Nehemiah 9

1 On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth, with dust on their heads.

1 这月二十四日，以色列人聚集禁食。他们身披麻衣，头撒尘土。

2 Those of Israelite descent separated themselves from all the foreigners, and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers.

2 以色列人与其他外族人隔离，站着承认自己的罪恶和祖先的过犯。

3 While 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.

3 他们站在自己的地方，宣读他们上帝耶和华的律法书，长达三个小时 。他们又用了三个小时认罪，敬拜他们的上帝耶和华。

4 And 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.

4 利未人耶书亚、巴尼、甲篾、示巴尼、布尼、示利比、巴尼和基拿尼站在台阶上，大声呼求他们的上帝耶和华。

5 Then the Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah—said, “Stand up and bless the LORD your God from everlasting to everlasting: Blessed be Your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise.

5 利未人耶书亚、甲篾、巴尼、哈沙尼、示利比、荷第雅、示巴尼和毗他希雅说：“起来称颂你们的上帝耶和华，直到永永远远。耶和华啊，你荣耀的圣名当受称颂！愿你的名被尊崇，超过一切称颂和赞美！

6 You alone are the LORD. You created the heavens, the highest heavens with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to all things, and the host of heaven worships You.

6 “你，唯有你是耶和华！你创造了天、天上的天和天上的万象、地和地上的一切、海和海中的一切，你赐给万物生命。众天军都敬拜你。

7 You are the LORD, the God who chose Abram, who brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and gave him the name Abraham.

7 你是耶和华上帝，你拣选了亚伯兰，带他离开迦勒底的吾珥，又给他改名为亚伯拉罕。

8 You found his heart faithful before You, and made a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites and Hittites, of the Amorites and Perizzites, of the Jebusites and Girgashites—to give it to his descendants. You have kept Your promise, because You are righteous.

8 你知道他对你忠心，就与他立约，把迦南人、赫人、亚摩利人、比利洗人、耶布斯人及革迦撒人的土地赐给他的后代。你实现了你的应许，因为你是公义的。

9 You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt; You heard their cry at the Red Sea.

9 “你看见我们祖先在埃及所受的苦，又听见他们在红海边的呼求，

10 You performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh, all his officials, and all the people of his land, for You knew they had acted with arrogance against our fathers. You made a name for Yourself that endures to this day.

10 就行神迹奇事对付法老及其所有的臣仆和国民，因为你知道他们对以色列人行事狂傲。你使自己威名远扬直到今日。

11 You divided the sea before them, and they crossed through it on dry ground. You hurled their pursuers into the depths like a stone into raging waters.

11 你在我们祖先面前把海水分开，使他们在海中走干地过去；你把追赶他们的人扔进深海，好像把石头扔进大水中。

12 You led them with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, to light for them the way in which they should travel.

12 白天，你用云柱带领他们；夜间，你用火柱照亮他们当走的路。

13 You came down on Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven. You gave them just ordinances, true laws, and good statutes and commandments.

13 你降临在西奈山，从天上与他们说话，赐给他们公正的典章、信实的律法、美好的律例和诫命。

14 You revealed to them Your holy Sabbath and gave them commandments and statutes and laws through Your servant Moses.

14 你使他们知道你的神圣安息日，借你仆人摩西赐给他们诫命、律例和法度。

15 In their hunger You gave them bread from heaven; in their thirst You brought them water from the rock. You told them to go in and possess the land that You had sworn to give them.

15 他们饿了，你赐下天粮给他们吃；他们渴了，你使磐石流出水给他们喝。你吩咐他们去占领你起誓要赐给他们的土地。

16 But they and our fathers became arrogant and stiff-necked and did not obey Your commandments.

16 但我们的祖先行事狂傲，顽固不化，不肯听从你的诫命。

17 They refused to listen and failed to remember the wonders You performed among them. They stiffened their necks and appointed a leader to return them to their bondage in Egypt. But You are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in loving devotion, and You did not forsake them.

17 他们拒绝听从，忘记了你为他们所行的奇事，顽固不化，自立首领要回埃及做奴隶。但你是乐意饶恕，有恩典，好怜悯，不轻易发怒，充满慈爱的上帝，你没有离弃他们。

18 Even when they cast for themselves an image of a calf and said, ‘This is your God who brought you up out of Egypt,’ and when they committed terrible blasphemies,

18 纵使他们为自己铸造了一头牛犊，声称那是带他们出埃及的上帝，大大亵渎了你，

19 You in Your great compassion did not forsake them in the wilderness. By day the pillar of cloud never turned away from guiding them on their path; and by the night the pillar of fire illuminated the way they should go.

19 你还是对他们大施怜悯，没有在旷野离弃他们。白天，云柱没有离开他们，仍然引导他们前行；夜间，火柱仍然照亮他们当走的路。

20 You gave Your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold Your manna from their mouths, and You gave them water for their thirst.

20 你差遣你良善的灵去教导他们，没有停止赐他们吗哪吃，也没有停止赐他们水喝。

21 For forty years You sustained them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell.

21 在旷野的四十年间，你供养他们，使他们一无所缺，他们的衣服没有穿破，脚也没有走肿。

22 You gave them kingdoms and peoples and allotted to them every corner of the land. So they took the land of Sihon king of Heshbon and of Og king of Bashan.

22 “你将列国列邦赐给他们，为他们划分疆界，他们占领了希实本王西宏和巴珊王噩的土地。

23 You multiplied their descendants like the stars of heaven and brought them to the land You had told their fathers to enter and possess.

23 你使他们的子孙多如天上的星星，你带领他们进入你应许他们祖先的土地。

24 So their descendants went in and possessed the land; You subdued before them the Canaanites dwelling in the land. You delivered into their hands the kings and peoples of the land, to do with them as they wished.

24 他们的子孙进去占领了那地方，你在他们面前制服了住在那里的迦南人，把迦南诸王和那地方的人交在他们手里，任由他们处置。

25 They captured fortified cities and fertile land and took houses full of all goods, wells already dug, vineyards, olive groves, and fruit trees in abundance. So they ate and were filled; they grew fat and delighted in Your great goodness.

25 他们夺取坚固的城池、肥沃的土地、装满美物的房屋、挖好的水井、葡萄园、橄榄园以及各样果树。他们吃得饱足，身体发胖，享受你的厚恩。

26 But they were disobedient and rebelled against You; they flung Your law behind their backs. They killed Your prophets, who had admonished them to return to You. They committed terrible blasphemies.

26 “然而，他们不顺从你，背叛你，把你的律法抛在背后，又杀掉劝诫他们归向你的众先知，大大亵渎了你。

27 So You delivered them into the hands of enemies who oppressed them, and in their time of distress they cried out to You. From heaven You heard them, and in Your great compassion You gave them deliverers who saved them from the hands of their enemies.

27 于是你把他们交在欺压他们的仇敌手中。他们在患难中向你呼求，你就从天上垂听，怀着丰盛的怜悯赐给他们拯救者，把他们从仇敌手中拯救出来。

28 But as soon as they had rest, they again did evil in Your sight. So You abandoned them to the hands of their enemies, who had dominion over them. When they cried out to You again, You heard from heaven, and You delivered them many times in Your compassion.

28 可是，他们得享平安后，又在你面前作恶，于是你离弃他们，把他们交在敌人手中，使敌人统治他们。他们回转向你呼求，你就从天上垂听，你一次次地怀着怜悯拯救他们。

29 You admonished them to turn back to Your law, but they were arrogant and disobeyed Your commandments. They sinned against Your ordinances, by which a man will live if he practices them. They turned a stubborn shoulder; they stiffened their necks and would not obey.

29 你警告他们，要使他们转向你的律法，但他们行事狂傲，不听从你的诫命，干犯你的典章。遵行这典章的人必因此而活。但他们背弃你，顽固不化，不肯听从。

30 You were patient with them for many years, and Your Spirit admonished them through Your prophets. Yet they would not listen, so You gave them into the hands of the neighboring peoples.

30 你多年来容忍他们，差遣你的灵借着你的众先知警告他们，但他们依然不肯听从，于是你把他们交在列邦手中。

31 But in Your great compassion, You did not put an end to them; nor did You forsake them, for You are a gracious and compassionate God.

31 然而，你大施怜悯，没有完全毁灭他们，也没有离弃他们，因为你是有恩典、好怜悯的上帝。

32 So now, our God, the great and mighty and awesome God who keeps His gracious covenant, do not view lightly all the hardship that has come upon us, and upon our kings and leaders, our priests and prophets, our ancestors and all Your people, from the days of the kings of Assyria until today.

32 “因此，我们的上帝啊，你是伟大、全能、可畏、守约、施慈爱的上帝，求你不要轻看我们的王、首领、祭司、先知、祖先和你的子民，从亚述诸王时代直到今天所受的苦难。

33 You are just in all that has befallen us, because You have acted faithfully, while we have acted wickedly.

33 在这临到我们的一切事上，你都是公义的，因为你行事信实，我们行事邪恶。

34 Our kings and leaders and priests and fathers did not obey Your law or listen to Your commandments and warnings that You gave them.

34 我们的王、首领、祭司和祖先没有遵行你的律法，也没有留心听从你的诫命和你给他们的警告。

35 For even while they were in their kingdom, with the abundant goodness that You had given them, and in the spacious and fertile land that You had set before them, they would not serve You or turn from their wicked ways.

35 他们即使在本国，在你赐给他们广阔肥沃的土地上得享你的厚恩，也不事奉你，不离开恶道。

36 So here we are today as slaves in the land You gave our fathers to enjoy its fruit and goodness—here we are as slaves!

36 今天，我们沦为奴隶，在你赐给我们祖先的土地上，在你让我们祖先享用其出产和各样美物的土地上，我们沦为奴隶。

37 Its abundant harvest goes to the kings You have set over us because of our sins. And they rule over our bodies and our livestock as they please. We are in great distress.

37 因为我们的罪过，这地方的丰富出产都归给了那些你派来统管我们的王。他们随意统管我们和我们的牲畜。我们生活在极大的苦难中。

38 In 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.”

38 “鉴于此，我们郑重立约，记载下来。我们的首领、利未人和祭司都在上面盖了印。”