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shelters in which they would live during the festival, as prescribed in the Law.
16 So the people went out and cut branches
and used them to build shelters on the roofs of
their houses, in their courtyards, in the courtyards of God’s Temple, or in the squares just inside the Water Gate and the Ephraim Gate. 17 So
everyone who had returned from captivity lived
in these shelters during the festival, and they
were all filled with great joy! The Israelites had
not celebrated like this since the days of Joshua*
son of Nun.
18 Ezra read from the Book of the Law of God
on each of the seven days of the festival. Then
on the eighth day they held a solemn assembly,
as was required by law.
The People Confess Their Sins
On October 31* the people assembled
again, and this time they fasted and
dressed in burlap and sprinkled dust on their
heads. 2 Those of Israelite descent separated
themselves from all foreigners as they confessed their own sins and the sins of their
ancestors. 3 They remained standing in place
for three hours* while the Book of the Law of
the Lord their God was read aloud to them.
Then for three more hours they confessed their
sins and worshiped the Lord their God. 4 The
Levites—Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah,
Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Kenani—stood
on the stairway of the Levites and cried out to
the Lord their God with loud voices.
5 Then the leaders of the Levites—Jeshua,
Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah—called out
to the people: “Stand up and praise the Lord
your God, for he lives from everlasting to everlasting!” Then they prayed:
9
“May your glorious name be praised! May it
be exalted above all blessing and praise!
6 “You alone are the Lord. You made the
skies and the heavens and all the stars. You
made the earth and the seas and everything
in them. You preserve them all, and the
angels of heaven worship you.
7 “You are the Lord God, who chose
Abram and brought him from Ur of the
Chaldeans and renamed him Abraham.
8 When he had proved himself faithful, you
made a covenant with him to give him and
his descendants the land of the Canaanites,
Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites,
and Girgashites. And you have done what
you promised, for you are always true to
your word.
8:17 Hebrew Jeshua, a variant spelling of Joshua. 9:1 Hebrew
On the twenty-fourth day of that same month, the seventh
month of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar. This day was
October 31, 445 b.c.; also see notes on 1:1 and 8:2. 9:3 Hebrew
for a quarter of a day. 9:9 Hebrew sea of reeds. 9:17 As in
Greek version; Hebrew reads in their rebellion.
NEHEM IAH 9
9 “You saw the misery of our ancestors
in Egypt, and you heard their cries from
beside the Red Sea.* 10 You displayed
miraculous signs and wonders against
Pharaoh, his officials, and all his people,
for you knew how arrogantly they were
treating our ancestors. You have a glorious
reputation that has never been forgotten.
11 You divided the sea for your people so
they could walk through on dry land! And
then you hurled their enemies into the
depths of the sea. They sank like stones
beneath the mighty waters. 12 You led our
ancestors by a pillar of cloud during the
day and a pillar of fire at night so that they
could find their way.
— promises —
from God
“Don’t be dejected and
sad, for the joy of the Lord
is your strength!”
N E H E M I A H 8:1 0
13 “You came down at Mount Sinai and
spoke to them from heaven. You gave them
regulations and instructions that were
just, and decrees and commands that were
good. 14 You instructed them concerning
your holy Sabbath. And you commanded
them, through Moses your servant, to
obey all your commands, decrees, and
instructions.
15 “You gave them bread from heaven when
they were hungry and water from the rock
when they were thirsty. You commanded
them to go and take possession of the land
you had sworn to give them.
16 “But our ancestors were proud and
stubborn, and they paid no attention to your
commands. 17 They refused to obey and did
not remember the miracles you had done
for them. Instead, they became stubborn
and appointed a leader to take them back
to their slavery in Egypt.* But you are a God
of forgiveness, gracious and merciful, slow
to become angry, and rich in unfailing love.
You did not abandon them, 18 even when they
made an idol shaped like a calf and said,
‘This is your god who brought you out of
Egypt!’ They committed terrible blasphemies.
19 “But in your great mercy you did not
abandon them to die in the wilderness.
The pillar of cloud still led them forward
by day, and the pillar of fire showed them
the way through the night. 20 You sent your
good Spirit to instruct them, and you did