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След това, на двадесет и четвъртия ден от същия месец, когато израилтяните бяха събрани с пост, облечени с вретища, и с пръст на себе си,

Израилевият род отдели себе си от всичките чужденци; и застанаха та изповядаха своите грехове и беззаконията на бащите си.

През една четвърт от деня те ставаха на местата си та четяха от книгата на закона на Господа своя Бог, и през друга четвърт се изповядваха и кланяха се на Господа своя Бог.

Тогава някои от левитите, - Исус, Ваний, Кадмиил, Севания, Вуний, Серевия, Ваний и Хананий, - застанаха на платформата та извикаха със силен глас към Господа своя Бог.

После левитите Исус, Кадмиил, Ваний, Асавния, Серевия, Одия, Севания и Петаия рекоха: Станете та благославяйте Господа вашия Бог от века до века; и да благославят, Боже, Твоето славно име, което е възвишено по-горе от всяко благословение и хвала.

Ти си Господ, само Ти; Ти си направил небето, небето на небесата, и цялото им множество, земята и всичко що е на нея, моретата и всичко що е в тях, и Ти оживотворяваш всичко това; и на Тебе се кланят небесните войнства.

Ти си Господ Бог, Който си избрал Аврама, извел си го от Ур халдейски, и си му дал име Авраам;

и като си намерил сърцето му вярно пред Тебе, направил си с него завет, че ще дадеш земята на ханаанците, хетейците, аморейците, ферезейците, евусейците и гергесейците, - че ще я дадеш на потомството му; и изпълнил си думите Си, защото си праведен.

И Ти видя теглото на бащите ни в Египет, и чу вика им при Червеното море.

10 Ти показа знамения и чудеса над Фараона, над всичките му слуги, и над всичките люде на земята му, понеже Ти позна, че гордо постъпваха против тях; и Ти си придобил име, както е известно днес.

11 Ти и раздели морето пред тях, та преминаха по сухо всред морето; а гонителите им Ти хвърли в дълбочините, като камък в силните води.

12 При това денем Ти ги води с облачен стълб, а нощем с огнен стълб, за да им светиш по пътя, през която трябваше да минат.

13 Тоже Ти слезе на Синайската планина та говори с тях от небето, и им даде справедливи съдби и закони на истината, и добри повеления и заповеди;

14 и им направи позната светата Своя събота, и им даде заповеди, повеления и закони чрез слугата Си Моисея.

15 Ти им даде и хляб от небето, когато бяха гладни, и им извади вода из скала, когато бяха жадни; и заповяда им да влязат, за да завладеят земята, за която беше се клел, че ще им я дадеш.

16 Но те и бащите ни се възгордяха, закоравиха врата си и не послушаха Твоите заповеди;

17 те отказаха да послушат, и не си спомниха чудесата, които Ти извърши за тях; но закоравиха врата си, и в бунта си определиха началник, за да се върнат в робството си. Но понеже си Бог, Който обичаш да прощаваш, милостив и жалостив, дълготърпелив и многомилостив, Ти не ги остави.

18 Даже, когато си направиха леяно теле и рекоха: Ето твоят Бог, който те изведе из Египет, и извършиха предизвикателства,

19 Ти пак в голямото Си милосърдие не ги остави в пустинята; облачният стълб не престана да бъде над тях денем, за да ги води из пътя, нито огненият стълб нощем, за да им свети по пътя, през който трябваше да минат.

20 И ти им даде благия Си Дух, за да ги вразумява и не отне манната Си от устата им, и даде им вода, когато бяха жадни.

21 Даже Ти ги храни четиридесет години в пустинята, та нищо не им липсваше; дрехите им не овехтяха и нозете им не отекоха.

22 При това, Ти им даде царства и племена, които им раздели за дялове; и така завладяха земята на Сиона, и земята на есевонския цар, и земята на васанския цар Ог.

23 И Ти умножи чадата им като небесните звезди, и заведе ги в земята, за която беше казал на бащите им да влязат в нея, за да я завладеят.

24 И те, чадата им влязоха та завладяха земята; и Ти покори пред тях жителите на земята, ханаанците, и предаде ги в ръцете им с царете им и племената на земята, за да им сторят по волята си.

25 И те превзеха укрепени градове и плодовита земя; и притежаваха къщи пълни с всякакви блага, изкопани кладенци, лозя, маслини, и множество плодовити дървета; така те ядоха и се наситиха, затлъстяха, и се насладиха с Твоята голяма благост.

26 Но те не се покоряваха, подигнаха се против Теме, захвърляха Твоя закон зад гърбовете си, и избиваха Твоите пророци, които заявяваха против тях, за да ги обърнат към Тебе, и извършиха големи предизвикателства.

27 Затова, Ти ги предаваше в ръката на притеснителите им, които ги притесняваха; а във време на притеснението им, като викаха към Тебе, Ти слушаше от небето, и според голямото Си милосърдие им даваше избавители, които ги избавяха от ръката на притеснителите им.

28 Но като се успокояваха, те пак вършеха зло пред Тебе; затова Ти ги оставяше в ръката на неприятелите им, които и ги завладяваха; но пак, когато се обръщаха те викаха към Тебе, Ти ги слушаше от небето, и много пъти ги избавяше според милосърдието Си.

29 Ти и заявяваше против тях, за да ги обърнеш към закона Си; но те се гордееха и не слушаха Твоите заповеди, но съгрешаваха против съдбите Ти (чрез които, ако ги изпълнява човек, ще живее), и обръщаха* към Тебе гърба си, и закоравяваха врата си та и не слушаха.

30 Въпраки това, Ти много години ги търпеше и заявяваше против тях чрез Духа Си посредством пророците Си, но те не внимаваха; затова Ти ги предаде в ръката на племената на земите.

31 Обаче, поради голямото Твое милосърдие не ги довърши, нито ги остави; защото си Бог щедър и милостив.

32 Сега, прочее, Боже наш, велики, мощни и страшни Боже, Който пазиш завет и милост, да се не счита за малко пред Тебе цялото злострадание, което е постигнало нас, царете ни, първенците ни, свещениците ни, пророците ни, бащите ни и всичките Твои люде от времето на асирийските царе до днес.

33 Наистина Ти си справедлив във всичко, което ни е сполетяло; защото ти си действувал верно, а ние сме постъпвали нечестиво.

34 Още царете ни, първенците ни, свещениците ни и бащите ни не са опазили закона Ти, и не са внимавали в твоите заповеди и заявления, с които си заявявал против тях.

35 Защото те през време на царството си, и при голямата благост, която Ти им показа, и в широката плодовита земя, която Ти постави пред тях, не Ти служиха, нито се обърнаха от нечестивите си дела.

36 Ето, роби сме днес; и в земята, която Ти даде на бащите ни, за да ядат плода й и благото й, ето роби сме в нея.

37 Тя дава голямо изобилие на царете, които Ти си поставил над нас, поради греховете ни; и властвуват над телата ни и над добитъка ни според волята си; а ние сме в голямо притеснение.

38 Поради всичко това ние правим верен завет и го написваме; и първенците ни, свещениците ни го подпечатват.

The Israelites Confess Their Sins

On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and putting dust on their heads.(A) Those of Israelite descent had separated themselves from all foreigners.(B) They stood in their places and confessed their sins and the sins of their ancestors.(C) They stood where they were and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a quarter of the day, and spent another quarter in confession and in worshiping the Lord their God. Standing on the stairs of the Levites(D) were Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani and Kenani. They cried out with loud voices to the Lord their God. And the Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah and Pethahiah—said: “Stand up and praise the Lord your God,(E) who is from everlasting to everlasting.[a]

“Blessed be your glorious name,(F) and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. You alone are the Lord.(G) You made the heavens,(H) even the highest heavens, and all their starry host,(I) the earth(J) and all that is on it, the seas(K) and all that is in them.(L) You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven(M) worship you.

“You are the Lord God, who chose Abram(N) and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans(O) and named him Abraham.(P) You found his heart faithful to you, and you made a covenant with him to give to his descendants the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites and Girgashites.(Q) You have kept your promise(R) because you are righteous.(S)

“You saw the suffering of our ancestors in Egypt;(T) you heard their cry at the Red Sea.[b](U) 10 You sent signs(V) and wonders(W) against Pharaoh, against all his officials and all the people of his land, for you knew how arrogantly the Egyptians treated them. You made a name(X) for yourself,(Y) which remains to this day. 11 You divided the sea before them,(Z) so that they passed through it on dry ground, but you hurled their pursuers into the depths,(AA) like a stone into mighty waters.(AB) 12 By day(AC) you led(AD) them with a pillar of cloud,(AE) and by night with a pillar of fire to give them light on the way they were to take.

13 “You came down on Mount Sinai;(AF) you spoke(AG) to them from heaven.(AH) You gave them regulations and laws that are just(AI) and right, and decrees and commands that are good.(AJ) 14 You made known to them your holy Sabbath(AK) and gave them commands, decrees and laws through your servant Moses. 15 In their hunger you gave them bread from heaven(AL) and in their thirst you brought them water from the rock;(AM) you told them to go in and take possession of the land you had sworn with uplifted hand(AN) to give them.(AO)

16 “But they, our ancestors, became arrogant and stiff-necked,(AP) and they did not obey your commands.(AQ) 17 They refused to listen and failed to remember(AR) the miracles(AS) you performed among them. They became stiff-necked(AT) and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery.(AU) But you are a forgiving God,(AV) gracious and compassionate,(AW) slow to anger(AX) and abounding in love.(AY) Therefore you did not desert them,(AZ) 18 even when they cast for themselves an image of a calf(BA) and said, ‘This is your god, who brought you up out of Egypt,’ or when they committed awful blasphemies.(BB)

19 “Because of your great compassion you did not abandon(BC) them in the wilderness. By day the pillar of cloud(BD) did not fail to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take. 20 You gave your good Spirit(BE) to instruct(BF) them. You did not withhold your manna(BG) from their mouths, and you gave them water(BH) for their thirst. 21 For forty years(BI) you sustained them in the wilderness; they lacked nothing,(BJ) their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet become swollen.(BK)

22 “You gave them kingdoms and nations, allotting to them even the remotest frontiers. They took over the country of Sihon[c](BL) king of Heshbon and the country of Og king of Bashan.(BM) 23 You made their children as numerous as the stars in the sky,(BN) and you brought them into the land that you told their parents to enter and possess. 24 Their children went in and took possession of the land.(BO) You subdued(BP) before them the Canaanites, who lived in the land; you gave the Canaanites into their hands, along with their kings and the peoples of the land, to deal with them as they pleased. 25 They captured fortified cities and fertile land;(BQ) they took possession of houses filled with all kinds of good things,(BR) wells already dug, vineyards, olive groves and fruit trees in abundance. They ate to the full and were well-nourished;(BS) they reveled in your great goodness.(BT)

26 “But they were disobedient and rebelled against you; they turned their backs on your law.(BU) They killed(BV) your prophets,(BW) who had warned them in order to turn them back to you; they committed awful blasphemies.(BX) 27 So you delivered them into the hands of their enemies,(BY) who oppressed them. But when they were oppressed they cried out to you. From heaven you heard them, and in your great compassion(BZ) you gave them deliverers,(CA) who rescued them from the hand of their enemies.

28 “But as soon as they were at rest, they again did what was evil in your sight.(CB) Then you abandoned them to the hand of their enemies so that they ruled over them. And when they cried out to you again, you heard from heaven, and in your compassion(CC) you delivered them(CD) time after time.

29 “You warned(CE) them in order to turn them back to your law, but they became arrogant(CF) and disobeyed your commands. They sinned against your ordinances, of which you said, ‘The person who obeys them will live by them.’(CG) Stubbornly they turned their backs(CH) on you, became stiff-necked(CI) and refused to listen.(CJ) 30 For many years you were patient with them. By your Spirit you warned them through your prophets.(CK) Yet they paid no attention, so you gave them into the hands of the neighboring peoples.(CL) 31 But in your great mercy you did not put an end(CM) to them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful(CN) God.

32 “Now therefore, our God, the great God, mighty(CO) and awesome,(CP) who keeps his covenant of love,(CQ) do not let all this hardship seem trifling in your eyes—the hardship(CR) that has come on us, on our kings and leaders, on our priests and prophets, on our ancestors and all your people, from the days of the kings of Assyria until today. 33 In all that has happened to us, you have remained righteous;(CS) you have acted faithfully, while we acted wickedly.(CT) 34 Our kings,(CU) our leaders, our priests and our ancestors(CV) did not follow your law; they did not pay attention to your commands or the statutes you warned them to keep. 35 Even while they were in their kingdom, enjoying your great goodness(CW) to them in the spacious and fertile land you gave them, they did not serve you(CX) or turn from their evil ways.

36 “But see, we are slaves(CY) today, slaves in the land you gave our ancestors so they could eat its fruit and the other good things it produces. 37 Because of our sins, its abundant harvest goes to the kings you have placed over us. They rule over our bodies and our cattle as they please. We are in great distress.(CZ)

The Agreement of the People

38 “In view of all this, we are making a binding agreement,(DA) putting it in writing,(DB) and our leaders, our Levites and our priests are affixing their seals to it.”[d]

Footnotes

  1. Nehemiah 9:5 Or God for ever and ever
  2. Nehemiah 9:9 Or the Sea of Reeds
  3. Nehemiah 9:22 One Hebrew manuscript and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts Sihon, that is, the country of the
  4. Nehemiah 9:38 In Hebrew texts this verse (9:38) is numbered 10:1.

The People Confess Their Sins

Now on the twenty-fourth day of (A)this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, in sackcloth, (B)and with [a]dust on their heads. Then (C)those of Israelite lineage separated themselves from all foreigners; and they stood and (D)confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. And they stood up in their place and (E)read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for one-fourth of the day; and for another fourth they confessed and worshiped the Lord their God.

Then Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani stood on the [b]stairs of the Levites and cried out with a loud voice to the Lord their God. And the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said:

“Stand up and bless the Lord your God
Forever and ever!

“Blessed be (F)Your glorious name,
Which is exalted above all blessing and praise!
(G)You alone are the Lord;
(H)You have made heaven,
(I)The heaven of heavens, with (J)all their host,
The earth and everything on it,
The seas and all that is in them,
And You (K)preserve them all.
The host of heaven worships You.

“You are the Lord God,
Who chose (L)Abram,
And brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans,
And gave him the name (M)Abraham;
You found his heart (N)faithful before You,
And made a (O)covenant with him
To give the land of the Canaanites,
The Hittites, the Amorites,
The Perizzites, the Jebusites,
And the Girgashites—
To give it to his descendants.
You (P)have performed Your words,
For You are righteous.

“You(Q) saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt,
And (R)heard their cry by the Red Sea.
10 You (S)showed signs and wonders against Pharaoh,
Against all his servants,
And against all the people of his land.
For You knew that they (T)acted [c]proudly against them.
So You (U)made a name for Yourself, as it is this day.
11 (V)And You divided the sea before them,
So that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land;
And their persecutors You threw into the deep,
(W)As a stone into the mighty waters.
12 Moreover You (X)led them by day with a cloudy pillar,
And by night with a pillar of fire,
To give them light on the road
Which they should travel.

13 “You(Y) came down also on Mount Sinai,
And spoke with them from heaven,
And gave them (Z)just ordinances and true laws,
Good statutes and commandments.
14 You made known to them Your (AA)holy Sabbath,
And commanded them precepts, statutes and laws,
By the hand of Moses Your servant.
15 You (AB)gave them bread from heaven for their hunger,
And (AC)brought them water out of the rock for their thirst,
And told them to (AD)go in to possess the land
Which You had [d]sworn to give them.

16 “But(AE) they and our fathers acted [e]proudly,
(AF)Hardened[f] their necks,
And did not heed Your commandments.
17 They refused to obey,
And (AG)they were not mindful of Your wonders
That You did among them.
But they hardened their necks,
And [g]in their rebellion
They appointed (AH)a leader
To return to their bondage.
But You are God,
Ready to pardon,
(AI)Gracious and merciful,
Slow to anger,
Abundant in kindness,
And did not forsake them.

18 “Even (AJ)when they made a molded calf for themselves,
And said, ‘This is your god
That brought you up out of Egypt,’
And worked great provocations,
19 Yet in Your (AK)manifold mercies
You did not forsake them in the wilderness.
The (AL)pillar of the cloud did not depart from them by day,
To lead them on the road;
Nor the pillar of fire by night,
To show them light,
And the way they should go.
20 You also gave Your (AM)good Spirit to instruct them,
And did not withhold Your (AN)manna from their mouth,
And gave them (AO)water for their thirst.
21 (AP)Forty years You sustained them in the wilderness;
They lacked nothing;
Their (AQ)clothes did not wear out
And their feet did not swell.

22 “Moreover You gave them kingdoms and nations,
And divided them into [h]districts.
So they took possession of the land of (AR)Sihon,
[i]The land of the king of Heshbon,
And the land of Og king of Bashan.
23 You also multiplied (AS)their children as the stars of heaven,
And brought them into the land
Which You had told their fathers
To go in and possess.
24 So (AT)the [j]people went in
And possessed the land;
(AU)You subdued before them the inhabitants of the land,
The Canaanites,
And gave them into their hands,
With their kings
And the people of the land,
That they might do with them as they wished.
25 And they took strong cities and a (AV)rich land,
And possessed (AW)houses full of all goods,
Cisterns already dug, vineyards, olive groves,
And [k]fruit trees in abundance.
So they ate and were filled and (AX)grew fat,
And delighted themselves in Your great (AY)goodness.

26 “Nevertheless they (AZ)were disobedient
And rebelled against You,
(BA)Cast Your law behind their backs
And killed Your (BB)prophets, who [l]testified against them
To turn them to Yourself;
And they worked great provocations.
27 (BC)Therefore You delivered them into the hand of their enemies,
Who oppressed them;
And in the time of their trouble,
When they cried to You,
You (BD)heard from heaven;
And according to Your abundant mercies
(BE)You gave them deliverers who saved them
From the hand of their enemies.

28 “But after they had rest,
(BF)They again did evil before You.
Therefore You left them in the hand of their enemies,
So that they had dominion over them;
Yet when they returned and cried out to You,
You heard from heaven;
And (BG)many times You delivered them according to Your mercies,
29 And [m]testified against them,
That You might bring them back to Your law.
Yet they acted [n]proudly,
And did not heed Your commandments,
But sinned against Your judgments,
(BH)‘Which if a man does, he shall live by them.’
And they shrugged their shoulders,
[o]Stiffened their necks,
And would not hear.
30 Yet for many years You had patience with them,
And [p]testified (BI)against them by Your Spirit (BJ)in Your prophets.
Yet they would not listen;
(BK)Therefore You gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.
31 Nevertheless in Your great mercy
(BL)You did not utterly consume them nor forsake them;
For You are God, gracious and merciful.

32 “Now therefore, our God,
The great, the (BM)mighty, and awesome God,
Who keeps covenant and mercy:
Do not let all the [q]trouble seem small before You
That has come upon us,
Our kings and our princes,
Our priests and our prophets,
Our fathers and on all Your people,
(BN)From the days of the kings of Assyria until this day.
33 However (BO)You are just in all that has befallen us;
For You have dealt faithfully,
But (BP)we have done wickedly.
34 Neither our kings nor our princes,
Our priests nor our fathers,
Have kept Your law,
Nor heeded Your commandments and Your testimonies,
With which You testified against them.
35 For they have (BQ)not served You in their kingdom,
Or in the many good things that You gave them,
Or in the large and rich land which You set before them;
Nor did they turn from their wicked works.

36 “Here (BR)we are, servants today!
And the land that You gave to our fathers,
To eat its fruit and its bounty,
Here we are, servants in it!
37 And (BS)it yields much increase to the kings
You have set over us,
Because of our sins;
Also they have (BT)dominion over our bodies and our cattle
At their pleasure;
And we are in great distress.

38 “And because of all this,
We (BU)make a sure covenant and write it;
Our leaders, our Levites, and our priests (BV)seal it.

Footnotes

  1. Nehemiah 9:1 Lit. earth on them
  2. Nehemiah 9:4 Lit. ascent
  3. Nehemiah 9:10 presumptuously or insolently
  4. Nehemiah 9:15 Lit. raised Your hand to
  5. Nehemiah 9:16 presumptuously
  6. Nehemiah 9:16 Stiffened their necks, became stubborn
  7. Nehemiah 9:17 So with MT, Vg.; LXX in Egypt
  8. Nehemiah 9:22 Lit. corners
  9. Nehemiah 9:22 So with MT, Vg.; LXX omits The land of
  10. Nehemiah 9:24 Lit. sons
  11. Nehemiah 9:25 Lit. trees for eating
  12. Nehemiah 9:26 admonished or warned them
  13. Nehemiah 9:29 admonished them
  14. Nehemiah 9:29 presumptuously
  15. Nehemiah 9:29 Became stubborn
  16. Nehemiah 9:30 admonished or warned them
  17. Nehemiah 9:32 hardship