Nehemiah 9

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 On the twenty-fourth day of this month the Israelites, in sackcloth and with dust on their heads,assembled for a fast.	1 On the twenty-fourth day of this month, the Israelites gathered together fasting and in sackcloth, their heads covered with dust.
2 Then those of Israelite stock who had severed relations with al foreigners stood up and confessed theirsins and the iniquities of their ancestors.	2 Those of Israelite descent separated themselves from all who were of foreign extraction, then stood forward and confessed their sins and the guilty deeds of their fathers.
3 Standing, each man in his place, they read from the Book of the Law of Yahweh their God for onequarter of the day; for another quarter they confessed their sins and worshipped Yahweh their God.	3 When they had taken their places, they read from the book of the law of the LORD their God, for a fourth part of the day, and during another fourth part they made their confession and prostrated themselves before the LORD their God.
4 On the Levites' platform stood Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani andChenani, cal ing to Yahweh their God in ringing tones.	4 Standing on the platform of the Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani, who cried out to the LORD their God, with a loud voice.
5 The Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah and Pethahiah said,'Stand up and bless Yahweh your God! 'Blessed are you, Yahweh our God from everlasting to everlasting, andblessed be your glorious name, surpassing al blessing and praise!	5 The Levites Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah said, "Arise, bless the LORD, your God, from eternity to eternity!" The Israelites answered with the blessing, "Blessed is your glorious name, and exalted above all blessing and praise."
6 'You, Yahweh, are the one, only Yahweh, you have created the heavens, the heaven of heavens andal their array, the earth and al it bears, the seas and all they hold. To al of them you give life, and the array ofheaven worships you.	6 Then Ezra said: "It is you, O LORD, you are the only one; you made the heavens, the highest heavens and all their host, the earth and all that is upon it, the seas and all that is in them. To all of them you give life, and the heavenly hosts bow down before you.
7 'You are Yahweh God, who chose Abram, brought him out of Ur in Chaldaea and changed his name toAbraham.	7 "You, O LORD, are the God who chose Abram, who brought him out from Ur of the Chaldees, and named him Abraham.
8 Finding his heart was faithful to you, you made a covenant with him, to give the country of theCanaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites and the Girgashites to him and hisdescendants. And you have made good your promises, for you are upright.	8 When you had found his heart faithful in your sight, you made the covenant with him to give to him and his posterity the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites, and Girgashites. These promises of yours you fulfilled, for you are just.
9 'You saw the distress of our ancestors in Egypt, you heard their cry by the Sea of Reeds.	9 "You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, you heard their cry by the Red Sea;
10 You displayed signs and wonders against Pharaoh, against al his servants and al the people of hisland; for you knew how arrogantly they treated them. You won a reputation which you keep to this day.	10 You worked signs and wonders against Pharaoh, against all his servants and the people of his land, Because you knew of their insolence toward them; thus you made for yourself a name even to this day.
11 You opened up the sea in front of them: they walked on dry ground right through the sea. Into thedepths you hurled their pursuers like a stone into the raging waters.	11 The sea you divided before them, on dry ground they passed through the midst of the sea; Their pursuers you hurled into the depths, like a stone into the mighty waters.
12 With a pillar of cloud you led them by day, with a pil ar of fire by night: to light the way ahead of themby which they were to go.	12 With a column of cloud you led them by day, and by night with a column of fire, To light the way of their journey, the way in which they must travel.
13 You came down on Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven; you gave them right rules, reliablelaws, good statutes and commandments;	13 On Mount Sinai you came down, you spoke with them from heaven; You gave them just ordinances, firm laws, good statutes, and commandments;
14 you revealed your holy Sabbath to them; you laid down commandments, statutes and law for themthrough your servant Moses.	14 Your holy sabbath you made known to them, commandments, statutes, and law you prescribed for them, by the hand of Moses your servant.
15 For their hunger you gave them bread from heaven, for their thirst you brought them water out of arock, and you told them to go in and take possession of the country which you had sworn to give them.	15 Food from heaven you gave them in their hunger, water from a rock you sent them in their thirst. You bade them enter and occupy the land which you had sworn with upraised hand to give them.
16 'But they and our ancestors acted arrogantly, grew obstinate and flouted your commands.	16 "But they, our fathers, proved to be insolent; they held their necks stiff and would not obey your commandments.
17 They refused to obey, forgetful of the wonders which you had worked for them; they grew obstinateand made up their minds to return to their slavery in Egypt. But because you are a forgiving God, gracious andcompassionate, patient and rich in faithful love, you did not abandon them!	17 They refused to obey and no longer remembered the miracles you had worked for them. They stiffened their necks and turned their heads to return to their slavery in Egypt. But you are a God of pardons, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in mercy; you did not forsake them.
18 'Even when they cast themselves a calf out of molten metal and said, "This is your God who brought you up from Egypt!" and committed monstrous impieties,	18 Though they made for themselves a molten calf, and proclaimed, 'Here is your God who brought you up out of Egypt,' and were guilty of great effronteries,
19 you, in your great compassion, did not abandon them in the desert: the pillar of cloud did not leavethem, leading them on their path by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, lighting the way ahead of them by whichthey were to go.	19 yet in your great mercy you did not forsake them in the desert. The column of cloud did not cease to lead them by day on their journey, nor did the column of fire by night cease to light for them the way by which they were to travel.
20 You gave them your good spirit to instruct them, you did not withhold your manna from their mouths,you gave them water for their thirst.	20 "Your good spirit you bestowed on them, to give them understanding; your manna you did not withhold from their mouths, and you gave them water in their thirst.
21 For forty years you cared for them in the desert, so that they went short of nothing, their clothes didnot wear out, nor were their feet swol en.	21 Forty years in the desert you sustained them: they did not want; their garments did not become worn, and their feet did not become swollen.
22 'You gave them kingdoms and peoples, al otting them these as frontier lands; they occupied thecountry of Sihon king of Heshbon, and the country of Og king of Bashan.	22 You gave them kingdoms and peoples, which you divided up among them as border lands. They possessed the land of Sihon, king of Heshbon, and the land of Og, king of Bashan.
23 You gave them as many children as there are stars in the sky, and brought them into the countrywhich you had promised their ancestors that they would enter and possess.	23 "You made their children as numerous as the stars of the heavens, and you brought them into the land which you had commanded their fathers to enter and possess.
24 The children entered and took possession of the country and before them you subdued the country'sinhabitants, the Canaanites, whom you put at their mercy, with their kings and the peoples of the country, forthem to treat as they pleased;	24 The sons went in to take possession of the land, and you humbled before them the Canaanite inhabitants of the land and delivered them over into their power, their kings as well as the peoples of the land, to do with them as they would.
25 they captured fortified towns and a fertile countryside, they took possession of houses stocked with alkinds of goods, of storage-wel s ready-hewn, of vineyards, olive groves and fruit trees in profusion; so they ate,were ful , grew fat and revelled in your great goodness.	25 They captured fortified cities and fertile land; they took possession of houses filled with all good things, cisterns already dug, vineyards, olive groves, and fruit trees in abundance. They could eat and have their fill, fatten and feast themselves on your immense good gifts.
26 'But they grew disobedient, rebelled against you and thrust your law behind their backs; theyslaughtered your prophets who had reproved them to bring them back to you, and committed monstrousimpieties.	26 "But they were contemptuous and rebellious: they cast your law behind their backs, they slew your prophets who bore witness against them in order to bring them back to you, and they were guilty of great effronteries.
27 So you put them at the mercy of their enemies who oppressed them. But when they were beingoppressed and cal ed to you, you heard them from heaven and because of your great compassion you gavethem deliverers who rescued them from their oppressors' clutches.	27 Therefore you delivered them into the power of their enemies, who oppressed them. But in the time of their oppression they would cry out to you, and you would hear them from heaven, and according to your great mercy give them saviors to deliver them from the power of their enemies.
28 But once at peace again, again they did what was wrong before you; so you put them at the mercy oftheir enemies who then became their rulers. When they cal ed to you again, you heard them from heaven and,because of your compassion, rescued them many times.	28 "As soon as they had relief, they would go back to doing evil in your sight. Then again you abandoned them to the power of their enemies, who crushed them. Then they cried out to you, and you heard them from heaven and delivered them according to your mercy, many times over.
29 You warned them, to bring them back to your law, but they became arrogant, did not obey yourcommandments and sinned against your rules, in whose observance is life; they turned a stubborn shoulder,were obstinate, and disobeyed.	29 You bore witness against them, in order to bring them back to your law. But they were insolent and would not obey your commandments; they sinned against your ordinances, from which men draw life when they practice them. They turned stubborn backs, stiffened their necks, and would not obey.
30 You were patient with them for many years and warned them by your spirit through your prophets, butthey would not listen; so you put them at the mercy of the people of the country.	30 You were patient with them for many years, bearing witness against them through your spirit, by means of your prophets; still they would not listen. Thus you delivered them over into the power of the peoples of the lands.
31 But, because of your great compassion, you did not destroy them completely nor abandon them, foryou are a gracious, compassionate God.	31 Yet in your great mercy you did not completely destroy them and you did not forsake them, for you are a kind and merciful God.
32 Now, our God -- the great God, the Mighty and Awe-inspiring One, maintaining the covenant and yourfaithful love- count as no small thing this misery which has befal en us, our kings, our princes, our priests, ourprophets, and al your people from the times of the Assyrian kings to the present day.	32 "Now, therefore, O our God, great, mighty, and awesome God, you who in your mercy preserve the covenant, take into account all the disasters that have befallen us, our kings, our princes, our priests, our prophets, our fathers, and your entire people, from the time of the kings of Assyria until this day!
33 You have been upright in al that has happened to us, for you acted faithful y, while we did wrong.	33 In all that has come upon us you have been just, for you kept faith while we have done evil.
34 Our kings, our princes, our priests and our ancestors did not keep your law or pay attention to yourcommandments and obligations which you imposed upon them.	34 Yes, our kings, our princes, our priests, and our fathers have not kept your law; they paid no attention to your commandments and the obligations of which you reminded them.
35 Even in their own kingdom, despite your great goodness which you bestowed on them, despite thewide and fertile country which you had lavished on them, they did not serve you or renounce their evil deeds.	35 While they were yet in their kingdom, in the midst of the many good things that you had given them and in the wide and fertile land that you had spread out before them, they did not serve you nor did they turn away from their evil deeds.
36 See, we are slaves today, slaves in the country which you gave to our ancestors for them to eat thegood things it produces.	36 But, see, we today are slaves; and as for the land which you gave our fathers that they might eat its fruits and good things--see, we have become slaves upon it!
37 Its abundant produce goes to the kings whom, for our sins, you have set over us, who rule over ourpersons and over our cattle as they please. We are in great distress.'	37 Its rich produce goes to the kings whom you set over us because of our sins, who rule over our bodies and our cattle as they please. We are in great distress!"