The Israelites Confess Their Sins
1On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and putting dust on their heads. 2Those of Israelite descent had separated themselves from all foreigners. They stood in their places and confessed their sins and the sins of their ancestors. 3They stood where they were and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a quarter of the day, and spent another quarter in confession and in worshiping the Lord their God. 4Standing on the stairs of the Levites were Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani and Kenani. They cried out with loud voices to the Lord their God. 5And the Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah and Pethahiah—said: “Stand up and praise the Lord your God, who is from everlasting to everlasting.9:5 Or God for ever and ever”
“Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. 6You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.
7“You are the Lord God, who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and named him Abraham. 8You found his heart faithful to you, and you made a covenant with him to give to his descendants the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites and Girgashites. You have kept your promise because you are righteous.
9“You saw the suffering of our ancestors in Egypt; you heard their cry at the Red Sea.9:9 Or the Sea of Reeds 10You sent signs and wonders against Pharaoh, against all his officials and all the people of his land, for you knew how arrogantly the Egyptians treated them. You made a name for yourself, which remains to this day. 11You divided the sea before them, so that they passed through it on dry ground, but you hurled their pursuers into the depths, like a stone into mighty waters. 12By day you led them with a pillar of cloud, and by night with a pillar of fire to give them light on the way they were to take.
13“You came down on Mount Sinai; you spoke to them from heaven. You gave them regulations and laws that are just and right, and decrees and commands that are good. 14You made known to them your holy Sabbath and gave them commands, decrees and laws through your servant Moses. 15In their hunger you gave them bread from heaven and in their thirst you brought them water from the rock; you told them to go in and take possession of the land you had sworn with uplifted hand to give them.
16“But they, our ancestors, became arrogant and stiff-necked, and they did not obey your commands. 17They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them, 18even when they cast for themselves an image of a calf and said, ‘This is your god, who brought you up out of Egypt,’ or when they committed awful blasphemies.
19“Because of your great compassion you did not abandon them in the wilderness. By day the pillar of cloud did not fail to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take. 20You gave your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouths, and you gave them water for their thirst. 21For forty years you sustained them in the wilderness; they lacked nothing, their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet become swollen.
22“You gave them kingdoms and nations, allotting to them even the remotest frontiers. They took over the country of Sihon9:22 One Hebrew manuscript and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts Sihon, that is, the country of the king of Heshbon and the country of Og king of Bashan. 23You made their children as numerous as the stars in the sky, and you brought them into the land that you told their parents to enter and possess. 24Their children went in and took possession of the land. You subdued before them the Canaanites, who lived in the land; you gave the Canaanites into their hands, along with their kings and the peoples of the land, to deal with them as they pleased. 25They captured fortified cities and fertile land; they took possession of houses filled with all kinds of good things, wells already dug, vineyards, olive groves and fruit trees in abundance. They ate to the full and were well-nourished; they reveled in your great goodness.
26“But they were disobedient and rebelled against you; they turned their backs on your law. They killed your prophets, who had warned them in order to turn them back to you; they committed awful blasphemies. 27So you delivered them into the hands of their enemies, who oppressed them. But when they were oppressed they cried out to you. From heaven you heard them, and in your great compassion you gave them deliverers, who rescued them from the hand of their enemies.
28“But as soon as they were at rest, they again did what was evil in your sight. Then you abandoned them to the hand of their enemies so that they ruled over them. And when they cried out to you again, you heard from heaven, and in your compassion you delivered them time after time.
29“You warned them in order to turn them back to your law, but they became arrogant and disobeyed your commands. They sinned against your ordinances, of which you said, ‘The person who obeys them will live by them.’ Stubbornly they turned their backs on you, became stiff-necked and refused to listen. 30For many years you were patient with them. By your Spirit you warned them through your prophets. Yet they paid no attention, so you gave them into the hands of the neighboring peoples. 31But in your great mercy you did not put an end to them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful God.
32“Now therefore, our God, the great God, mighty and awesome, who keeps his covenant of love, do not let all this hardship seem trifling in your eyes—the hardship that has come on us, on our kings and leaders, on our priests and prophets, on our ancestors and all your people, from the days of the kings of Assyria until today. 33In all that has happened to us, you have remained righteous; you have acted faithfully, while we acted wickedly. 34Our kings, our leaders, our priests and our ancestors did not follow your law; they did not pay attention to your commands or the statutes you warned them to keep. 35Even while they were in their kingdom, enjoying your great goodness to them in the spacious and fertile land you gave them, they did not serve you or turn from their evil ways.
36“But see, we are slaves today, slaves in the land you gave our ancestors so they could eat its fruit and the other good things it produces. 37Because of our sins, its abundant harvest goes to the kings you have placed over us. They rule over our bodies and our cattle as they please. We are in great distress.
The Agreement of the People
38“In view of all this, we are making a binding agreement, putting it in writing, and our leaders, our Levites and our priests are affixing their seals to it.”9:38 In Hebrew texts this verse (9:38) is numbered 10:1.
Folket bekender deres synd
1Den 24. dag i den syvende måned samledes folket igen i Jerusalem. Denne gang fastede de og klædte sig i sækkelærred og kom jord på hovedet for at vise deres sorg. 2Israelitterne skilte sig ud fra alle de fremmede og bekendte deres egen og deres forfædres synd. 3-4I tre timer blev der læst op af Toraen, mens folk stod op og lyttede. I de næste tre timer bekendte folket deres synd og tilbad Herren deres Gud under ledelse af levitterne Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebanja, Bunni, Sherebja, Bani og Kenani, der alle stod på trapper eller forhøjninger.
5Derefter råbte levitterne Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneja, Sherebja, Hodija, Shebanja og Petaja til folket: „Rejs jer og pris Herren, jeres Gud, fra evighed og til evighed! Højlovet være Herren, han som er langt større end nogen kan fatte og udtrykke.” Derefter ledte Ezra9,5 Oversat fra LXX, da den hebraiske tekst mangler indledningen. lovsangen:
6„Du er Gud, du er den eneste!
Du skabte himlen med alle dens stjerner,
jorden med alt, hvad den rummer,
havene med alt, hvad der findes i dem.
Fra dig udspringer alt liv,
og hele himlen tilbeder dig.
7Det var dig, Herre, vor Gud,
som udvalgte Abram,
førte ham ud af Ur i Kaldæa
og gav ham navnet Abraham.
8Du så hans hjertes trofasthed.
Derfor sluttede du pagt med ham
og gav ham løftet om landet,
hvor kana’anæerne og hittitterne,
amoritterne og perizzitterne,
jebusitterne og girgashitterne boede.
Og du holdt dit løfte, som du altid gør!
9Du så vores forfædres nød i Egypten,
hørte deres råb ved Det Røde Hav.
10Du fældede Farao og alle hans folk,
du vidste, hvor hovmodige de var.
Med tegn og undere greb du ind.
Derfor er du æret den dag i dag!
11Du kløvede havet for folkets øjne
og lod dem vandre tørskoet over.
Men deres fjender fejede du bort.
Du druknede dem på havets bund,
de sank som sten i bølgernes brus.
12Med en skysøjle viste du vej om dagen,
en ildsøjle lyste for dem om natten.
13Du steg ned på Sinais bjerg
og talte til folket fra Himlen.
Du gav dem retfærdige regler,
gode love, bud og befalinger.
14Du bød dem at holde Sabbatten hellig,
gav dem din lov gennem Moses, din tjener.
15Du stillede deres sult med brød fra himlen,
slukkede deres tørst med vand fra en klippe.
Du bød dem gå hen og indtage landet,
det land, du havde lovet dem.
16Men vores forfædre blev hovmodige,
hørte ikke på dine bud.
De adlød ikke dine befalinger,
17men fortsatte i deres ulydighed.
De glemte alle de undere,
som du gjorde engang.
De nægtede stædigt at ydmyge sig,
ville hellere tilbage til Egyptens slaveri!
Men du, oh Gud, er barmhjertig og god.
Du vredes nødigt, men tilgiver gerne.
Stor er din nåde og trofasthed,
du lod dem ikke i stikken.
18De støbte en tyrekalv af guld og råbte:
‚Her er den gud, som førte os ud af Egypten!’
De hånede dig op i dit åbne ansigt,
19men du viste dem alligevel nåde.
Du prisgav dem ikke i ørkenen!
Skysøjlen ledte dem fremad om dagen,
ildsøjlen viste dem vej om natten.
20Du vejledte dem ved din gode Ånd,
gav dem manna at spise
og vand til at slukke deres tørst.
21Du sørgede for dem i 40 år,
de manglede intet i ørkenen.
Deres klæder blev ikke slidt op,
deres fødder blev ikke ømme!
22Du gav dem sejr over mægtige folkeslag,
hjalp dem indtage landet stykke for stykke.
De erobrede kong Sihon af Heshbons land
og siden kong Og af Bashans rige.
23Du gjorde dem talrige som himlens stjerner.
Du førte dem ind i det dejlige land,
som du havde lovet deres forfædre,
at de skulle få i arv og eje.
24Deres børn kom og indtog landet.
Du overgav kana’anæerne til dem,
så de kunne gøre, hvad de ville,
med både konger og folkeslag.
25De indtog befæstede byer,
overtog fornemme huse med store vandreservoirer.
De overtog frugtbare jordlodder og vingårde,
olivenlunde og frugtplantager.
De spiste sig mætte og fede
og glædede sig over dine gaver.
26Men de gjorde oprør imod dig,
var ulydige og tilsidesatte din lov.
De myrdede dine profeter,
som formanede dem til omvendelse.
De hånede dig op i dit åbne ansigt.
27Da udleverede du dem til fjenderne,
og de kom i stor nød og ulykke.
I deres lidelser råbte de til dig,
og du hørte deres råb i din Himmel.
I din nåde sendte du dem ledere,
som frelste dem fra deres fjender.
28Men så snart der igen var fred,
gjorde de atter oprør imod dig.
Du gav dem påny i fjendevold,
så de igen måtte råbe til dig om hjælp.
Du hørte deres bøn i himlen
og reddede dem gang på gang.
29Du formanede dem til at følge din love,
men de ville ikke høre på dine bud.
De overtrådte de befalinger,
som netop skulle holde dem i live.
De var stædige og stivnakkede,
de nægtede at adlyde dig.
30I mange år bar du over med dem.
Du advarede dem ved din Ånd
gennem dine profeters ord.
Men de vendte det døve øre til,
og fremmede folk besejrede dem.
31Men på grund af din trofasthed,
udryddede du dem aldrig helt.
I din nåde svigtede du dem aldrig,
for du er en barmhjertig Gud.
32Og nu, Herre, vor Gud,
du store, mægtige, frygtindgydende,
du, som holder fast ved din pagt og nåde,
du ved, hvilke lidelser der har ramt os:
vores konger, fyrster og præster,
profeter, forfædre og hele vores folk,
siden assyrerkongerne indtog vores land.
33Hver gang du straffede os, var det retfærdigt.
Du havde ret, og vi havde uret.
34Vores konger adlød ikke dine love,
vores fyrster, præster og forfædre
lyttede ikke til dine gentagne advarsler.
35Du gav dem deres eget land,
du viste dem godhed gang på gang.
De nød godt af et stort og frugtbart land,
men vendte sig ikke fra deres ondskab.
36Derfor sidder vi som slaver i vores eget land,
det dejlige land, du gav vores forfædre
for at de skulle nyde dets goder.
37Landets rigdom går nu til de konger,
du har sat over os på grund af vores synd.
De har hånds- og halsret over os.
Vi er i stor nød!
