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Neemia 9
Conferenza Episcopale Italiana

Cerimonia espiatrice

9 Il ventiquattro dello stesso mese, gli Israeliti si radunarono per un digiuno, vestiti di sacco e coperti di polvere. 2 Quelli che appartenevano alla stirpe d'Israele si separarono da tutti gli stranieri, si presentarono dinanzi a Dio e confessarono i loro peccati e le iniquità dei loro padri. 3 Poi si alzarono in piedi nel posto dove si trovavano e fu fatta la lettura del libro della legge del Signore loro Dio, per un quarto della giornata; per un altro quarto essi fecero la confessione dei peccati e si prostrarono davanti al Signore loro Dio. 4 Giosuè, Bani, Kadmiel, Sebania, Bunni, Serebia, Bani e Kenani si alzarono sulla pedana dei leviti e invocarono a gran voce il Signore loro Dio. 5 I leviti Giosuè, Kadmiel, Bani, Casabnia, Serebia, Odia, Sebania e Petachia dissero: «Alzatevi e benedite il Signore vostro Dio ora e sempre! Si benedica il tuo nome glorioso che è esaltato al di sopra di ogni benedizione e di ogni lode! 6 Tu, tu solo sei il Signore, tu hai fatto i cieli, i cieli dei cieli e tutte le loro schiere, la terra e quanto sta su di essa, i mari e quanto è in essi; tu fai vivere tutte queste cose e l'esercito dei cieli ti adora. 7 Tu sei il Signore, il Dio che hai scelto Abram, lo hai fatto uscire da Ur dei Caldei e lo hai chiamato Abramo. 8 Tu hai trovato il suo cuore fedele davanti a te e hai stabilito con lui un'alleanza, promettendogli di dare alla sua discendenza il paese dei Cananei, degli Hittiti, degli Amorrei, dei Perizziti, dei Gebusei e dei Gergesei; tu hai mantenuto la tua parola, perché sei giusto. 9 Tu hai visto l'afflizione dei nostri padri in Egitto e hai ascoltato il loro grido presso il Mare Rosso; 10 hai operato segni e prodigi contro il faraone, contro tutti i suoi servi, contro tutto il popolo del suo paese, perché sapevi che essi avevano trattato i nostri padri con durezza; ti sei fatto un nome fino ad oggi. 11 Hai aperto il mare davanti a loro, ed essi sono passati in mezzo al mare sull'asciutto; quelli che li inseguivano tu li hai precipitati nell'abisso, come una pietra in fondo alle acque impetuose.

12 Li hai guidati di giorno con una colonna di nube e di notte con una colonna di fuoco, per rischiarare loro la strada su cui camminare. 13 Sei sceso sul monte Sinai e hai parlato con loro dal cielo e hai dato loro decreti giusti e leggi di verità, buoni statuti e buoni comandi; 14 hai fatto loro conoscere il tuo santo sabato e hai dato loro comandi, decreti e una legge per mezzo di Mosè tuo servo. 15 Hai dato loro pane del cielo quando erano affamati e hai fatto scaturire acqua dalla rupe quando erano assetati e hai comandato loro che andassero a prendere in possesso il paese che avevi giurato di dare loro.

16 Ma essi, i nostri padri, si sono comportati con superbia, hanno indurito la loro cervice e non hanno obbedito ai tuoi comandi; 17 si sono rifiutati di obbedire e non si sono ricordati dei miracoli che tu avevi operato in loro favore; hanno indurito la loro cervice e nella loro ribellione si sono dati un capo per tornare alla loro schiavitù. Ma tu sei un Dio pronto a perdonare, pietoso e misericordioso, lento all'ira e di grande benevolenza e non li hai abbandonati. 18 Anche quando si sono fatti un vitello di metallo fuso e hanno detto: Ecco il tuo Dio che ti ha fatto uscire dall'Egitto! e ti hanno insultato gravemente, 19 tu nella tua misericordia non li hai abbandonati nel deserto: la colonna di nube che stava su di loro non ha cessato di guidarli durante il giorno per il loro cammino e la colonna di fuoco non ha cessato di rischiarar loro la strada su cui camminavano di notte. 20 Hai concesso loro il tuo spirito buono per istruirli e non hai rifiutato la tua manna alle loro bocche e hai dato loro l'acqua quando erano assetati. 21 Per quarant'anni li hai nutriti nel deserto e non è mancato loro nulla; le loro vesti non si sono logorate e i loro piedi non si sono gonfiati. 22 Poi hai dato loro regni e popoli e li hai spartiti fra di loro come un sovrappiù; essi hanno posseduto il paese di Sicon, cioè il paese del re di Chesbòn e il paese di Og re di Basan.

23 Hai moltiplicato i loro figli come le stelle del cielo e li hai introdotti nel paese in cui avevi promesso ai loro padri di farli entrare per possederlo. 24 I loro figli vi sono entrati e hanno preso in possesso il paese; tu hai umiliato dinanzi a loro i Cananei che abitavano il paese e li hai messi nelle loro mani con i loro re e con i popoli del paese, perché ne disponessero a loro piacere. 25 Essi si sono impadroniti di fortezze, di una terra grassa, e hanno posseduto case piene d'ogni bene, cisterne scavate, vigne, oliveti, alberi da frutto in abbondanza; hanno mangiato e si sono saziati e si sono ingrassati e hanno vissuto in delizie per la tua grande bontà. 26 Ma poi sono stati disobbedienti, si sono ribellati contro di te, si sono gettati la tua legge dietro le spalle, hanno ucciso i tuoi profeti che li scongiuravano di tornare a te, e ti hanno offeso gravemente. 27 Perciò tu li hai messi nelle mani dei loro nemici, che li hanno oppressi. Ma al tempo della loro angoscia essi hanno gridato a te e tu li hai ascoltati dal cielo e, nella tua grande misericordia, tu hai dato loro liberatori, che li hanno strappati dalle mani dei loro nemici. 28 Ma quando avevano pace, ritornavano a fare il male dinanzi a te, perciò tu li abbandonavi nelle mani dei loro nemici, che li opprimevano; poi quando ricominciavano a gridare a te, tu li esaudivi dal cielo; così nella tua misericordia più volte li hai salvati. 29 Tu li ammonivi per farli tornare alla tua legge; ma essi si mostravano superbi e non obbedivano ai tuoi comandi; peccavano contro i tuoi decreti, che fanno vivere chi li mette in pratica; la loro spalla rifiutava il giogo, indurivano la loro cervice e non obbedivano. 30 Hai pazientato con loro molti anni e li hai scongiurati per mezzo del tuo spirito e per bocca dei tuoi profeti; ma essi non hanno voluto prestare orecchio. Allora li hai messi nelle mani dei popoli dei paesi stranieri. 31 Però nella tua molteplice compassione, tu non li hai sterminati del tutto e non li hai abbandonati perché sei un Dio clemente e misericordioso. 32 Ora, Dio nostro, Dio grande, potente e tremendo, che mantieni l'alleanza e la misericordia, non sembri poca cosa ai tuoi occhi tutta la sventura che è piombata su di noi, sui nostri re, sui nostri capi, sui nostri sacerdoti, sui nostri profeti, sui nostri padri, su tutto il tuo popolo, dal tempo dei re d'Assiria fino ad oggi.

33 Tu sei stato giusto in tutto quello che ci è avvenuto, poiché tu hai agito fedelmente, mentre noi ci siamo comportati con empietà. 34 I nostri re, i nostri capi, i nostri sacerdoti, i nostri padri non hanno messo in pratica la tua legge e non hanno obbedito né ai comandi né agli ammonimenti con i quali tu li scongiuravi. 35 Essi mentre godevano del loro regno, del grande benessere che tu largivi loro e del paese vasto e fertile che tu avevi messo a loro disposizione, non ti hanno servito e non hanno abbandonato le loro azioni malvage. 36 Oggi eccoci schiavi nel paese che tu hai concesso ai nostri padri perché ne mangiassero i frutti e ne godessero i beni. I suoi prodotti abbondanti sono dei re ai quali tu ci hai sottoposti a causa dei nostri peccati e che sono padroni dei nostri corpi e del nostro bestiame a loro piacere, e noi siamo in grande angoscia».

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Nehemiah 9
New International Version

The Israelites Confess Their Sins

9 On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and putting dust on their heads.(A) 2 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) 3 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. 4 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. 5 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. 6 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.

7 “You are the Lord God, who chose Abram(N) and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans(O) and named him Abraham.(P) 8 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)

9 “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.
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Nehemiah 9
English Standard Version

The People of Israel Confess Their Sin

9 Now on the twenty-fourth day of (A)this month the people of Israel were assembled (B)with fasting (C)and in sackcloth, (D)and with earth on their heads. 2 (E)And the Israelites[a] separated themselves from all foreigners and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. 3 (F)And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a quarter of the day; for another quarter of it they made confession and worshiped the Lord their God. 4 On the stairs of the Levites stood (G)Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani; and they cried with a loud voice to the Lord their God. 5 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. (H)Blessed be your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise.

6 [b] (I)“You are the Lord, you alone. (J)You have made heaven, (K)the heaven of heavens, (L)with all their host, (M)the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; (N)and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you. 7 You are the Lord, the God (O)who chose Abram and brought him out of (P)Ur of the Chaldeans (Q)and gave him the name Abraham. 8 (R)You found his heart faithful before you, (S)and made with him the covenant to give to his offspring (T)the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite, and the Girgashite. (U)And you have kept your promise, for you are righteous.

9 (V)“And you saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt and heard (W)their cry at the Red Sea, 10 (X)and performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh and all his servants and all the people of his land, for you knew that (Y)they acted arrogantly against our fathers. And (Z)you made a name for yourself, as it is to this day. 11 (AA)And you divided the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on dry land, and you cast their pursuers into the depths, (AB)as a stone into mighty waters. 12 By (AC)a pillar of cloud you led them in the day, and by a pillar of fire in the night to light for them the way in which they should go. 13 (AD)You came down on Mount Sinai (AE)and spoke with them from heaven and gave them (AF)right rules and true laws, good statutes and commandments, 14 (AG)and you made known to them your holy Sabbath and commanded them commandments and statutes and a law by Moses your servant. 15 (AH)You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger and (AI)brought water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and you (AJ)told them to go in to possess the land that you had sworn to give them.

16 “But they and our fathers (AK)acted presumptuously and stiffened their neck and did not obey your commandments. 17 They refused to obey (AL)and were not mindful of the wonders that you performed among them, but they stiffened their neck and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt.[c] But you are a God ready to forgive, (AM)gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them. 18 Even (AN)when they had made for themselves a golden[d] calf and said, ‘This is your God who brought you up out of Egypt,’ (AO)and had committed great blasphemies, 19 you (AP)in your great mercies did not forsake them in the wilderness. (AQ)The pillar of cloud to lead them in the way did not depart from them by day, (AR)nor the pillar of fire by night to light for them the way by which they should go. 20 (AS)You gave your good Spirit to instruct them (AT)and did not withhold your manna from their mouth and gave them water for their thirst. 21 (AU)Forty years you sustained them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell.

22 “And you gave them kingdoms and peoples and allotted to them every corner. (AV)So they took possession of the land of Sihon king of Heshbon (AW)and the land of Og king of Bashan. 23 You multiplied their children (AX)as the stars of heaven, and you brought them into the land that you had told their fathers to enter and possess. 24 (AY)So the descendants went in and possessed the land, (AZ)and you subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gave them into their hand, with their kings and the peoples of the land, that they might do with them as they would. 25 And they captured (BA)fortified cities and (BB)a rich land, and took possession of (BC)houses full of all good things, cisterns already hewn, vineyards, olive orchards and fruit trees in abundance. So they ate and were filled (BD)and became fat and delighted themselves in (BE)your great goodness.

26 (BF)“Nevertheless, they were disobedient and rebelled against you (BG)and cast your law behind their back (BH)and killed your prophets, who (BI)had warned them in order to turn them back to you, (BJ)and they committed great blasphemies. 27 (BK)Therefore you gave them into the hand of their enemies, who made them suffer. (BL)And in the time of their suffering they cried out to you and you heard them from heaven, and according to your great mercies you gave them (BM)saviors who saved them from the hand of their enemies. 28 (BN)But after they had rest they did evil again before you, and you abandoned them to the hand of their enemies, so that they had dominion over them. Yet when they turned and cried to you, you heard from heaven, (BO)and many times you delivered them according to your mercies. 29 (BP)And you warned them in order to turn them back to your law. Yet (BQ)they acted presumptuously and did not obey your commandments, but sinned against your rules, (BR)which if a person does them, he shall live by them, (BS)and they turned a stubborn shoulder (BT)and stiffened their neck and would not obey. 30 Many years (BU)you bore with them (BV)and warned them (BW)by your Spirit through your prophets. (BX)Yet they would not give ear. (BY)Therefore you gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands. 31 Nevertheless, (BZ)in your great mercies (CA)you did not make an end of them or forsake them, (CB)for you are a gracious and merciful God.

32 “Now, therefore, our God, (CC)the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love, let not all the hardship seem little to you that has come upon us, upon our kings, our princes, our priests, our prophets, our fathers, and all your people, (CD)since the time of the kings of Assyria until this day. 33 (CE)Yet you have been righteous in all that has come upon us, for you have dealt faithfully (CF)and we have acted wickedly. 34 Our kings, our princes, our priests, and our fathers have not kept your law or paid attention to your commandments and your warnings that you gave them. 35 Even in their own kingdom, (CG)and amid your great goodness that you gave them, and in the large and (CH)rich land that you set before them, (CI)they did not serve you or turn from their wicked works. 36 Behold, (CJ)we are slaves this day; in the land that you gave to our fathers to enjoy its fruit and its good gifts, behold, we are slaves. 37 (CK)And its rich yield goes to the kings whom you have set over us because of our sins. They rule over our bodies and over our livestock as they please, and we are in great distress.

38 [e] “Because of all this (CL)we make a firm covenant in writing; on (CM)the sealed document are the names of[f] our princes, our Levites, and our priests.

Footnotes

  1. Nehemiah 9:2 Hebrew the offspring of Israel
  2. Nehemiah 9:6 Septuagint adds And Ezra said
  3. Nehemiah 9:17 Some Hebrew manuscripts; many Hebrew manuscripts and in their rebellion appointed a leader to return to their slavery
  4. Nehemiah 9:18 Hebrew metal
  5. Nehemiah 9:38 Ch 10:1 in Hebrew
  6. Nehemiah 9:38 Hebrew lacks the names of
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