Nehemja 9
Svenska Folkbibeln
Folket bekänner sina synder
9 På tjugofjärde dagen i samma månad samlades Israels barn till fasta, klädda i sorgdräkt och med jord på sina huvuden. 2 De som var av Israels släkt avskilde sig från alla främlingar och trädde fram och bekände sina synder och sina fäders missgärningar. 3 De reste sig upp från sin plats och man läste ur Herrens, deras Guds, lagbok under en fjärdedel av dagen. Under en annan fjärdedel bekände de sina synder och tillbad Herren, sin Gud.
4 Jesua och Bani, Kadmiel, Sebanja, Bunni, Serebja, Bani och Kenani steg upp på leviternas plattform och ropade med hög röst till Herren, sin Gud.
5 Leviterna Jesua och Kadmiel, Bani, Hasabneja, Serebja, Hodia, Sebanja och Petaja sade: "Stig upp och prisa Herren, er Gud, från evighet till evighet!
Lovat vare ditt härliga namn,
som är upphöjt över allt lov och pris.
6 Du ensam är Herren.
Du gjorde himlarna och himlarnas himmel och hela deras härskara,
jorden och allt som är på den,
haven och allt som är i dem,
och du håller dem alla vid liv.
Himlens härskara tillber dig.
7 Du, Herre, är den Gud
som utvalde Abram
och förde honom ut från det kaldeiska Ur
och gav honom namnet Abraham.
8 Du fann hans hjärta trofast inför dig
och du slöt förbund med honom:
att ge åt hans efterkommande kananeernas, hetiternas,
amoreernas, perisseernas,
jebusiternas och girgaseernas land.
Du lät dina ord gå i uppfyllelse,
ty du är rättfärdig.
9 Du såg våra fäders nöd i Egypten
och hörde deras rop vid Röda havet.
10 Du gjorde tecken och under mot farao,
mot alla hans tjänare
och mot allt folket i hans land.
Ty du visste hur övermodigt egyptierna behandlade dem.
Du gjorde dig ett namn, som är detsamma än idag.
11 Havet delade du framför dem,
så att de gick mitt igenom det på torr mark.
Men deras förföljare sänkte du i djupet,
som en sten i väldiga vatten.
12 Med en molnstod ledde du dem om dagen
och med en eldstod om natten
för att lysa dem på den väg de skulle gå.
13 På Sinai berg steg du ner
och du talade till dem från himlen,
gav dem rättfärdiga föreskrifter
och sanna lagar, goda stadgar och bud.
14 Om din heliga sabbat gav du dem kunskap
och bud, stadgar och lagar gav du dem
genom din tjänare Mose.
15 Bröd från himlen gav du dem
när de hungrade,
vatten ur klippan lät du komma
när de törstade.
Du bjöd dem gå
och ta i besittning det land
som du med upplyft hand
hade lovat ge dem.
16 Men våra fäder handlade övermodigt.
De var hårdnackade och lyssnade inte på dina befallningar.
17 De vägrade lyssna
och kom inte ihåg de under
som du hade gjort bland dem.
De var hårdnackade
och valde i sin upproriskhet en anförare
för att vända tillbaka till sitt slaveri.
Men du är en Gud som förlåter,
nådig och barmhärtig,
sen till vrede och stor i nåd.
Du övergav dem inte,
18 fastän de gjorde sig en gjuten kalv och sade:
"Detta är din gud,
som har fört dig upp ur Egypten",
och de gjorde sig skyldiga till stora hädelser.
19 Men i din stora barmhärtighet
övergav du dem ändå inte i öknen.
Molnstoden vek inte ifrån dem om dagen
utan ledde dem på vägen,
och eldstoden upplyste om natten
den väg de skulle gå.
20 Din gode Ande gav du för att undervisa dem.
Ditt manna nekade du inte deras mun,
och vatten gav du dem när de törstade.
21 I fyrtio år försörjde du dem i öknen,
så att ingenting fattades dem.
Deras kläder blev inte utslitna,
och deras fötter svullnade inte.
22 Du gav dem riken och folk
och delade ut åt dem olika områden.
De intog Sichons land,
det land som tillhörde kungen i Hesbon,
och det land som tillhörde Og, kungen i Basan.
23 Deras barn gjorde du talrika
som stjärnorna på himlen.
Du förde dem in i det land
som du lovat deras fäder
att komma till och ta i besittning.
24 Och deras barn kom
och tog landet i besittning.
Du kuvade för dem landets invånare, kananeerna,
och gav dessa i deras hand,
både kungarna och landets folk,
och de gjorde med dem som de ville.
25 De intog befästa städer och en bördig jord
och tog i besittning hus fulla med allt gott,
och uthuggna brunnar, vingårdar,
olivplanteringar och fruktträd i mängd.
De åt, blev mätta och välmående
och njöt av din stora godhet.
26 Men de blev olydiga och upproriska mot dig,
de kastade din lag bakom sin rygg.
De dödade dina profeter som varnade dem
och ville få dem att vända om till dig.
De gjorde sig skyldiga till grova hädelser.
27 Då gav du dem i deras fienders hand
och dessa förtryckte dem.
Men i sin nöd ropade de till dig,
och från himlen hörde du det.
Efter din stora barmhärtighet
gav du dem befriare,
som frälste dem ur deras fienders hand.
28 Men när de kom till ro,
gjorde de åter det som var ont inför dig.
Då lämnade du dem i deras fienders hand,
så att dessa fick råda över dem.
Men åter ropade de till dig,
och från himlen hörde du det,
du räddade dem efter din barmhärtighet många gånger.
29 Du förmanade dem för att föra dem tillbaka till din undervisning.
Men de var övermodiga
och lyssnade inte på dina bud utan syndade mot dina föreskrifter,
fastän den människa som håller dem får leva genom dem.
De var envisa och hårdnackade och vägrade lyssna.
30 Du hade tålamod med dem i många år
och förmanade dem med din Ande genom dina profeter,
men de lyssnade inte.
Då gav du dem i de främmande folkens hand.
31 Men du som är rik på barmhärtighet gjorde inte slut på dem
och övergav dem inte.
Ty du är en nådig och barmhärtig Gud.
32 Och nu, vår Gud, du store,
väldige och fruktansvärde Gud,
du som håller förbundet och bevarar nåd,
må du inte anse den plåga vara för ringa som har drabbat oss,
våra kungar, våra furstar,
våra präster, våra profeter,
våra fäder och hela ditt folk -
från de assyriska kungarnas dagar ända till denna dag.
33 Du är rättfärdig i allt det som har kommit över oss,
ty du har visat dig trofast,
men vi har varit ogudaktiga.
34 Våra kungar, våra furstar,
våra präster och våra fäder
höll inte din lag
och gav inte akt på dina bud
och de varningar du gav dem.
35 Fast de levde i sitt eget rike
med allt det goda som du skänkte dem
i det vidsträckta och bördiga land som du gav dem,
har de ändå inte tjänat dig
eller vänt om från sina onda gärningar.
36 Se, idag är vi slavar,
i det land som du gav åt våra fäder
för att de skulle äta dess frukt och dess goda,
se, där är vi slavar.
37 Dess rika skörd ges åt de kungar som du har satt över oss för våra synders skull.
De råder över våra kroppar och vår boskap som de behagar,
och vi är i stor nöd."
Förbundets förnyelse och innehåll
38 På grund av allt detta slöt vi ett fast förbund och satte upp det skriftligt. På skrivelsen, som försågs med sigill, stod våra furstars, våra leviters och våra prästers namn.
Nehemiah 9
New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised
National Confession
9 Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the people of Israel were assembled with fasting and in sackcloth, and with dust on their heads.[a] 2 Then those of Israelite descent separated themselves from all foreigners, and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their ancestors. 3 They stood up in their place and read from the book of the law of the Lord their God for a fourth part of the day, and for another fourth they made confession and worshipped the Lord their God. 4 Then Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani stood on the stairs of the Levites and cried out 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. Blessed be your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise.’
6 And Ezra said:[b] ‘You are the Lord, you alone; you have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. To all of them you give life, and the host of heaven worships you. 7 You are the Lord, the God who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and gave him the name Abraham; 8 and you found his heart faithful before you, and made with him a covenant to give to his descendants the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite, and the Girgashite; and you have fulfilled your promise, for you are righteous.
9 ‘And you saw the distress of our ancestors in Egypt and heard their cry at the Red Sea.[c] 10 You performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh and all his servants and all the people of his land, for you knew that they acted insolently against our ancestors. You made a name for yourself, which remains to this day. 11 And you divided the sea before them, so that they passed through the sea on dry land, but you threw their pursuers into the depths, like a stone into mighty waters. 12 Moreover, you led them by day with a pillar of cloud, and by night with a pillar of fire, to give them light on the way in which they should go. 13 You came down also upon Mount Sinai, and spoke with them from heaven, and gave them right ordinances and true laws, good statutes and commandments, 14 and you made known your holy sabbath to them and gave them commandments and statutes and a law through your servant Moses. 15 For their hunger you gave them bread from heaven, and for their thirst you brought water for them out of the rock, and you told them to go in to possess the land that you swore to give them.
16 ‘But they and our ancestors acted presumptuously and stiffened their necks and did not obey your commandments; 17 they refused to obey, and were not mindful of the wonders that you performed among them; but they stiffened their necks and determined to return to their slavery in Egypt. But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and you did not forsake them. 18 Even when they had cast an image of a calf for themselves and said, “This is your God who brought you up out of Egypt”, and had committed great blasphemies, 19 you in your great mercies did not forsake them in the wilderness; the pillar of cloud that led them in the way did not leave them by day, nor the pillar of fire by night that gave them light on the way by which they should go. 20 You gave your good spirit to instruct them, and did not withhold your manna from their mouths, and gave them water for their thirst. 21 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. 22 And you gave them kingdoms and peoples, and allotted to them every corner,[d] so they took possession of the land of King Sihon of Heshbon and the land of King Og of Bashan. 23 You multiplied their descendants like the stars of heaven, and brought them into the land that you had told their ancestors to enter and possess. 24 So the descendants went in and possessed the land, and you subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gave them into their hands, with their kings and the peoples of the land, to do with them as they pleased. 25 And they captured fortress cities and a rich land, and took possession of houses filled with all sorts of goods, hewn cisterns, vineyards, olive orchards, and fruit trees in abundance; so they ate, and were filled and became fat, and delighted in your great goodness.
26 ‘Nevertheless they were disobedient and rebelled against you and cast your law behind their backs and killed your prophets, who had warned them in order to turn them back to you, and they committed great blasphemies. 27 Therefore you gave them into the hands of their enemies, who made them suffer. Then 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 saviours who saved them from the hands of their enemies. 28 But after they had rest, they again did evil before you, and you abandoned them to the hands of their enemies, so that they had dominion over them; yet when they turned and cried to you, you heard from heaven, and many times you rescued them according to your mercies. 29 And you warned them in order to turn them back to your law. Yet they acted presumptuously and did not obey your commandments, but sinned against your ordinances, by the observance of which a person shall live. They turned a stubborn shoulder and stiffened their neck and would not obey. 30 For many years you were patient with them, 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 Nevertheless, in your great mercies you did not make an end of them or forsake them, for you are a gracious and merciful God.
32 ‘Now therefore, our God—the great and mighty and awesome God, keeping covenant and steadfast love—do not treat lightly all the hardship that has come upon us, upon our kings, our officials, our priests, our prophets, our ancestors, and all your people, since the time of the kings of Assyria until today. 33 You have been just in all that has come upon us, for you have dealt faithfully and we have acted wickedly; 34 our kings, our officials, our priests, and our ancestors have not kept your law or heeded the commandments and the warnings that you gave them. 35 Even in their own kingdom, and in the great goodness you bestowed on them, and in the large and rich land that you set before them, they did not serve you and did not turn from their wicked works. 36 Here we are, slaves to this day—slaves in the land that you gave to our ancestors to enjoy its fruit and its good gifts. 37 Its rich yield goes to the kings whom you have set over us because of our sins; they have power also over our bodies and over our livestock at their pleasure, and we are in great distress.’
Those Who Signed the Covenant
38 [e] Because of all this we make a firm agreement in writing, and on that sealed document are inscribed the names of our officials, our Levites, and our priests.
Footnotes
- Nehemiah 9:1 Heb on them
- Nehemiah 9:6 Gk: Heb lacks And Ezra said
- Nehemiah 9:9 Or Sea of Reeds
- Nehemiah 9:22 Meaning of Heb uncertain
- Nehemiah 9:38 Ch 10.1 in Heb
Nehemiah 9
King James Version
9 Now in the twenty and fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackclothes, and earth upon them.
2 And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers.
3 And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of the Lord their God one fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed, and worshipped the Lord their God.
4 Then stood up upon the stairs, of the Levites, Jeshua, and Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani, and cried with a loud voice unto the Lord their God.
5 Then the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said, Stand up and bless the Lord your God for ever and ever: and blessed be thy glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise.
6 Thou, even thou, art Lord alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee.
7 Thou art the Lord the God, who didst choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham;
8 And foundest his heart faithful before thee, and madest a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Jebusites, and the Girgashites, to give it, I say, to his seed, and hast performed thy words; for thou art righteous:
9 And didst see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heardest their cry by the Red sea;
10 And shewedst signs and wonders upon Pharaoh, and on all his servants, and on all the people of his land: for thou knewest that they dealt proudly against them. So didst thou get thee a name, as it is this day.
11 And thou didst divide the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land; and their persecutors thou threwest into the deeps, as a stone into the mighty waters.
12 Moreover thou leddest them in the day by a cloudy pillar; and in the night by a pillar of fire, to give them light in the way wherein they should go.
13 Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments:
14 And madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and commandedst them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses thy servant:
15 And gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and promisedst them that they should go in to possess the land which thou hadst sworn to give them.
16 But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their necks, and hearkened not to thy commandments,
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 captain to return to their bondage: but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not.
18 Yea, when they had made them a molten calf, and said, This is thy God that brought thee up out of Egypt, and had wrought great provocations;
19 Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to shew them light, and the way wherein they should go.
20 Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst.
21 Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not old, and their feet swelled not.
22 Moreover thou gavest them kingdoms and nations, and didst divide them into corners: so they possessed the land of Sihon, and the land of the king of Heshbon, and the land of Og king of Bashan.
23 Their children also multipliedst thou as the stars of heaven, and broughtest them into the land, concerning which thou hadst promised to their fathers, that they should go in to possess it.
24 So the children went in and possessed the land, and thou subduedst before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gavest them into their hands, with their kings, and the people of the land, that they might do with them as they would.
25 And they took strong cities, and a fat land, and possessed houses full of all goods, wells digged, vineyards, 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 law behind their backs, and slew thy prophets which testified against them to turn them to thee, and they wrought great provocations.
27 Therefore thou deliveredst them into the hand of their enemies, who vexed them: and in the time of their trouble, when they cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven; and according to thy manifold mercies thou gavest them saviours, who saved them out of the hand of their enemies.
28 But after they had rest, they did evil again before thee: therefore leftest thou them in the land of their enemies, so that they had the dominion over them: yet when they returned, and cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven; and many times didst thou deliver them according to thy mercies;
29 And testifiedst against them, that thou mightest bring them again unto thy law: yet they dealt proudly, and hearkened not unto thy commandments, but sinned against thy judgments, (which if a man do, he shall live in them;) and withdrew the shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear.
30 Yet many years didst thou forbear them, and testifiedst against them by thy spirit in thy prophets: yet would they not give ear: therefore gavest thou them into the hand of the people of the lands.
31 Nevertheless for thy great mercies' sake thou didst not utterly consume them, nor forsake them; for thou art a gracious and merciful God.
32 Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who keepest covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble seem little before thee, that hath come upon us, on our kings, on our princes, and on our priests, and on our prophets, and on our fathers, and on all thy people, since the time of the kings of Assyria unto this day.
33 Howbeit thou art just in all that is brought upon us; for thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly:
34 Neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, nor our fathers, kept thy law, nor hearkened unto thy commandments and thy testimonies, wherewith thou didst testify against them.
35 For they have not served thee in their kingdom, and in thy great goodness that thou gavest them, and in the large and fat land which thou gavest before them, neither turned they from their wicked works.
36 Behold, we are servants this day, and for the land that thou gavest unto our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof, behold, we are servants in it:
37 And it yieldeth much increase unto the kings whom thou hast set over us because of our sins: also they have dominion over our bodies, and over our cattle, at their pleasure, and we are in great distress.
38 And because of all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, Levites, and priests, seal unto it.
1996, 1998 by Stiftelsen Svenska Folkbibeln
New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.