Nehemiah
Chapter 9
1 On the twenty-fourth day of this month, the people of Israel gathered together. They fasted, wore rough clothing, and put dirt on themselves.
2 The people of Israel kept away from foreigners, stood up, and admitted their own sins and the wrongdoings of their ancestors.
3 They stood in their spot and read from God’s law book for a quarter of the day; for another quarter, they admitted their wrongs and worshiped God.
4 Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani, who were Levites, stood on the stairs and called out to God with loud voices.
5 Then the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah said, “Stand up and praise God forever and ever; and may your wonderful name be blessed, higher than all blessings and praise.”
6 You alone are God; you created the heavens, the highest heavens, and all their stars, the earth, and everything on it, the seas, and everything in them. You keep them all alive, and the heavenly beings worship you.
7 You are God, who chose Abram, took him out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gave him the name Abraham.
8 You saw that his heart was loyal to you, and you made an agreement with him to give the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, and the Girgashites to his descendants, and you kept your promise, because you are righteous.
9 You saw our ancestors’ suffering in Egypt and heard their cries near the Red Sea.
10 You showed miracles and amazing things to Pharaoh, his officials, and everyone in his land because you knew they were arrogant. This made you famous, like you are today.
11 You split the sea for them, so they walked through it on dry ground; and you threw their chasers into the deep, like a stone into strong waters.
12 You also led them in the day with a cloud and at night with a fire to light their path where they should walk.
13 You also came down on Mount Sinai, talked to them from heaven, and gave them fair laws, true rules, and good commands.
14 You made your holy rest day known to them, and gave them rules, decrees, and laws through Moses, your servant.
15 You gave them bread from heaven when they were hungry, and you made water flow from the rock when they were thirsty. You promised them they would enter and own the land you swore to give them.
16 They and our ancestors were proud, stubborn, and did not listen to your commands.
17 They didn’t listen or remember the amazing things you did for them; they were stubborn and chose a leader to take them back to being slaves. But you are a forgiving God, kind and merciful, not easily angered, full of love, and you didn’t leave them.
18 Yes, when they made a golden calf and said, “This is your God who brought you out of Egypt,” and did very bad things.
19 But you, with your great mercy, did not abandon them in the desert: the cloud pillar did not leave them by day, to guide them on their path; nor the fire pillar at night, to give them light and show them the way to go.
20 You also gave them your good spirit to teach them, did not stop giving them manna to eat, and provided them water when they were thirsty.
21 Yes, for forty years you supported them in the desert, so they needed nothing; their clothes did not wear out, and their feet did not swell.
22 You also gave them kingdoms and countries, splitting them into parts. So they took over the land of Sihon, the land of the king of Heshbon, and the land of Og, the king of Bashan.
23 You made their children as many as the stars in the sky, and you led them to the land you promised their ancestors they would enter and take over.
24 The children entered and took over the land, and you conquered the land’s people, the Canaanites, for them, and handed them over with their kings and the people of the land, so they could do as they wanted with them.
25 They captured fortified cities and a rich land, and took over houses filled with all kinds of goods, dug wells, vineyards, olive groves, and plenty of fruit trees. They ate to satisfaction, grew fat, and enjoyed your immense kindness.
26 Despite this, they did not listen and turned against you, throwing your laws aside and killing your prophets who warned them to turn back to you, causing great anger.
27 So you gave them over to their enemies who troubled them, but when they called out to you in their distress, you heard from heaven. Because of your many kindnesses, you sent them rescuers to save them from their enemies.
28 After they rested, they did wrong before you: so you let them stay in their enemies’ land, where they were controlled by them. But when they came back and called to you, you heard them from heaven; and you saved them many times because of your mercy.
29 You warned them to follow your laws again, but they acted with pride, and did not listen to your commands. They broke your rules, which if followed, would give life. They turned away and were stubborn, and refused to listen.
30 For many years you were patient with them and warned them through your spirit in your prophets, but they wouldn’t listen. So you handed them over to the surrounding peoples.
31 Even though you were very kind, you did not completely destroy them or leave them; because you are a kind and merciful God.
32 So now, our God, the great, the powerful, and the fearsome God, who keeps promises and shows kindness, do not see all the hardships that have come on us, our kings, our leaders, our priests, our prophets, our ancestors, and all your people, from the days of the Assyrian kings until now, as small.
33 Even though you are fair in everything that happens to us, because you have done what is right, but we have acted badly.
34 Our kings, leaders, priests, and ancestors did not follow your law or listen to your commands and warnings that you gave them.
35 They did not serve you in their own land, and with the great goodness you gave them, and in the rich and fertile land you provided, they did not turn away from their evil deeds.
36 Look, we are servants today, working in the land you gave our ancestors to enjoy its fruits and benefits, but here we are, serving in it.
37 It produces a lot of growth for the kings you put over us due to our sins; they also rule over our bodies and our animals as they like, and we are in great trouble.
38 Because of all this, we make a firm agreement and write it down. Our leaders, Levites, and priests put their seals on it.