Liber Nehemiae, 9

1. In die autem vicesimo quarto mensis huius convenerunt filii Is rael in ieiunio et in saccis, et humus super eos.

1. Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the people of Israel were assembled with fasting and in sackcloth, and with earth upon their heads.

2. Et separatum est semen filiorum Israel ab omni alienigena; et steterunt et confitebantur peccata sua et iniquitates patrum suorum.

2. And the Israelites separated themselves from all foreigners, and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers.

3. Et consurrexerunt ad standum et legerunt in volumine legis Domini Dei sui per quartam partem diei; et per quartam partem confitebantur et adorabant Dominum Deum suum.

3. And they stood up in their place and read from the book of the law of the LORD their God for a fourth of the day; for another fourth of it they made confession and worshiped the LORD their God.

4. Surrexerunt autem super gradum Levitarum Iesua et Bani et Cadmihel, Sebania, Bunni, Serebia, Bani et Chanani et clamaverunt voce magna ad Dominum Deum suum.

4. Upon the stairs of the Levites stood Jeshua, Bani, Kad'mi-el, Shebani'ah, Bunni, Sherebi'ah, Bani, and Chena'ni; and they cried with a loud voice to the LORD their God.

5. Et dixerunt Levitae Iesua et Cadmihel, Bani, Hasabneia, Serebia, Hodia, Sebania, Phethahia: “Surgite, benedicite Domino Deo vestro ab aetemo usque in aeternum, et benedicant nomini gloriae tuae excelso super omnem benedictionem et laudem.

5. Then the Levites, Jeshua, Kad'mi-el, Bani, Hashabnei'ah, Sherebi'ah, Hodi'ah, Shebani'ah, and Pethahi'ah, said, "Stand up and bless the LORD your God from everlasting to everlasting. Blessed be thy glorious name which is exalted above all blessing and praise."

6. Tu ipse, Domine, solus; tu fecisti caelum et caelum caelorum et omnem exercitum eorum, terram et universa, quae in ea sunt, maria et omnia, quae in eis sunt; et tu vivificas omnia haec, et exercitus caeli te adorat.

6. And Ezra said: "Thou art the LORD, thou alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and thou preservest all of them; and the host of heaven worships thee.

7. Tu ipse, Domine Deus, qui elegisti Abram et eduxisti eum de Ur Chaldaeorum et posuisti nomen eius Abraham.

7. Thou art the LORD, the God who didst choose Abram and bring him forth out of Ur of the Chalde'ans and give him the name Abraham;

8. Et invenisti cor eius fidele coram te et percussisti cum eo foedus, ut dares terram Chananaei, Hetthaei et Amorraei et Pherezaei et Iebusaei et Gergesaei, nempe ut dares semini eius; et implesti verba tua, quoniam iustus es.

8. and thou didst find his heart faithful before thee, and didst make with him the covenant to give to his descendants the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Per'izzite, the Jeb'usite, and the Gir'gashite; and thou hast fulfilled thy promise, for thou art righteous.

9. Et vidisti afflictionem patrum nostrorum in Aegypto clamoremque eorum audisti iuxta mare Rubrum.

9. "And thou didst see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt and hear their cry at the Red Sea,

10. Et dedisti signa atque portenta in pharaone et in universis servis eius et in omni populo terrae illius; cognovisti enim quia superbe egerant contra eos, et fecisti tibi nomen, sicut et in hac die.

10. and didst perform signs and wonders against Pharaoh and all his servants and all the people of his land, for thou knewest that they acted insolently against our fathers; and thou didst get thee a name, as it is to this day.

11. Et mare divisisti ante eos, et transierunt per medium maris in sicco; persecutores autem eorum proiecisti in profundum, quasi lapidem in aquas validas.

11. And thou didst divide the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on dry land; and thou didst cast their pursuers into the depths, as a stone into mighty waters.

12. Et in columna nubis ductor eorum fuisti per diem et in columna ignis per noctem, ut illuminaret eis viam, per quam ingrediebantur.

12. By a pillar of cloud thou didst lead them in the day, and by a pillar of fire in the night to light for them the way in which they should go.

13. Ad montem quoque Sinai descendisti et locutus es cum eis de caelo; et dedisti eis iudicia recta et legem rectam, mandata et praecepta bona.

13. Thou didst come down upon Mount Sinai, and speak with them from heaven and give them right ordinances and true laws, good statutes and commandments,

14. Et sabbatum sanctificatum tuum ostendisti eis et praecepta et mandata et legem praecepisti eis in manu Moysi servi tui.

14. and thou didst make known to them thy holy sabbath and command them commandments and statutes and a law by Moses thy servant.

15. Panem quoque de caelo dedisti eis in fame eorum et aquam de petra eduxisti eis in siti eorum; et dixisti eis, ut ingrederentur et possiderent terram, super quam levasti manum tuam, ut traderes eis.

15. Thou didst give them bread from heaven for their hunger and bring forth water for them from the rock for their thirst, and thou didst tell them to go in to possess the land which thou hadst sworn to give them.

16. Ipsi vero patres nostri superbe egerunt et induraverunt cervices suas et non audierunt mandata tua.

16. "But they and our fathers acted presumptuously and stiffened their neck and did not obey thy commandments;

17. Et noluerunt audire et non sunt recordati mirabilium tuorum, quae feceras eis, et induraverunt cervices suas et posuerunt caput suum, ut reverterentur ad servitutem suam in Aegyptum. Tu autem Deus propitius, clemens et misericors, longanimis et multae miserationis, non dereliquisti eos.

17. they refused to obey, and were not mindful of the wonders which thou didst perform among them; but they stiffened their neck and appointed a leader to return to their bondage in Egypt. But thou art a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and didst not forsake them.

18. Et quidem, cum fecissent sibi vitulum conflatilem et dixissent: “Iste est Deus tuus, qui eduxit te de Aegypto” feceruntque blasphemias magnas;

18. Even when they had made for themselves a molten calf and said, `This is your God who brought you up out of Egypt,' and had committed great blasphemies,

19. tu autem in misericordiis tuis multis non dimisisti eos in deserto: columna nubis non recessit ab eis per diem, ut duceret eos in viam; et columna ignis per noctem, ut illuminaret eis iter, per quod ingrederentur.

19. thou in thy great mercies didst not forsake them in the wilderness; the pillar of cloud which led them in the way did not depart from them by day, nor the pillar of fire by night which lighted for them the way by which they should go.

20. Et spiritum tuum bonum dedisti, qui doceret eos, et manna tuum non prohibuisti ab ore eorum et aquam dedisti eis in siti eorum.

20. Thou gavest thy good Spirit to instruct them, and didst not withhold thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst.

21. Quadraginta annis pavisti eos in deserto, nihilque eis defuit; vestimenta eorum non inveteraverunt, et pedes eorum non intumuerunt.

21. Forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing; their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell.

22. Et dedisti eis regna et populos et partitus es eis sortes; et possederunt terram Sehon et terram regis Hesebon et terram Og regis Basan.

22. And thou didst give them kingdoms and peoples, and didst allot to them every corner; so they took possession of the land of Sihon king of Heshbon and the land of Og king of Bashan.

23. Et multiplicasti filios eorum sicut stellas caeli; et adduxisti eos ad terram, de qua dixeras patribus eorum, ut ingrederentur et possiderent.

23. Thou didst multiply their descendants as the stars of heaven, and thou didst bring them into the land which thou hadst told their fathers to enter and possess.

24. Et venerunt filii et possederunt terram, et humiliasti coram eis habitatores terrae Chananaeos; et dedisti eos in manu eorum et reges eorum et populos terrae, ut facerent eis, sicut placebat illis.

24. So the descendants went in and possessed the land, and thou didst subdue before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and didst give them into their hands, with their kings and the peoples of the land, that they might do with them as they would.

25. Ceperunt itaque urbes munitas et humum pinguem; et possederunt domos plenas cunctis bonis, cisternas ab aliis fabricatas, vineas et oliveta et ligna pomifera multa. Et comederunt et saturati sunt et impinguati sunt et delectati sunt in bonitate tua magna.

25. And they captured fortified cities and a rich land, and took possession of houses full of all good things, cisterns hewn out, vineyards, olive orchards and fruit trees in abundance; so they ate, and were filled and became fat, and delighted themselves in thy great goodness.

26. Vexaverunt autem te et rebellaverunt contra te et proiecerunt legem tuam post terga sua; et prophetas tuos occiderunt, qui contestabantur eos, ut reverterentur ad te; feceruntque blasphemias grandes.

26. "Nevertheless they were disobedient and rebelled against thee and cast thy law behind their back and killed thy prophets, who had warned them in order to turn them back to thee, and they committed great blasphemies.

27. Et dedisti eos in manu hostium suorum, et afflixerunt eos; et in tempore tribulationis suae clamaverunt ad te, et tu de caelo audisti et secundum miserationes tuas multas dedisti eis salvatores, qui salvarent eos da manu hostium suorum.

27. Therefore thou didst give them into the hand of their enemies, who made them suffer; and in the time of their suffering they cried to thee and thou didst hear them from heaven; and according to thy great mercies thou didst give them saviors who saved them from the hand of their enemies.

28. Cumque requievissent, reversi sunt, ut facerent malum in conspectu tuo; et dereliquisti eos in manu inimicorum suorum, et dominati sunt eis. Conversique sunt et clamaverunt ad te; tu autem de caelo exaudisti et liberasti eos in misericordiis tuis multis vicibus.

28. But after they had rest they did evil again before thee, and thou didst abandon them to the hand of their enemies, so that they had dominion over them; yet when they turned and cried to thee thou didst hear from heaven, and many times thou didst deliver them according to thy mercies.

29. Et contestatus es eos, ut reduceres eos ad legem tuam; ipsi vero superbe egerunt et non audierunt mandata tua et in iudicia tua peccaverunt, quae si fecerit homo, vivet in eis, et dederunt umerum rebellem et cervicem suam induraverunt nec audierunt.

29. And thou didst warn them in order to turn them back to thy law. Yet they acted presumptuously and did not obey thy commandments, but sinned against thy ordinances, by the observance of which a man shall live, and turned a stubborn shoulder and stiffened their neck and would not obey.

30. Et pepercisti eis annos multos et contestatus es eos in spiritu tuo per manum prophetarum tuorum, et non audierunt; et tradidisti eos in manu populorum terrarum.

30. Many years thou didst bear with them, and didst warn them by thy Spirit through thy prophets; yet they would not give ear. Therefore thou didst give them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.

31. In misericordiis autem tuis plurimis non fecisti eos in consumptionem nec dereliquisti eos; quoniam Deus misericors et clemens es tu.

31. Nevertheless in thy great mercies thou didst not make an end of them or forsake them; for thou art a gracious and merciful God.

32. Nunc itaque, Deus noster magne, fortis et terribilis, custodiens pactum et misericordiam, ne parvipendas omnem laborem, qui invenit nos, reges nostros et principes nostros et sacerdotes nostros et prophetas nostros et patres nostros et omnem populum tuum a diebus regum Assyriae usque in diem hanc.

32. "Now therefore, our God, the great and mighty and terrible God, who keepest covenant and steadfast love, let not all the hardship seem little to thee that has come upon us, upon our kings, our princes, our priests, our prophets, our fathers, and all thy people, since the time of the kings of Assyria until this day.

33. Et tu iustus es in omnibus, quae venerunt super nos, quia recte fecisti, nos autem impie egimus.

33. Yet thou hast been just in all that has come upon us, for thou hast dealt faithfully and we have acted wickedly;

34. Reges nostri, principes nostri, sacerdotes nostri et patres nostri non fecerunt legem tuam et non attenderunt mandata tua et testimonia tua, quae testificatus es in eis.

34. our kings, our princes, our priests, and our fathers have not kept thy law or heeded thy commandments and thy warnings which thou didst give them.

35. Et ipsi in regnis suis et in bonitate tua multa, quam dederas eis, et in terra latissima et pingui, quam tradideras in conspectu eorum, non servierunt tibi nec reversi sunt a studiis suis pessimis.

35. They did not serve thee in their kingdom, and in thy great goodness which thou gavest them, and in the large and rich land which thou didst set before them; and they did not turn from their wicked works.

36. Ecce nos ipsi hodie servi sumus; et in terra, quam dedisti patribus nostris, ut comederent fructum eius et bona eius, nos ipsi servi sumus.

36. Behold, we are slaves this day; in the land that thou gavest to our fathers to enjoy its fruit and its good gifts, behold, we are slaves.

37. Et fruges eius multiplicantur regibus, quos posuisti super nos propter peccata nostra, et corporibus nostris dominantur et iumentis nostris secundum voluntatem suam, et in tribulatione magna sumus”.

37. And its rich yield goes to the kings whom thou hast set over us because of our sins; they have power also over our bodies and over our cattle at their pleasure, and we are in great distress."

38.

38. Because of all this we make a firm covenant and write it, and our princes, our Levites, and our priests set their seal to it.