Nehemiah 9:6-37
Expanded Bible
6 You ·are the only [alone are the] Lord.
You made the ·heavens [sky], even the ·highest [L heavens of the] heavens,
with all ·the stars [L their hosts].
You made the earth and everything on it,
the seas and everything in them;
you give life to everything.
The heavenly ·army [host] worships you.
7 “You are the ·Lord,
the God [or Lord God,] who chose Abram
and brought him ·out of [forth from] Ur ·in Babylonia [L of the Chaldeans; Gen. 12:1–3]
and named [C renamed] him Abraham [Gen. 17:5].
8 You found ·him [L his heart] faithful to you,
so you made an ·agreement [covenant; treaty] with him
to give his ·descendants [L seed] the land of the Canaanites,
Hittites, Amorites,
Perizzites, Jebusites, and Girgashites.
You have ·kept [fulfilled] your ·promise [word],
because you ·do what is right [are righteous].
9 “You saw our ·ancestors [fathers] ·suffering [miserable; afflicted; in distress] in Egypt
and heard them cry out ·at [beside] the ·Red Sea [L Sea of Reeds; Ex. 14–15].
10 You ·did [performed; displayed] signs and ·miracles [wonders] against ·the king of Egypt [L Pharaoh],
and against all his ·officers [officials; servants] and all the people of his land,
because you knew how ·proud [arrogant; insolent] they were to them [C Israel’s ancestors].
You ·became as famous [L made a name for yourself] ·as you are today [which remains to this day].
11 You ·divided [split; opened] the sea in front of ·our ancestors [L them];
they ·walked [passed] through the sea on dry ground [Ex. 14–15].
But you threw ·the people chasing them into the deep water [their pursuers into the depths],
like a stone thrown into ·mighty [raging; surging] waters.
12 You ·led [guided] ·our ancestors [L them] with a ·pillar [column] of cloud by day
and with a ·pillar [column] of fire at night [Ex. 13:21].
It lit the way
they were supposed to go.
13 You came down ·to [on; at] Mount Sinai
and spoke from heaven to ·our ancestors [L them].
You gave them ·fair [just] ·rules [judgments] and true ·teachings [laws; instructions; L Torah],
good ·orders [statutes; ordinances; requirements] and commands.
14 You ·told [revealed; made known to] them about your holy Sabbath [Ex. 20:8–11; Deut. 5:12–15]
and gave them commands, ·orders [statutes; ordinances; requirements], and ·teachings [laws; instructions; L Torah]
through your servant Moses.
15 When they were hungry, you gave them bread from heaven [C the manna; Ex. 16:31].
When they were thirsty, you brought them water from ·the [a] rock [Ex. 17:1–7; Num. 20:1–13].
You told them to enter and ·take over [possess]
the land you had ·promised [sworn; L raised your hand] to give them.
16 “But ·our ancestors [L they, our fathers,] were ·proud [arrogant; insolent] and ·stubborn [rebellious; L stiff-necked]
and did not ·obey [listen/pay attention to] your commands.
17 They refused to ·listen [obey];
they ·forgot [L did not remember/recall] the ·miracles [wonders] you ·did [performed] ·for [among] them.
So they became ·stubborn [rebellious; L stiff-necked],
·choosing [appointing] a leader to take them back to slavery in Egypt.[a]
But you are a forgiving God.
You are ·kind [gracious] and ·full of mercy [compassionate].
You ·do not become angry quickly [T are slow to anger], and ·you have great [abounding in unfailing/steadfast] love [compare Ex. 34:6; Num. 14:18; Ps. 86:15, 145:8; Joel 2:13]
So you did not ·leave [abandon; desert; forsake] them.
18 ·Our ancestors [L They] even ·made [cast] a calf [C as an idol] for themselves.
They said, ‘This is your god
who brought you up out of Egypt [Ex. 32].’
They ·spoke against you [L committed great blasphemies].
19 “You have great ·mercy [compassion],
so you did not ·leave [abandon; desert; forsake] them in the ·desert [wilderness].
The pillar of cloud ·guided them by day [L did not turn from them by day in guiding them in the path],
·and the pillar of fire led them at night,
lighting the way they were to go [nor did the pillar of fire stop illuminating for them by night the path on which they should travel].
20 You ·gave [sent; imparted] your good Spirit to ·teach [instruct] them.
You ·gave them manna to eat [L did not withhold manna from their mouth]
and gave them water when they were thirsty.
21 You ·took care of [sustained; provided for] them for forty years in the ·desert [wilderness];
they ·needed [lacked] nothing.
Their clothes did not wear out,
and their feet did not swell.
22 “You gave them kingdoms and ·nations [peoples; C to conquer];
you ·gave them more land [put them in every corner; L allotted/allocated to them every corner/frontier].
They ·took over [took possession of; inherited] the country of Sihon king of Heshbon
and the country of Og king of Bashan [Num. 21:21–33].
23 You made their ·children [descendants; sons] as ·many [numerous] as the stars ·in the sky [of heaven; Gen. 15:5; 22:17; 26:4],
and you brought them into the land
that you told their ·ancestors [fathers] to enter and ·take over [possess].
24 So their ·children [descendants; sons] went into the land and took ·over [possession].
The Canaanites lived there, but you ·defeated them for [subdued them before] our ancestors.
You handed over to them the Canaanites, their kings, and the ·people [peoples] of the land.
·Our ancestors [L They] could ·do what they wanted with them [deal with them as they pleased].
25 They captured ·strong, walled [fortified] cities and fertile land.
They took over houses full of good things,
·wells [cisterns] that were already dug,
vineyards, olive ·trees [groves], and ·many [abundant] fruit trees.
They ate until they were full and grew fat;
they ·enjoyed [reveled; delighted themselves in] your great goodness.
26 “But they were disobedient and ·turned [rebelled] against you
and ·ignored [turned their backs on] your ·teachings [laws; instructions; L Torah].
Your prophets ·warned [admonished] them to come back to you,
but they killed those prophets
and ·spoke against you [L committed great blasphemies].
27 So you handed them over to their ·enemies [oppressors],
and their ·enemies treated them badly [oppressors oppressed them].
But in this time of ·trouble [distress; suffering; misery] ·our ancestors [L they] cried out to you,
and you heard from heaven.
You had great ·mercy [compassion]
and gave them ·saviors [liberators; T deliverers] who ·saved [rescued] them from the ·power [hand] of their ·enemies [oppressors].
28 But as soon as they had ·rest [peace],
they again ·did what was [committed] evil.
So you ·left [abandoned; deserted; forsook] them to [L the hand of] their ·enemies [oppressors]
who ·ruled over [conquered; oppressed] them.
When they cried out to you again,
you heard from heaven.
Because of your ·mercy [compassion], you ·saved them again [rescued them time] and again.
29 You ·warned [admonished] them to return to your ·teachings [laws; instructions; L Torah],
but they were ·proud [arrogant; insolent] and did not ·obey [listen to] your commands.
If someone ·obeys [observes] your ·laws [judgments], he will live,
but they sinned against ·your laws [L them].
They ·were stubborn [L turned a stubborn shoulder], ·unwilling [rebellious; L stiff-necked], and ·disobedient [rebellious].
30 You ·were patient [T bore] with them for many years
and ·warned [admonished] them by your Spirit through ·the [your] prophets,
but they did not ·pay attention [L give ear].
So you handed them over to ·other countries [L the peoples of the lands].
31 But because your ·mercy [compassion] is great, you did not ·kill [destroy; L make an end of] them all or ·leave [abandon; desert; forsake] them.
You are a ·kind [gracious] and ·merciful [compassionate] God.
32 “And so, our God, you are the great and ·mighty [powerful] and ·wonderful [awesome] God.
You keep your ·agreement [covenant/treaty] of ·love [faithful/steadfast/unfailing love; lovingkindness].
Do not let all our ·trouble [hardship] seem ·unimportant [inconsequential; L small] ·to you [L in your sight].
This trouble has come to us, to our kings and our ·leaders [officials],
to our priests and prophets,
to our ·ancestors [fathers] and all your people
from the days of the kings of Assyria ·until today [to this very day].
33 You have been ·fair [just; righteous] in everything that has happened to us;
you have ·been loyal [been faithful; L done truth], but we have ·been wicked [acted wickedly/wrongly].
34 Our kings, ·leaders [officials], priests, and ·ancestors [fathers] did not obey your ·teachings [laws; instructions; L Torah];
they did not pay attention to the commands and ·warnings [decrees; testimonies] you gave them.
35 Even when ·our ancestors [L they] were living in their kingdom,
·enjoying [benefiting from] all the good things you ·had given [lavished/bestowed on] them,
·enjoying [benefiting from] the land that was ·fertile and full of room [rich and spacious],
they did not ·stop [serve you and turn from] their evil ·ways [deeds; practices].
36 “·Look [T Behold], we are slaves today
in the land you gave our ·ancestors [fathers].
·They were to enjoy [L …to eat] its fruit and its good things,
but ·look [T behold], we are slaves here.
37 The land’s ·great [abundant] ·harvest [produce] belongs to the kings you have ·put [set; placed] over us
because of our sins.
Those kings rule over ·us [L our bodies] and our cattle as they please,
so we are in ·much trouble [great distress/misery].
Footnotes
- Nehemiah 9:17 in Egypt Greek copies read “in Egypt.” Hebrew copies read “in their rebellion.” See Num. 14:4.
Nehemiah 9:6-37
New American Standard Bible
6 (A)You alone are the Lord.
(B)You have made the heavens,
The heaven of heavens with all their [a]lights,
The earth and everything that is on it,
The seas and everything that is in them.
(C)You give life to all of them,
And the heavenly [b]lights bow down before You.
7 You are the Lord God,
(D)Who chose Abram
And brought him out from (E)Ur of the Chaldees,
And (F)gave him the name Abraham.
8 You found (G)his heart faithful before You,
And made a covenant with him
To give him the land of the Canaanite,
Of the Hittite and the Amorite,
Of the Perizzite, the Jebusite, and the Girgashite—
To give it to his [c]descendants.
And You (H)have fulfilled Your [d]promise,
Because You are righteous.
9 “(I)You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt,
And (J)heard their cry by the [e]Red Sea.
10 Then You performed (K)signs and wonders against Pharaoh,
Against all his servants and all the people of his land;
For You knew that (L)they acted arrogantly toward them,
And You (M)made a name for Yourself as it is this day.
11 (N)You divided the sea before them,
So they passed through the midst of the sea on dry ground;
And You hurled (O)their pursuers into the depths,
Like a stone into [f]raging waters.
12 And with a pillar of cloud (P)You led them by day,
And with a pillar of fire by night
To light for them the way
In which they were to go.
13 Then (Q)You came down on Mount Sinai,
And (R)spoke with them from heaven;
You gave them (S)just ordinances and true laws,
Good statutes and commandments.
14 So You made known to them (T)Your holy Sabbath,
And gave them commandments, statutes, and law,
Through Your servant Moses.
15 You (U)provided bread from heaven for them for their hunger,
You (V)brought out water from a rock for them for their thirst,
And You (W)told them to enter in order to take possession of
The land which You [g]swore to give them.
16 “But they, our fathers, (X)acted arrogantly;
They [h](Y)became stubborn and would not listen to Your commandments.
17 They refused to listen,
And (Z)did not remember Your wondrous deeds which You performed among them;
So they became stubborn and (AA)appointed a leader to return to their slavery in [i]Egypt.
But You are a God (AB)of forgiveness,
Gracious and compassionate,
Slow to anger and abounding in [j]mercy;
And You did not abandon them.
18 Even when they (AC)made for themselves
A calf of cast metal
And said, ‘This is your [k]god
Who brought you up from Egypt,’
And committed great blasphemies,
19 (AD)You, in Your great compassion,
Did not abandon them in the wilderness;
(AE)The pillar of cloud did not leave them by day,
To guide them on their way,
Nor the pillar of fire by night, to light for them the way in which they were to go.
20 Instead, (AF)You gave Your good Spirit to instruct them,
You did not withhold Your manna from their mouth,
And You gave them water for their thirst.
21 Indeed, for (AG)forty years You provided for them in the wilderness and they were not lacking;
Their clothes did not wear out, nor did their feet swell up.
22 You also gave them kingdoms and peoples,
And allotted them to them as a [l]boundary.
(AH)They took possession of the land of Sihon [m]the king of Heshbon
And the land of Og the king of Bashan.
23 You made their sons as numerous as (AI)the stars of heaven,
And You brought them into the land
Which You had told their fathers to enter and possess.
24 (AJ)So their sons entered and took possession of the land.
And (AK)You subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites,
And You handed them over to them, with their kings and the peoples of the land,
To do with them [n]as they desired.
25 (AL)They captured fortified cities and a [o](AM)fertile land.
They took possession of (AN)houses full of every good thing,
Carved out cisterns, vineyards, olive groves,
Fruit trees in abundance.
So they ate, were filled and (AO)put on fat,
And (AP)lived luxuriously in Your great goodness.
26 “(AQ)But they became rebellious and revolted against You,
And (AR)threw Your Law behind their backs
And (AS)killed Your prophets who had (AT)admonished them
In order to bring them back to You,
And (AU)they committed great blasphemies.
27 Therefore You (AV)handed them over to their enemies who oppressed them,
But when they cried out to You (AW)in the time of their distress,
You heard from heaven, and according to Your great compassion
You (AX)gave them [p]people who saved them from the hand of their enemies.
28 But (AY)as soon as they had rest, they did evil again before You;
Therefore You abandoned them to the hand of their enemies, so that they ruled over them.
When they cried out again to You, You heard from heaven,
And (AZ)many times You rescued them according to Your compassion,
29 And (BA)admonished them in order to turn them back to Your Law.
Yet (BB)they acted arrogantly and did not listen to Your commandments but sinned against Your ordinances,
(BC)Which, if a person [q]follows them, then he will live by them.
And they [r](BD)turned a stubborn shoulder and stiffened their neck, and would not listen.
30 (BE)However, You remained patient with them for many years,
And (BF)admonished them by (BG)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 compassion You (BH)did not make an end of them or abandon them,
For You are (BI)a gracious and compassionate God.
32 “Now then, our God, (BJ)the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps His covenant and faithfulness,
Do not let all the hardship seem insignificant before You,
Which has happened to us, our kings, our leaders, our priests, our prophets, our fathers, and to all Your people,
(BK)From the days of the kings of Assyria to this day.
33 However, (BL)You are righteous in everything that has happened to us;
For You have dealt faithfully, but we have acted wickedly.
34 For our kings, our leaders, our priests, and our fathers have not kept Your Law
Or paid attention to Your commandments and Your [s]admonitions with which You have [t]admonished them.
35 But (BM)they, in their own kingdom,
(BN)With Your great goodness which You gave them,
With the broad and rich land which You placed before them,
Did not serve You or turn from their evil deeds.
36 Behold, (BO)we are slaves today,
And as for the land which You gave to our fathers to eat its fruit and its bounty,
Behold, we are slaves on it.
37 And (BP)its abundant produce is for the kings
Whom You have set over us because of our sins;
They also rule over our bodies
And over our cattle as they please,
So we are in great distress.
Footnotes
- Nehemiah 9:6 Lit host; i.e., sun, stars, etc.
- Nehemiah 9:6 Lit host; i.e., sun, stars, etc.
- Nehemiah 9:8 Lit seed
- Nehemiah 9:8 Lit words
- Nehemiah 9:9 Lit Sea of Reeds
- Nehemiah 9:11 Lit strong, mighty
- Nehemiah 9:15 Lit lifted up Your hand
- Nehemiah 9:16 Lit stiffened their neck; so also v 17
- Nehemiah 9:17 As in LXX and some Heb mss; MT their rebellion
- Nehemiah 9:17 Or faithfulness
- Nehemiah 9:18 Or God; i.e., an idol intended to represent God
- Nehemiah 9:22 Lit side, corner
- Nehemiah 9:22 As in LXX and Lat; MT and the land of the king of Heshbon
- Nehemiah 9:24 Lit according to their desire
- Nehemiah 9:25 Lit fat
- Nehemiah 9:27 Lit deliverers
- Nehemiah 9:29 Lit does them
- Nehemiah 9:29 Lit gave
- Nehemiah 9:34 Lit testimonies
- Nehemiah 9:34 Or testified to
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
