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Atomic Bible
Nehemiah

Chapter 9

The People Confess Their Sins

The people gather in fasting, separation, confession, and long hearing of the Law. Then the Levites lead a prayer that retells Israel's story from creation and Abraham through Egypt, Sinai, wilderness, conquest, rebellion, judgment, and mercy, before the chapter ends by admitting the justice of their present distress and binding the community to a written covenant.

After the public reading and joy of chapter 8, this chapter turns understanding into repentance. It gathers the restored community's memory, confession, and resolve before the covenant commitments that follow in chapter 10.

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Nehemiah 9

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vv. 1-38

The People Confess Their Sins

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O1n the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth, with dust on their heads. 2Those of Israelite descent separated themselves from all the foreigners, and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. 3While they stood in their places, they read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for a quarter of the day, and they spent another quarter of the day in confession and worship of the LORD their God. 4And the Levites — Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani — stood on the raised platform and cried out in a loud voice to the LORD their God. 5Then the Levites— Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah— said, “Stand up and bless the LORD your God from everlasting to everlasting:

6You alone are the LORD. 7You are the LORD, 8You found his heart faithful before You, 9You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt; 10You performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh, 11You divided the sea before them, 12You led them with a pillar of cloud by day 13You came down on Mount Sinai 14You revealed to them Your holy Sabbath 15In their hunger You gave them bread from heaven;

16But they and our fathers became arrogant and stiff-necked 17They refused to listen and failed to remember 18Even when they cast for themselves 19You in Your great compassion 20You gave Your good Spirit to instruct them. 21For forty years You sustained them in the wilderness, 22You gave them kingdoms and peoples 23You multiplied their descendants 24So their descendants went in and possessed the land; 25They captured fortified cities and fertile land

26But they were disobedient and rebelled against You; 27So You delivered them into the hands 28But as soon as they had rest, 29You admonished them to turn back to Your law, 30You were patient with them for many years, 31But in Your great compassion,

32So now, our God, the great and mighty and awesome God 33You are just in all that has befallen us, 34Our kings and leaders and priests and fathers 35For even while they were in their kingdom, 36So here we are today as slaves 37Its abundant harvest goes to the kings 38In view of all this, we make a binding agreement, putting it in writing and sealing it with the names of our leaders, Levites, and priests.”

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  1. 01vv. 1-38The People Confess Their SinsIsrael gathers in grief, confession, and worship, then the Levites lead a long prayer that rehearses God's faithful dealings with a repeatedly resistant people. The prayer ends by naming the justice of their present subjection and by sealing a renewed communal commitment.
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