Nehemiah:9

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* Now in the twenty and fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting , and with sackcloth , and earth upon them . * And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all foreigners , and stood and confessed their sins , and the iniquities of their fathers . * And they 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 another fourth part they confessed , and prostrated themselves before the LORD their God . * Then stood up upon the platform of the Levites , Jeshua , and Bani , Kadmiel , Shebaniah , Bunni , Sherebiah , Bani , and Chenani , and cried with a loud voice unto the LORD their God . * Then 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 ; and let them say : Blessed be Thy glorious Name , that is exalted above all blessing and praise . * Thou art the LORD , even Thou alone ; Thou hast made heaven , the heaven of heavens , with all their host , the earth and all things that are thereon , the seas and all that is in them , and Thou preservest them all ; and the host of heaven worshippeth Thee . * Thou 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 ; * and foundest his heart faithful before Thee , and madest a covenant 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 unto his seed , and hast performed Thy words ; for Thou art righteous ; * And Thou sawest the affliction of our fathers in Egypt , and heardest their cry by the Red Sea ; * and didst show 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 ; and didst get Thee a name , as it is this day . * And Thou didst divide the sea before them , so that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land ; and their pursuers Thou didst cast into the depths , as a stone into the mighty waters . * Moreover in a pillar of cloud Thou didst lead them by day ; and in a pillar of fire by night , to give them light in the way wherein they should go . * Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai , and spokest with them from heaven , and gavest them right ordinances and laws of truth , good statutes and commandments ; * and madest known unto them Thy holy sabbath , and didst command them commandments , and statutes , and a law , by the hand of Moses Thy servant ; * and gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger , and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst , and didst command them that they should go in to possess the land which Thou hadst lifted up Thy hand to give them . * But they and our fathers dealt proudly , and hardened their neck , and hearkened not to Thy commandments , * and refused to hearken , neither were mindful of Thy wonders that Thou didst among them ; but hardened their neck , and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage ; but Thou art a God ready to pardon , gracious and full of compassion , slow to anger , and plenteous in mercy , and forsookest them not . * Yea , 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 ; * yet Thou in Thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness ; the pillar of cloud departed not from over them by day , to lead them in the way ; neither the pillar of fire by night , to show them light , and the way wherein they should go . * Thou gavest also Thy good spirit to instruct them , and withheldest not Thy manna from their mouth , and gavest them water for their thirst . * Yea , forty years didst Thou sustain them in the wilderness , and they lacked nothing ; their clothes waxed not old , and their feet swelled not . * Moreover Thou gavest them kingdoms and peoples , which Thou didst allot quarter by quarter ; so they possessed the land of Sihon , even the land of the king of Heshbon , and the land of Og king of Bashan . * Their children also didst Thou multiply as the stars of heaven , and didst bring them into the land , concerning which Thou didst say to their fathers , that they should go in to possess it . * So the children went in and possessed the land , and Thou didst subdue before them the inhabitants of the land , the Canaanites , and gavest them into their hands , with their kings , and the peoples of the land , that they might do with them as they would . * And they took fortified cities , and a fat land , and possessed houses full of all good things , cisterns hewn out , vineyards , and oliveyards , and fruit-trees in abundance ; so they did eat , and were filled , and became fat , and luxuriated in Thy great goodness . * Nevertheless they were disobedient , and rebelled against Thee , and cast Thy law behind their back , and slew Thy prophets that did forewarn them to turn them back unto Thee , and they wrought great provocations . * Therefore Thou didst deliver them into the hand of their adversaries , who distressed them ; and in the time of their trouble , when they cried unto Thee , Thou heardest from heaven ; and according to Thy manifold mercies Thou gavest them saviours who might save them out of the hand of their adversaries . * But after they had rest , they did evil again before Thee ; therefore didst Thou leave them in the hand of their enemies , so that they had the dominion over them ; yet when they returned , and cried unto Thee , many times didst Thou hear from heaven , and deliver them according to Thy mercies ; * and didst forewarn them , that Thou mightest bring them back unto Thy law ; yet they dealt proudly , and hearkened not unto Thy commandments , but sinned against Thine ordinances , which if a man do , he shall live by them , and presented a stubborn shoulder , and hardened their neck , and would not hear . * Yet many years didst Thou extend mercy unto them , and didst forewarn them by Thy spirit through Thy prophets ; yet would they not give ear ; therefore gavest Thou them into the hand of the peoples of the lands . * Nevertheless in Thy manifold mercies Thou didst not utterly consume them , nor forsake them ; for Thou art a gracious and merciful God . * Now therefore , our God , the great , the mighty , and the awful God , who keepest covenant and mercy , let not all the travail 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 . * Howbeit Thou art just in all that is come upon us ; for Thou hast dealt truly , but we have done wickedly ; * neither 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 . * For 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 . * Behold , we are servants this day , and as for the land that Thou gavest unto our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof , behold , we are servants in it . * And it yieldeth much increase unto the kings whom Thou hast set over us because of our sins ; also they have power over our bodies , and over our cattle , at their pleasure , and we are in great distress .' * And yet for all this we make a sure covenant , and subscribe it ; and our princes , our Levites , and our priests , set their seal unto it .

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