Nehemías 9
Bible in Basic English
1Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of Israel came together, taking no food and putting haircloth and dust on their bodies.
2And the seed of Israel made themselves separate from all the men of other nations, publicly requesting forgiveness for their sins and the wrongdoing of their fathers.
3And for a fourth part of the day, upright in their places, they were reading from the book of the law of their God; and for a fourth part of the day they were requesting forgiveness and worshipping the Lord their God.
4Then Jeshua, and Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani took their places on the steps of the Levites, crying in a loud voice to the Lord their God.
5Then the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah said, Get up and give praise to the Lord your God for ever and ever. Praise be to your great name which is lifted up high over all blessing and praise.
6You are the Lord, even you only; you have made heaven, the heaven of heavens with all their armies, the earth and all things in it, the seas and everything in them; and you keep them from destruction: and the armies of heaven are your worshippers.
7You are the Lord, the God, who took Abram and made him yours, guiding him from Ur of the Chaldees, and gave him the name of Abraham;
8You saw that his heart was true to you, and made an agreement with him to give the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Jebusite and the Girgashite, even to give it to his seed, and you have done what you said; for righteousness is yours:
9And you saw the trouble of our fathers in Egypt, and their cry came to your ears by the Red Sea;
10And you did signs and wonders on Pharaoh and all his servants and all the people of his land; for you saw how cruel they were to them. So you got yourself a name as it is today.
11By you the sea was parted before them, so that they went through the sea on dry land; and those who went after them went down into the deep, like a stone into great waters.
12And you went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night, to give them light on the way they were to go.
13And you came down on Mount Sinai, and your voice came to them from heaven, giving them right decisions and true laws, good rules and orders:
14And you gave them word of your holy Sabbath, and gave them orders and rules and a law, by the hand of Moses your servant:
15And you gave them bread from heaven when they were in need, and made water come out of the rock for their drink, and gave them orders to go in and take for their heritage the land which your hand had been lifted up to give them.
16But they and our fathers, in their pride, made their necks stiff, and gave no attention to your orders,
17And would not do them, and gave no thought to the wonders you had done among them; but made their necks stiff, and turning away from you, made a captain over themselves to take them back to their prison in Egypt: but you are a God of forgiveness, full of grace and pity, slow to wrath and great in mercy, and you did not give them up.
18Even when they had made for themselves an ox of metal, and said, This is your God who took you up out of Egypt, and had done so much to make you angry;
19Even then, in your great mercy, you did not give them up in the waste land: the pillar of cloud still went before them by day, guiding them on their way, and the pillar of fire by night, to give them light, and make clear the way they were to go.
20And you gave your good spirit to be their teacher, and did not keep back your manna from their mouths, and gave them water when they had need of it.
21Truly, for forty years you were their support in the waste land, and they were in need of nothing; their clothing did not get old or their feet become tired.
22And you gave them kingdoms and peoples, making distribution to them in every part of the land: so they took for their heritage the land of Sihon, even the land of the king of Heshbon, and the land of Og, king of Bashan.
23And you made their children as great in number as the stars of heaven, and took them into the land, of which you had said to their fathers that they were to go in and take it for themselves.
24So the children went in and took the land, and you overcame before them the people of the land, the Canaanites, and gave them up into their hands, with their kings and the people of the land, so that they might do with them whatever it was their pleasure to do.
25And they took walled towns and a fat land, and became the owners of houses full of all good things, water-holes cut in the rock, vine-gardens and olive-gardens and a wealth of fruit-trees: so they had food enough and became fat, and had joy in the good you gave them.
26But they were hard-hearted, and went against your authority, turning their backs on your law, and putting to death your prophets, who gave witness against them with the purpose of turning them back again to you, and they did much to make you angry.
27And so you gave them up into the hands of their haters who were cruel to them: and in the time of their trouble, when they made their prayer to you, you gave ear to them from heaven; and in your great mercy gave them saviours, who made them free from the hands of their haters.
28But when they had rest, they did evil again before you: so you gave them into the hands of their haters, who had rule over them: but when they came back and made their prayer to you, you gave ear to them from heaven; again and again, in your mercy, you gave them salvation;
29And gave witness against them so that you might make them come back again to your law: but their hearts were lifted up, and they gave no attention to your orders and went against your decisions (which, if a man keeps them, will be life to him), and turning their backs on you, made their necks stiff and did not give ear.
30Year after year you put up with them, and gave witness against them by your spirit through your prophets: still they did not give ear: and so you gave them up into the hands of the peoples of the lands.
31Even then, in your great mercy, you did not put an end to them completely, or give them up; for you are a God of grace and mercy.
32And now, our God, the great, the strong, the God who is to be feared, who keeps faith and mercy, let not all this trouble seem small to you, which has come on us, and on our kings and our rulers and on our priests and our prophets and our fathers and on all your people from the time of the kings of Assyria till this day.
33But still, you have been in the right in everything which has come on us; you have been true to us, but we have done evil:
34And our kings, our rulers, our priests, and our fathers have not kept your law or given attention to your orders and your witness, with which you gave witness against them.
35For they have not been your servants in their kingdom, and in all the good things you gave them, and in the great and fat land you gave them, and they have not been turned away from their evil-doing.
36Now, today, we are servants, and as for the land which you gave to our fathers, so that the produce of it and the good might be theirs, see, we are servants in it:
37And it gives much increase to the kings whom you have put over us because of our sins: and they have power over our bodies and over our cattle at their pleasure, and we are in great trouble.
38And because of all this we are making an agreement in good faith, and putting it in writing; and our rulers, our Levites, and our priests are putting their names to it.
Reina-Valera 1909
1Y EL día veinticuatro del mismo mes se juntaron los hijos de Israel en ayuno, y con sacos, y tierra sobre sí.
2Y habíase ya apartado la simiente de Israel de todos los extranjeros; y estando en pie, confesaron sus pecados, y las iniquidades de sus padres.
3Y puestos de pie en su lugar, leyeron en el libro de la ley de Jehová su Dios la cuarta parte del día, y la cuarta parte confesaron y adoraron á Jehová su Dios.
4Levantáronse luego sobre la grada de los Levitas, Jesuá y Bani, Cadmiel, Sebanías, Bunni, Serebías, Bani y Chênani, y clamaron en voz alta á Jehová su Dios.
5Y dijeron los Levitas, Jesuá y Cadmiel, Bani, Hosabnías, Serebías, Odaías, Sebanías y Pethaía: Levantaos, bendecid á Jehová vuestro Dios desde el siglo hasta el siglo: y bendigan el nombre tuyo, glorioso y alto sobre toda bendición y alabanza.
6Tú, oh Jehová, eres solo; tú hiciste los cielos, y los cielos de los cielos, y toda su milicia, la tierra y todo lo que está en ella, los mares y todo lo que hay en ellos; y tú vivificas todas estas cosas, y los ejércitos de los cielos te adoran.
7Tú eres, oh Jehová, el Dios que escogiste á Abram, y lo sacaste de Ur de los Caldeos, y pusístele el nombre Abraham;
8Y hallaste fiel su corazón delante de ti, é hiciste con él alianza para darle la tierra del Cananeo, del Hetheo, y del Amorrheo, y del Pherezeo, y del Jebuseo, y del Gergeseo, para darla á su simiente: y cumpliste tu palabra, porque eres justo.
9Y miraste la aflicción de nuestros padres en Egipto, y oíste el clamor de ellos en el mar Bermejo;
10Y diste señales y maravillas en Faraón, y en todos sus siervos, y en todo el pueblo de su tierra; porque sabías que habían hecho soberbiamente contra ellos; é hicístete nombre grande, como este día.
11Y dividiste la mar delante de ellos, y pasaron por medio de ella en seco; y á sus perseguidores echaste en los profundos, como una piedra en grandes aguas.
12Y con columna de nube los guiaste de día, y con columna de fuego de noche, para alumbrarles el camino por donde habían de ir.
13Y sobre el monte de Sinaí descendiste, y hablaste con ellos desde el cielo, y dísteles juicios rectos, leyes verdaderas, y estatutos y mandamientos buenos:
14Y notificásteles el sábado tuyo santo, y les prescribiste, por mano de Moisés tu siervo, mandamientos y estatutos y ley.
15Y dísteles pan del cielo en su hambre, y en su sed les sacaste aguas de la piedra; y dijísteles que entrasen á poseer la tierra, por la cual alzaste tu mano que se la habías de dar.
16Mas ellos y nuestros padres hicieron soberbiamente, y endurecieron su cerviz, y no escucharon tus mandamientos,
17Y no quisieron oir, ni se acordaron de tus maravillas que habías hecho con ellos; antes endurecieron su cerviz, y en su rebelión pensaron poner caudillo para volverse á su servidumbre. Tú empero, eres Dios de perdones, clemente y piadoso, tardo para la ira, y de mucha misericordia, que no los dejaste.
18Además, cuando hicieron para sí becerro de fundición, y dijeron: Este es tu Dios que te hizo subir de Egipto; y cometieron grandes abominaciones;
19Tú, con todo, por tus muchas misericordias no los abandonaste en el desierto: la columna de nube no se apartó de ellos de día, para guiarlos por el camino, ni la columna de fuego de noche, para alumbrarles el camino por el cual habían de ir.
20Y diste tu espíritu bueno para enseñarlos, y no retiraste tu maná de su boca, y agua les diste en su sed.
21Y sustentástelos cuarenta años en el desierto; de ninguna cosa tuvieron necesidad: sus vestidos no se envejecieron, ni se hincharon sus pies.
22Y dísteles reinos y pueblos, y los distribuiste por cantones: y poseyeron la tierra de Sehón, y la tierra del rey de Hesbón, y la tierra de Og rey de Basán.
23Y multiplicaste sus hijos como las estrellas del cielo, y metístelos en la tierra, de la cual habías dicho á sus padres que habían de entrar á poseerla.
24Y los hijos vinieron y poseyeron la tierra, y humillaste delante de ellos á los moradores del país, á los Cananeos, los cuales entregaste en su mano, y á sus reyes, y á los pueblos de la tierra, para que hiciesen de ellos á su voluntad.
25Y tomaron ciudades fortalecidas, y tierra pingüe, y heredaron casas llenas de todo bien, cisternas hechas, viñas y olivares, y muchos árboles de comer; y comieron, y hartáronse, y engrosáronse, y deleitáronse en tu grande bondad.
26Empero te irritaron, y rebeláronse contra ti, y echaron tu ley tras sus espaldas, y mataron tus profetas que protestaban contra ellos para convertirlos á ti; é hicieron grandes abominaciones.
27Y entregástelos en mano de sus enemigos, los cuales los afligieron: y en el tiempo de su tribulación clamaron á ti, y tú desde los cielos los oíste; y según tus muchas miseraciones les dabas salvadores, que los salvasen de mano de sus enemigos.
28Mas en teniendo reposo, se volvían á hacer lo malo delante de ti; por lo cual los dejaste en mano de sus enemigos, que se enseñorearon de ellos: pero convertidos clamaban otra vez á ti, y tú desde los cielos los oías, y según tus miseraciones muchas veces los libraste.
29Y protestásteles que se volviesen á tu ley; mas ellos hicieron soberbiamente, y no oyeron tus mandamientos, sino que pecaron contra tus juicios, los cuales si el hombre hiciere, en ellos vivirá; y dieron hombro renitente, y endurecieron su cerviz, y no escucharon.
30Y alargaste sobre ellos muchos años, y protestásteles con tu espíritu por mano de tus profetas, mas no escucharon; por lo cual los entregaste en mano de los pueblos de la tierra.
31Empero por tus muchas misericordias no los consumiste, ni los dejaste; porque eres Dios clemente y misericordioso.
32Ahora pues, Dios nuestro, Dios grande, fuerte, terrible, que guardas el pacto y la misericordia, no sea tenido en poco delante de ti todo el trabajo que nos ha alcanzado á nuestros reyes, á nuestros príncipes, á nuestros sacerdotes, y á nuestros profetas, y á nuestros padres, y á todo tu pueblo, desde los días de los reyes de Asiria hasta este día.
33Tú empero eres justo en todo lo que ha venido sobre nosotros; porque rectamente has hecho, mas nosotros hemos hecho lo malo:
34Y nuestros reyes, nuestros príncipes, nuestros sacerdotes, y nuestros padres, no pusieron por obra tu ley, ni atendieron á tus mandamientos y á tus testimonios, con que les protestabas.
35Y ellos en su reino y en tu mucho bien que les diste, y en la tierra espaciosa y pingüe que entregaste delante de ellos, no te sirvieron, ni se convirtieron de sus malas obras.
36He aquí que hoy somos siervos, henos aquí, siervos en la tierra que diste á nuestros padres para que comiesen su fruto y su bien.
37Y se multiplica su fruto para los reyes que has puesto sobre nosotros por nuestros pecados, quienes se enseñorean sobre nuestros cuerpos, y sobre nuestras bestias, conforme á su voluntad, y estamos en grande angustia.
38A causa pues de todo eso nosotros hacemos fiel alianza, y la escribimos, signada de nuestros príncipes, de nuestros Levitas, y de nuestros sacerdotes.
King James Version
1Now in the twenty and fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackclothes, and earth upon them.
2And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers.
3And 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.
4Then 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.
5Then 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.
6Thou, 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.
7Thou 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;
8And 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:
9And didst see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heardest their cry by the Red sea;
10And 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.
11And 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.
12Moreover 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.
13Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments:
14And madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and commandedst them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses thy servant:
15And 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.
16But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their necks, and hearkened not to thy commandments,
17And 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.
18Yea, 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;
19Yet 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.
20Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst.
21Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not old, and their feet swelled not.
22Moreover 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.
23Their 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.
24So 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.
25And 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.
26Nevertheless 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.
27Therefore 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.
28But after they had rest, they did evil again before thee: therefore leftest thou them in the hand 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;
29And 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.
30Yet 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.
31Nevertheless for thy great mercies’ sake thou didst not utterly consume them, nor forsake them; for thou art a gracious and merciful God.
32Now 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.
33Howbeit thou art just in all that is brought upon us; for thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly:
34Neither 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.
35For 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.
36Behold, 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:
37And 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.
38And because of all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, Levites, and priests, seal unto it.
World English Bible
1Now in the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, with sackcloth, and dirt on them.
2The offspring of Israel separated themselves from all foreigners and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers.
3They stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of the LORD their God a fourth part of the day; and a fourth part they confessed and worshiped the LORD their God.
4Then Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani of the Levites stood up on the stairs, and cried with a loud voice to the LORD their God.
5Then the Levites, Jeshua, and 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!
6You are the LORD, even you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their army, the earth and all things that are on it, the seas and all that is in them, and you preserve them all. The army of heaven worships you.
7You are the LORD, the God who chose Abram, brought him out of Ur of the Chaldees, gave him the name of Abraham,
8found his heart faithful before you, and made a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite, and the Girgashite, to give it to his offspring, and have performed your words, for you are righteous.
9“You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heard their cry by the Red Sea,
10and showed signs and wonders against Pharaoh, against all his servants, and against all the people of his land, for you knew that they dealt proudly against them, and made a name for yourself, as it is today.
11You divided the sea before them, so that they went through the middle of the sea on the dry land; and you cast their pursuers into the depths, as a stone into the mighty waters.
12Moreover, in a pillar of cloud you led them by day; and in a pillar of fire by night, to give them light in the way in which they should go.
13“You also came down on Mount Sinai, and spoke with them from heaven, and gave them right ordinances and true laws, good statutes and commandments,
14and made known to them your holy Sabbath, and commanded them commandments, statutes, and a law, by Moses your servant,
15and gave them bread from the sky for their hunger, and brought water out of the rock for them for their thirst, and commanded them that they should go in to possess the land which you had sworn to give them.
16“But they and our fathers behaved proudly, hardened their neck, didn’t listen to your commandments,
17and refused to obey. They weren’t mindful of your wonders that you did among them, but hardened their neck, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage. But you are a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, and didn’t forsake them.
18Yes, when they had made themselves a molded calf, and said, ‘This is your God who brought you up out of Egypt,’ and had committed awful blasphemies,
19yet you in your manifold mercies didn’t forsake them in the wilderness. The pillar of cloud didn’t depart from over them by day, to lead them in the way; neither did the pillar of fire by night, to show them light, and the way in which they should go.
20You gave also your good Spirit to instruct them, and didn’t withhold your manna from their mouth, and gave them water for their thirst.
21“Yes, forty years you sustained them in the wilderness. They lacked nothing. Their clothes didn’t grow old, and their feet didn’t swell.
22Moreover you gave them kingdoms and peoples, which you allotted according to their portions. So they possessed the land of Sihon, even the land of the king of Heshbon, and the land of Og king of Bashan.
23You also multiplied their children as the stars of the sky, and brought them into the land concerning which you said to their fathers that they should go in to possess it.
24“So the children 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, that they might do with them as they pleased.
25They took fortified cities and a rich land, and possessed houses full of all good things, cisterns dug out, vineyards, olive groves, and fruit trees in abundance. So they ate, were filled, became fat, and delighted themselves in your great goodness.
26“Nevertheless they were disobedient and rebelled against you, cast your law behind their back, killed your prophets that testified against them to turn them again to you, and they committed awful blasphemies.
27Therefore you delivered them into the hand of their adversaries, who distressed them. In the time of their trouble, when they cried to you, you heard from heaven; and according to your manifold mercies you gave them saviors who saved them out of the hands of their adversaries.
28But after they had rest, they did evil again before you; therefore you left them in the hands of their enemies, so that they had the dominion over them; yet when they returned and cried to you, you heard from heaven; and many times you delivered them according to your mercies,
29and testified against them, that you might bring them again to your law. Yet they were arrogant, and didn’t listen to your commandments, but sinned against your ordinances (which if a man does, he shall live in them), turned their backs, stiffened their neck, and would not hear.
30Yet many years you put up with them, and testified against them by your Spirit through your prophets. Yet they would not listen. Therefore you gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.
31“Nevertheless in your manifold mercies you didn’t make a full end of them, nor forsake them; for you are a gracious and merciful God.
32Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and loving kindness, don’t let all the travail seem little before you that has come on us, on our kings, on our princes, on our priests, on our prophets, on our fathers, and on all your people, since the time of the kings of Assyria to this day.
33However you are just in all that has come on us; for you have dealt truly, but we have done wickedly.
34Also our kings, our princes, our priests, and our fathers have not kept your law, nor listened to your commandments and your testimonies with which you testified against them.
35For they have not served you in their kingdom, and in your great goodness that you gave them, and in the large and rich land which you gave before them. They didn’t turn from their wicked works.
36“Behold, we are servants today, and as for the land that you gave to our fathers to eat its fruit and its good, behold, we are servants in it.
37It yields much increase to the kings whom you have set over us because of our sins. Also they have power over our bodies and over our livestock, at their pleasure, and we are in great distress.
38Yet for all this, we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, our Levites, and our priests, seal it.”