Nehemiah 9:19-38 ▼

19 Yet thou in thy manifold mercies didst not forsake them in the wilderness; the pillar of the cloud did not depart from them by day, to lead them on their journey; neither the pillar of fire by night, to lighten the way by which they should go.

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

21 Yea, for forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing; their clothes did not wear out, and their shoes had no holes in them.

22 Moreover thou gavest them the kingdoms of the Gentiles, and didst divide to them the land to every man; so they possessed the land of Sihon and the land of the king of Heshbon and the land of Og king of Bashan.

23 Their children also thou didst multiply as the stars of heaven, and thou didst bring them into the land concerning which thou hadst promised to their fathers that they should go in to possess it.

24 So their children went in and possessed the land, and thou didst defeat before them the inhabitants of the land of the Canaanites, and didst deliver them into their hands with their kings and the people of the land, that they might do with them as they would.

25 And they captured fortified cities and a fertile land, and possessed houses full of all good things, wells digged, vineyards and olive orchards and fruit trees in abundance; so they did eat and were filled and became rich and delighted themselves in thy great goodness.

26 Nevertheless, they were disobedient and transgressed against thee and cast thy law out of their counsels and slew thy prophets, who warned them to turn to thee, and they committed great wickedness.

27 Therefore thou didst deliver them into the hand of their enemies, who distressed them; and in the time of their distress, when they prayed to thee, thou didst hear them from heaven; and according to thy manifold mercies thou gavest them a saviour, who saved them out of the hand of their enemies.

28 But after they had rest, they did evil again before thee; therefore thou didst leave them in the hand of their enemies, so that they had dominion over them; yet when they returned and prayed before thee, thou didst hear them from heaven; and many times didst thou save them according to thy great mercies.

29 And thou didst testify against them, that thou mightest bring them again to thy law; yet they dealt wrongfully and did not obey thy commandments, but sinned against thy judgments (which if a man observe them, he shall live in them); and they conspired and became stubborn and would not listen.

30 Yet many years didst thou admonish them, and didst testify against them by thy spirit through thy prophets; yet they would not obey; therefore thou didst deliver them into the hand of the Gentiles.

31 Nevertheless because of thy great mercy thou didst not utterly destroy them nor forsake them; for thou art a gracious and merciful God.

32 Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the holy God, who keepest covenant and truth, let there not be hidden from before thee all the hardship that has come upon us, upon our kings, upon our princes, upon our priests, and upon our prophets, and upon our fathers, and upon all the people, since the day of the kings of Assyria to this day.

33 Nevertheless thou art righteous in all that has come upon us; for thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly;

34 Neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, nor our fathers, kept thy law, nor given ear to thy commandments and thy testimonies, wherewith thou didst testify against them.

35 And they renounced thy kingdom and thy great blessing that thou gavest them and the good and fertile land that thou gavest them; neither did they serve thee nor did they turn away from their wicked works;

36 Therefore we are servants this day; and as for the land that thou gavest to our fathers to eat its fruit and its good things, behold, we are servants In it,

37 And its produce is taken by the kings whom thou hast set over us because of our sins; also they have dominion over our bodies and over our cattle at their pleasure, and we are living in a great distress.

38 And in view of all these things we make a sure covenant and bear witness over the seal, even our elders, Levites, and priests, and all those who have been spared of us.