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<n id="1" /> to restore the temple of our God and to raise<n id="2" /> up its ruins and to give us a protective wall in Judah and Jerusalem.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;We &#8211; the priests, the Levites, and the people &#8211; have cast lots concerning the wood offerings, to bring them to the temple of our God according to our families<n id="1" /> at the designated times year by year to burn on the altar of the <sc>LORDsc> our God, as is written in the law.

<p class="poetry">Let us acknowledge<n id="1" /> our shame.p> <p class="poetry">Let us bear the disgrace that we deserve.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">For we have sinned against the <sc>Lordsc> our God,p> <p class="poetry">both we and our ancestors.p> <p class="poetry">From earliest times to this very dayp> <p class="poetry">we have not obeyed the <sc>Lordsc> our God.&#8217;p>

We will obey what the <sc>Lordsc> our God to whom we are sending you tells us to do. It does not matter whether we like what he tells us or not. We will obey what he tells us to do so that things will go well for us.&#8221;<n id="1" />p>

You are making a fatal mistake.<n id="1" /> For you sent me to the <sc>Lordsc> your God and asked me, &#8216;Pray to the <sc>Lordsc> our God for us. Tell us what the <sc>Lordsc> our God says and we will do it.&#8217;<n id="2" />

Then they took<n id="1" /> some of the produce of the land and carried it back down to us. They also brought a report to us, saying, &#8220;The land that the <sc>Lordsc> our God is about to give us is good.&#8221;p>

However, you did not approach the land of the Ammonites, the Wadi Jabbok,<n id="1" /> the cities of the hill country, or any place else forbidden by the <sc>Lordsc> our God.p>

So the <sc>Lordsc> our God did indeed give over to us King Og of Bashan and his whole army and we struck them down until not a single survivor was left.<n id="1" />

In fact, what other great nation has a god so near to them like the <sc>Lordsc> our God whenever we call on him?

But now, why should we die, because this intense fire will consume us! If we keep hearing the voice of the <sc>Lordsc> our God we will die!

<t /><p class="bodytext">When your children<n id="1" /> ask you later on, &#8220;What are the stipulations, statutes, and ordinances that the <sc>Lordsc> our God commanded you?&#8221;

The <sc>Lordsc> commanded us to obey all these statutes and to revere him<n id="1" /> so that it may always go well for us and he may preserve us, as he has to this day.

We will be innocent if we carefully keep all these commandments<n id="1" /> before the <sc>Lordsc> our God, just as he demands.&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

but with whoever stands with us here today before the <sc>Lordsc> our God as well as those not with us here today.<n id="1" />p>

Secret things belong to the <sc>Lordsc> our God, but those that are revealed belong to us and our descendants<n id="1" /> forever, so that we might obey all the words of this law.p>

But as for you, map out the land into seven regions and bring it to me. I will draw lots for you here before the <sc>Lordsc> our God.

The <sc>Lordsc> drove out from before us all the nations, including the Amorites who lived in the land. So we too will worship<n id="1" /> the <sc>Lordsc>, for he is our God!&#8221;p>

<p class="bodytext">The Israelites cried out for help to the <sc>Lordsc>: &#8220;We have sinned against you. We abandoned our God and worshiped<n id="1" /> the Baals.&#8221;

You have the right to take what Chemosh your god gives you, but we will take the land of all whom the <sc>Lordsc> our God has driven out before us.<n id="1" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">The rulers of the Philistines gathered to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to celebrate. They said, &#8220;Our god has handed Samson, our enemy, over to us.&#8221;