Nehemiah 9:30-37

New Catholic Bible

³⁰ “You were patient with them for many years
    and warned them by your spirit
    through the prophets.
However, when they continued to refuse to listen,
    you put them at the mercy
    of the people of other lands.
³¹ Yet even so, because of your great compassion,
    you did not completely destroy them,
nor did you forsake them,
    for you are a gracious and merciful God.
³² “Therefore, O our God,
    you are great, mighty, and awesome,
    maintaining the covenant and your faithful love.
Do not treat lightly,
    as something of little account,
these hardships that have afflicted us,
    our kings, our princes, our priests,
    our prophets and all your people,
from the days of the kings of Assyria
    until this very day.
³³ You have treated us with justice
    in everything that has happened to us,
for you have remained faithful to us
    even though we have done wrong in your eyes.
³⁴ “Our kings, our princes, our priests, and our ancestors
    did not keep your law,
nor did they pay attention to your commandments
    or heed the warnings you gave them.
³⁵ Even while they were in their own kingdom,
    despite the abundant goodness
    that you bestowed upon them,
and despite the wide and fertile land
    that you lavished upon them,
they did not serve you
    or renounce their evil deeds.
³⁶ “But see, here we are slaves today,
    slaves in this land
that you gave to our ancestors
    so that we might savor its fruits
    and all the good things it produces.^[a]
37 All its abundant yield
    is given to the kings
whom you have set over us
    because of our sins.
They also rule over our bodies
    and do as they please with our cattle;
    therefore we are in great distress.”