Nechemyah 9 נחמיה ט׳

And on the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of Israel gathered together in fasting and in sackcloth and (with) earth upon them [i.e., upon their heads].

And the seed of Israel were separated from all of the foreigners [i.e., the idolators, and from their foreign wives (viz. Ezra 9 and 10)], and they arose and made confession for their sins and for the transgressions of their fathers.

And they stood in their places and read in the scroll of the Torah of the L-rd their G d a quarter of the day, and (another) quarter, they made confession and prostrated themselves to the L-rd their G d.

And there arose on the ascent of the Levites [(on which they stood when they chanted)] Yeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shevanyah, Buni, Sherevyah, Bani (and) Kenani, and they cried out in a great voice to the L-rd their G d.

And the Levites said — Yeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Chahashav'nyah, Sherevyah, Hodiyah, Shevanyah (and) Petachyah — Arise and bless the L-rd your G d from the [beginning of] the world until the [end of] the world, and, [(addressing themselves to the Shechinah)], let them [(Israel)] bless the name of Your glory, which is exalted over all blessing and praise [(being their source)].

You are the L-rd alone. You made the heavens and the heavens of the heavens and all their hosts; the earth and all that is upon it; the seas and all that is in them. And You give life to all, and the host of heaven bows down to you.

You are the L-rd G d who chose Avram and took him out of Ur-Kasdim and made his name Avraham.

And You found his heart faithful before You, and You made a covenant with him to give him the land of the Canaani, the Perizi, the Yevussi and the Girgashi to give to his seed. And You fulfilled Your word, for You are righteous.

And You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and You heard their outcry at the Red Sea.

And You placed signs and wonders in Pharaoh and in all his servants and in all the people of his land, for You knew that they [(the Egyptians)] devised evil against them [(Israel) viz. Exodus 18:11], and You made Yourself a Name as of this day.

And You split the sea before them, and they passed over in the midst of the sea on the dry land, and their pursuers You cast into the depths like a stone in mighty waters.

And with a pillar of cloud You led them by day and with a pillar of fire by night to light them on the way they were to go.

And You descended on Mount Sinai to speak to them from heaven. And You gave them just judgments and laws of truth, good statutes and mitzvoth.

And You apprised them of Your holy Sabbath and You commanded unto them mitzvoth and statutes and Torah, by the hand of Moses, Your servant.

And You gave them bread from heaven in their hunger and water from a rock in their thirst. And You told them to come and inherit the land that You raised Your hand [i.e., that You swore] to give them.

And they and our fathers sinned wilfully and stiffened their necks and did not heed Your mitzvoth.

And they refused to listen and they did not remember the wonders that You had wrought for them. And they stiffened their necks, and they would make a leader for themselves to return to their servitude [of Egypt] in their rebelliousness. But You are a G-d of forgiveness, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and You did not forsake them.

Even though they made for themselves a molten calf and said: "This is your god, who took you up from the land of Egypt"; and they committed great blasphemies.

Yet You, in Your many mercies, did not forsake them in the desert. The pillar of cloud did not depart from them by day to lead them on the way, and the pillar of fire by night to light them on the way they were to go.

And You gave them Your goodly spirit to inform them, and You did not keep Your manna from their mouths, and You gave them water in their thirst.

And You fed them forty years in the desert. They lacked nothing. Their raiment did not wear out and their feet did not swell.

And You gave them kingdoms and peoples, and You set them apart [(in isolation from the other peoples)]. And they inherited the land of Sichon and the land of the king of Cheshbon and the land of Og, the king of the Bashan.

And You multiplied their children like the stars of the heavens, and You brought them to the land that you told their fathers to come to and inherit.

And the children came and inherited the land, and You humbled before them the dwellers of the land, the Canaanites, and You delivered them into their hands, and their kings and the peoples of the land, to do with them as they willed.

And they conquered fortified cities and fat soil and they inherited houses full of all good (and) hewn-out wells, vineyards, olive yards, and fruit trees in abundance. And they ate and were sated and they fattened and luxuriated in Your great good.

And they rose up and rebelled against You, and they cast Your Torah behind their backs, and they killed Your prophets who exhorted them to return them to You, and they committed great blasphemies.

And You delivered them into the hand of their oppressors and they afflicted them. And in the time of their affliction they would cry out to You. And You, in heaven, would hear. And in Your many mercies, You would give them saviors and they would save them from the hand of their oppressors.

And when (their lot) was eased, they would revert to doing evil before You and You would leave them in the hands of their foes. And they would oppress them and they would again cry out to You. And You, from heaven, would hear. And You would save them in Your mercies many times.

And You would exhort them to return them to Your Torah. But they acted wilfully and would not heed Your mitzvoth and sinned in Your judgments, which, if a man does them, he lives through them. And they lifted a recalcitrant shoulder and stiffened their necks and would not pay heed.

And You drew out [Your mercies] to them for many years, and You warned them with Your spirit through Your prophets, but they would not listen.

And in Your many mercies You did not make an end of them and You did not forsake them, for You are a gracious and merciful G-d.

And now, our G-d, the great, and mighty, and awesome G-d, Keeper of the covenant and the lovingkindness, let (it) not be little before You, all the suffering that has befallen our kings, our leaders, our priests, our prophets, our fathers, and all Your people, from the days of the kings of Ashur until this day.

And You are righteous in all [the affliction] that has come upon us. for You have wrought truth and we have been wicked.

And our kings, our leaders, our priests, and our fathers have not observed Your Torah and have not heeded Your mitzvoth and Your exhortations wherewith You exhorted them.

And they, in their kingship and in their abundant good which You accorded them and in the broad, fat land that You placed before them did not serve You and did not repent of their wicked deeds.

Behold, we are servants this day; and the land that You gave our fathers, to eat its fruit and its good — behold, we are servants upon it.

And its produce adds [luxuries (through the taxes imposed upon us)] to the [gentile] kings that You have placed over us in our sins. And they rule over our bodies and our beasts at their will, and we find ourselves in great distress.