Nehemiah 9

The People Acknowledge Their Sin before God

1 On the twenty-fourth day of this same month the Israelites assembled; they were fasting and wearing sackcloth, their heads covered with dust.2 Those truly of Israelite descentt separated from all the foreigners,t standing and confessing their sins and the iniquities of their ancestors.t3 For one-fourth of the day they stood in their place and read from the book of the law of the Lord their God, and for another fourth they were confessing their sinst and worshiping the Lord their God.4 Then the Levites – Jeshua, Binnui,s Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Kenani – stood on the steps and called out loudlyt to the Lord their God.

5 The Levites – Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah – said, “Stand up and bless the Lord your God!”
“May you be blessed, O Lord our God, from age to age.s May your glorious namet be blessed; may it be lifted up above all blessing and praise.

6 You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens,t along with all their multitude of stars,t the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You impart life to them all, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.
7 “You are the Lord God who chose Abram and brought him forth from Ur of the Chaldeans. You changed his name to Abraham.

8 When you perceived that his heart was faithful toward you, you established at covenant with him to give his descendantst the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, and the Girgashites. You have fulfilled your promise,t for you are righteous.
9 “You saw the affliction of our ancestors in Egypt, and you heard their cry at the Red Sea.t10 You performed awesome signst against Pharaoh, against his servants, and against all the people of his land, for you knew that the Egyptianst had acted presumptuouslyt against them. You made for yourself a name that is celebrated to this day.11 You split the sea before them, and they crossed throught the sea on dry ground! But you threw their pursuerst into the depths, like a stone into surgingt waters.

12 You guided them with a pillar of cloud by day and with a pillar of fire by night to illumine for them the path they were to travel.
13 “You came down on Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven. You provided them with just judgments, true laws, and good statutes and commandments.14 You made known to them your holy Sabbath; you issued commandments, statutes, and law to them throught Moses your servant.

15 You provided bread from heaven for them in their time of hunger, and you brought forth water from the rock for them in their time of thirst. You told them to enter in order to possess the land that you had swornt to give them.
16 “But they – our ancestorst – behaved presumptuously; they rebelledt and did not obey your commandments.17 They refused to obey and did not recall your miracles that you had performed among them. Instead, they rebelled and appointed a leader to return to their bondage in Egypt.s But you are a God of forgiveness, merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and unfailing in your loyal love.s You did not abandon them,

18 even when they made a cast image of a calf for themselves and said, ‘This is your God who brought you up from Egypt,’ or when they committed atrocioust blasphemies.
19 “Due to your great compassion you did not abandon them in the desert. The pillar of cloud did not stop guiding them in the path by day,t nor did the pillar of fire stop illuminating for them by night the path on which they should travel.20 You imparted your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouths; you provided water for their thirst.

21 For forty years you sustained them. Even in the desert they never lacked anything. Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell.
22 “You gave them kingdoms and peoples, and you allocated them to every corner of the land.t They inherited the land of King Sihon of Heshbons and the land of King Og of Bashan.23 You multiplied their descendants like the stars of the sky. You brought them to the land you had told their ancestors to enter in order to possess.24 Their descendantst entered and possessed the land. You subdued before them the Canaanites who were the inhabitants of the land. You delivered them into their hand, together with their kings and the peoples of the land, to deal with as they pleased.

25 They captured fortified cities and fertile land. They took possession of houses full of all sorts of good things – wells previously dug, vineyards, olive trees, and fruit trees in abundance. They ate until they were fullt and grew fat. They enjoyed to the full your great goodness.
26 “Nonetheless they grew disobedient and rebelled against you; they disregarded your law.t They killed your prophets who had solemnly admonished them in order to cause them to return to you. They committed atrocious blasphemies.

27 Therefore you delivered them into the hand of their adversaries, who oppressed them. But in the time of their distress they called to you, and you heard from heaven. In your abundant compassion you provided them with deliverers to rescue them fromt their adversaries.
28 “Then, when they were at rest again, they went back to doing evil before you. Then you abandoned them tot their enemies, and they gained dominion over them. When they again cried out to you, in your compassion you heard from heaven and rescued them time and again.29 And you solemnly admonished them in order to return them to your law, but they behaved presumptuously and did not obey your commandments. They sinned against your ordinances – those by which an individual, if he obeys them,t will live. They boldly turned from you;t they rebelledt and did not obey.30 You prolonged your kindnesst with them for many years, and you solemnly admonished them by your Spirit through your prophets. Still they paid no attention,t so you delivered them into the hands of the neighboring peoples.t

31 However, due to your abundant mercy you did not do away with them altogether; you did not abandon them. For you are a merciful and compassionate God.
32 “So now, our God – the great, powerful, and awesome God, who keeps covenant fidelityt – do not regard as inconsequentialt all the hardship that has befallen us – our kings, our leaders, our priests, our prophets, our ancestors, and all your people – from the days of the kings of Assyria until this very day!33 You are righteous with regard to all that has happened to us, for you have acted faithfully.t It is we who have been in the wrong!34 Our kings, our leaders, our priests, and our ancestors have not kept your law. They have not paid attention to your commandments or your testimonies by which you have solemnly admonished them.

35 Even when they were in their kingdom and benefiting from your incrediblet goodness that you had lavishedt on them in the spacious and fertile land you had sett before them, they did not serve you, nor did they turn from their evil practices.
36 “So today we are slaves! In the very land you gave to our ancestors to eat its fruit and to enjoyt its good things – we are slaves!

37 Its abundant produce goes to the kings you have placed over us due to our sins. They rule over our bodies and our livestock as they see fit,t and we are in great distress!

The People Pledge to be Faithful

38 s“Because of all of this we are entering into a binding covenantt in written form;t our leaders, our Levites, and our priests have affixed their namest on the sealed document.”

NEHEMIAH 9

The People Confess //Their Sins

1 On the twenty-fourth day of the seventh month, t the people of Israel went without eating, and they dressed in sackcloth and threw dirt on their heads to show their sorrow. 2 They refused to let foreigners join them, as they met to confess their sins and the sins of their ancestors.

3 For three hours they stood and listened to the Law of the [Lord] their God, and then for the next three hours they confessed their sins and worshiped the [Lord].
4 Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani stood on the special platform for the Levites and prayed aloud to the [Lord] their God.

5 Then the Levites Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah said:
“Stand and shout praises
to your [Lord],
the eternal God!t
Praise his wonderful name,
though he is greater
than words can express.”

The People Pray

6 You alone are the [Lord],
Creator of the heavens
and all the stars,
Creator of the earth
and those who live on it,
Creator of the ocean
and all its creatures.
You are the source of life,
praised by the stars
that fill the heavens.

7  t You are the [Lord] our God,
the one who chose Abram—
you brought him from Ur
in Babylonia
and named him Abraham.

8  t Because he was faithful,
you made an agreement
to give his descendants
the land of the Canaanites
and Hittites,
of the Amorites and Perizzites,
and of the Jebusites
and Girgashites.
Now you have kept your promise,
just as you always do.

9  t When our ancestors
were in Egypt,
you saw their suffering;
when they were at the Red Sea, t
you heard their cry for help.

10  t You knew that the King of Egypt
and his officials and his nation
had mistreated your people.
So you worked fearsome miracles
against the Egyptians
and earned a reputation
that still remains.

11  t You divided the deep sea,
and your people walked through
on dry land.
But you tossed their enemies in,
and they sank down
like a heavy stone.

12  t Each day you led your people
with a thick cloud,
and at night you showed the way
with a flaming fire.

13  t At Sinai you came down
from heaven,
and you gave your people
good laws and teachings
that are fair and honest.

14 You commanded them to respect
your holy Sabbath,
and you instructed
your servant Moses
to teach them your laws.

15  t When they were hungry,
you sent bread from heaven,
and when they were thirsty,
you let water flow
from a rock.
Then you commanded them
to capture the land
that you had solemnly promised.
*

16 t Our stubborn ancestors
refused to obey—
they forgot about the miracles
you had worked for them,
and they were determined
to return to Egypt
and become slaves again.

17  t But, our God, you are merciful
and quick to forgive;
you are loving, kind,
and very patient.
So you never turned away
from them—

18  t not even when they made
an idol shaped like a calf
and insulted you by claiming,
“This is the god who rescued us
from Egypt.”

19  t Because of your great mercy,
you never abandoned them
in the desert.
And you always guided them
with a cloud by day
and a fire at night.

20 Your gentle Spirit
instructed them, t
and you gave them mannat to eat
and water to drink.

21 You took good care of them,
and for forty years
they never lacked a thing.
Their clothes didn't wear out,
and their feet were never swollen.

22  t You let them conquer kings
and take their land,
including King Sihon of Heshbon
and King Og of Bashan.t

23  t You brought them into the land
that you had promised
their ancestors,
and you blessed their nation
with people that outnumbered
the stars in the sky.

24  t Then their descendants
conquered the land.
You helped them defeat
the kings and nations
and treat their enemies
however they wished.

25  t They captured strong cities
and rich farmland;
they took furnished houses,
as well as cisterns, t
vineyards, olive orchards,
and numerous fruit trees.
They ate till they were satisfied,
and they celebrated
your abundant blessings.

26  t t In spite of this, they rebelled
and disobeyed your laws.
They killed your prophets,
who warned them
to turn back to you,
and they cursed your name.

27 So you handed them over
to their enemies,
who treated them terribly.
But in their sufferings,
they begged you to help.
From heaven you listened
to their prayers
and because of your great mercy,
you sent leaders to rescue them.

28  t But when they were at peace,
they would turn against you,
and you would hand them over
to their enemies.
Then they would beg for help,
and because you are merciful,
you rescued them
over and over again.

29  t You warned them to turn back
and discover true life
by obeying your laws.
But they stubbornly refused
and continued to sin.

30  t For years, you were patient,
and your Spiritt warned them
with messages spoken
by your prophets.
Still they refused to listen,
and you handed them over
to their enemies.

31 But you are merciful and kind,
and so you never forgot them
or let them be destroyed.

32  t Our God, you are powerful,
fearsome, and faithful,
always true to your word.
So please keep in mind
the terrible sufferings
of our people, kings, leaders,
priests, and prophets,
from the time Assyria ruled
until this very day.

33 You have always been fair
when you punished us
for our sins.

34 Our kings and leaders,
our priests and ancestors
have never obeyed your commands
or heeded your warnings.

35 You blessed them with a kingdom
and with an abundance
of rich, fertile land,
but they refused to worship you
or turn from their evil.

36 Now we are slaves
in this fruitful land
you gave to our ancestors.

37 Its plentiful harvest is taken
by kings you placed over us
because of our sins.
Our suffering is unbearable,
because they do as they wish
to us and our livestock.

The People Make //an Agreement