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Nehemiah 9:6-37
New English Translation

6 You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens,[a] along with all their multitude of stars,[b] the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You impart life to them all, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.

7 “You are the Lord God who chose Abram and brought him forth from Ur of the Chaldeans. You changed his name to Abraham. 8 When you perceived that his heart was faithful toward you, you established a[c] covenant with him to give his descendants[d] the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, and the Girgashites. You have fulfilled your promise,[e] for you are righteous.

9 “You saw the affliction of our ancestors in Egypt, and you heard their cry at the Red Sea.[f] 10 You performed awesome signs[g] against Pharaoh, against his servants, and against all the people of his land, for you knew that the Egyptians[h] had acted presumptuously[i] against them. You made for yourself a name that is celebrated to this day. 11 You split the sea before them, and they crossed through[j] the sea on dry ground. But you threw their pursuers[k] into the depths, like a stone into surging[l] waters. 12 You guided them with a pillar of cloud by day and with a pillar of fire by night to illumine for them the path they were to travel.

13 “You came down on Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven. You provided them with just judgments, true laws, and good statutes and commandments. 14 You made known to them your holy Sabbath; you issued commandments, statutes, and laws to them through[m] Moses your servant. 15 You provided bread from heaven for them in their time of hunger, and you brought forth water from the rock for them in their time of thirst. You told them to enter in order to possess the land that you had sworn[n] to give them.

16 “But they—our ancestors[o]—behaved presumptuously; they rebelled[p] and did not obey your commandments. 17 They refused to obey and did not recall your miracles that you had performed among them. Instead, they rebelled and appointed a leader to return to their bondage in Egypt.[q] But you are a God of forgiveness, merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and unfailing in your loyal love.[r] You did not abandon them, 18 even when they made a cast image of a calf for themselves and said, ‘This is your God who brought you up from Egypt,’ or when they committed atrocious[s] blasphemies.

19 “Due to your great compassion you did not abandon them in the wilderness. The pillar of cloud did not stop guiding them in the path by day,[t] nor did the pillar of fire stop illuminating for them by night the path on which they should travel. 20 You imparted your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouths; you provided water for their thirst. 21 For forty years you sustained them. Even in the wilderness they never lacked anything. Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell.

22 “You gave them kingdoms and peoples, and you allocated them to every corner of the land.[u] They inherited the land of King Sihon of Heshbon[v] and the land of King Og of Bashan. 23 You multiplied their descendants like the stars of the sky. You brought them to the land you had told their ancestors to enter in order to possess. 24 Their descendants[w] entered and possessed the land. You subdued before them the Canaanites who were the inhabitants of the land. You delivered them into their hand, together with their kings and the peoples of the land, to deal with as they pleased. 25 They captured fortified cities and fertile land. They took possession of houses full of all sorts of good things—wells previously dug, vineyards, olive trees, and fruit trees in abundance. They ate until they were full[x] and grew fat. They enjoyed to the full your great goodness.

26 “Nonetheless they grew disobedient and rebelled against you; they disregarded your law.[y] They killed your prophets who had solemnly admonished them in order to cause them to return to you. They committed atrocious blasphemies. 27 Therefore you delivered them into the hand of their adversaries, who oppressed them. But in the time of their distress they called to you, and you heard from heaven. In your abundant compassion you provided them with deliverers to rescue them from[z] their adversaries.

28 “Then, when they were at rest again, they went back to doing evil before you. Then you abandoned them to[aa] their enemies, and they gained dominion over them. When they again cried out to you, in your compassion you heard from heaven and rescued them time and again. 29 And you solemnly admonished them in order to return them to your law, but they behaved presumptuously and did not obey your commandments. They sinned against your ordinances—those by which an individual, if he obeys them,[ab] will live. They boldly turned from you;[ac] they rebelled[ad] and did not obey. 30 You prolonged your kindness[ae] with them for many years, and you solemnly admonished them by your Spirit through your prophets. Still they paid no attention,[af] so you delivered them into the hands of the neighboring peoples.[ag] 31 However, due to your abundant mercy you did not do away with them altogether; you did not abandon them. For you are a merciful and compassionate God.

32 “So now, our God—the great, powerful, and awesome God, who keeps covenant fidelity[ah]—do not regard as inconsequential[ai] all the hardship that has befallen us—our kings, our leaders, our priests, our prophets, our ancestors, and all your people—from the days of the kings of Assyria until this very day. 33 You are righteous with regard to all that has happened to us, for you have acted faithfully.[aj] It is we who have been in the wrong! 34 Our kings, our leaders, our priests, and our ancestors have not kept your law. They have not paid attention to your commandments or your testimonies by which you have solemnly admonished them. 35 Even when they were in their kingdom and benefiting from your incredible[ak] goodness that you had lavished[al] on them in the spacious and fertile land you had set[am] before them, they did not serve you, nor did they turn from their evil practices.

36 “So today we are slaves! In the very land you gave to our ancestors to eat its fruit and to enjoy[an] its good things—we are slaves. 37 Its abundant produce goes to the kings you have placed over us due to our sins. They rule over our bodies and our livestock as they see fit,[ao] and we are in great distress!

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Footnotes

  1. Nehemiah 9:6 tn Heb “the heavens of the heavens.”
  2. Nehemiah 9:6 tn Heb “all their host.”
  3. Nehemiah 9:8 tn Heb “the” (so NAB).
  4. Nehemiah 9:8 tn Heb “seed.”
  5. Nehemiah 9:8 tn Heb “your words.”
  6. Nehemiah 9:9 tn Heb “the Sea of Reeds.” Traditionally this is identified as the Red Sea, and the modern designation has been used in the translation for clarity.
  7. Nehemiah 9:10 tn Heb “signs and wonders.” This phrase is a hendiadys. The second noun functions adjectivally, while the first noun retains its full nominal sense: “awesome signs” or “miraculous signs.”
  8. Nehemiah 9:10 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Egyptians) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  9. Nehemiah 9:10 tn Or “arrogantly” (so NASB); NRSV “insolently.”
  10. Nehemiah 9:11 tn Heb “in the midst of.”
  11. Nehemiah 9:11 tn Heb “those who pursued them.”
  12. Nehemiah 9:11 tn Heb “mighty.”
  13. Nehemiah 9:14 tn Heb “by the hand of.”
  14. Nehemiah 9:15 tn Heb “had lifted your hand.”
  15. Nehemiah 9:16 tn Heb “and our fathers.” The ו (vav) is explicative.
  16. Nehemiah 9:16 tn Heb “they stiffened their neck” (so also in the following verse).
  17. Nehemiah 9:17 tc The present translation follows a few medieval Hebrew mss and the LXX in reading בְּמִצְרָיִם (bemitsrayim, “in Egypt”; so also NAB, NASB, NRSV, TEV, NLT) rather than the MT reading בְּמִרְיָם (bemiryam, “in their rebellion”).
  18. Nehemiah 9:17 tc The translation follows the Qere reading חֶסֶד (khesed, “loyal love”) rather than the Kethib reading וְחֶסֶד (vekhesed, “and loyal love”) of the MT.
  19. Nehemiah 9:18 tn Heb “great.”
  20. Nehemiah 9:19 tn Heb “did not turn from them by day to guide them in the path.”
  21. Nehemiah 9:22 tn The words “of the land” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
  22. Nehemiah 9:22 tc Most Hebrew mss read “the land of Sihon and the land of the king of Heshbon.” The present translation (along with NAB, NASB, NIV, NCV, NRSV, CEV, NLT) follows the reading of one Hebrew ms, the LXX, and the Vulgate.
  23. Nehemiah 9:24 tn Heb “the sons.”
  24. Nehemiah 9:25 tn Heb “they ate and were sated.” This expression is a hendiadys. The first verb retains its full verbal sense, while the second functions adverbially: “they ate and were filled” = “they ate until they were full.”
  25. Nehemiah 9:26 tn Heb “they cast your law behind their backs.”
  26. Nehemiah 9:27 tn Heb “from the hand of” (so NASB, NIV); NAB “from the power of.”
  27. Nehemiah 9:28 tn Heb “in the hand of” (so KJV, ASV); NAB “to the power of.”
  28. Nehemiah 9:29 tn Heb “if a man keep.” See note on the word “obey” in Neh 1:5.
  29. Nehemiah 9:29 tn Heb “they gave a stubborn shoulder.”
  30. Nehemiah 9:29 tn Heb “they stiffened their neck.”
  31. Nehemiah 9:30 tn The Hebrew expression here is elliptical. The words “your kindness” are not included in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for clarity.
  32. Nehemiah 9:30 tn Heb “did not give ear to.”
  33. Nehemiah 9:30 tn Heb “the peoples of the lands.”
  34. Nehemiah 9:32 tn Heb “the covenant and loyal love.” The expression is a hendiadys. The second noun retains its full nominal sense, while the first functions adjectivally: “the covenant and loyalty” = covenant fidelity.
  35. Nehemiah 9:32 tn Heb “do not let it seem small in your sight.”
  36. Nehemiah 9:33 tn Heb “you have done truth.”
  37. Nehemiah 9:35 tn Heb “great.”
  38. Nehemiah 9:35 tn Heb “given them.”
  39. Nehemiah 9:35 tn Heb “given.”
  40. Nehemiah 9:36 tn The expression “to enjoy” is not included in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
  41. Nehemiah 9:37 tn Heb “according to their desire.”
Close ISV

Nehemiah 9:6-37
International Standard Version

6 “You are the Lord;
    you alone crafted the heavens,
the highest heavens
    with all of their armies;
the earth, and everything in it;
    the seas, and everything in them;
you keep giving all of them life,
    and the army of heaven continuously worships you.
7 You are the Lord,
    the God who chose Abram,
whom you brought from Ur of the Chaldeans
    and to whom you gave the name Abraham.
8 You found him[a] faithful in your sight;
    you made a covenant with him
and you gave the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites,
    the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites,
        and the Girgashites to his descendants.
And you have kept your word,
    because you are righteous.

9 “You took note of the affliction of our ancestors in Egypt,
    and listened to their cry at the Red Sea.
10 You sent signs and wonders against Pharaoh,
    against all of his officials,
and against all the people of his land,
    because you knew they acted arrogantly against your people.[b]
So you established your name with them,
    as it remains to this day.
11 You divided the sea in front of them,
    and they traveled through the midst of the sea on dry ground.
You hurled their pursuers into the depths,
    as one throws[c] a stone into turbulent waters.
12 You led them during the day by a pillar of cloud,
    and by a pillar of fire at night
to provide light for them
    on the path they took.

13 “You also came down to Mount Sinai,
    spoke with them from heaven,
and gave them impartial regulations, true laws,
    statutes, and good commands.
14 You revealed to them your holy Sabbath,
    and you mandated precepts, statutes, and laws
        through Moses your servant.
15 You gave them food from heaven for their hunger
    and water from the rock for their thirst.
You directed them to enter and possess the land
    that you had promised to give them.

16 “But they—our ancestors—became arrogant and stubborn,
    refusing to listen[d] to your commands.
17 They would not listen,[e]
    and did not remember the miracles you did among them.
Instead, they became stubborn
    and appointed a leader
        to return them to their slavery.

“But you are a God of forgiveness,
    gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger,
    and rich in gracious love;
        therefore you did not abandon them.

18 Moreover, after they had cast a golden calf for themselves, they said,
    “This is your god who brought you out of Egypt!”
        and committed terrible[f] blasphemies.
19 You, in your great compassion,
    did not abandon them in the wilderness.
The pillar of cloud did not leave them in daylight,
    in order to provide light for them on the path they took.
Nor did the pillar of fire abandon them[g] at night,
    in order to provide light for them
        and lead them on the path they took.

20 “You gave your good Spirit to instruct them,
    not withholding manna from them,[h]
        and providing water to quench[i] their thirst.
21 You sustained them in the wilderness for 40 years.
    They lacked nothing.
Their clothes did not wear out,
    and their feet did not swell.
22 You gave them kingdoms and nations,
    apportioning them as frontier boundaries.
They took possession of the land of Sihon,
    the land of the king of Heshbon,
        and the land of Og, king of Bashan.

23 “You multiplied their descendants like the stars in heaven
    and brought them to the land
about which you told their ancestors
    to enter and possess.
24 So their descendants entered
    and took possession of the land.
Before their eyes you subdued those living in the land—the Canaanites—
    putting them under their control,
along with their kings and the peoples of the land,
    so they could do with them as they pleased.
25 They conquered fortified cities and fertile ground,
    possessing houses filled with all kinds of good things,
wells already dug, with vineyards,
    olive orchards, and fruit trees in abundance.
So they ate, were satiated, and were well nourished,
    delighting themselves in your great goodness.

26 “Then they disobeyed, rebelled against you,
    and threw your Law behind their backs.
They murdered your prophets
    who had admonished the people[j] to return to you,
        committing terrible blasphemies.
27 So you delivered them into the control of their enemies,
    who oppressed them.
But when they were oppressed,
    they cried out to you,
        and you heard from heaven.
In your great compassion
    you gave them deliverers who rescued them
        from the control of their enemies.

28 “But after they had gained relief,
    they returned to doing evil before you.
Therefore you abandoned them to the control of their enemies,
    who continued to oppress them.
But when they came back and cried out to you,
    you listened from heaven
        and delivered them in your compassion on many occasions.
29 You admonished them to return to your Law,
    but they acted arrogantly,
        and would not listen[k] to your commands.
They sinned against your regulations,
    which if anyone obeys,
        he will live by them.
They turned away,
    being stubborn and stiff-necked,
        and they did not listen.[l]
30 You were patient with them for many years,
    warning them by your Spirit
        through[m] your prophets.
But they would not listen,
    so you turned them over
        to the control of people in other[n] lands.
31 Nevertheless, in your great compassion
    you did not completely destroy them
        or abandon them,
because you are a God of grace
    and you are merciful.

32 “Now therefore, our God,
    the great, mighty, and awesome God,
        who keeps the covenant and gracious love,
don’t let all of the difficulties seem trifling to you,
    all of hardships that have come upon us, upon our kings,
upon our leaders, upon our priests,
    upon our prophets, upon our ancestors,
and upon all of your people
    from the time of the kings of Assyria until this day.
33 You are righteous in all that is happening to us,
    because you have acted faithfully
        while we have practiced evil.
34 Furthermore, neither our kings,
    nor our leaders, nor our priests
        nor our ancestors have practiced your Law
or paid attention to your commands and warnings
    by which you admonished them.
35 But they in their kingdom—
    in the midst of your great goodness that you gave them
and in the large and fertile land
    that you provided them—
did not serve you
    or turn away from their evil deeds.

36 “Look! Today we are your servants,
    along with the land that you gave to our ancestors,
so they could enjoy its fruit and its value—
    behold, in it we are your servants!
37 But now its abundant produce belongs to the kings
    whom you placed over us
        because of our sin.
They also have power over our bodies and our herds
    at their pleasure,
        and we are in great distress.

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Footnotes

  1. Nehemiah 9:8 Lit. found his heart
  2. Nehemiah 9:10 Lit. against them
  3. Nehemiah 9:11 The Heb. lacks one throws
  4. Nehemiah 9:16 Or obey
  5. Nehemiah 9:17 Or obey
  6. Nehemiah 9:18 Or great
  7. Nehemiah 9:19 The Heb. lacks abandon them
  8. Nehemiah 9:20 Lit. from their mouths
  9. Nehemiah 9:20 The Heb. lacks quench
  10. Nehemiah 9:26 Lit. admonished them
  11. Nehemiah 9:29 Or obey
  12. Nehemiah 9:29 Or obey
  13. Nehemiah 9:30 Lit. through the hand of
  14. Nehemiah 9:30 Lit. the
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