Nehemiah
chapter 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
NEHEMIAH 9
(1) Now in the twenty and fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackclothes, and earth upon them.
The meeting on the twenty-fourth day was a special voluntary day not required by any feast day. They came with fasting , and with sack clothes and earth on them They were humble before the Lord. They were expressing their sorrow with fasting, with sack clothes and dust on their hair.
(2) And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers.
They separated themselves from all strangers. They separated themselves from the influence of foreigners . They turned away from the evil influences of foreign people. Most strangers serve other gods, that were idols. The Lord had warned them to separate themselves from all strangers.The Lord had sent their ancestors into exile because they had served other gods. And they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers.
(3) And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of the LORD their God one fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed, and worshipped the LORD their God.
For one fourth of the day they read from the book of the law of the Lord. For another one fourth of the day they confessed their sins and worshipped the Lord God. They spent half their voluntary day studying God’s law and worshipping God. This their passion and serious desire to obey the Lord. The Lord will not accept the worship of those people who disobey Him and will not repent.
(4) Then stood up upon the stairs, of the Levites, Jeshua, and Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani, and cried with a loud voice unto the LORD their God.
They stood on the stairs so that the people could see and hear them. The main purpose of this gathering was the Lord. They cried with A loud voice unto the Lord their God.
(5) Then the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said, Stand up and bless the LORD your God for ever and ever: and blessed be thy glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise.
They called the people to stand up. They led the people in praising the Lord God. Blessed the Lord your God for ever and ever. Blessed be the glorious name Of the Lord, which is exalted above all blessing and praise. In their praise the people remembered the Lord.
(6) Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee.
The Lord is our only God. The Lord has made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their hosts, the earth , and all things that are therein, the seas, all that is therein. The Lord preserves them all. The Lord is the creator. And the Lord preserves everything that He has made. And the host of heaven worshipped the Lord. I am the Lord your God. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make yourself an idol. You shall not make wrongful use of the name of God.
(7) Thou art the LORD the God, who didst choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham;
The Lord is the real God. The Jews remembered that God had chosen Abram. God had given him a new name , Abraham. The Lord had brought him out of Ur.
(8) And foundest his heart faithful before thee, and madest a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Jebusites, and the Girgashites, to give it, I say, to his seed, and hast performed thy words; for thou art righteous:
The Lord found that Abraham was faithful unto Him. The Lord made a covenant with him to give the promised land to Abraham and his descendants. The Lord is righteous . The Lord has performed His words.
(9) And didst see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heardest their cry by the Red sea;
The Lord delivered Israel from Egyptian bondage. The Lord saw their afflictions and heard their cry by the Red Sea.
(10) And shewedst signs and wonders upon Pharoah, and on all his servants, and on all the people of his land: for thou knewest that they dealt proudly against them. So didst thou get thee a name, as it is this day.
The Lord performed great miracles again the Pharoah and his servants and all the people of the land. They had oppressed the children of Israel and refused to let them go. They were too proud in their thinking. They thought that God could not overpower them. But the Lord did overpower them with signs and wonders. By these great miracles, the Lord has made a name for Himself.
(11) And thou didst divide the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land; and their persecutors thou threwest into the deeps,
The Lord divided the sea before them, so that those who trusted Him went through the midst of the sea on the dry land. The Lord threw their persecutors into the deep sea, as a stone into the mighty waters.
(12) Moreover thou leddest them in the day by a cloudy pillar; and in the night by a pillar of fire, to give them light in the way wherein they should go.
The Lord led the believers in the day by a cloudy pillar and in the night by a pillar of fire.
(13) Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments:
God gave them His law at mount Sinai.
(14) And madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and commandedst them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses thy servant: The Lord made known unto the people His holy Sabbath . He commanded them precepts, statues, and Laws, by the hand of His servant Moses.
(15) And gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and promisedst them that they should go in to possess the land which thou hadst sworn to give them.
The Lord gave them bread from heaven for their hunger. He brought forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst. The Lord promised them that they should go in to possess the land which the Lord had sworn to give them.
(16)But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their necks, and hearkened not to thy commandments,
But the children of Israel rebelled against God. They were proud in their disobedience. They hardened their necks in their pride. They did not obey the commandments of the Lord.
(17) And refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage: but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not.
They refused to obey. Neither were they mindful of His wonders that the Lord did among them. They hardened their necks in their rebellion. They appointed captain to return to their bondage. But the Lord is a real God who is ready to pardon the people. The Lord who is gracious, and merciful,and slow to anger, and of great kindness, did not forsake them.
(18) Yea, when they had made them a molten calf, and said, This is thy God that brought thee up out of Egypt, and had wrought great provocations;
Yea when they made for themselves a molten calf and worshipped the idol, they had brought great provocations.
(19) Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to shew them light, and the way wherein they should go.
Yet the Lord in His manifold of mercies did not forsake them in the wilderness. The pillar of cloud departed not from them by day. Neither did the pillar of fire depart from them by night. The Lord continued to show them light , and way wherein they should go.
(20) Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst.
Lord, you gave also Your good Spirit to instruct them, and withheld not your manna from their mouth, and gave them water for their thirst.
(21) Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not old, and their feet swelled not.
For forty years the Lord sustained them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing. Their clothes waxed not old, and their feet swelled not. They had clothes to wear. And their feet had shoes.
(22) Moreover thou gavest them kingdoms and nations, and didst divide them into corners: so they possessed the land of Sihon, and the land of the king of Heshbon, and the land of Og king of Bashan.
The Lord gave them nations and kingdoms.
(23) Their children also multipliedst thou as the stars of heaven, and broughtest them into the land, concerning which thou hadst promised to their fathers, that they should go in to possess it.
The Lord also multiplied the children of Israel as the stars of heaven. The Lord brought them into the promised land. The Lord had promised this land to their fathers. They had to go in to possess it.
(24) So the children went in and possessed the land, and thou subduedst before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gavest them into their hands, with their kings, and the people of the land, that they might do with them as they would.br> The children of Israel went in and possessed the land. The Lord subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites. The Lord gave them into the hands of the children of Israel.
(25) And they took strong cities, and a fat land, and possessed houses full of all goods, wells digged, vineyards, and oliveyards, and fruit trees in abundance: so they did eat, and were filled, and became fat, and delighted themselves in thy great goodness.
They took strong cities, and a fat land. They possessed houses full of all goods, water wells , vineyards, and olive yards, and fruit trees in abundance. The children of Israel did eat, and were filled, and became fat. They delighted themselves in the great goodness of the Lord.
(26) Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs, and slew thy prophets which testified against them to turn them to thee, and they wrought great provocations.
Nevertheless they were disobedient , and rebelled against the Lord. They cast God’s law behind their backs. They slew God’s prophets who testified against them to turn them to the Lord. They wrought great provocations.
(27) Therefore thou deliveredst them into the hand of their enemies, who vexed them: and in the time of their trouble, when they cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven; and according to thy manifold mercies thou gavest them saviours, who saved them out of the hand of their enemies.
Therefore the Lord delivered them into the hand of their enemies, who vexed them. In the time of their trouble, they cried unto the Lord. The Lord heard them from heaven. God was merciful unto them. The Lord gave them saviours , who saved them out of the Hands of their enemies.
(28) But after they had rest, they did evil again before thee: therefore leftest thou them in the hand of their enemies, so that they had the dominion over them: yet when they returned, and cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven; and many times didst thou deliver them according to thy mercies;
But after they had rest, they did evil again before the Lord. Therefore the Lord left them in the hand of their enemies, so that they had the dominion over them. Yet they returned , and cried unto the Lord. The Lord heard them from heaven. And many times did the Lord deliver them according to His mercies.
(29) And testifiedst against them, that thou mightest bring them again unto thy law: yet they dealt proudly, and hearkened not unto thy commandments, but sinned against thy judgments, (which if a man do, he shall live in them;) and withdrew the shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear.
The Lord testified against them so that He might bring them again unto His law. Yet they dealt proudly. They hearkened not the God’s commandments, but sinned against His Judgments.
(30) Yet many years didst thou forbear them, and testifiedst against them by thy spirit in thy prophets: yet would they not give ear: therefore gavest thou them into the hand of the people of the lands.
Yet many years did the Lord waited for them, and testified against by His spirit in His prophets. Yet they would not give ear to the Lord. Therefore the Lord gave them to the hand of the people of the land.
(31) Nevertheless for thy great mercies' sake thou didst not utterly consume them, nor forsake them; for thou art a gracious and merciful God.
Nevertheless for your great mercies’ sake the Lord did not utterly consume them, nor forsake them ; for the Lord is a gracious and merciful God.
(32) Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who keepest covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble seem little before thee, that hath come upon us, on our kings, on our princes, and on our priests, and on our prophets, and on our fathers, and on all thy people, since the time of the kings of Assyria unto this day.
(33) Howbeit thou art just in all that is brought upon us; for thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly:
The Lord was just in allowing all that had been brought upon the children of Israel. The Lord had done right. The people confessed that they and their ancestors Had done wickedly.
(34) Neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, nor our fathers, kept thy law, nor hearkened unto thy commandments and thy testimonies, wherewith thou didst testify against them.
Neither have their kings , their princes, their priests, nor their fathers kept God’s law. Neither have they hearkened unto His commandments and His testimonies, wherein the Lord did testify against them.
(35) For they have not served thee in their kingdom, and in thy great goodness that thou gavest them, and in the large and fat land which thou gavest before them, turned they from their wicked works.
They had not served the Lord in their kingdom that the Lord in His great goodness gave them. They had forgotten that in great goodness you gave them the large and fat land.
(36) Behold, we are servants this day, and for the land that thou gavest unto our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof, behold, we are servants in it:
The Lord gave their father the land to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof. But now they were servants in the land because of their sin.
(37) And it yieldeth much increase unto 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 in great distress.
The land yield much increase unto the kings whom the Lord God set over them Because of their sin. Also they had dominion over their bodies, and over their cattle,at their pleasure. The children of Israel were in great distress.
(38) And because of all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, Levites, and priests, seal unto it.
And because of all this they made a sure covenant , and write it. And their Princes, Levites, and priests, sealed unto it.
Nehemiah
chapter 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13