Nehemiah 9:34-38

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 ¹  goodness that you had lavished ²  on them in the spacious and fertile land you had set ³  before them, they did not serve you, nor did they turn from their evil practices.

9:36 “So today we are slaves! In the very land you gave to our ancestors to eat its fruit and to enjoy ⁴  its good things – we are slaves! 9:37 Its abundant produce goes to the kings you have placed over us due to our sins. They rule over our bodies and our livestock as they see fit, ⁵  and we are in great distress!

The People Pledge to be Faithful

9:38 (10:1) ⁶  “Because of all of this we are entering into a binding covenant ⁷  in written form; ⁸  our leaders, our Levites, and our priests have affixed their names ⁹  on the sealed document.”

[9:35]  ¹ tn Heb “great.”

[9:35]  ² tn Heb “given them.”

[9:35]  ³ tn Heb “given.”

[9:36]  ⁴ tn The expression “to enjoy” is not included in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[9:37]  ⁵ tn Heb “according to their desire.”

[9:38]  ⁶ sn Beginning with 9:38, the verse numbers through 10:39 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 9:38 ET = 10:1 HT, 10:1 ET = 10:2 HT, 10:2 ET = 10:3 HT, etc., through 10:39 ET = 10:40 HT. Beginning with 11:1 the verse numbers in the ET and HT are again the same.

[9:38]  ⁷ tn Heb “we are cutting.”

[9:38]  ⁸ tn Heb “and writing.”

[9:38]  ⁹ tn Heb “our leaders, our Levites, and our priests on the sealed document.” The Hebrew text is elliptical here; the words “have affixed their names” are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons. Cf. v. 2.