1 And on the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of Yisra’ĕl were assembled with fasting, and in sackcloth, and with earth on them.
2 And the descendants of Yisra’ĕl separated themselves from all foreigners, and stood and confessed their sins, and the wickednesses of their fathers,
3 and they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Torah of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 their Elohim a fourth part of the day, and a fourth part they were confessing and worshipping 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 their Elohim.
4 Then Yĕshua and Bani, Qaḏmi’ĕl, Sheḇanyah, Bunni, Shĕrĕḇyah, Bani, Kenani stood on the stairs of the Lĕwites and cried out with a loud voice to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 their Elohim.
5 Then the Lĕwites, Yĕshua and Qaḏmi’ĕl, Bani, Ḥashaḇneyah, Shĕrĕḇyah, Hoḏiyah, Sheḇanyah, Pethaḥyah, said, “Rise, baraḵ 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 your Elohim forever and ever! And let them baraḵ Your esteemed Name, which is exalted above all beraḵah and praise!
6 “You are 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, You alone. You have made the shamayim, the shamayim of the shamayim, with all their host, the earth and all that are on it, the seas and all that are in them, and You give life to them all. And the host of the shamayim are bowing themselves to You.
7 “You are 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, the Elohim who chose Aḇram, and brought him out of Ur of the Kasdim, and gave him the name of Aḇraham,
8 and found his heart trustworthy before You, and made a Covenant with him to give the land of the Kena’anites, the Ḥittites, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Yeḇusites, and the Girgashites – to give it to his seed. And You have established Your words, for You are righteous,
9 and saw the affliction of our fathers in Mitsrayim, and heard their cry by the Sea of Reeds,
10 and gave signs and wonders against Pharaoh, and against all his servants, and against all the people of his land. For You knew that they acted proudly against them. And You made a Name for Yourself, as it is this day.
11 “And You split the sea before them, and they passed over into the midst of the sea on the dry land. And their pursuers You threw into the deep as a stone into the mighty waters.
12 “And You led them by day with a cloudy column, and by night with a column of fire, to give them light in the way they were to go.
13 “And You came down on Mount Sinai, and spoke with them from the shamayim, and gave them straight Right-Rulings and Torah of truth, good Laws and Commands.
14 “And You made known to them Your qodesh Shabbath, and You commanded them Commands and Laws and Torot, by the hand of Mosheh Your servant.
15 “And You gave them bread from the shamayim for their hunger, and brought them water out of the rock for their thirst, and said to them to go in to possess the land which You had sworn to give them.
16 “But they and our fathers acted proudly, and hardened their necks, and did not obey Your Commands.
17 “And they refused to obey, and they remembered not Your wonders that You did among them, and hardened their necks, and in their rebellion they appointed a leader to return to their bondage. But You are a forgiving Eloah, showing favour, and compassionate, patient, and of great kindness, and did not forsake them.
18 “Even when they made a moulded calf for themselves, and said, ‘This is your mighty one that brought you up out of Mitsrayim,’ and worked great blasphemies,
19 yet You, in Your great compassion did not forsake them in the wilderness. The column of the cloud did not turn away from them by day to lead them on the way, nor the column of fire by night to give them light in the way they were to go.
20 “You also gave Your good Ruaḥ to instruct them, and did not withhold Your manna from their mouth, and gave them water for their thirst.
21 “And for forty years You sustained them in the wilderness – they lacked not. Their garments did not wear out and their feet did not swell.
22 “And You gave them reigns and peoples, and apportioned them their lot. So they took possession of the land of Siḥon, and the land of the sovereign of Ḥeshbon, and the land of Oḡ sovereign of Bashan.
23 “And You increased their children as the stars of the shamayim, and brought them into the land which You had said to their fathers to go in and possess.
24 “So the sons went in and possessed the land, and You humbled before them the people of the land, the Kena’anites, and gave them into their hands, with their sovereigns and the people of the land, to do with them as they desired.
25 “And they captured walled cities and a rich land, and possessed houses filled with all good, cisterns already dug, vineyards, and olive trees, and fruit trees, in plenty. So they ate and were satisfied and grew fat, and delighted themselves in Your great goodness.
26 “But they became disobedient and rebelled against You, and cast Your Torah behind their backs. And they slew Your neḇi’im who had warned them, to bring them back to Yourself. And they worked great blasphemies.
27 “Therefore You gave them into the hand of their enemies, who distressed them. And in the time of their distress, when they cried to You, You heard from the shamayim. And according to Your great compassion You gave them saviours who saved them from the hand of their enemies.
28 “But after they had rest, they turned back to do evil before You. Then You left them in the hand of their enemies, so that they ruled over them. But when they turned back and cried out to You, You heard from the shamayim, and delivered them according to Your compassion, many times,
29 and warned them, to bring them back to Your Torah. But they acted proudly, and did not obey Your Commands, and sinned against Your Right-Rulings, ‘which if a man does, he shall live by them.’ And they gave the rebellious shoulder and hardened their necks, and would not hear.
30 “And You had patience with them for many years, and warned them by Your Ruaḥ, by the hand of Your neḇi’im, yet they would not give ear. Therefore You gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.
31 “But in Your great compassion You did not make an end of them nor forsake them, for You are an Ĕl of favour and compassion.
32 “And now, our Elohim, the great, the mighty, and awesome Ĕl, guarding the Covenant and the kindness, let not all the trouble that has come upon us, our sovereigns and our heads, our kohenim and our neḇi’im, our fathers and on all Your people, from the days of the sovereigns of Ashshur until this day, seem little before You.
33 “And in all that has come upon us You are righteous, for You have done truth, but we have done wickedness.
34 “And our sovereigns, our rulers, our kohenim, and our fathers, have not done Your Torah, nor heeded Your Commands and Your Witnesses, with which You witnessed against them.
35 “For they have not served You in their reign, or in Your great goodness that You gave them, or in the large and rich land which You put before them – neither turned back from their evil deeds.
36 “See, we are servants today! And the land that You gave to our fathers, to eat its fruit and the good of it, see, we are servants in it!
37 “And its rich yield goes to the sovereigns You have appointed over us, because of our sins. And they rule over our bodies and our livestock at their pleasure, and we are in great distress.
38 “And because of all this, we are making a trustworthy pledge, and write it. And our rulers, our Lĕwites, our kohenim put their seal on it.”