Nehemiah 9
Complete Jewish Bible
9 On the twenty-fourth day of this month the people of Isra’el, wearing sackcloth and with dirt on them, assembled for a fast. 2 Those descended from Isra’el separated themselves from all foreigners; then they stood up and confessed their own sins and the iniquities of their ancestors. 3 Standing where they were, they read in the scroll of the Torah of Adonai their God for one-quarter of the day. For another quarter they confessed and prostrated themselves before Adonai their God. 4 On the platform of the L’vi’im stood Yeshua, Bani, Kadmi’el, Sh’vanyah, Buni, Sherevyah, Bani and K’nani; they cried out loudly to Adonai their God. 5 Then the L’vi’im Yeshua, Kadmi’el, Bani, Hashavn’yah, Sherevyah, Hodiyah, Sh’vanyah and P’tachyah said, “Stand up, and bless Adonai your God from everlasting to everlasting; let them say:
“‘Blessed be your glorious name,
exalted above all blessing and praise!
6 “‘You are Adonai, you alone.
You made heaven,
the heaven of heavens, with all their array,
the earth and all the things that are in it,
the seas and all that is in them;
and you preserve them all.
The army of heaven worships you.
7 “‘You are Adonai, the God who chose Avram,
brought him out of Ur-Kasdim
and gave him the name of Avraham.
8 Finding that he was faithful to you,
you made a covenant with him
to give the land of the Kena‘ani,
the Hitti, Emori and P’rizi,
the Y’vusi and the Girgashi,
to give it to his descendants;
and you have done what you promised,
because you are just.
9 “‘You saw the distress of our ancestors in Egypt
and heard their cry by the Sea of Suf.
10 You performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh,
against all his servants and the people of the land;
for you knew how arrogantly they treated them;
and you won yourself a name which is yours to this day.
11 You divided the sea ahead of them,
so that they could pass through the sea on dry land;
then you hurled their pursuers into the depths,
like a stone into turbulent waters.
12 “‘In a column of cloud you led them by day,
and by night in a column of fire,
so that they would have light ahead of them
on the way that they were to go.
13 “‘You descended on Mount Sinai
and spoke with them from heaven.
You gave them right rulings and true teachings,
good laws and mitzvot.
14 You revealed to them your holy Shabbat
and gave them mitzvot, laws and the Torah
through Moshe your servant.
15 “‘For their hunger you gave them bread from heaven;
for their thirst you brought forth for them water from the rock.
You ordered them to enter and possess the land
you had sworn with your hand to give them.
16 “‘But they and our ancestors were arrogant;
they stiffened their necks and ignored your mitzvot;
17 they refused to listen and paid no attention
to the wonders you had done among them.
No, they stiffened their necks, and in their rebellion
appointed a leader to return them to their slavery.
But because you are a God of forgiveness,
merciful, full of compassion,
slow to grow angry and full of grace,
you did not abandon them.
18 Even when they cast themselves a metal calf,
saying of it, “This is your god
that brought you up from Egypt,”
and committing other gross provocations;
19 still, you, in your great compassion,
did not abandon them in the desert.
The column of cloud did not leave them by day;
it kept leading them along the way.
By night the column of fire
kept showing them light and the path to take.
20 You also gave your good Spirit to teach them,
did not withhold man from their mouths
and provided them water to quench their thirst.
21 Yes, forty years you sustained them in the desert;
they lacked nothing —
their clothes did not wear out;
their feet did not swell up.
22 “‘You gave them kingdoms and peoples;
you even gave them extra land,
so that they took possession of the land of Sichon,
also the land of the king of Heshbon
and the land of ‘Og king of Bashan.
23 You made their children as numerous
as the countless stars in the sky.
“‘Then you brought them into the land
about which you had said to their fathers
that they should go in and take possession of it.
24 So the children went in and possessed the land,
as you subdued ahead of them
the Kena‘ani living in the land,
and handed them over to them,
along with their kings and the peoples of the land,
for them to do with as they wished.
25 They took fortified cities and fertile land,
possessed houses full of all kinds of good things,
dug-out cisterns, vineyards, olive groves,
fruit trees in plenty;
so they ate their fill and grew robust,
luxuriating in your great goodness.
26 “‘Yet they disobeyed and rebelled against you,
throwing your Torah behind their backs.
They killed your prophets for warning them
that they should return to you
and committed other gross provocations.
27 So you handed them over to the power
of their adversaries, who oppressed them.
Yet in the time of their trouble,
when they cried out to you,
you heard from heaven, and in keeping
with your great compassion,
you gave them saviors to save them
from the power of their adversaries.
28 But as soon as they had gotten some relief,
they went back to do evil before you.
So you left them in the power of their enemies,
who came down hard on them.
Yet when they returned and cried out to you,
you heard from heaven many times
and saved them, according to your compassion.
29 You warned them, in order to bring them back
to your Torah; yet they were arrogant.
They paid no attention to your mitzvot,
but sinned against your rulings,
which, if a person does them,
he will have life through them.
However, they stubbornly turned their shoulders,
stiffened their necks and refused to hear.
30 Many years you extended them mercy
and warned them by your Spirit through your prophets;
yet they would not listen.
Therefore you handed them over
to the peoples of the lands.
31 Even so, in your great compassion,
you didn’t completely destroy them;
nor did you abandon them,
for you are a compassionate and merciful God.
32 “‘Now therefore, our God,
great, mighty, fearsome God,
who keeps both covenant and grace:
let not all this suffering seem little to you
that has come on us, our kings, our leaders,
our cohanim, our prophets, our ancestors,
and on all your people,
from the times of the kings of Ashur
until this very day.
33 There is no question that you are just
in all that has come upon us;
for you have treated us fairly.
It is we who have acted wickedly.
34 Our kings, our leaders, our cohanim and ancestors
did not keep your Torah,
pay attention to your mitzvot
or heed the warnings you gave them.
35 Even when they ruled their own kingdom,
even when you prospered them greatly,
in the great, rich land you gave them,
they did not serve you;
nor did they turn from their wicked deeds.
36 “‘So here we are today, slaves.
Yes, in the land you gave our ancestors,
so that they could eat what it produces
and enjoy its good —
here we are in it, slaves!
37 Its rich yield now goes to the kings
you have set over us because of our sins;
they have power over our bodies,
they can do what they please to our livestock,
and we are in great distress!
Nechemyah 9
Orthodox Jewish Bible
9 Now in the 24th day of this month the Bnei Yisroel were assembled with a tzom, with sack-cloth, and adamah upon them.
2 And the Zera Yisroel separated themselves from all foreigners, and stood and confessed their chattot, and the avonot of their avot.
3 And they stood up in their place, and read in the Sefer Torat Hashem Eloheihem one fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed, and worshiped Hashem Eloheihem.
4 Then stood up upon the platform, of the Levi’im, Yeshua, and Bani, Kadmiel, Shevanyah, Bunni, Sherevyah, Bani, and Kenani, and cried with a kol gadol unto Hashem Eloheihem.
5 Then the Levi’im, Yeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Chashavneyah, Sherevyah, Hodiyah, Shevanyah, and Petachyah, said, Stand up and bless Hashem Eloheichem for ever and ever; and blessed be Shem Kevodecha, which is exalted above all brocha and tehillah.
6 Thou, even Thou, art Hashem alone; Thou hast made HaShomayim, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, ha’aretz, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and Thou preservest them all; and the Tz’va HaShomayim worshipeth Thee.
7 Thou art Hashem HaElohim, Who didst choose Avram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur Kasdim, and gavest shmo Avraham;
8 And foundest his lev ne’eman before Thee, and madest habrit (the covenant) with him to give the eretz HaKena’ani, the Chitti, the Emori, and the Perizzi, and the Yevusi, and the Girgashi, to give it to his zera, and hast performed Thy words; for Thou art tzaddik;
9 And didst see the affliction of Avoteinu in Mitzrayim, and heardest their cry by the Yam Suf;
10 And showedst otot and mofetim upon Pharaoh, and on all his avadim, and on kol HaAm of his land; for Thou knewest that they dealt proudly against them. So didst Thou get Thee a Shem, as it is this day.
11 And Thou didst divide the yam before them, so that they went through the midst of the yam on the yabashah; and their persecutors Thou threwest into the depths, as an even (stone) into the mighty waters.
12 Moreover Thou leddest them in the day by an Ammud Anan; and in the night by an Ammud Eish, to give them ohr in the way wherein they should go.
13 Thou camest down also upon Mt Sinai, and spoke with them from Shomayim, and gavest them mishpatim yesharim, and torot emes, chukkim and mitzvot tovim;
14 And madest known unto them Thy Shabbos Kadosh, and commandedst them mitzvot, chukkim, and torah, by the yad of Moshe Thy eved;
15 And gavest them lechem from Shomayim for their hunger, and broughtest forth mayim for them out of the rock for their thirst, and promisedst them that they should go in to possess Ha’Aretz which Thou hadst sworn to give them.
16 But they and Avoteinu dealt proudly, and hardened their necks, and paid heed not to Thy mitzvot,
17 And refused to obey, neither were mindful of Thy wonders that Thou didst among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a rosh to return to their bondage; but Thou art Eloah Selichot, channun and rachum, slow to anger, and of great chesed, and forsookest them not.
18 Yea, when they had made them an egel massekhah, and said, This is Eloheicha that brought thee up out of Mitzrayim, or when they committed ne’atzot gedolot (great blasphemies);
19 Yet Thou in Thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the midbar; the Ammud heAnan departed not from them by day, to lead them in HaDerech; neither the Ammud HaEish by night, to show them light, and HaDerech wherein they should walk.
20 Thou gavest also Thy Ruach HaTovah to instruct them, and withheldest not Thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them mayim for their thirst.
21 Yea, arba’im shanah didst Thou sustain them in the midbar, so that they lacked nothing; their clothes did not wear out, and their feet swelled not.
22 Moreover Thou gavest them kingdoms and nations, allotting them as a boundary; so they possessed Eretz Sichon, and Eretz Melech Cheshbon, and Eretz Og Melech HaBashan.
23 Their children also multipliedst Thou as the kokhavim of Shomayim, and broughtest them into Ha’Aretz, concerning which Thou hadst promised to their avot, that they should go in to possess it.
24 So the children went in and possessed Ha’Aretz, and Thou subduedst before them the inhabitants of the land, the Kena’anim, and gavest them into their hands, with their melachim, and the people of the land, that they might do with them as they would.
25 And they took fortified cities, and an adamah shemenah, and possessed batim full of all goods, wells dug, kramim, and oliveyards, and fruit trees in abundance; so they did eat, and were filled, and became fat, and delighted themselves in thy great goodness.
26 Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against Thee, and cast Thy torah behind their backs, and slaughtered Thy nevi’im which testified against them to turn them to Thee, and they wrought ne’atzot gedolot.
27 Therefore Thou deliveredst them into the yad of their enemies, who oppressed them; and in the time of their tzoros, when they cried unto Thee, Thou heardest them from Shomayim; and according to Thy manifold mercies Thou gavest them moshi’im (deliverers), who saved them out of the yad of their enemies.
28 But after they had rest, they did rah again before Thee; therefore Thou abandoned them unto the hand of their enemies, so that they had the dominion over them; yet when they returned, cried unto Thee, Thou heardest them from Shomayim; and many times didst Thou deliver them according to Thy mercies;
29 And testifiedst against them, that Thou mightest bring them again unto Thy torah; yet they dealt proudly, and paid heed not unto Thy mitzvot, but sinned against Thy mishpatim, which if a man do, he shall live in them; and they stubbornly turned their backs, and hardened their neck, and would not hear.
30 Yet many shanim didst Thou forbear them, and testifiedst against them by Thy Ruach [Hakodesh] by Thy nevi’im; yet would they not give ear; therefore gavest Thou them into the yad of the peoples of the lands.
31 Nevertheless for Thy great mercies’ sake Thou didst not utterly consume them, nor forsake them; for Thou art El Channun v’Rachum.
32 Now therefore, Eloheinu, the great, the mighty, and the terrible G-d, Who keepest brit and chesed, let not all the hardships seem little before Thee, that hath come upon us, on melacheinu, on sareinu, and on Kohaneinu, and on nevi’einu, and on Avoteinu, and on all Thy people, since the time of the melachim of Assyria unto this day.
33 Howbeit Thou art tzaddik in all that is brought upon us; for Thou hast done emes, but we have done wrong;
34 Neither have melacheinu, sareinu, Kohaneinu, nor Avoteinu, kept Thy torah, nor paid heed unto Thy mitzvot and Thy testimonies, wherewith Thou didst testify against them.
35 For they have not served Thee in their malchut, and in Thy great goodness that Thou gavest them, and in the large and fertile land which Thou gavest before them, neither turned they from their wicked works.
36 Hinei, we are avadim this day, and for the land that Thou gavest unto Avoteinu to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof, hinei, we are avadim in it;
37 And it yieldeth much increase unto the melachim whom Thou hast set over us because of chattoteinu; also they have dominion over geviyyoteinu, and over our cattle, at their pleasure, and we are in tzarah gedolah.
38 (10:1) And because of all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our sarim, Levi’im, and Kohanim, seal unto it.
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.
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