Los israelitas confiesan sus pecados
1El día veinticuatro de ese mes, los israelitas se reunieron para ayunar, se vistieron de luto y se echaron ceniza sobre la cabeza. 2Habiéndose separado de los extranjeros, confesaron públicamente sus propios pecados y la maldad de sus antepasados, 3y asumieron así su responsabilidad. Durante tres horas leyeron el libro de la ley del Señor su Dios, y en las tres horas siguientes9:3 tres horas … tres horas siguientes. Lit. una cuarta parte del día … una cuarta parte. le confesaron sus pecados y lo adoraron. 4Luego los levitas Jesúa, Baní, Cadmiel, Sebanías, Buní, Serebías, Baní y Quenaní subieron a la plataforma y en alta voz invocaron al Señor su Dios. 5Y los levitas Jesúa, Cadmiel, Baní, Jasabnías, Serebías, Hodías, Sebanías y Petaías clamaron:
«¡Vamos, bendecid al Señor vuestro Dios
desde ahora y para siempre!
¡Bendito seas, Señor!
¡Sea exaltado tu glorioso nombre,
que está por encima de toda bendición y alabanza!
6»¡Solo tú eres el Señor!
Tú has hecho los cielos,
y los cielos de los cielos
con todas sus estrellas.9:6 todas sus estrellas. Lit. todo su ejército.
Tú le das vida a todo lo creado:
la tierra y el mar
con todo lo que hay en ellos.
¡Por eso te adoran los ejércitos del cielo!
7»Tú, Señor y Dios,
fuiste quien escogió a Abram.
Tú lo sacaste de Ur de los caldeos
y le pusiste por nombre Abraham.
8Descubriste en él un corazón fiel;
por eso hiciste con él un pacto.
Le prometiste que a sus descendientes
les darías la tierra de los cananeos,
de los hititas, amorreos y ferezeos,
de los jebuseos y gergeseos.
Y cumpliste tu palabra
porque eres justo.
9»En Egipto viste la aflicción de nuestros padres;
junto al Mar Rojo escuchaste sus lamentos.
10Lanzaste grandes señales y maravillas
contra el faraón, sus siervos y toda su gente,
porque viste la insolencia
con que habían tratado a tu pueblo.
Fue así como te ganaste
la buena fama que hoy tienes.
11A la vista de ellos abriste el mar,
y lo cruzaron sobre terreno seco.
Pero arrojaste a sus perseguidores
en lo más profundo del mar,
como piedra en aguas caudalosas.
12Con una columna de nube los guiaste de día,
con una columna de fuego los guiaste de noche:
les alumbraste el camino que debían seguir.
13»Descendiste al monte Sinaí;
desde el cielo les hablaste.
Les diste juicios rectos y leyes verdaderas,
estatutos y mandamientos buenos.
14Les diste a conocer tu sábado santo,
y por medio de tu servidor Moisés
les entregaste tus mandamientos,
estatutos y leyes.
15»Saciaste su hambre con pan del cielo;
calmaste su sed con agua de la roca.
Les diste posesión de la tierra
que bajo juramento les habías prometido.
16Pero ellos y nuestros padres fueron altivos;
no quisieron obedecer tus mandamientos.
17Se negaron a escucharte;
no se acordaron de las maravillas
que hiciste por ellos.
Fue tanta su terquedad y rebeldía
que hasta se nombraron un jefe
para que los hiciera volver
a la esclavitud de Egipto.
Pero tú no los abandonaste
porque eres Dios perdonador,
clemente y compasivo,
lento para la ira y grande en amor.
18»Y, a pesar de que se hicieron
un becerro de metal fundido
y dijeron: “Este es tu dios
que te hizo subir de Egipto”,
y aunque fueron terribles
las ofensas que cometieron,
19tú no los abandonaste en el desierto
porque eres muy compasivo.
»Jamás se apartó de ellos la columna de nube
que los guiaba de día por el camino;
ni dejó de alumbrarlos la columna de fuego
que de noche les mostraba por dónde ir.
20»Con tu buen Espíritu les diste entendimiento.
No les quitaste tu maná de la boca;
les diste agua para calmar su sed.
21Cuarenta años los sustentaste en el desierto.
¡Nada les faltó!
No se desgastaron sus vestidos
ni se les hincharon los pies.
22»Les entregaste reinos y pueblos,
y asignaste a cada cual su territorio.
Conquistaron las tierras de Og y de Sijón,
que eran reyes de Hesbón y de Basán.
23Multiplicaste sus hijos
como las estrellas del cielo;
los hiciste entrar en la tierra
que bajo juramento les prometiste a sus padres.
24Y sus hijos entraron en la tierra
y tomaron posesión de ella.
Ante ellos sometiste a los cananeos que la habitaban;
les entregaste reyes y pueblos de esa tierra,
para que hicieran con ellos lo que quisieran.
25Conquistaron ciudades fortificadas
y una tierra fértil;
se adueñaron de casas repletas de bienes,
de cisternas, viñedos y olivares,
y de gran cantidad de árboles frutales.
Comieron y se hartaron y engordaron;
¡disfrutaron de tu gran bondad!
26»Pero fueron desobedientes:
se rebelaron contra ti,
rechazaron tu ley,
mataron a tus profetas
que los convocaban a volverse a ti;
¡te ofendieron mucho!
27Por eso los entregaste a sus enemigos,
y estos los oprimieron.
En tiempo de angustia clamaron a ti,
y desde el cielo los escuchaste;
por tu inmensa compasión les enviaste salvadores
para que los liberaran de sus enemigos.
28Pero, en cuanto eran liberados,
volvían a hacer lo que te ofende;
tú los entregabas a sus enemigos,
y ellos los dominaban.
De nuevo clamaban a ti,
y desde el cielo los escuchabas.
¡Por tu inmensa compasión
muchas veces los libraste!
29Les advertiste que volvieran a tu ley,
pero ellos actuaron con soberbia
y no obedecieron tus mandamientos.
Pecaron contra tus normas,
que dan vida a quien las obedece.
En su rebeldía, te rechazaron;
fueron tercos y no quisieron escuchar.
30»Durante años tuviste paciencia con ellos;
con tu Espíritu los amonestaste
por medio de tus profetas,
pero ellos no quisieron escuchar.
Por eso los dejaste caer en manos
de los pueblos de esa tierra.
31Sin embargo, es tal tu compasión
que no los destruiste ni abandonaste,
porque eres Dios clemente y compasivo.
32»Y ahora, Dios nuestro,
Dios grande, temible y poderoso,
que cumples el pacto y eres fiel,
no tengas en poco los sufrimientos
que han padecido nuestros reyes,
gobernantes, sacerdotes y profetas,
nuestros padres y todo tu pueblo,
desde los reyes de Asiria hasta hoy.
33Tú has sido justo en todo
lo que nos ha sucedido,
porque actúas con fidelidad.
Nosotros, en cambio, actuamos con maldad.
34Nuestros reyes y gobernantes,
nuestros sacerdotes y antepasados
desobedecieron tu ley
y no acataron tus mandamientos
ni las advertencias con que los amonestabas.
35Pero ellos, durante su reinado,
no quisieron servirte
ni abandonar sus malas obras,
a pesar de que les diste muchos bienes
y les regalaste una tierra extensa y fértil.
36»Por eso ahora somos esclavos,
esclavos en la tierra
que les diste a nuestros padres
para que gozaran de sus frutos y sus bienes.
37Sus abundantes cosechas son ahora de los reyes
que nos has impuesto por nuestro pecado.
Como tienen el poder, hacen lo que quieren
con nosotros y con nuestro ganado.
¡Grande es nuestra aflicción!
38»Por todo esto, nosotros hacemos este pacto y lo ponemos por escrito, firmado por nuestros gobernantes, levitas y sacerdotes».
The Israelites Admit They Have Sinned
1It was the 24th day of the seventh month. The Israelites gathered together again. They didn’t eat any food. They wore the rough clothing people wear when they’re sad. They put dust on their heads. 2The Israelites separated themselves from everyone else. They stood and admitted they had sinned. They also admitted that their people before them had sinned. 3They stood where they were. They listened while the Levites read parts of the Book of the Law of the Lord their God. They listened for a fourth of the day. They spent another fourth of the day admitting their sins. They also worshiped the Lord their God. 4Some people were standing on the stairs of the Levites. They included Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani and Kenani. With loud voices they called out to the Lord their God. 5Then some Levites spoke up. They included Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah and Pethahiah. They said to the people, “Stand up. Praise the Lord your God. He lives for ever and ever!”
So the people said, “Lord, may your glorious name be praised. May it be lifted high above every other name that is blessed and praised. 6You are the one and only Lord. You made the heavens. You made even the highest heavens. You created all the stars in the sky. You created the earth and everything on it. And you made the oceans and everything in them. You give life to everything. Every living being in heaven worships you.
7“You are the Lord God. You chose Abram. You brought him out of Ur in the land of Babylon. You named him Abraham. 8You knew that his heart was faithful to you. And you made a covenant with him. You promised to give to his children after him a land of their own. It was the land of the Canaanites, Hittites and Amorites. The Perizzites, Jebusites and Girgashites also lived there. You have kept your promise. That’s because you always do what is right and fair.
9“You saw how our people of long ago suffered in Egypt. You heard them cry out to you at the Red Sea. 10You sent signs and wonders against Pharaoh. You sent plagues on all his officials. In fact, you sent them on all the people of Egypt. You knew how they treated our people. They looked down on them. But you made a name for yourself. That name remains to this very day. 11You parted the waters of the Red Sea for the Israelites. They passed through it on dry ground. But you threw into the sea those who chased them. They sank down like a stone into the mighty waters. 12By day you led the Israelites with a pillar of cloud. At night you led them with a pillar of fire. It gave them light to show them the way you wanted them to go.
13“You came down on Mount Sinai. From heaven you spoke to our people. You gave them rules and laws. Those laws are right and fair. You gave them orders and commands that are good. 14You taught them about your holy Sabbath day. You gave them commands, orders and laws. You did it through your servant Moses. 15When the people were hungry, you gave them bread from heaven. When they were thirsty, you brought them water out of a rock. You told them to go into the land of Canaan. You told them to take it as their own. It was the land you had promised to give them.
16“But our people before us became proud and stubborn. They didn’t obey your commands. 17They refused to listen to you. They forgot the miracles you had done among them. So they became stubborn. When they refused to obey you, they appointed a leader for themselves. They wanted to go back to being slaves in Egypt. But you are a God who forgives. You are gracious. You are tender and kind. You are slow to get angry. You are full of love. So you didn’t desert them. 18They made for themselves a metal statue of a god that looked like a calf. They said to one another, ‘Here is your god. He brought you up out of Egypt.’ And they did evil things that dishonored you. But you still didn’t desert them.
19“Because you loved them so much, you didn’t leave them in the desert. During the day the pillar of cloud didn’t stop guiding them on their path. At night the pillar of fire didn’t stop shining on the way you wanted them to go. 20You gave them your good Spirit to teach them. You didn’t hold back your manna from their mouths. And you gave them water when they were thirsty. 21For 40 years you took good care of them in the desert. They had everything they needed. Their clothes didn’t wear out. And their feet didn’t swell up.
22“You gave them kingdoms and nations. You even gave them lands far away. They took over the country of Sihon. He was the king of Heshbon. They also took over the country of Og. He was the king of Bashan. 23You gave them as many children as there are stars in the sky. You told their parents to enter the land. You told them to take it over. And you brought their children into it. 24Their children went into the land. They took it as their own. You brought the Canaanites under Israel’s control. The Canaanites lived in the land. But you handed them over to Israel. You also handed over their kings and the other nations in the land to Israel. You allowed Israel to deal with them just as they wanted to. 25Your people captured cities that had high walls around them. They also took over the rich land in Canaan. They took houses filled with all kinds of good things. They took over wells that had already been dug. They took many vineyards, olive groves and fruit trees. They ate until they were very full and satisfied. They were filled with joy because you were so good to them.
26“But they didn’t obey you. Instead, they turned against you. They turned their backs on your law. They killed your prophets. The prophets had warned them to return to you. But they did very evil things that dishonored you. 27So you handed them over to their enemies, who treated them badly. Then they cried out to you. From heaven you heard them. You loved them very much. So you sent leaders to help them. The leaders saved them from the power of their enemies.
28“Then the people were enjoying peace and rest again. That’s when they did what you did not want them to do. Then you handed them over to their enemies. So their enemies ruled over them. When they cried out to you again, you heard them from heaven. You loved them very much. So you saved them time after time.
29“You warned them so that they would obey your law again. But they became proud. They didn’t obey your commands. They sinned against your rules. You said, ‘Anyone who obeys my rules will live by them.’ But the people didn’t care about that. They turned their backs on you. They became very stubborn. They refused to listen to you. 30For many years you put up with them. By your Spirit you warned them through your prophets. In spite of that, they didn’t pay any attention. So you handed them over to the nations that were around them. 31But you loved them very much. So you didn’t put an end to them. You didn’t desert them. That’s because you are a gracious God. You are tender and kind.
32“Our God, you are the great God. You are mighty and wonderful. You keep the covenant you made with us. You show us your love. So don’t let all our suffering seem like a small thing to you. We’ve suffered greatly. So have our kings and leaders. So have our priests and prophets. Our people who lived long ago also suffered. And all your people are suffering right now. In fact, we’ve been suffering from the time of the kings of Assyria until today. 33In spite of everything that has happened to us, you have been fair. You have been faithful in what you have done. But we did what was evil. 34Our kings and leaders didn’t follow your law. Our priests and our people before us didn’t follow it either. They didn’t pay any attention to your commands or rules that you warned them to keep. 35They didn’t serve you. They didn’t turn from their evil ways. They didn’t obey you even when they had a kingdom. You were very good to them. And they enjoyed it. You gave them a rich land. It had plenty of room in it. But they still didn’t serve you.
36“Now look at us. We are slaves today. We’re slaves in the land you gave our people of long ago. You gave it to them so they could eat its fruit and the other good things it produces. 37But we have sinned against you. So its great harvest goes to the kings of Persia. You have placed them over us. They rule over our bodies and cattle just as they please. And we are suffering terribly.
The People Agree to Obey God’s Law
38“So we are making a firm agreement. We’re writing it down. Our leaders are putting their official marks on it. And so are our Levites and priests.”
