Nehemiah 9

1Now in the twenty and fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackcloth, and earth upon them.

1On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together to fast; they wore sackcloth and put dust on their heads.

2And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all foreigners, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers.

2Those of Israelite descent separated themselves from all foreigners, stood up, and confessed their own sins and the sins of their ancestors.

3And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of Jehovah their God a fourth part of the day; andanotherfourth part they confessed, and worshipped Jehovah their God.

3For about three hours, they stood in their places and read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God. For another three hours, they confessed their sins and worshiped the LORD their God.

4Then 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 Jehovah their God.

4Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani stood on the platform built for the Levites and cried out to the LORD their God with loud voices.

5Then the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, andPethahiah, said, Stand up and bless Jehovah your God from everlasting to everlasting; and blessed be thy glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise.

5The Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah—said: 'Stand up and praise the LORD your God, who lives forever and ever. May your glorious name be praised; may it be lifted higher than all blessing and praise!'

6Thou art Jehovah, even thou alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all things that are thereon, the seas and all that is in them, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee.

6'You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all the stars. You made the earth and everything on it, the seas and everything in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.'

7Thou art Jehovah the God, who didst choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham,

7'You are the LORD God, who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and gave him the name Abraham.'

8and foundest his heart faithful before thee, and madest a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, and the Perizzite, and the Jebusite, and the Girgashite, to give it unto his seed, and hast performed thy words; for thou art righteous.

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. You have kept your promise because you are righteous.'

9And thou sawest the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heardest their cry by the Red Sea,

9'You saw the suffering of our ancestors in Egypt and heard their cry at the Red Sea.'

10and showedst 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, and didst get thee a name, as it is this day.

10'You performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh, his officials, and all the people of his land, because you knew how arrogantly they treated our ancestors. You earned a reputation that remains to this day.'

11And thou didst divide the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land; and their pursuers thou didst cast into the depths, as a stone into the mighty waters.

11'You divided the sea before them so they could walk through on dry land. You threw those chasing them into the deep water, like a stone into powerful waves.'

12Moreover in a pillar of cloud thou leddest them by day; and in a pillar of fire by night, to give them light in the way wherein they should go.

12'By day you led them with a pillar of cloud, and by night you used a pillar of fire to light the path they were to follow.'

13Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right ordinances and true laws, good statutes and commandments,

13'You came down on Mount Sinai and spoke to them from heaven. You gave them fair regulations, true laws, and good decrees and commands.'

14and madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and commandedst them commandments, and statutes, and a law, by Moses thy servant,

14'You made your holy Sabbath known to them and gave them commands, decrees, and laws through your servant Moses.'

15and gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and commandedst them that they should go in to possess the land which thou hadst sworn to give them.

15'When they were hungry, you gave them bread from heaven. When they were thirsty, you brought water out of a rock for them. You told them to go in and take possession of the land you had sworn to give them.'

16But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their neck, and hearkened not to thy commandments,

16'But they and our ancestors acted arrogantly. They became stubborn and would not obey your commands.'

17and refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them, but hardened their neck, 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 abundant in lovingkindness, and forsookest them not.

17'They refused to listen and forgot the miracles you performed among them. They became stubborn and in their rebellion appointed a leader to take them back to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. Therefore, you did not abandon them,'

18Yea, 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;

18'even when they made an idol in the shape of a calf and said, "This is your god who brought you out of Egypt." After they committed such terrible insults,'

19yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: the pillar of cloud departed not from over them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to show them light, and the way wherein they should go.

19'in your great mercy you still did not abandon them in the wilderness. By day the pillar of cloud did not stop leading them on their way, and by night the pillar of fire continued to light the path they were to follow.'

20Thou gavest also thy good Spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst.

20'You gave your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not hold back your manna from their mouths, and you gave them water for their thirst.'

21Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not old, and their feet swelled not.

21'For forty years you took care of them in the wilderness. They lacked nothing; their clothes did not wear out, and their feet did not swell.'

22Moreover thou gavest them kingdoms and peoples, which thou didst allot after 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.

22'You gave them kingdoms and nations, assigning them every corner of the land. They took over the land of Sihon, king of Heshbon, and the land of Og, king of Bashan.'

23Their children also multipliedst thou as the stars of heaven, and broughtest them into the land concerning which thou didst say to their fathers, that they should go in to possess it.

23'You made their children as numerous as the stars in the sky. You brought them into the land that you told their ancestors to enter and possess.'

24So 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 peoples of the land, that they might do with them as they would.

24'Their children went in and took over the land. You defeated the Canaanites who lived there before them. You handed over the inhabitants, including their kings, for the Israelites to do with as they pleased.'

25And they took fortified cities, and a fat land, and possessed houses full of all good things, cisterns hewn out, 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.

25'They captured fortified cities and fertile land. They took over houses full of good things, wells already dug, vineyards, olive groves, and many fruit trees. They ate until they were full and grew fat; they enjoyed your great goodness.'

26Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their back, and slew thy prophets that testified against them to turn them again unto thee, and they wrought great provocations.

26'But then they became disobedient and rebelled against you. They turned their backs on your law. They killed your prophets who warned them to return to you. They committed terrible insults against you.'

27Therefore thou deliveredst them into the hand of their adversaries, who distressed them: and in the time of their trouble, when they cried unto thee, thou heardest from heaven; and according to thy manifold mercies thou gavest them saviours who saved them out of the hand of their adversaries.

27'So you handed them over to their enemies, who made them suffer. When they were in trouble and cried out to you, you heard them from heaven. In your great mercy, you sent them saviors who rescued them from their enemies.'

28But after they had rest, they did evil again before thee; therefore leftest thou them in the hand of their enemies, so that they had the dominion over them: yet when they returned, and cried unto thee, thou heardest from heaven; and many times didst thou deliver them according to thy mercies,

28'But as soon as they had peace, they went back to doing evil in your sight. Then you abandoned them to the power of their enemies to rule over them. When they turned and cried out to you again, you heard from heaven and rescued them many times because of your mercy.'

29and 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 thine ordinances (which if a man do, he shall live in them), and withdrew the shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear.

29'You warned them to return to your law, but they acted proudly and ignored your commands. They sinned against your regulations—the very ones that give life to those who obey them. They stubbornly turned away and refused to listen.'

30Yet many years didst thou bear with them, and testifiedst against them by thy Spirit through thy prophets: yet would they not give ear: therefore gavest thou them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.

30'For many years you were patient with them. You warned them by your Spirit through the prophets, but they would not pay attention. So you handed them over to the surrounding nations.'

31Nevertheless in thy manifold mercies thou didst not make a full end of them, nor forsake them; for thou art a gracious and merciful God.

31'However, because of your great mercy, you did not completely destroy them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful God.'

32Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who keepest covenant and lovingkindness, let not all the travail 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.

32'Now, our God—the great, mighty, and awesome God who keeps his covenant of love—do not let all the hardship we have faced seem small to you. We, our kings, our leaders, our priests, our prophets, our ancestors, and all your people have suffered from the time of the kings of Assyria until today.'

33Howbeit thou art just in all that is come upon us; for thou hast dealt truly, but we have done wickedly;

33'In everything that has happened to us, you have been fair. You have acted faithfully, while we have done wrong.'

34neither 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.

34'Our kings, leaders, priests, and ancestors did not follow your law. They paid no attention to your commands or the warnings you gave them.'

35For 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.

35'Even while they were in their own kingdom, enjoying the great goodness you gave them in the large and fertile land you provided, they did not serve you or turn from their evil ways.'

36Behold, we are servants this day, and as for the land that thou gavest unto our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof, behold, we are servants in it.

36'But look, we are slaves today. Even in the land you gave our ancestors so they could eat its fruit and enjoy its good things—look, we are slaves in it.'

37And it yieldeth much increase unto the kings whom thou hast set over us because of our sins: also they have power over our bodies, and over our cattle, at their pleasure, and we are in great distress.

37'Because of our sins, the land's rich harvest goes to the kings you have placed over us. They rule over our bodies and our livestock as they please. We are in great distress.'

38And yet for all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, our Levites, and our priests, seal unto it.

38'Because of all this, we are making a firm agreement in writing, and our leaders, Levites, and priests are setting their seals to it.']}