9On the twenty-fourth day of this same month, the Israelites gathered together while fasting, wearing sackcloth, and covering themselves with dust.H6242H702H3117H2320H1121H3478H622H6685H8242H127 2The remnant of Israel separated themselves from all foreigners. Then they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their ancestors.H2233H3478H914H1121H5236H5975H3034H2403H5771H1 3While they stood there, they read from the book of the Law of the Lord their God for one fourth of the day, and they confessed and worshiped the Lord their God for another fourth of the day.H6965H5977H7121H5612H8451H3068H430H7243H3117H7243H3034H7812H3068H430 4Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani stood on the Levite's rostrum and cried out loudly to the Lord their God.H6965H4608H3881H3442H1137H6934H7645H1138H8274H1137H3662H2199H1419H6963H3068H430 5Then the Levites - Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah - said, "Stand up and bless the Lord your God from eternity to eternity! Blessed be your glorious name! May it be exalted above all blessing and praise!H3881H3442H6934H1137H2813H8274H1941H7645H6611H559H6965H1288H3068H430H5769H5769H1288H3519H8034H7311H1293H8416 6"You are the Lord; you alone crafted the heavens, the highest heavens with all of their armies; the earth, and everything in it; the seas, and everything in them; you keep giving all of them life, and the army of heaven continually worships you.H3068H6213H8064H8064H8064H6635H776H3220H2421H6635H8064H7812 7You are the Lord, the God who chose Abram, whom you brought from Ur of the Chaldeans and to whom you gave the name Abraham.H3068H430H977H87H3318H218H3778H7760H8034H85 8You found him faithful in your sight; you made a covenant with him and you gave the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, and the Girgashites to his descendants. And you have kept your word, because you are righteous.H4672H3824H539H6440H3772H1285H5414H776H3669H2850H567H6522H2983H1622H5414H2233H6965H1697H6662 9"You took note of the affliction of our ancestors in Egypt, and listened to their cry at the Red Sea.H7200H6040H1H4714H8085H2201H5488H3220 10You sent signs and wonders against Pharaoh, against all of his officials, and against all the people of his land, because you knew they acted arrogantly against your people. So you established your name with them, as it remains to this day.H5414H226H4159H6547H5650H5971H776H3045H2102H6213H8034H3117 11You divided the sea in front of them, and they traveled through the midst of the sea on dry ground. You hurled their pursuers into the depths, as one throws a stone into turbulent waters.H1234H3220H6440H5674H8432H3220H3004H7291H7993H4688H68H5794H4325 12You led them during the day by a pillar of cloud, and by a pillar of fire at night to provide light for them on the path they took.H5148H3119H6051H5982H3915H5982H784H215H1870H3212 13"You also came down to Mount Sinai, spoke with them from heaven, and gave them impartial regulations, true laws, statutes, and good commands.H3381H2022H5514H1696H8064H5414H3477H4941H571H8451H2896H2706H4687 14You revealed to them your holy Sabbath, and you mandated precepts, statutes, and laws through Moses your servant.H3045H6944H7676H6680H4687H2706H8451H3027H4872H5650 15You gave them food from heaven for their hunger and water from the rock for their thirst. You directed them to enter and possess the land that you had promised to give them.H5414H3899H8064H7458H3318H4325H5553H6772H559H935H3423H776H3027H5375H5414 16"But they - our ancestors - became arrogant and stubborn, refusing to listen to your commands.H1H2102H7185H6203H8085H4687 17They would not listen, and did not remember the miracles you did among them. Instead, they became stubborn and appointed a leader to return them to their slavery. "But you are a God of forgiveness, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, and rich in gracious love; therefore you did not abandon them.H3985H8085H2142H6381H6213H7185H6203H4805H5414H7218H7725H5659H433H5547H2587H7349H750H639H7227H2617H5800 18Moreover, after they had cast a golden calf for themselves, they said, "This is your god who brought you out of Egypt!" and committed terrible blasphemies.H6213H4541H5695H559H430H5927H4714H6213H1419H5007 19You, in your great compassion, did not abandon them in the wilderness. The pillar of cloud did not leave them in daylight, in order to provide light for them on the path they took. Nor did the pillar of fire abandon them at night, in order to provide light for them and lead them on the path they took.H7227H7356H5800H4057H5982H6051H5493H3119H5148H1870H5982H784H3915H215H1870H3212 20"You gave your good Spirit to instruct them, not withholding manna from them, and providing water to quench their thirst.H5414H2896H7307H7919H4513H4478H6310H5414H4325H6772 21You sustained them in the wilderness for 40 years. They lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out, and their feet did not swell.H705H8141H3557H4057H2637H8008H1086H7272H1216 22You gave them kingdoms and nations, apportioning them as frontier boundaries. They took possession of the land of Sihon, the land of the king of Heshbon, and the land of Og, king of Bashan.H5414H4467H5971H2505H6285H3423H776H5511H776H4428H2809H776H5747H4428H1316 23"You multiplied their descendants like the stars in heaven and brought them to the land about which you told their ancestors to enter and possess.H1121H7235H3556H8064H935H776H559H1H935H3423 24So their descendants entered and took possession of the land. Before their eyes you subdued those living in the land - the Canaanites - putting them under their control, along with their kings and the peoples of the land, so they could do with them as they pleased.H1121H935H3423H776H3665H6440H3427H776H3669H5414H3027H4428H5971H776H6213H7522 25They conquered fortified cities and fertile ground, possessing houses filled with all kinds of good things, wells already dug, with vineyards, olive orchards, and fruit trees in abundance. So they ate, were satiated, and were well nourished, delighting themselves in your great goodness.H3920H1219H5892H8082H127H3423H1004H4392H2898H953H2672H3754H2132H3978H6086H7230H398H7646H8080H5727H1419H2898 26"Then they disobeyed, rebelled against you, and threw your Law behind their backs. They murdered your prophets who had admonished the people to return to you, committing terrible blasphemies.H4784H4775H7993H8451H310H1458H2026H5030H5749H7725H6213H1419H5007 27So you delivered them into the control of their enemies, who oppressed them. But when they were oppressed, they cried out to you, and you heard from heaven. In your great compassion you gave them deliverers who rescued them from the control of their enemies.H5414H3027H6862H6887H6256H6869H6817H8085H8064H7227H7356H5414H3467H3467H3027H6862 28"But after they had gained relief, they returned to doing evil before you. Therefore you abandoned them to the control of their enemies, who continued to oppress them. But when they came back and cried out to you, you listened from heaven and delivered them in your compassion on many occasions.H5117H6213H7451H7725H6440H5800H3027H341H7287H7725H2199H8085H8064H7227H6256H5337H7356 29You admonished them to return to your law, but they acted arrogantly, and would not listen to your commands. They sinned against your regulations, which if anyone obeys, he will live by them. They turned away, being stubborn and stiff-necked, and they did not listen.H5749H7725H8451H2102H8085H4687H2398H4941H120H6213H2421H5414H5637H3802H7185H6203H8085 30You were patient with them for many years, warning them by your Spirit through your prophets. But they would not listen, so you turned them over to the control of people in other lands.H7227H8141H4900H5749H7307H3027H5030H238H5414H3027H5971H776 31Nevertheless, in your great compassion you did not completely destroy them or abandon them, because you are a God of grace and you are merciful.H7227H7356H6213H3617H5800H2587H7349H410 32"Now therefore, our God, the great, mighty, and awesome God, who keeps the covenant and gracious love, don't let all of the difficulties seem trifling to you, all of hardships that have come upon us, upon our kings, upon our leaders, upon our priests, upon our prophets, upon our ancestors, and upon all of your people from the time of the kings of Assyria until this day.H430H1419H1368H3372H410H8104H1285H2617H8513H4591H6440H4672H4428H8269H3548H5030H1H5971H3117H4428H804H3117 33You are righteous in all that is happening to us, because you have acted faithfully while we have practiced evil.H6662H935H6213H571H7561 34Furthermore, neither our kings, nor our leaders, nor our priests nor our ancestors have practiced your law or paid attention to your commands and warnings by which you admonished them.H4428H8269H3548H1H6213H8451H7181H4687H5715H5749 35But they in their kingdom - in the midst of your great goodness that you gave them and in the large and fertile land that you provided them - did not serve you or turn away from their evil deeds.H5647H4438H7227H2898H5414H7342H8082H776H5414H6440H7725H7451H4611 36"Look! Today we are your servants, along with the land that you gave to our ancestors, so they could enjoy its fruit and its value - behold, in it we are your servants!H5650H3117H776H5414H1H398H6529H2898H5650 37But now its abundant produce belongs to the kings whom you placed over us because of our sin. They also have power over our bodies and our herds, at their pleasure, and we are in great distress.H7235H8393H4428H5414H2403H4910H1472H929H7522H1419H6869 38"Because of all this, we are making a binding agreement, putting it in writing, and our leaders, our Levites, and our priests hereby set their seals upon it."H3772H548H3789H8269H3881H3548H2856
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