9

The People Confess Their Sins

¹Now on the twenty-fourth day of ⚓this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, in sackcloth, ⚓and with dust on their heads. ²Then ⚓those of Israelite lineage separated themselves from all foreigners; and they stood and ⚓confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. ³And they stood up in their place and ⚓read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for one–fourth of the day; and for another fourth they confessed and worshiped the Lord their God.
⁴Then Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani stood on the stairs of the Levites and cried out with a loud voice to the Lord their God. ⁵And the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said:
“Stand up and bless the Lord your God
Forever and ever!
“Blessed be ⚓Your glorious name,
Which is exalted above all blessing and praise!
⁶⚓You alone are the Lord;
⚓You have made heaven,
⚓The heaven of heavens, with ⚓all their host,
The earth and everything on it,
The seas and all that is in them,
And You ⚓preserve them all.
The host of heaven worships You.
⁷“You are the Lord God,
Who chose ⚓Abram,
And brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans,
And gave him the name ⚓Abraham;
⁸You found his heart ⚓faithful before You,
And made a ⚓covenant with him
To give the land of the Canaanites,
The Hittites, the Amorites,
The Perizzites, the Jebusites,
And the Girgashites—
To give it to his descendants.
You ⚓have performed Your words,
For You are righteous.
⁹“You⚓ saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt,
And ⚓heard their cry by the Red Sea.
¹⁰You ⚓showed signs and wonders against Pharaoh,
Against all his servants,
And against all the people of his land.
For You knew that they ⚓acted proudly against them.
So You ⚓made a name for Yourself, as it is this day.
¹¹⚓And You divided the sea before them,
So that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land;
And their persecutors You threw into the deep,
⚓As a stone into the mighty waters.
¹²Moreover You ⚓led them by day with a cloudy pillar,
And by night with a pillar of fire,
To give them light on the road
Which they should travel.
¹³“You⚓ came down also on Mount Sinai,
And spoke with them from heaven,
And gave them ⚓just ordinances and true laws,
Good statutes and commandments.
¹⁴You made known to them Your ⚓holy Sabbath,
And commanded them precepts, statutes and laws,
By the hand of Moses Your servant.
¹⁵You ⚓gave them bread from heaven for their hunger,
And ⚓brought them water out of the rock for their thirst,
And told them to ⚓go in to possess the land
Which You had sworn to give them.
¹⁶“But⚓ they and our fathers acted proudly,
⚓Hardened their necks,
And did not heed Your commandments.
¹⁷They refused to obey,
And ⚓they were not mindful of Your wonders
That You did among them.
But they hardened their necks,
And in their rebellion
They appointed ⚓a leader
To return to their bondage.
But You are God,
Ready to pardon,
⚓Gracious and merciful,
Slow to anger,
Abundant in kindness,
And did not forsake them.
¹⁸“Even ⚓when they made a molded calf for themselves,
And said, ‘This is your god
That brought you up out of Egypt,’
And worked great provocations,
¹⁹Yet in Your ⚓manifold mercies
You did not forsake them in the wilderness.
The ⚓pillar of the cloud did not depart from them by day,
To lead them on the road;
Nor the pillar of fire by night,
To show them light,
And the way they should go.
²⁰You also gave Your ⚓good Spirit to instruct them,
And did not withhold Your ⚓manna from their mouth,
And gave them ⚓water for their thirst.
²¹⚓Forty years You sustained them in the wilderness;
They lacked nothing;
Their ⚓clothes did not wear out
And their feet did not swell.
²²“Moreover You gave them kingdoms and nations,
And divided them into districts.
So they took possession of the land of ⚓Sihon,
The land of the king of Heshbon,
And the land of Og king of Bashan.
²³You also multiplied ⚓their children as the stars of heaven,
And brought them into the land
Which You had told their fathers
To go in and possess.
²⁴So ⚓the people went in
And possessed the land;
⚓You subdued before them the inhabitants of the land,
The Canaanites,
And gave them into their hands,
With their kings
And the people of the land,
That they might do with them as they wished.
²⁵And they took strong cities and a ⚓rich land,
And possessed ⚓houses full of all goods,
Cisterns already dug, vineyards, olive groves,
And fruit trees in abundance.
So they ate and were filled and ⚓grew fat,
And delighted themselves in Your great ⚓goodness.
²⁶“Nevertheless they ⚓were disobedient
And rebelled against You,
⚓Cast Your law behind their backs
And killed Your ⚓prophets, who testified against them
To turn them to Yourself;
And they worked great provocations.
²⁷⚓Therefore You delivered them into the hand of their enemies,
Who oppressed them;
And in the time of their trouble,
When they cried to You,
You ⚓heard from heaven;
And according to Your abundant mercies
⚓You gave them deliverers who saved them
From the hand of their enemies.
²⁸“But after they had rest,
⚓They again did evil before You.
Therefore You left them in the hand of their enemies,
So that they had dominion over them;
Yet when they returned and cried out to You,
You heard from heaven;
And ⚓many times You delivered them according to Your mercies,
²⁹And testified against them,
That You might bring them back to Your law.
Yet they acted proudly,
And did not heed Your commandments,
But sinned against Your judgments,
⚓‘Which if a man does, he shall live by them.’
And they shrugged their shoulders,
Stiffened their necks,
And would not hear.
³⁰Yet for many years You had patience with them,
And testified ⚓against them by Your Spirit ⚓in Your prophets.
Yet they would not listen;
⚓Therefore You gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.
³¹Nevertheless in Your great mercy
⚓You did not utterly consume them nor forsake them;
For You are God, gracious and merciful.
³²“Now therefore, our God,
The great, the ⚓mighty, and awesome God,
Who keeps covenant and mercy:
Do not let all the trouble seem small before You
That has come upon us,
Our kings and our princes,
Our priests and our prophets,
Our fathers and on all Your people,
⚓From the days of the kings of Assyria until this day.
³³However ⚓You are just in all that has befallen us;
For You have dealt faithfully,
But ⚓we have done wickedly.
³⁴Neither our kings nor our princes,
Our priests nor our fathers,
Have kept Your law,
Nor heeded Your commandments and Your testimonies,
With which You testified against them.
³⁵For they have ⚓not served You in their kingdom,
Or in the many good things that You gave them,
Or in the large and rich land which You set before them;
Nor did they turn from their wicked works.
³⁶“Here ⚓we are, servants today!
And the land that You gave to our fathers,
To eat its fruit and its bounty,
Here we are, servants in it!
³⁷And ⚓it yields much increase to the kings
You have set over us,
Because of our sins;
Also they have ⚓dominion over our bodies and our cattle
At their pleasure;
And we are in great distress.
³⁸“And because of all this,
We ⚓make a sure covenant and write it;
Our leaders, our Levites, and our priests ⚓seal it.”

9

Cov Pejxeem Lees Kev Txhaum

^1-2Lub hli ntawd, hnub nees nkaum plaub, cov Yixalayees tuaj sib sau ua ke muab ntaubtsaj los hnav ua kevcai yoo mov thiab tsuab hmoov av rau saum lawv tej taubhau. Cov Yixalayees cais lawv tawm ntawm lwm haivneeg, lees lawv tej kev txhaum thiab tej kev phem uas lawv cov yawgkoob tau ua los lawm. ³Muab tus TSWV uas yog lawv tus Vajtswv txoj Kevcai los nyeem rau lawv mloog tau peb txoos teev txwm nkaus, thiab peb txoos teev tom qab yog lawv lees lawv tej kev txhaum thiab pehawm tus TSWV uas yog lawv tus Vajtswv.
⁴Qhov ntawd muaj ib lub samthiaj rau cov Levis; cov uas mus sawv saud yog Yesuas, Npanis, Kamiyees, Senpaniyas, Npunis, Selenpiyas, Npanis, Hasaneyas, Selenpiyas, Haudiyas, Senpaniyas thiab Pethahiyas. Lawv tsa ncauj thov tus TSWV uas yog Vajtswv.
⁵Cov Levis nram qab no yog cov uas hu sawvdaws pehawm Vajtswv: Yesuas, Kamiyees, Npanis, Hasaneyas, Selenpiyas, Haudiyas, Senpaniyas thiab Pethahiyas. Lawv hais tias:
“Cia li sawv thiab qhuas tus TSWV uas yog nej tus Vajtswv;
qhuas nws mus ibtxhis li!
Txawm yog tsis muaj ib tug twg
pehawm nws mus rau qhov tsimnyog,
los peb sawvdaws cia li qhuas nws
lub npe uas zoo kawg nkaus.”

Lees Kev Txhaum Rau Vajtswv

⁶Cov Yixalayees thov Vajtswv li nram no:
“Tus TSWV, koj tib leeg xwb thiaj yog tus TSWV;
koj yog tus uas tsim lub ntuj thiab
tej hnubqub saum nruab ntug.
Koj tsim dej, av thiab txhua tsav
yam uas nyob hauv dej thiab saum daim av;
Thiab koj rau siav rau pa rau txhua yam ntawd.
Txhua yam uas muaj hwjchim saum
nruab ntug qhau taubhau pehawm koj.
⁷Tus TSWV uas yog Vajtswv,
koj tau xaiv Anplas cia thiab coj nws kev tawm
hauv lub nroog Ules uas nyob hauv lub xeev Npanpiloos los;
Koj thiaj muab nws tis dua npe tshiab hu ua Anplahas.
⁸Koj pom nws ua ncaj ncees rau koj,
thiab koj tau coglus rau nws hais tias,
koj yuav muab lub tebchaws Kana-as rau nws;
yog cov Hitis thiab cov Amoos lub tebchaws,
cov Pelixes, cov Yenpus thiab cov
Nkinkasis lub tebchaws,
mas yuav yog lub tebchaws uas koj
muab rau nws cov xeebntxwv nyob.

⁹“Koj twb pom peb cov yawgkoob
tau tiv kev txomnyem nyob nram tebchaws Iziv;
Koj tau hnov lawv tej suab hu thov
pab nyob nram ntug dej Hiavtxwv Liab.
¹⁰Koj tau ua tej txujci tseemceeb
tawmtsam Falaus,
nws cov nomtswv thiab cov neeg uas
nyob hauv nws lub tebchaws,
rau qhov koj yeej paub tej uas lawv tsimtxom koj haivneeg.
Koj tau kovyeej lawv thiaj ua rau koj
lub koob meej nrov ncha moo lug los txog niaj hnub no.
¹¹Koj muab dej hiavtxwv faib hlo ua
kev qhuav qhawv rau koj haivneeg taug
thiab koj coj lawv hla dhau mus rau sab av qhuav tim ub.
Cov neeg uas caum lawv qab ntawd
tog tas rau hauv qabthu dej
ib yam li lub pobzeb uas tog rau hauv qabthu hiavtxwv.
¹²Thaum nruab hnub, koj ua kom
muaj ib tauv huab los coj lawv kev,
thiab hmo ntuj, koj ua kom muaj
nplaim taws mus ua lawv ntej.
¹³Koj nqis saum ntuj los rau saum lub
Roob Xinais;
koj hais lus rau koj haivneeg,
koj muab txoj kevcai tseeb, kev tswjhwm,
tej kabke thiab tej lus samhwm cob rau lawv.
¹⁴Koj qhia kom lawv ceev hnub
Xanpataus ua hnub tseemceeb,
thiab koj muab koj txoj Kevcai cob rau koj haivneeg
los ntawm koj tus tubtxib Mauxes.

¹⁵“Thaum lawv tshaib plab,
koj pub mov saum ntuj los rau lawv noj
thiab thaum lawv nqhis dej, koj ua dej txhawv
hauv pobzeb los rau lawv haus.
Koj hais kom lawv mus txeeb lub tebchaws
uas koj coglus yuav muab pub rau lawv nyob.
¹⁶Tiamsis peb cov yawgkoob tau ua neeg khavtheeb,
neeg siab tawv thiab tsis kam ua raws li koj tej lus samhwm.
¹⁷Lawv tsis mloog koj lus,
lawv tsis nco qab txhua yam uas koj ua tas los lawm;
lawv tsis nco qab tej txujci uas koj tau ua los lawm.
Thaum lawv muaj lub siab khavtheeb li ntawd,
lawv txawm xaiv qhov uas cia lawv muaj ib tug thawjcoj
uas yuav coj lawv rov mus ua qhev
nyob nram tebchaws Iziv.
Tiamsis koj yog tus Vajtswv uas muaj kev zam txim;
koj muaj koob hmoov thiab kev
hlub, koj tsis chim sai.
Koj txojkev hlub loj heev;
koj yeej tsis tso lawv povtseg hlo li.
¹⁸Lawv tau puab ib tug mlom uas tus
duab zoo li tus menyuam nyuj,
thiab lawv hais tias tus ntawd yog tus vajtswv
uas coj lawv tawm nram tebchaws Iziv los!
Tus TSWV, ua li cas lawv yuav ua
rhuav koj loj ua luaj li!
¹⁹Tiamsis koj tsis tau muab lawv tso povtseg
rau nram tiaj zeb suabpuam, vim koj
txojkev hlub loj heev.
Koj tseem tsis tau muab tauv huab
thiab tus nplaim taws uas qhia kev rau lawv
mus nruab hnub thiab hmo ntuj tshem tseg.
²⁰Koj muab koj lub siab zoo qhia rau lawv,
koj muab manas rau lawv noj thiab muab dej rau lawv haus.
²¹Koj pub rau lawv muaj noj tau
plaub caug xyoo nram tiaj suabpuam,
lawv tsis tu ncua ib yam dabtsi li, lawv tej tsoos tsho
los yeej tsis ntuag thiab lawv tej kotaw los yeej tsis mob tsis o li.

²²“Koj coj lawv los ntaus yeej ntau
haivneeg thiab ntau lub tebchaws uas nyob ibncig
lawv lub tebchaws.
Lawv tseem mus ntaus yeej lub
tebchaws Hesenpoos uas yog Xihoos ua tus kav,
thiab txeeb tau lub tebchaws Npasas
uas yog Aunkas ua vajntxwv kav.
²³Koj pub rau lawv muaj tub muaj ki
coob ib yam li tej hnubqub saum nruab ntug,
thiab koj pub kom lawv muaj yeej
thiab los nyob hauv lub tebchaws uas koj
tau coglus rau lawv cov yawgkoob hais tias koj
yuav muab rau lawv nyob.
²⁴Lawv thiaj mus txeeb tau lub tebchaws Kana-as;
koj tau ntaus yeej cov neeg uas
ibtxwm nyob hauv tej tebchaws ntawd.
Koj pub rau koj haivneeg muaj hwjchim
thiab ua tau raws li lawv siab nyiam rau cov neeg
thiab cov vajntxwv uas nyob hauv tebchaws Kana-as.
²⁵Koj haivneeg txeeb tau tej nroog uas
muaj ntsa yeej thaiv khov kho,
lub tebchaws uas av rog thiab zoo qoob,
tej vajtse uas muaj txhua yam zoo nyob hauv,
muaj tej qhovdej uas luag twb khawb tau cia lawm,
muaj txiv ntoo roj, txiv ntoo thiab tej vaj txiv hmab.
Lawv tau noj txhua yam uas lawv xav noj,
ua rau lawv loj thiab rog;
lawv txaus siab rau txhua yam zoo
uas koj muab pub rau lawv lawm.
²⁶Tiamsis koj haivneeg tau ntxeev siab
thiab tsis mloog koj lus;
lawv tig nraubqaum rau koj txoj Kevcai.
Lawv muab koj cov cevlus uas ntuas lawv tua povtseg tas,
yog koj cov cevlus uas hais kom lawv rov qab los cuag koj.
Lawv tau ua rhuav koj ntsejmuag ib zaug dhau ib zaug
²⁷yog li ntawd, koj thiaj cia lawv cov
yeebncuab tua yeej lawv thiab tswjhwm lawv.
Thaum lawv raug kev txomnyem, lawv thov koj pab,
thiab koj nyob saum ntuj teb lawv.
Vim koj muaj txojkev hlub loj heev,
koj thiaj txib ib cov thawjcoj los pab lawv kom dim
ntawm lawv cov yeebncuab.
²⁸Thaum lawv muaj kev thajyeeb lawm,
lawv rov qab ua txhaum rau koj dua,
koj thiaj li tso lawv cov yeebncuab tuaj tua yeej lawv.
Ces thaum lawv lees txim thiab thov koj pab cawm lawv,
Koj nyob saum ntuj, koj hnov thiab koj tau cawm lawv
ib zaug dhau ib zaug ntawm koj txojkev hlub.
²⁹Koj ntuas kom lawv mloog koj tej lus qhuab qhia,
tiamsis vim lawv khavtheeb lawv
thiaj tsis ua raws li koj tej kevcai,
lawv yeej paub hais tias yog ua raws
li koj txoj Kevcai yog txojkev uas coj mus tau txojsia.
Lawv lub siab tawv kawg nkaus,
lawv tig nraubqaum rau koj thiab lawv tsis mloog koj tej lus.
³⁰Koj ua siab ntev kawg nkaus thiab
ntuas lawv ib xyoos dhau ib xyoos.
Koj muab lus rau koj cov cevlus kom hais rau lawv,
tiamsis koj haivneeg lagntseg lawm;
yog li ntawd, koj thiaj cia lwm haivneeg tuaj tua yeej lawv.
³¹Txawm li ntawd los vim koj txojkev
hlub uas loj kawg nkaus,
koj thiaj tsis tso lawv povtseg lossis
cia lawv raug kev puastsuaj.
Koj yog Vajtswv tus uas muaj koob
hmoov nplua mias thiab muaj txojkev hlub loj kawg nkaus!

³²“Vajtswv uas yog peb tus Vajtswv,
koj yog tus zoo tshaj plaws!
Muaj hwjchim loj thiab txaus ntshai kawg nkaus!
Koj yeej ua ncaj ncees raws li tej lus
uas koj tau cog tseg lawm.
Txij thaum uas Axilias cov vajntxwv tuaj tsimtxom peb,
txawm ua rau peb raug kev txomnyem los txog nimno!
Thov koj nco ntsoov hais tias peb cov vajntxwv,
peb cov thawjcoj, peb cov povthawj thiab cov cev koj lus,
peb cov yawgkoob thiab peb
haivneeg puavleej raug kev txomnyem.
³³Qhov uas koj rau txim rau peb
ntawd, koj yeej ua yog lawm;
txawm yog peb ua txhaum npaum
twg los koj yeej ua ncaj ncees xwb.
³⁴Peb cov yawgkoob, cov vajntxwv cov thawjcoj
thiab cov povthawj, tsis ua raws li koj tej Kevcai hlo li.
Lawv tsis mloog koj tej lus samhwm thiab tej lus ntuas.
³⁵Koj tau foom koob hmoov rau lawv,
pub muaj vajntxwv
kav koj haivneeg thaum lawv nyob hauv lub tebchaws
uas av rog thiab zoo qoob uas koj muab pub rau lawv;
tiamsis lawv tsis kam tso lawv tej kev txhaum tseg
thiab lawv tsis tig rov los cuag koj.
³⁶Nimno peb ua luag qhev nyob hauv
lub tebchaws uas koj muab pub peb nyob,
lub tebchaws no av rog thiab zoo
qoob heev peb thiaj muaj noj muaj haus.
³⁷Tej uas peb khwv tau hauv lub tebchaws no
puavleej muab rau cov vajntxwv uas koj tso
tuaj kav peb vim peb tau ua kev txhaum.
Lawv ua rau peb thiab peb tej tsiaj txhu raws li lawv siab nyiam,
thiab peb muaj kev nyuaj siab kawg nkaus li!”

Cov Neeg Suam Npe Pom Zoo

³⁸Vim muaj tej xwm txheej uas tshwmsim no mas peb cov pejxeem Yixalayees thiaj tuaj nyob ua ke ntawm no sau ib daim ntawv coglus pom zoo, thiab peb cov thawjcoj, cov Levis thiab cov povthawj muab lawv tej homthawj nias rau daim ntawv ntawd.