9:1 On the fourteenth day of this same month the Israelites assembled; they were fasting, wearing sackcloth, and covered with dust. 9:2 Those truly of Israel¹ separated from all the foreigners,² standing and confessing their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. 9:3 For a fourth of the day they stood in their place and read from the book of the law of the LORD their God, and for another fourth they were confessing and worshipping the LORD their God. 9:4 Then the Levites—Jeshua, Binnui,³ Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Kenani—stood on the steps and called out loudly⁴ to the LORD their God. 9:5 The Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah—said, “Arise and bless the LORD your God!”

“May you be blessed, O LORD our God, from age to age.⁵ May your glorious name⁶ be blessed; may it be lifted up above all blessing and praise. 9:6 You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens,⁷ along with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You impart life to them all, and it is you that the host of heaven worships.

9:7 “You are the LORD God who chose Abram and brought him forth from Ur of the Chaldeans. You changed his name to Abraham. 9:8 When you perceived that his heart was faithful toward you, you established with him a⁸ covenant, to give to his descendants⁹ the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizites, the Jebusites, and the Girgashites. You have fulfilled your words, for you are righteous.

9:9 “You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and you heard their cry at the Sea of Reeds.¹⁰ 9:10 You performed signs and portents against Pharaoh, against his servants, and against all the people of his land, for you knew that they¹¹ had behaved insolently against them. You made for yourself a name that is celebrated to this day. 9:11 You split the sea before them, and they crossed in the midst of the sea on dry ground. But those in pursuit of them you cast into the depths, like a stone into surging¹² waters. 9:12 You guided them with a pillar of cloud by day, and with a pillar of fire by night to illumine for them the path that they would travel.

9:13 “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. 9:14 You made known to them your holy Sabbath; you issued to them commandments, statutes, and law through¹³ Moses your servant. 9:15 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 sworn¹⁴ to give to them.

9:16 “But they— our fathers¹⁵—behaved insolently; they stiffened their necks and did not obey your commandments. 9:17 They refused to obey and did not recall your miracles that you had performed in their midst. Instead, they stiffened their neck and appointed a leader so as to return to their bondage in Egypt.¹⁶ But you are a God of forgiveness, merciful and compassionate, long-suffering and unfailing in your loyal love.¹⁷ You did not abandon them, 9:18 even when they made for themselves a molten calf and said, ‘This is you God who brought you up from Egypt’, or when they committed atrocious blasphemies.

9:19 “Due to your great compassion you did not abandon them in the desert. The pillar of the cloud did not turn from them by day to guide them in the path, nor the pillar of the fire by night to illumine for them the path on which they should travel. 9:20 You imparted your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouth; you provided water for their thirst. 9:21 For forty years you sustained them. Even in the desert they did not go wanting. Their clothes did not wear out, and their feet did not experience swelling.

9:22 “You gave to them kingdoms and peoples, and you apportioned them to every corner. They inherited the land of Sihon and the land of the king of Heshbon and the land of Og the king of Bashan. 9:23 You multiplied their descendants like the stars of the sky. You brought them to the land that you had told their fathers to enter in order to possess. 9:24 The descendants 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 wished. 9:25 They captured fortified cities and fertile land. They took possession of houses full of all sorts of good things—previously dug wells, vineyards, olive trees, and fruit trees in abundance. They ate to their full¹⁸ and grew fat. They enjoyed to the full your great goodness.

9:26 “Nonetheless they grew disobedient and rebelled against you; they disregarded your law.¹⁹ They killed your prophets who had solemnly admonished them in order to cause them to return to you. They committed atrocious blasphemies. 9:27 Therefore you delivered them into the hand of their adversaries, and they 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, that they might rescue them from²⁰ their adversaries.

9:28 “Then when they were at rest again, they went back to doing evil before you. Then you abandoned them to²¹ 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. 9:29 But you solemnly admonished them so as to return them to your law, but they behaved insolently and did not obey your commandments. They sinned against your judgments—those that if an individual will keep, he will thereby live. They boldly turned from you;²² they stiffened their neck and did not obey. 9:30 You prolonged your kindness²³ with them for many years, and you solemnly admonished them by your Spirit through your prophets. Still they did not pay attention,²⁴ so you delivered them into the hands of the resident peoples.²⁵ 9:31 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.

9:32 “So now our God—the great and powerful and awesome God, who keeps covenant fidelity²⁶—do not regard as inconsequential²⁷ all the hardship that has befallen us—our kings, our leaders, our priests, our prophets, our fathers, and all your people—from the days of the kings of Assyria till this very day. 9:33 You are righteous with regard to all that has come on us, for you have acted faithfully.²⁸ It is we who have been in the wrong. 9:34 Our kings, our leaders, our priests, and our fathers have not kept your law; they have not paid attention to your commandments and your testimonies by which you have solemnly admonished them. 9:35 Even when they were in their kingdom and benefiting from your incredible²⁹ goodness that you had lavished³⁰ on them in the spacious and fertile land that you had set³¹ before them, they did not serve you, nor did they turn from their evil practices.

9:36 “So today we are slaves! In the very land that you gave to our fathers to eat its fruit and to enjoy³² its good things we are slaves! 9:37 Its abundant produce is for the kings whom you have placed over us due to our sins. They rule over our bodies and our animals as they see fit,³³ and we are in great distress!