CHAPTER 9
On the twenty-fourth
day
of the same
month,
the Israelites
gathered together,
fasting
and wearing sackcloth,
with dust
on their heads.
Those of Israelite
descent
separated themselves
from all
the foreigners,
and they stood
and confessed
their sins
and the iniquities
of their fathers.
While they stood
in
their places,
they read
from the Book
of the Law
of the LORD
their God
for a quarter
of the day,
and they spent another quarter of the da
in confession
and worship
of the LORD
their God.
And the Levites—
Jeshua,
Bani,
Kadmiel,
Shebaniah,
Bunni,
Sherebiah,
Bani,
and Chenani—
stood
on
the raised platform
and cried out
in a loud
voice
to
the LORD
their God.
Then the Levites—
Jeshua,
Kadmiel,
Bani,
Hashabneiah,
Sherebiah,
Hodiah,
Shebaniah,
and Pethahiah—
said:
“Stand up
and bless
the LORD
your God
from
everlasting
to
everlasting:
‘Blessed be
Your glorious
name,
and may it be exalted
above
all
blessing
and praise.
You
alone
are the LORD.
You
created
the heavens,
the highest heavens
with all
their host,
the earth
and all
that
is on it,
the seas
and all
that is
in them.
You give life
to all things,
and the heavenly
host
worships You.
You
are the LORD,
the God
who
chose
Abram,
who brought him
out of Ur
of the Chaldeans
and gave him
the name
Abraham.
You found
his heart
faithful
before You,
and made
a covenant
with him
to give
the land
of the Canaanites
and Hittites,
of the Amorites
and Perizzites,
of the Jebusites
and Girgashites,
to give it
to his descendants.
You have kept
Your promise,
because
You
are righteous.
You performed
signs
and wonders
against Pharaoh,
all
his officials,
and all
the people
of his land,
for
You knew
that
they had acted with arrogance
against our fathers.
You made
a name for Yourself
that endures to this
day.
You divided
the sea
before them,
and they crossed
through
it
on dry ground.
You hurled
their pursuers
into the depths
like
a stone
into raging waters.
You led
them with a pillar
of cloud
by day,
and a pillar
of fire
by night,
to light
for them the way
which
they should travel.
You came down
on
Mount
Sinai,
and spoke
to them
from heaven.
You gave
them
just
ordinances,
TRUE
laws,
and good
statutes
and commandments.
You revealed
to them
Your holy
Sabbath,
and gave
them
commandments
and statutes
and laws
through
Your servant
Moses.
In their hunger
You provided
bread
from heaven;
in their thirst
You brought
water
from the rock.
You told
them to go in
and possess
the land
which
You had sworn
to give
them.
They refused
to listen
and failed
to remember
the wonders
You performed
among them.
They stiffened
their necks
and appointed
a leader
to return them
to their bondage.
But You
are a forgiving
God,
gracious
and compassionate,
slow
to anger
and rich
in loving devotion,
and You did not
forsake them.
Even
after
they had cast
for themselves
an image
of a calf
and said,
“This
is your God
who
brought you up
out of Egypt,”
and they had committed
terrible
blasphemies,
You,
because of Your great
compassion,
did not
forsake them
in the wilderness.
By day
the pillar
of cloud
never
turned away
from guiding them
on their path;
and by the night
the pillar
of fire
illuminated
the way
they should go.
You gave
Your good
Spirit
to instruct them.
You did not
withhold
Your manna
from their mouths,
and You gave
them water
for their thirst.
For forty
years
You sustained them
in the wilderness,
so that they lacked
nothing.
Their clothes
did not
wear out,
and their feet
did not
swell.
You gave
them kingdoms
and peoples
and allotted
to them every corner of the land.
So they took
the land
of Sihon
king
of Heshbon
and
of Og
king
of Bashan.
You multiplied
their descendants
like the stars
of heaven
and brought
them to
the land
You had told
their fathers
to enter
and possess.
So their descendants
went in
and possessed
the land.
You subdued
before them
the Canaanites
dwelling
in the land;
You handed their kings
and peoples
over to
them,
to do
with them
as they wished.
They captured
fortified cities
and fertile
land
and took
houses
full
of all
goods,
wells
already dug,
vineyards,
olive groves,
and fruit
trees
in abundance.
So they ate
and were filled;
they grew fat
and delighted
in Your great
goodness.
But they were disobedient
and rebelled
against You;
they flung
Your law
behind
their backs.
They killed
Your prophets
who
had admonished
them
to turn back
to You.
They committed
terrible
blasphemies.
So You delivered them
into the hands
of their enemies,
who oppressed
them.
And in their time
of distress,
they cried out
to You,
and You
heard them
from heaven.
In Your abundant
compassion
You gave
them deliverers,
who rescued them
from the hands
of their enemies.
But as soon as they had rest,
they again
did
evil
in Your sight.
So You abandoned them
to the hands
of their enemies,
who had dominion
over them.
When they cried out
to You again,
You
heard
from heaven,
And You delivered them
many
times
in Your compassion.
You admonished
them
to turn back
to
Your law,
but they
were arrogant
and disobeyed
Your commandments.
They sinned
against
Your ordinances,
by which a man
will live
if he practices
them.
They stubbornly
shrugged
their shoulders;
they stiffened
their necks
and would not
obey.
Yet You were patient
with
them for many
years,
and Your Spirit
admonished
them
through
Your prophets,
but they would not
listen;
so You gave them
into the hands
of the people
of the land.
But in Your great
compassion,
You did not
put an end to them;
nor
did You forsake them,
for
You
are a gracious
and compassionate
God.
So now,
our God,
the great
and mighty
and awesome
God
who keeps
His gracious
covenant,
do not
view lightly
all
the hardships
that
has come upon us,
and upon our kings
and leaders,
our priests
and prophets,
our ancestors
and all
Your people,
from the days
of the kings
of Assyria
until today.
You
are just
in
all
that has befallen
us,
because
You have acted
faithfully,
while we
have acted wickedly.
Our kings
and leaders
and priests
and fathers
did not
obey
Your law
or listen
to
Your commandments
and warnings
that
You gave
them.
For even while
they were in their kingdom,
with the abundant
goodness
You had given
them,
and in the spacious
and fertile
land
You set
before them,
they would not
serve You
or turn
from their wicked
ways.
So here
we are
today,
slaves
in the land
You gave
our fathers
to enjoy
its fruit
and its goodness.
And here
we are
as slaves!
Its abundant
harvest
goes to the kings
You have set
over us
because of our sins.
And they rule
over
our bodies
and our livestock
as they please.
We
are in great
distress.’
In view of all
this,
we
make
a binding agreement,
putting it in writing
and
sealing it with the names of
our leaders,
Levites,
and priests.”