NehemiahChapter 9

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¹On the twenty-fourth day of that same month, the Israelites gathered together. They went without food and wore sackcloth. They had dust on their heads. ²The people who came from Israel's families separated themselves from all foreigners. They stood and confessed their sins. They also confessed the wrongs of their fathers. ³They stood where they were. For a fourth of the day they read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God. For another fourth of the day they confessed their sins and worshiped the LORD their God.a ⁴Some Levites stood on the raised stage. They cried out loudly to the LORD their God. They were Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani. ⁵Then the Levites Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah spoke. They said, "Stand up and praise the LORD your God, who lives forever and ever! May your glorious name be praised. May it be lifted high, above all blessing and praise. ⁶You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens and all their stars. You made the earth and everything on it. You made the seas and everything in them. You give life to all things. And the armies of heaven worship you.b ⁷You are the LORD, the God who chose Abram. You brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans. You gave him the name Abraham. ⁸You saw that his heart was faithful to you. You made a covenant with him. You promised to give his descendants the land of the Canaanites and Hittites. It was the land of the Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites, and Girgashites. You have kept your promise, because you are righteous. ⁹You saw how our fathers suffered in Egypt. You heard them cry out at the Red Sea. ¹⁰You did signs and wonders against Pharaoh, all his officials, and all the people of his land. You knew how proudly they had treated our fathers. You made a name for yourself that lasts to this day. ¹¹You split the sea in front of them. They walked through it on dry ground. But you threw the men chasing them into the deep water. They sank like a stone in wild waves. ¹²You led them with a pillar of cloud by day. You led them with a pillar of fire by night. It lit up the way they should go. ¹³You came down on Mount Sinai. You spoke with them from heaven. You gave them fair rules and true laws. You gave them good orders and commands. ¹⁴You showed them your holy Sabbath. You gave them commands, orders, and laws through your servant Moses. ¹⁵When they were hungry, you gave them bread from heaven. When they were thirsty, you brought water out of the rock for them. You told them to go in and take the land. You had sworn to give it to them. ¹⁶But they and our fathers became proud and stubborn. They did not obey your commands.c ¹⁷They would not listen. They forgot the wonders you had done among them. They became stubborn. They chose a leader to take them back to slavery in Egypt. But you are a God who forgives. You are kind and full of mercy. You are slow to get angry and rich in faithful love. You did not leave them. ¹⁸They even melted metal and made a statue of a calf for themselves. They said, 'This is your god who brought you up out of Egypt.' They spoke terrible things against you. ¹⁹Even so, in your great mercy you did not leave them in the wilderness. By day the pillar of cloud never stopped leading them on their path. By night the pillar of fire lit up the way they should go. ²⁰You gave your good Spirit to teach them. You did not hold back your manna from their mouths. You gave them water when they were thirsty. ²¹For forty years you took care of them in the wilderness. They had everything they needed. Their clothes did not wear out, and their feet did not swell. ²²You gave them kingdoms and nations. You gave them every corner of the land. So they took over the land of Sihon king of Heshbon. They took the land of Og king of Bashan. ²³You made their children as many as the stars in the sky. You brought them into the land. You had told their fathers to go in and take it. ²⁴So their children went in and took the land. You beat down the Canaanites who lived in the land in front of them. You handed over to them the kings and peoples of the land. They could do with them whatever they wanted. ²⁵They captured strong cities with walls and rich land. They took houses full of all kinds of good things. They took wells that were already dug. They took vineyards, olive groves, and lots of fruit trees. So they ate until they were full, and they grew fat. They enjoyed your great goodness. ²⁶But they did not obey you. They rebelled against you. They threw your law behind their backs. They killed your prophets, who had warned them to come back to you. They spoke terrible things against you. ²⁷So you handed them over to their enemies, who were cruel to them. In their time of trouble they cried out to you. You heard them from heaven. In your great mercy you gave them rescuers. These rescuers saved them from the power of their enemies. ²⁸But as soon as they had rest, they did evil in your sight again. So you left them in the power of their enemies. Their enemies ruled over them. Then they cried out to you again. You heard them from heaven. In your mercy you rescued them many times. ²⁹You warned them to come back to your law. But they were proud and did not obey your commands. They sinned against your rules. A person who keeps these rules will live by them. But they turned their backs and became stubborn. They would not obey. ³⁰You were patient with them for many years. Your Spirit warned them through your prophets. But they would not listen. So you handed them over to the nations around them. ³¹But in your great mercy you did not wipe them out. You did not leave them. For you are a God who is kind and full of mercy. ³²So now, our God, you are the great and mighty and awesome God. You keep your covenant of faithful love. Do not think that all our hardship is a small thing. It has come on us and our kings and leaders. It has come on our priests and prophets, our ancestors, and all your people. It has lasted from the days of the kings of Assyria until today.d ³³You have been fair in everything that has happened to us. You have been faithful, but we have done evil. ³⁴Our kings, leaders, priests, and fathers did not obey your law. They did not listen to the commands and warnings you gave them. ³⁵They had their own kingdom. They had the great good things you had given them. They had the wide, rich land you had set before them. But even then, they would not serve you. They would not turn from their evil ways. ³⁶So look at us today. We are slaves! You gave this land to our fathers so they could enjoy its fruit and good things. But here we are as slaves in it! ³⁷Its large harvest goes to the kings you have put over us because of our sins. They rule over our bodies and our animals however they want. We are in great trouble. ³⁸Because of all this, we are making a firm agreement. We are writing it down. Our leaders, Levites, and priests are putting their names on it and sealing it."