Historical
The People’s Prayer(A)
Israel Confesses Sins
9 On the twenty-fourth day of that same month [October 31], the people of Israel ·gathered [assembled]. They fasted, and they wore ·rough cloth [sackcloth] and put dust on their heads [C signs of grief or repentance]. 2 ·Those people whose ancestors were from Israel [L The seed of Israel] had separated themselves from all foreigners. They stood and confessed their sins and their ancestors’ ·sins [iniquities]. 3 For a fourth of the day [C three hours] they stood where they were and read from the ·Book [scroll] of the ·Teachings [Laws; Instructions; L Torah] of the Lord their God. For another fourth of the day they confessed their sins and worshiped the Lord their God. 4 These Levites were standing on the stairs: Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Kenani. They called out to the Lord their God with loud voices. 5 Then these Levites spoke: Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah. They said, “Stand up and praise the Lord your God, who lives ·forever and ever [from age to age/everlasting to everlasting].”
“Blessed be your ·wonderful [glorious] name.
·It is more wonderful than [May it be exalted above] all blessing and praise.
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].
The People’s Covenant
38 “Because of all this, we are making an ·agreement [covenant; treaty] in writing, and our ·leaders [officials], Levites, and priests are putting their seals on it.”
10 These are the men who sealed the ·agreement [covenant; treaty]:
Nehemiah the governor, son of Hacaliah.
Zedekiah, 2 Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah, 3 Pashhur, Amariah, Malkijah, 4 Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch, 5 Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah, 6 Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch, 7 Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin, 8 Maaziah, Bilgai, and Shemaiah. These are the priests.
9 These are the Levites who sealed it: Jeshua son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel, 10 and their ·fellow Levites [colleagues; L brothers]: Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan, 11 Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah, 12 Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah, 13 Hodiah, Bani, and Beninu.
14 These are the ·leaders [officials] of the people who sealed the ·agreement [covenant]: Parosh, Pahath-Moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani, 15 Bunni, Azgad, Bebai, 16 Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin, 17 Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur, 18 Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai, 19 Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai, 20 Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir, 21 Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua, 22 Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah, 23 Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub, 24 Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek, 25 Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah, 26 Ahiah, Hanan, Anan, 27 Malluch, Harim, and Baanah.
28 The rest of the people ·took an oath [made a vow; swore]. They were the priests, Levites, gatekeepers, singers, Temple servants, all those who separated themselves from ·foreigners [L the peoples of the lands] to keep the ·Teachings [Laws; Instructions; L Torah] of God, and also their wives and their sons and daughters who ·could [were able to; C were old enough] understand. 29 They joined their ·fellow Israelites [kinsmen] and their ·leading men [nobles] in taking an ·oath with a curse [L curse and an oath/vow; C the curse followed if they broke the oath]. They ·promised to follow [L were to walk in] the ·Teachings [Laws; Instructions; L Torah] of God, which they had been given through Moses the servant of God, and to ·obey [keep; observe] all the commands, ·rules [judgments], and ·laws [statutes; ordinances; requirements] of the Lord our God.
30 They said:
We promise not to ·let [give] our daughters ·marry foreigners [to the peoples of the land] nor to let our sons ·marry [take] their daughters. 31 When ·foreigners [L the peoples of the land] bring goods or grain to sell on the Sabbath, we will not buy on the Sabbath or any holy day. Every seventh year we will not plant, and that year we will ·forget all that people owe us [cancel every debt/loan; Ex. 21:2–6; 23:10–11; Deut. 15:1–2].
32 We ·will be responsible for [accept the obligation of] the commands to pay for the service of the ·Temple [L house] of our God. We will give ·an eighth of an ounce [L one third of a shekel] of silver each year. 33 It is for the ·bread that is set out on the table [Bread of Presence; T showbread; Ex. 25:30; C bread continually on a table in the Temple as an offering to God]; the regular grain [L gift; tribute] offerings [Lev. 2:1] and burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17]; the offerings on the Sabbaths, New Moon festivals, and ·special feasts [appointed festivals]; the ·holy [sacred] offerings; the ·sin [or purification] offerings [Lev. 4:3] to make ·Israel right with God [atonement for Israel]; and for the ·work [duties] of the ·Temple [L house] of our God.
34 We, the priests, the Levites, and the people, have ·thrown [cast] lots to decide at what time of year each family must ·bring [offer; supply] wood to the ·Temple [L house]. The wood is for burning on the altar of the Lord our God, and we will do this as it is written in the ·Teachings [Laws; Instructions; L Torah].
35 We also will bring the firstfruits from our ·crops [L land] and the firstfruits of every tree to the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord each year.
36 We will bring to the ·Temple [L house] of our God our firstborn sons and cattle and the firstborn of our herds and flocks, as it is written in the ·Teachings [Laws; Instructions; L Torah; Ex. 13:1–3]. We will bring them to the priests who ·are serving [minister] in the ·Temple [L house] of our God.
37 We will bring to the priests at the storerooms of the ·Temple [L house] of our God the first of our ·ground meal [flour; or dough], our ·offerings [contributions], the fruit from all our trees, and our new wine and oil. And we will bring a ·tenth [tithe] of our ·crops [L ground] to the Levites, who will collect these things in all the rural towns where we work. 38 A priest of Aaron’s ·family [line] must be with the Levites when they receive the ·tenth of the people’s crops [tithe]. The Levites must bring a ·tenth [tithe] of ·all they receive [the tithes] to the ·Temple [L house] of our God to put in the storerooms of the treasury. 39 The people of Israel and the Levites are to bring to the storerooms the ·gifts [contributions; offerings] of grain, new wine, and oil. That is where the ·utensils [vessels] for the ·Temple [sanctuary] are kept and where the priests who are ·serving [ministering], the gatekeepers, and singers stay.
We will not ·ignore [neglect] the ·Temple [L house] of our God.
New People Move into Jerusalem
11 The leaders of Israel ·lived [settled] in Jerusalem. The rest of the people ·threw [cast] lots to choose one person out of every ten to come and live in Jerusalem, the holy city. The other nine could stay in their own cities. 2 The people ·blessed [praised; commended] those who volunteered to live in Jerusalem [C at this point in the rebuilding, Jerusalem was dangerous and perhaps uncomfortable].
3 These are the ·area [provincial] ·leaders [officials] who lived in Jerusalem. (·Some [Other; Most] people lived on their own ·land [property] in the cities of Judah. These included Israelites, priests, Levites, Temple servants, and ·descendants [sons] of Solomon’s servants. 4 Others from the ·families [sons] of Judah and Benjamin lived in Jerusalem.)
These are the ·descendants [sons] of Judah who ·moved into [settled in] Jerusalem. There was Athaiah son of Uzziah. (Uzziah was the son of Zechariah, the son of Amariah. Amariah was the son of Shephatiah, the son of Mahalalel. Mahalalel was a ·descendant [son] of Perez.) 5 There was also Maaseiah son of Baruch. (Baruch was the son of Col-Hozeh, the son of Hazaiah. Hazaiah was the son of Adaiah, the son of Joiarib. Joiarib was the son of Zechariah, a ·descendant [son] of Shelah.) 6 All the ·descendants [sons] of Perez who ·lived [settled] in Jerusalem totaled 468 men. They were ·soldiers [capable/outstanding/exceptional men].
7 These are ·descendants [sons] of Benjamin who ·moved into [settled in] Jerusalem. There was Sallu son of Meshullam. (Meshullam was the son of Joed, the son of Pedaiah. Pedaiah was the son of Kolaiah, the son of Maaseiah. Maaseiah was the son of Ithiel, the son of Jeshaiah.) 8 ·Following him [or His brothers] were Gabbai and Sallai, for a total of 928 men. 9 Joel son of Zicri was ·appointed over them [their chief/supervisor], and Judah son of Hassenuah was second in ·charge [command] of the ·new area of the city [L city].
10 These are the priests who moved into Jerusalem. There was Jedaiah son of Joiarib, Jakin, 11 and Seraiah son of Hilkiah, the ·supervisor [leader] in the ·Temple [L house] of God. (Hilkiah was the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok. Zadok was the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub.) 12 And there were ·others [colleagues; L brothers] with them who ·did [performed] the work for the ·Temple [L house]. All together there were 822 men. Also there was Adaiah son of Jeroham. (Jeroham was the son of Pelaliah, the son of Amzi. Amzi was the son of Zechariah, the son of Pashhur. Pashhur was the son of Malkijah.) 13 And there were family heads with him. All together there were 242 men. Also there was Amashsai son of Azarel. (Azarel was the son of Ahzai, the son of Meshillemoth. Meshillemoth was the son of Immer.) 14 And there were ·brave [capable; outstanding; exceptional] men with Amashsai. All together there were 128 men. Zabdiel son of Haggedolim was ·appointed over them [their chief/supervisor].
15 These are the Levites who moved into Jerusalem. There was Shemaiah son of Hasshub. (Hasshub was the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah. Hashabiah was the son of Bunni.) 16 And there were Shabbethai and Jozabad, two of the leaders of the Levites who were in charge of the work outside the ·Temple [L house] of God. 17 There was Mattaniah son of Mica. (Mica was the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph.) Mattaniah was the ·director who led the people [leader] in thanksgiving and prayer. There was Bakbukiah, who was second in charge over his ·fellow Levites [colleagues; L brothers]. And there was Abda son of Shammua. (Shammua was the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun.) 18 All together 284 Levites lived in the holy city.
19 The gatekeepers who moved into Jerusalem were Akkub, Talmon, and others with them. There was a total of 172 men who ·guarded [kept watch at] the city gates.
20 The other Israelites, priests, and Levites lived on their own ·land [property] in all the cities of Judah.
21 The Temple servants lived on the hill of Ophel, and Ziha and Gishpa ·were in charge of [supervised] them.
22 Uzzi son of Bani was ·appointed over [chief officer/supervisor of] the Levites in Jerusalem. (Bani was the son of Hashabiah, the son of Mattaniah. Mattaniah was the son of Mica.) Uzzi was one of Asaph’s ·descendants [sons], who were the singers responsible for the service of the ·Temple [L house] of God. 23 The singers were under the king’s ·orders [commandment], which regulated them day by day.
24 Pethahiah son of Meshezabel was the king’s ·spokesman [representative; adviser] in all matters concerning the people. (Meshezabel was a descendant of Zerah, the son of Judah.)
25 Some of the people of Judah lived in ·villages [settlements] with their surrounding fields. They lived in Kiriath Arba and its ·surroundings [towns], in Dibon and its ·surroundings [towns], in Jekabzeel and its ·surroundings [settlements], 26 in Jeshua, Moladah, Beth Pelet, 27 Hazar Shual, Beersheba and its ·surroundings [towns], 28 in Ziklag and Meconah and its ·surroundings [towns], 29 in En Rimmon, Zorah, Jarmuth, 30 Zanoah, Adullam and their ·villages [settlements], in Lachish and the fields around it, and in Azekah and its ·surroundings [towns]. So they ·settled [lived; L camped] from Beersheba all the way to the Valley of Hinnom.
31 The ·descendants [sons] of the Benjaminites from Geba lived in Micmash, Aija, Bethel and its ·surroundings [towns], 32 in Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah, 33 Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim, 34 Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat, 35 Lod, Ono, and in the ·Valley of the Craftsmen [Ge-harashim].
36 Some groups of the Levites from Judah settled in the land of Benjamin.
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