Ezekiel 6:9

6:9 Then your survivors will remember me among the nations where they are exiled. They will realize ¹  how I was crushed by their unfaithful ²  heart which turned from me and by their eyes which lusted after their idols. They will loathe themselves ³  because of the evil they have done and because of all their abominable practices.

Ezekiel 16:61-63

16:61 Then you will remember your conduct, and be ashamed when you receive your older and younger sisters. I will give them to you as daughters, but not on account of my covenant with you. 16:62 I will establish my covenant with you, and then you will know that I am the Lord. 16:63 Then you will remember, be ashamed, and remain silent ⁴  when I make atonement for all you have done, ⁵  declares the sovereign Lord.’”

Ezekiel 20:43

20:43 And there you will remember your conduct ⁶  and all your deeds by which you defiled yourselves. You will despise yourselves ⁷  because of all the evil deeds you have done.

Leviticus 26:39

Restoration through Confession and Repentance

26:39 “‘As for the ones who remain among you, they will rot away because of ⁸  their iniquity in the lands of your enemies, and they will also rot away because of their ancestors’ ⁹  iniquities which are with them.

Ezra 9:6-15

9:6 I prayed, ¹⁰ 

“O my God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift my face to you, my God! For our iniquities have climbed higher than our heads, and our guilt extends to the heavens. 9:7 From the days of our fathers until this very day our guilt has been great. Because of our iniquities we, along with our kings and ¹¹  priests, have been delivered over by the local kings ¹²  to sword, captivity, plunder, and embarrassment – right up to the present time.

9:8 “But now briefly ¹³  we have received mercy from the Lord our God, in that he has left us a remnant and has given us a secure position ¹⁴  in his holy place. Thus our God has enlightened our eyes ¹⁵  and has given us a little relief in our time of servitude. 9:9 Although we are slaves, our God has not abandoned us in our servitude. He has extended kindness to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, in that he has revived us ¹⁶  to restore the temple of our God and to raise ¹⁷  up its ruins and to give us a protective wall in Judah and Jerusalem. ¹⁸ 

9:10 “And now what are we able to say after this, our God? For we have forsaken your commandments 9:11 which you commanded us through your servants the prophets with these words: ¹⁹  ‘The land that you are entering to possess is a land defiled by the impurities of the local residents! ²⁰  With their abominations they have filled it from one end to the other with their filthiness. 9:12 Therefore do not give your daughters in marriage to their sons, and do not take their daughters in marriage for your sons. Do not ever seek their peace or welfare, so that you may be strong and may eat the good of the land and may leave it as an inheritance for your children ²¹  forever.’

9:13 “Everything that has happened to us has come about because of our wicked actions and our great guilt. Even so, our God, you have exercised restraint ²²  toward our iniquities and have given us a remnant such as this. 9:14 Shall we once again break your commandments and intermarry with these abominable peoples? Would you not be so angered by us that you would wipe us out, with no survivor or remnant? 9:15 O Lord God of Israel, you are righteous, for we are left as a remnant this day. Indeed, we stand before you in our guilt. However, because of this guilt ²³  no one can really stand before you.”

Nehemiah 9:26-35

9:26 “Nonetheless they grew disobedient and rebelled against you; they disregarded your law. ²⁴  They killed your prophets who had solemnly admonished them in order to cause them to return to you. They committed atrocious blasphemies. 9:27 Therefore you delivered them into the hand of their adversaries, who oppressed them. But in the time of their distress they called to you, and you heard from heaven. In your abundant compassion you provided them with deliverers to rescue them from ²⁵  their adversaries.

9:28 “Then, when they were at rest again, they went back to doing evil before you. Then you abandoned them to ²⁶  their enemies, and they gained dominion over them. When they again cried out to you, in your compassion you heard from heaven and rescued them time and again. 9:29 And you solemnly admonished them in order to return them to your law, but they behaved presumptuously and did not obey your commandments. They sinned against your ordinances – those by which an individual, if he obeys them, ²⁷  will live. They boldly turned from you; ²⁸  they rebelled ²⁹  and did not obey. 9:30 You prolonged your kindness ³⁰  with them for many years, and you solemnly admonished them by your Spirit through your prophets. Still they paid no attention, ³¹  so you delivered them into the hands of the neighboring peoples. ³²  9:31 However, due to your abundant mercy you did not do away with them altogether; you did not abandon them. For you are a merciful and compassionate God.

9:32 “So now, our God – the great, powerful, and awesome God, who keeps covenant fidelity ³³  – do not regard as inconsequential ³⁴  all the hardship that has befallen us – our kings, our leaders, our priests, our prophets, our ancestors, and all your people – from the days of the kings of Assyria until this very day! 9:33 You are righteous with regard to all that has happened to us, for you have acted faithfully. ³⁵  It is we who have been in the wrong! 9:34 Our kings, our leaders, our priests, and our ancestors have not kept your law. They have not paid attention to your commandments or your testimonies by which you have solemnly admonished them. 9:35 Even when they were in their kingdom and benefiting from your incredible ³⁶  goodness that you had lavished ³⁷  on them in the spacious and fertile land you had set ³⁸  before them, they did not serve you, nor did they turn from their evil practices.

Jeremiah 31:18-20

31:18 I have indeed ³⁹  heard the people of Israel ⁴⁰  say mournfully,

‘We were like a calf untrained to the yoke. ⁴¹ 

You disciplined us and we learned from it. ⁴² 

Let us come back to you and we will do so, ⁴³ 

for you are the Lord our God.

31:19 For after we turned away from you we repented.

After we came to our senses ⁴⁴  we beat our breasts in sorrow. ⁴⁵ 

We are ashamed and humiliated

because of the disgraceful things we did previously.’ ⁴⁶ 

31:20 Indeed, the people of Israel are my dear children.

They are the children I take delight in. ⁴⁷ 

For even though I must often rebuke them,

I still remember them with fondness.

So I am deeply moved with pity for them ⁴⁸ 

and will surely have compassion on them.

I, the Lord, affirm it! ⁴⁹ 

Daniel 9:4-20

9:4 I prayed to the LORD my God, confessing in this way:

“O Lord, ⁵⁰  great and awesome God who is faithful to his covenant ⁵¹  with those who love him and keep his commandments, 9:5 we have sinned! We have done what is wrong and wicked; we have rebelled by turning away from your commandments and standards. 9:6 We have not paid attention to your servants the prophets, who spoke by your authority ⁵²  to our kings, our leaders, and our ancestors, ⁵³  and to all the inhabitants ⁵⁴  of the land as well.

9:7 “You are righteous, ⁵⁵  O Lord, but we are humiliated this day ⁵⁶  – the people ⁵⁷  of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far away in all the countries in which you have scattered them, because they have behaved unfaithfully toward you. 9:8 O LORD, we have been humiliated ⁵⁸  – our kings, our leaders, and our ancestors – because we have sinned against you. 9:9 Yet the Lord our God is compassionate and forgiving, ⁵⁹  even though we have rebelled against him. 9:10 We have not obeyed ⁶⁰  the LORD our God by living according to ⁶¹  his laws ⁶²  that he set before us through his servants the prophets.

9:11 “All Israel has broken ⁶³  your law and turned away by not obeying you. ⁶⁴  Therefore you have poured out on us the judgment solemnly threatened ⁶⁵  in the law of Moses the servant of God, for we have sinned against you. ⁶⁶  9:12 He has carried out his threats ⁶⁷  against us and our rulers ⁶⁸  who were over ⁶⁹  us by bringing great calamity on us – what has happened to Jerusalem has never been equaled under all heaven! 9:13 Just as it is written in the law of Moses, so all this calamity has come on us. Still we have not tried to pacify ⁷⁰  the LORD our God by turning back from our sin and by seeking wisdom ⁷¹  from your reliable moral standards. ⁷²  9:14 The LORD was mindful of the calamity, and he brought it on us. For the LORD our God is just ⁷³  in all he has done, ⁷⁴  and we have not obeyed him. ⁷⁵ 

9:15 “Now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with great power ⁷⁶  and made a name for yourself that is remembered to this day – we have sinned and behaved wickedly. 9:16 O Lord, according to all your justice, ⁷⁷  please turn your raging anger ⁷⁸  away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain. For due to our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors, Jerusalem and your people are mocked by all our neighbors.

9:17 “So now, our God, accept ⁷⁹  the prayer and requests of your servant, and show favor to ⁸⁰  your devastated sanctuary for your own sake. ⁸¹  9:18 Listen attentively, ⁸²  my God, and hear! Open your eyes and look on our desolated ruins ⁸³  and the city called by your name. ⁸⁴  For it is not because of our own righteous deeds that we are praying to you, ⁸⁵  but because your compassion is abundant. 9:19 O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, pay attention, and act! Don’t delay, for your own sake, O my God! For your city and your people are called by your name.” ⁸⁶ 

Gabriel Gives to Daniel a Prophecy of Seventy Weeks

9:20 While I was still speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and presenting my request before the LORD my God concerning his holy mountain ⁸⁷  –

[6:9]  ¹ tn The words “they will realize” are not in the Hebrew text; they are added here for stylistic reasons since this clause assumes the previous verb “to remember” or “to take into account.”

[6:9]  ² tn Heb “how I was broken by their adulterous heart.” The image of God being “broken” is startling, but perfectly natural within the metaphorical framework of God as offended husband. The idiom must refer to the intense grief that Israel’s unfaithfulness caused God. For a discussion of the syntax and semantics of the Hebrew text, see M. Greenberg, Ezekiel (AB), 1:134.

[6:9]  ³ tn Heb adds “in their faces.”

[16:63]  ⁴ tn Heb “and your mouth will not be open any longer.”

[16:63]  ⁵ tn Heb “when I make atonement for you for all which you have done.”

[20:43]  ⁷ tn Heb “ways.”

[20:43]  ⁸ tn Heb “loathe yourselves in your faces.”

[26:39]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “in” (so KJV, ASV; also later in this verse).

[26:39]  ¹¹ tn Heb “fathers’” (also in the following verse).

[9:6]  ¹³ tn Heb “I said.”

[9:7]  ¹⁶ tc The MT lacks “and” here, but see the LXX and Vulgate.

[9:7]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “the kings of the lands.”

[9:8]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “according to a little moment.”

[9:8]  ²⁰ tn Heb “a peg” or “tent peg.” The imagery behind this word is drawn from the experience of nomads who put down pegs as they pitched their tents and made camp after times of travel.

[9:8]  ²¹ tn Heb “to cause our eyes to shine.” The expression is a figure of speech for “to revive.” See DCH 1:160 s.v. אור Hi.7.

[9:9]  ²² tn Heb “has granted us reviving.”

[9:9]  ²³ tn Heb “to cause to stand.”

[9:9]  ²⁴ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[9:11]  ²⁵ tn Heb “through your servants the prophets, saying.”

[9:11]  ²⁶ tn Heb “the peoples of the lands.”

[9:12]  ²⁸ tn Heb “sons”; cf. KJV, NAB, NIV, NLT “children”; NCV, TEV “descendants.”

[9:13]  ³¹ tn Heb “held back downwards from”; KJV “hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve” (NIV, NRSV, NLT all similar).

[9:15]  ³⁴ tn Heb “this”; the referent (the guilt mentioned previously) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:26]  ³⁷ tn Heb “they cast your law behind their backs.”

[9:27]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “from the hand of” (so NASB, NIV); NAB “from the power of.”

[9:28]  ⁴³ tn Heb “in the hand of” (so KJV, ASV); NAB “to the power of.”

[9:29]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “if a man keep.” See note on the word “obey” in Neh 1:5.

[9:29]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “they gave a stubborn shoulder.”

[9:29]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “they stiffened their neck.”

[9:30]  ⁴⁹ tn The Hebrew expression here is elliptical. The words “your kindness” are not included in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[9:30]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “did not give ear to.”

[9:30]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “the peoples of the lands.”

[9:32]  ⁵² tn Heb “the covenant and loyal love.” The expression is a hendiadys. The second noun retains its full nominal sense, while the first functions adjectivally: “the covenant and loyalty” = covenant fidelity.

[9:32]  ⁵³ tn Heb “do not let it seem small in your sight.”

[9:33]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “you have done truth.”

[9:35]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “great.”

[9:35]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “given them.”

[9:35]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “given.”

[31:18]  ⁶¹ tn The use of “indeed” is intended to reflect the infinitive absolute which precedes the verb for emphasis (see IBHS 585-86 §35.3.1f).

[31:18]  ⁶² tn Heb “Ephraim.” See the study note on 31:9. The more familiar term is used, the term “people” added to it, and plural pronouns used throughout the verse to aid in understanding.

[31:18]  ⁶³ tn Heb “like an untrained calf.” The metaphor is that of a calf who has never been broken to bear the yoke (cf. Hos 4:16; 10:11).

[31:18]  ⁶⁴ tn The verb here is from the same root as the preceding and is probably an example of the “tolerative Niphal,” i.e., “I let myself be disciplined/I responded to it.” See IBHS 389-90 §23.4g and note the translation of some of the examples there, especially Isa 19:22; 65:1.

[31:18]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “Bring me back in order that I may come back.” For the use of the plural pronouns see the marginal note at the beginning of the verse. The verb “bring back” and “come back” are from the same root in two different verbal stems and in the context express the idea of spiritual repentance and restoration of relationship not physical return to the land. (See BDB 999 s.v. שׁוּב Hiph.2.a for the first verb and 997 s.v. Qal.6.c for the second.) For the use of the cohortative to express purpose after the imperative see GKC 320 §108.d or IBHS 575 §34.5.2b.

[31:19]  ⁶⁴ tn For this meaning of the verb see HAL 374 s.v. יָדַע Nif 5 or W. L. Holladay, Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon, 129. REB translates “Now that I am submissive” relating the verb to a second root meaning “be submissive.” (See HALOT 375 s.v. II יָדַע and J. Barr, Comparative Philology and the Text of the Old Testament, 19-21, for evidence for this verb. Other passages cited with this nuance are Judg 8:16; Prov 10:9; Job 20:20.)

[31:19]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “I struck my thigh.” This was a gesture of grief and anguish (cf. Ezek 21:12 [21:17 HT]). The modern equivalent is “to beat the breast.”

[31:19]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “because I bear the reproach of my youth.” For the plural referents see the note at the beginning of v. 18.

[31:20]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “Is Ephraim a dear son to me or a child of delight?” For the substitution of Israel for Ephraim and the plural pronouns for the singular see the note on v. 18. According to BDB 210 s.v. הֲ 1.c the question is rhetorical having the force of an impassioned affirmation. See 1 Sam 2:27; Job 41:9 (41:1 HT) for parallel usage.

[31:20]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “my stomach churns for him.” The parallelism shows that this refers to pity or compassion.

[31:20]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[9:4]  ⁷⁰ tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here and in vv. 7, 9, 15, 16, and 19 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[9:4]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “who keeps the covenant and the loyal love.” The expression is a hendiadys.

[9:6]  ⁷³ tn Heb “in your name.” Another option is to translate, “as your representatives.”

[9:6]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “our fathers” (also in vv. 8, 16). The Hebrew term translated “father” can refer to more distant relationships such as grandfathers or ancestors.

[9:6]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “people.”

[9:7]  ⁷⁶ tn Heb “to you (belongs) righteousness.”

[9:7]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “and to us (belongs) shame of face like this day.”

[9:7]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “men.”

[9:8]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “to us (belongs) shame of face.”

[9:9]  ⁸² tn Heb “to the Lord our God (belong) compassion and forgiveness.”

[9:10]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “paid attention to the voice of,” which is an idiomatic expression for obedience (cf. NASB “nor have we obeyed the voice of”).

[9:10]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “to walk in.”

[9:10]  ⁸⁷ tc The LXX and Vulgate have the singular.

[9:11]  ⁸⁸ tn Or “transgressed.” The Hebrew verb has the primary sense of crossing a boundary, in this case, God’s law.

[9:11]  ⁸⁹ tn Heb “by not paying attention to your voice.”

[9:11]  ⁹⁰ tn Heb “the curse and the oath which is written.” The term “curse” refers here to the judgments threatened in the Mosaic law (see Deut 28) for rebellion. The expression “the curse and the oath” is probably a hendiadys (cf. Num 5:21; Neh 10:29) referring to the fact that the covenant with its threatened judgments was ratified by solemn oath and made legally binding upon the covenant community.

[9:11]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “him.”

[9:12]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “he has fulfilled his word(s) which he spoke.”

[9:12]  ⁹² tn Heb “our judges.”

[9:12]  ⁹³ tn Heb “who judged.”

[9:13]  ⁹⁴ tn Heb “we have not pacified the face of.”

[9:13]  ⁹⁵ tn Or “by gaining insight.”

[9:13]  ⁹⁶ tn Heb “by your truth.” The Hebrew term does not refer here to abstract truth, however, but to the reliable moral guidance found in the covenant law. See vv 10-11.

[9:14]  ⁹⁷ tn Or “righteous.”

[9:14]  ⁹⁸ tn Heb “in all his deeds which he has done.”

[9:14]  ⁹⁹ tn Heb “we have not listened to his voice.”

[9:15]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Heb “with a powerful hand.”

[9:16]  ¹⁰³ tn Or “righteousness.”

[9:16]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Heb “your anger and your rage.” The synonyms are joined here to emphasize the degree of God’s anger. This is best expressed in English by making one of the terms adjectival (cf. NLT “your furious anger”; CEV “terribly angry”).

[9:17]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Heb “hear.” Here the verb refers to hearing favorably, accepting the prayer and responding positively.

[9:17]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Heb “let your face shine.” This idiom pictures God smiling in favor. See Pss 31:16; 67:1; 80:3, 7, 19.

[9:17]  ¹⁰⁸ tn Heb “for the sake of my Lord.” Theodotion has “for your sake.” Cf. v. 19.

[9:18]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Heb “turn your ear.”

[9:18]  ¹¹⁰ tn Heb “desolations.” The term refers here to the ruined condition of Judah’s towns.

[9:18]  ¹¹¹ tn Heb “over which your name is called.” Cf. v. 19. This expression implies that God is the owner of his city, Jerusalem. Note the use of the idiom in 2 Sam 12:28; Isa 4:1; Amos 9:12.

[9:18]  ¹¹² tn Heb “praying our supplications before you.”

[9:19]  ¹¹² tn Heb “for your name is called over your city and your people.” See the note on this expression in v 18.

[9:20]  ¹¹⁵ tn Heb “the holy mountain of my God.”