Nehemiah 9:1 - Prayer Tents

9Then on the twenty-fourth day of this month, the People of Israel gathered for a fast, wearing burlap and faces smudged with dirt as signs of repentance.H6242H702H3117H2320H1121H3478H622H6685H8242H127 2The Israelites broke off all relations with foreigners, stood up, and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their parents.H2233H3478H914H1121H5236H5975H3034H2403H5771H1 3While they stood there in their places, they read from the Book of The Revelation of GOD, their God, for a quarter of the day. For another quarter of the day they confessed and worshiped their GOD.H6965H5977H7121H5612H8451H3068H430H7243H3117H7243H3034H7812H3068H430 4A group of Levites—Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Kenani—stood on the platform and cried out to GOD, their God, in a loud voice.H6965H4608H3881H3442H1137H6934H7645H1138H8274H1137H3662H2199H1419H6963H3068H430 5The Levites Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah said, "On your feet! Bless GOD, your God, for ever and ever!" Blessed be your glorious name, exalted above all blessing and praise!H3881H3442H6934H1137H2813H8274H1941H7645H6611H559H6965H1288H3068H430H5769H5769H1288H3519H8034H7311H1293H8416 6You're the one, GOD, you alone; You made the heavens, the heavens of heavens, and all angels; The earth and everything on it, the seas and everything in them; You keep them all alive; heaven's angels worship you!H3068H6213H8064H8064H8064H6635H776H3220H2421H6635H8064H7812 7You're the one, GOD, the God who chose Abram And brought him from Ur of the Chaldees and changed his name to Abraham.H3068H430H977H87H3318H218H3778H7760H8034H85 8You found his heart to be steady and true to you and signed a covenant with him, A covenant to give him the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, and the Amorites, The Perizzites, Jebusites, and Girgashites, —to give it to his descendants. And you kept your word because you are righteous.H4672H3824H539H6440H3772H1285H5414H776H3669H2850H567H6522H2983H1622H5414H2233H6965H1697H6662 9You saw the anguish of our parents in Egypt. You heard their cries at the Red Sea;H7200H6040H1H4714H8085H2201H5488H3220 10You amazed Pharaoh, his servants, and the people of his land with wonders and miracle-signs. You knew their bullying arrogance against your people; you made a name for yourself that lasts to this day.H5414H226H4159H6547H5650H5971H776H3045H2102H6213H8034H3117 11You split the sea before them; they crossed through and never got their feet wet; You pitched their pursuers into the deep; they sank like a rock in the storm-tossed sea.H1234H3220H6440H5674H8432H3220H3004H7291H7993H4688H68H5794H4325 12By day you led them with a Pillar of Cloud, and by night with a Pillar of Fire To show them the way they were to travel.H5148H3119H6051H5982H3915H5982H784H215H1870H3212 13You came down onto Mount Sinai, you spoke to them out of heaven; You gave them instructions on how to live well, true teaching, sound rules and commands;H3381H2022H5514H1696H8064H5414H3477H4941H571H8451H2896H2706H4687 14You introduced them to your Holy Sabbath; Through your servant Moses you decreed commands, rules, and instruction.H3045H6944H7676H6680H4687H2706H8451H3027H4872H5650 15You gave bread from heaven for their hunger, you sent water from the rock for their thirst. You told them to enter and take the land, which you promised to give them.H5414H3899H8064H7458H3318H4325H5553H6772H559H935H3423H776H3027H5375H5414 16But they, our ancestors, were arrogant; bullheaded, they wouldn't obey your commands.H1H2102H7185H6203H8085H4687 17They turned a deaf ear, they refused to remember the miracles you had done for them; They turned stubborn, got it into their heads to return to their Egyptian slavery. And you, a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, Incredibly patient, with tons of love— you didn't dump them.H3985H8085H2142H6381H6213H7185H6203H4805H5414H7218H7725H5659H433H5547H2587H7349H750H639H7227H2617H5800 18Yes, even when they cast a sculpted calf and said, "This is your god Who brought you out of Egypt," and continued from bad to worse,H6213H4541H5695H559H430H5927H4714H6213H1419H5007 19You in your amazing compassion didn't walk off and leave them in the desert. The Pillar of Cloud didn't leave them; daily it continued to show them their route; The Pillar of Fire did the same by night, showed them the right way to go.H7227H7356H5800H4057H5982H6051H5493H3119H5148H1870H5982H784H3915H215H1870H3212 20You gave them your good Spirit to teach them to live wisely. You never stinted with your manna, gave them plenty of water to drink.H5414H2896H7307H7919H4513H4478H6310H5414H4325H6772 21You supported them forty years in that desert; they had everything they needed; Their clothes didn't wear out and their feet never blistered.H705H8141H3557H4057H2637H8008H1086H7272H1216 22You gave them kingdoms and peoples, establishing generous boundaries. They took over the country of Sihon king of Heshbon and the country of Og king of Bashan.H5414H4467H5971H2505H6285H3423H776H5511H776H4428H2809H776H5747H4428H1316 23You multiplied children for them, rivaling the stars in the night skies, And you brought them into the land that you promised their ancestors they would get and own.H1121H7235H3556H8064H935H776H559H1H935H3423 24Well, they entered all right, they took it and settled in. The Canaanites who lived there you brought to their knees before them. You turned over their land, kings, and peoples to do with as they pleased.H1121H935H3423H776H3665H6440H3427H776H3669H5414H3027H4428H5971H776H6213H7522 25They took strong cities and fertile fields, they took over well-furnished houses, Cisterns, vineyards, olive groves, and lush, extensive orchards. And they ate, grew fat on the fat of the land; they reveled in your bountiful goodness.H3920H1219H5892H8082H127H3423H1004H4392H2898H953H2672H3754H2132H3978H6086H7230H398H7646H8080H5727H1419H2898 26But then they mutinied, rebelled against you, threw out your laws and killed your prophets, The very prophets who tried to get them back on your side— and then things went from bad to worse.H4784H4775H7993H8451H310H1458H2026H5030H5749H7725H6213H1419H5007 27You turned them over to their enemies, who made life rough for them. But when they called out for help in their troubles you listened from heaven; And in keeping with your bottomless compassion you gave them saviors: Saviors who saved them from the cruel abuse of their enemies.H5414H3027H6862H6887H6256H6869H6817H8085H8064H7227H7356H5414H3467H3467H3027H6862 28But as soon as they had it easy again they were right back at it—more evil. So you turned away and left them again to their fate, to the enemies who came right back. They cried out to you again; in your great compassion you heard and helped them again. This went on over and over and over.H5117H6213H7451H7725H6440H5800H3027H341H7287H7725H2199H8085H8064H7227H6256H5337H7356 29You warned them to return to your Revelation, they responded with haughty arrogance: They flouted your commands, spurned your rules —the very words by which men and women live! They set their jaws in defiance, they turned their backs on you and didn't listen.H5749H7725H8451H2102H8085H4687H2398H4941H120H6213H2421H5414H5637H3802H7185H6203H8085 30You put up with them year after year and warned them by your spirit through your prophets; But when they refused to listen you abandoned them to foreigners.H7227H8141H4900H5749H7307H3027H5030H238H5414H3027H5971H776 31Still, because of your great compassion, you didn't make a total end to them. You didn't walk out and leave them for good; yes, you are a God of grace and compassion.H7227H7356H6213H3617H5800H2587H7349H410 32And now, our God, the great God, God majestic and terrible, loyal in covenant and love, Don't treat lightly the trouble that has come to us, to our kings and princes, our priests and prophets, Our ancestors, and all your people from the time of the Assyrian kings right down to today.H430H1419H1368H3372H410H8104H1285H2617H8513H4591H6440H4672H4428H8269H3548H5030H1H5971H3117H4428H804H3117 33You are not to blame for all that has come down on us; You did everything right, we did everything wrong.H6662H935H6213H571H7561 34None of our kings, princes, priests, or ancestors followed your Revelation; They ignored your commands, dismissed the warnings you gave them.H4428H8269H3548H1H6213H8451H7181H4687H5715H5749 35Even when they had their own kingdom and were enjoying your generous goodness, Living in that spacious and fertile land that you spread out before them, They didn't serve you or turn their backs on the practice of evil.H5647H4438H7227H2898H5414H7342H8082H776H5414H6440H7725H7451H4611 36And here we are, slaves again today; and here's the land you gave our ancestors So they could eat well and enjoy a good life, and now look at us—no better than slaves on this land.H5650H3117H776H5414H1H398H6529H2898H5650 37Its wonderful crops go to the kings you put over us because of our sins; They act like they own our bodies and do whatever they like with our cattle. We're in deep trouble.H7235H8393H4428H5414H2403H4910H1472H929H7522H1419H6869 38"Because of all this we are drawing up a binding pledge, a sealed document signed by our princes, our Levites, and our priests."H3772H548H3789H8269H3881H3548H2856