J ) You give life to all of them,
And the heavenly [ c ] lights bow down before You.
7 You are the Lord God,
( K ) Who chose Abram
And brought him out from ( L ) Ur of the Chaldees,
And ( M ) gave him the name Abraham.
8 You found ( N ) his heart faithful before You,
And made a covenant with him
To give him the land of the Canaanite,
Of the Hittite and the Amorite,
Of the Perizzite, the Jebusite, and the Girgashite—
To give it to his [ d ] descendants.
And You ( O ) have fulfilled Your [ e ] promise,
Because You are righteous.
9 “ ( P ) You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt,
And ( Q ) heard their cry by the [ f ] Red Sea.
10 Then You performed ( R ) signs and wonders against Pharaoh,
Against all his servants and all the people of his land;
For You knew that ( S ) they acted arrogantly toward them,
And You ( T ) made a name for Yourself as it is this day.
11 ( U ) You divided the sea before them,
So they passed through the midst of the sea on dry ground;
And You hurled ( V ) their pursuers into the depths,
Like a stone into [ g ] raging waters.
12 And with a pillar of cloud ( W ) You led them by day,
And with a pillar of fire by night
To light for them the way
In which they were to go.
13 Then ( X ) You came down on Mount Sinai,
And ( Y ) spoke with them from heaven;
You gave them ( Z ) just ordinances and true laws,
Good statutes and commandments.
14 So You made known to them ( AA ) Your holy Sabbath,
And gave them commandments, statutes, and law,
Through Your servant Moses.
15 You ( AB ) provided bread from heaven for them for their hunger,
You ( AC ) brought out water from a rock for them for their thirst,
And You ( AD ) told them to enter in order to take possession of
The land which You [ h ] swore to give them.
16 “But they, our fathers, ( AE ) acted arrogantly;
They [ i ] ( AF ) became stubborn and would not listen to Your commandments.
17 They refused to listen,
And ( AG ) did not remember Your wondrous deeds which You performed among them;
So they became stubborn and ( AH ) appointed a leader to return to their slavery in [ j ] Egypt.
But You are a God ( AI ) of forgiveness,
Gracious and compassionate,
Slow to anger and abounding in [ k ] mercy;
And You did not abandon them.
18 Even when they ( AJ ) made for themselves
A calf of cast metal
And said, ‘This is your [ l ] god
Who brought you up from Egypt,’
And committed great blasphemies,
19 ( AK ) You, in Your great compassion,
Did not abandon them in the wilderness;
( AL ) The pillar of cloud did not leave them by day,
To guide them on their way,
Nor the pillar of fire by night, to light for them the way in which they were to go.
20 Instead, ( AM ) You gave Your good Spirit to instruct them,
You did not withhold Your manna from their mouth,
And You gave them water for their thirst.
21 Indeed, for ( AN ) forty years You provided for them in the wilderness and they were not lacking;
Their clothes did not wear out, nor did their feet swell up.
22 You also gave them kingdoms and peoples,
And allotted them to them as a [ m ] boundary.
( AO ) They took possession of the land of Sihon [ n ] the king of Heshbon
And the land of Og the king of Bashan.
23 You made their sons as numerous as ( AP ) the stars of heaven,
And You brought them into the land
Which You had told their fathers to enter and possess.
24 ( AQ ) So their sons entered and took possession of the land.
And ( AR ) You subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites,
And You handed them over to them, with their kings and the peoples of the land,
To do with them [ o ] as they desired.
25 ( AS ) They captured fortified cities and a [ p ] ( AT ) fertile land.
They took possession of ( AU ) houses full of every good thing,
Carved out cisterns, vineyards, olive groves,
Fruit trees in abundance.
So they ate, were filled and ( AV ) put on fat,
And ( AW ) lived luxuriously in Your great goodness.
26 “ ( AX ) But they became rebellious and revolted against You,
And ( AY ) threw Your Law behind their backs
And ( AZ ) killed Your prophets who had ( BA ) admonished them
In order to bring them back to You,
And ( BB ) they committed great blasphemies.
27 Therefore You ( BC ) handed them over to their enemies who oppressed them,
But when they cried out to You ( BD ) in the time of their distress,
You heard from heaven, and according to Your great compassion
You ( BE ) gave them [ q ] people who saved them from the hand of their enemies.
28 But ( BF ) as soon as they had rest, they did evil again before You;
Therefore You abandoned them to the hand of their enemies, so that they ruled over them.
When they cried out again to You, You heard from heaven,
And ( BG ) many times You rescued them according to Your compassion,
29 And ( BH ) admonished them in order to turn them back to Your Law.
Yet ( BI ) they acted arrogantly and did not listen to Your commandments but sinned against Your ordinances,
( BJ ) Which, if a person [ r ] follows them, then he will live by them.
And they [ s ] ( BK ) turned a stubborn shoulder and stiffened their neck, and would not listen.
30 ( BL ) However, You remained patient with them for many years,
And ( BM ) admonished them by ( BN ) Your Spirit through Your prophets,
Yet they would not listen.
Therefore You handed them over to the peoples of the lands.
31 Nevertheless, in Your great compassion You ( BO ) did not make an end of them or abandon them,
For You are ( BP ) a gracious and compassionate God.
32 “Now then, our God, ( BQ ) the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps His covenant and faithfulness,
Do not let all the hardship seem insignificant before You,
Which has happened to us, our kings, our leaders, our priests, our prophets, our fathers, and to all Your people,
( BR ) From the days of the kings of Assyria to this day.
33 However, ( BS ) You are righteous in everything that has happened to us;
For You have dealt faithfully, but we have acted wickedly.
34 For our kings, our leaders, our priests, and our fathers have not kept Your Law
Or paid attention to Your commandments and Your [ t ] admonitions with which You have [ u ] admonished them.
35 But ( BT ) they, in their own kingdom,
( BU ) With Your great goodness which You gave them,
With the broad and rich land which You placed before them,
Did not serve You or turn from their evil deeds.
36 Behold, ( BV ) we are slaves today,
And as for the land which You gave to our fathers to eat its fruit and its bounty,
Behold, we are slaves on it.
37 And ( BW ) its abundant produce is for the kings
Whom You have set over us because of our sins;
They also rule over our bodies
And over our cattle as they please,
So we are in great distress.
38 “ [ v ] Now because of all this
( BX ) We are making an agreement in writing;
And on the ( BY ) sealed document are the names of our leaders, our Levites, and our priests.”
9 On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and putting dust on their heads. ( A ) 2 Those of Israelite descent had separated themselves from all foreigners. ( B ) They stood in their places and confessed their sins and the sins of their ancestors. ( C ) 3 They stood where they were and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a quarter of the day, and spent another quarter in confession and in worshiping the Lord their God. 4 Standing on the stairs of the Levites ( D ) were Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani and Kenani. They cried out with loud voices to the Lord their God. 5 And the Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah and Pethahiah—said: “Stand up and praise the Lord your God, ( E ) who is from everlasting to everlasting. [ a ] ”
“Blessed be your glorious name, ( F ) and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. 6 You alone are the Lord . ( G ) You made the heavens, ( H ) even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, ( I ) the earth ( J ) and all that is on it, the seas ( K ) and all that is in them. ( L ) You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven ( M ) worship you.
7 “You are the Lord God, who chose Abram ( N ) and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans ( O ) and named him Abraham. ( P ) 8 You found his heart faithful to you, and you made a covenant with him to give to his descendants the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites and Girgashites. ( Q ) You have kept your promise ( R ) because you are righteous. ( S )
9 “You saw the suffering of our ancestors in Egypt; ( T ) you heard their cry at the Red Sea. [ b ] ( U ) 10 You sent signs ( V ) and wonders ( W ) against Pharaoh, against all his officials and all the people of his land, for you knew how arrogantly the Egyptians treated them. You made a name ( X ) for yourself, ( Y ) which remains to this day. 11 You divided the sea before them, ( Z ) so that they passed through it on dry ground, but you hurled their pursuers into the depths, ( AA ) like a stone into mighty waters. ( AB ) 12 By day ( AC ) you led ( AD ) them with a pillar of cloud, ( AE ) and by night with a pillar of fire to give them light on the way they were to take.
13 “You came down on Mount Sinai; ( AF ) you spoke ( AG ) to them from heaven. ( AH ) You gave them regulations and laws that are just ( AI ) and right, and decrees and commands that are good. ( AJ ) 14 You made known to them your holy Sabbath ( AK ) and gave them commands, decrees and laws through your servant Moses. 15 In their hunger you gave them bread from heaven ( AL ) and in their thirst you brought them water from the rock; ( AM ) you told them to go in and take possession of the land you had sworn with uplifted hand ( AN ) to give them. ( AO )
16 “But they, our ancestors, became arrogant and stiff-necked, ( AP ) and they did not obey your commands. ( AQ ) 17 They refused to listen and failed to remember ( AR ) the miracles ( AS ) you performed among them. They became stiff-necked ( AT ) and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. ( AU ) But you are a forgiving God, ( AV ) gracious and compassionate, ( AW ) slow to anger ( AX ) and abounding in love. ( AY ) Therefore you did not desert them, ( AZ ) 18 even when they cast for themselves an image of a calf ( BA ) and said, ‘This is your god, who brought you up out of Egypt,’ or when they committed awful blasphemies. ( BB )
19 “Because of your great compassion you did not abandon ( BC ) them in the wilderness. By day the pillar of cloud ( BD ) did not fail to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take. 20 You gave your good Spirit ( BE ) to instruct ( BF ) them. You did not withhold your manna ( BG ) from their mouths, and you gave them water ( BH ) for their thirst. 21 For forty years ( BI ) you sustained them in the wilderness; they lacked nothing, ( BJ ) their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet become swollen. ( BK )
22 “You gave them kingdoms and nations, allotting to them even the remotest frontiers. They took over the country of Sihon [ c ] ( BL ) king of Heshbon and the country of Og king of Bashan. ( BM ) 23 You made their children as numerous as the stars in the sky, ( BN ) and you brought them into the land that you told their parents to enter and possess. 24 Their children went in and took possession of the land. ( BO ) You subdued ( BP ) before them the Canaanites, who lived in the land; you gave the Canaanites into their hands, along with their kings and the peoples of the land, to deal with them as they pleased. 25 They captured fortified cities and fertile land; ( BQ ) they took possession of houses filled with all kinds of good things, ( BR ) wells already dug, vineyards, olive groves and fruit trees in abundance. They ate to the full and were well-nourished; ( BS ) they reveled in your great goodness. ( BT )
26 “But they were disobedient and rebelled against you; they turned their backs on your law. ( BU ) They killed ( BV ) your prophets, ( BW ) who had warned them in order to turn them back to you; they committed awful blasphemies. ( BX ) 27 So you delivered them into the hands of their enemies, ( BY ) who oppressed them. But when they were oppressed they cried out to you. From heaven you heard them, and in your great compassion ( BZ ) you gave them deliverers, ( CA ) who rescued them from the hand of their enemies.
28 “But as soon as they were at rest, they again did what was evil in your sight. ( CB ) Then you abandoned them to the hand of their enemies so that they ruled over them. And when they cried out to you again, you heard from heaven, and in your compassion ( CC ) you delivered them ( CD ) time after time.
29 “You warned ( CE ) them in order to turn them back to your law, but they became arrogant ( CF ) and disobeyed your commands. They sinned against your ordinances, of which you said, ‘The person who obeys them will live by them.’ ( CG ) Stubbornly they turned their backs ( CH ) on you, became stiff-necked ( CI ) and refused to listen. ( CJ ) 30 For many years you were patient with them. By your Spirit you warned them through your prophets. ( CK ) Yet they paid no attention, so you gave them into the hands of the neighboring peoples. ( CL ) 31 But in your great mercy you did not put an end ( CM ) to them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful ( CN ) God.
32 “Now therefore, our God, the great God, mighty ( CO ) and awesome, ( CP ) who keeps his covenant of love, ( CQ ) do not let all this hardship seem trifling in your eyes—the hardship ( CR ) that has come on us, on our kings and leaders, on our priests and prophets, on our ancestors and all your people, from the days of the kings of Assyria until today. 33 In all that has happened to us, you have remained righteous; ( CS ) you have acted faithfully, while we acted wickedly. ( CT ) 34 Our kings, ( CU ) our leaders, our priests and our ancestors ( CV ) did not follow your law; they did not pay attention to your commands or the statutes you warned them to keep. 35 Even while they were in their kingdom, enjoying your great goodness ( CW ) to them in the spacious and fertile land you gave them, they did not serve you ( CX ) or turn from their evil ways.
36 “But see, we are slaves ( CY ) today, slaves in the land you gave our ancestors so they could eat its fruit and the other good things it produces. 37 Because of our sins, its abundant harvest goes to the kings you have placed over us. They rule over our bodies and our cattle as they please. We are in great distress. ( CZ )
38 “In view of all this, we are making a binding agreement, ( DA ) putting it in writing, ( DB ) and our leaders, our Levites and our priests are affixing their seals to it.” [ d ]
