Nehemiah 9:38

Complete Jewish Bible

On the twenty-fourth day of this month the people of Isra'el, wearing sackcloth and with dirt on them, assembled for a fast. Those descended from Isra'el separated themselves from all foreigners; then they stood up and confessed their own sins and the iniquities of their ancestors. Standing where they were, they read in the scroll of the Torah of Adonai their God for one-quarter of the day. For another quarter they confessed and prostrated themselves before Adonai their God. On the platform of the L'vi'im stood Yeshua, Bani, Kadmi'el, Sh'vanyah, Buni, Sherevyah, Bani and K'nani; they cried out loudly to Adonai their God. Then the L'vi'im Yeshua, Kadmi'el, Bani, Hashavn'yah, Sherevyah, Hodiyah, Sh'vanyah and P'tachyah said, "Stand up, and bless Adonai your God from everlasting to everlasting; let them say: "‘Blessed be your glorious name, exalted above all blessing and praise! "‘You are Adonai , you alone. You made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their array, the earth and all the things that are in it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve them all. The army of heaven worships you. "‘You are Adonai , the God who chose Avram, brought him out of Ur-Kasdim and gave him the name of Avraham. Finding that he was faithful to you, you made a covenant with him to give the land of the Kena‘ani, the Hitti, Emori and P'rizi, the Y'vusi and the Girgashi, to give it to his descendants; and you have done what you promised, because you are just. "‘You saw the distress of our ancestors in Egypt and heard their cry by the Sea of Suf. You performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh, against all his servants and the people of the land; for you knew how arrogantly they treated them; and you won yourself a name which is yours to this day. You divided the sea ahead of them, so that they could pass through the sea on dry land; then you hurled their pursuers into the depths, like a stone into turbulent waters. "‘In a column of cloud you led them by day, and by night in a column of fire, so that they would have light ahead of them on the way that they were to go. "‘You descended on Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven. You gave them right rulings and true teachings, good laws and mitzvot. You revealed to them your holy Shabbat and gave them mitzvot, laws and the Torah through Moshe your servant. "‘For their hunger you gave them bread from heaven; for their thirst you brought forth for them water from the rock. You ordered them to enter and possess the land you had sworn with your hand to give them. "‘But they and our ancestors were arrogant; they stiffened their necks and ignored your mitzvot; they refused to listen and paid no attention to the wonders you had done among them. No, they stiffened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a leader to return them to their slavery. But because you are a God of forgiveness, merciful, full of compassion, slow to grow angry and full of grace, you did not abandon them. Even when they cast themselves a metal calf, saying of it, "This is your god that brought you up from Egypt," and committing other gross provocations; still, you, in your great compassion, did not abandon them in the desert. The column of cloud did not leave them by day; it kept leading them along the way. By night the column of fire kept showing them light and the path to take. You also gave your good Spirit to teach them, did not withhold man from their mouths and provided them water to quench their thirst. Yes, forty years you sustained them in the desert; they lacked nothing — their clothes did not wear out; their feet did not swell up. "‘You gave them kingdoms and peoples; you even gave them extra land, so that they took possession of the land of Sichon, also the land of the king of Heshbon and the land of ‘Og king of Bashan. You made their children as numerous as the countless stars in the sky. "‘Then you brought them into the land about which you had said to their fathers that they should go in and take possession of it. So the children went in and possessed the land, as you subdued ahead of them the Kena‘ani living in the land, and handed them over to them, along with their kings and the peoples of the land, for them to do with as they wished. They took fortified cities and fertile land, possessed houses full of all kinds of good things, dug-out cisterns, vineyards, olive groves, fruit trees in plenty; so they ate their fill and grew robust, luxuriating in your great goodness. "‘Yet they disobeyed and rebelled against you, throwing your Torah behind their backs. They killed your prophets for warning them that they should return to you and committed other gross provocations. So you handed them over to the power of their adversaries, who oppressed them. Yet in the time of their trouble, when they cried out to you, you heard from heaven, and in keeping with your great compassion, you gave them saviors to save them from the power of their adversaries. But as soon as they had gotten some relief, they went back to do evil before you. So you left them in the power of their enemies, who came down hard on them. Yet when they returned and cried out to you, you heard from heaven many times and saved them, according to your compassion. You warned them, in order to bring them back to your Torah; yet they were arrogant. They paid no attention to your mitzvot, but sinned against your rulings, which, if a person does them, he will have life through them. However, they stubbornly turned their shoulders, stiffened their necks and refused to hear. Many years you extended them mercy and warned them by your Spirit through your prophets; yet they would not listen. Therefore you handed them over to the peoples of the lands. Even so, in your great compassion, you didn't completely destroy them; nor did you abandon them, for you are a compassionate and merciful God. "‘Now therefore, our God, great, mighty, fearsome God, who keeps both covenant and grace: let not all this suffering seem little to you that has come on us, our kings, our leaders, our cohanim, our prophets, our ancestors, and on all your people, from the times of the kings of Ashur until this very day. There is no question that you are just in all that has come upon us; for you have treated us fairly. It is we who have acted wickedly. Our kings, our leaders, our cohanim and ancestors did not keep your Torah, pay attention to your mitzvot or heed the warnings you gave them. Even when they ruled their own kingdom, even when you prospered them greatly, in the great, rich land you gave them, they did not serve you; nor did they turn from their wicked deeds. "‘So here we are today, slaves. Yes, in the land you gave our ancestors, so that they could eat what it produces and enjoy its good — here we are in it, slaves! Its rich yield now goes to the kings you have set over us because of our sins; they have power over our bodies, they can do what they please to our livestock, and we are in great distress!

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
In view of all this, we are making a binding agreement in writing on a sealed document containing the names of our leaders, Levites, and priests.

Hebrew Names Version
Yet for all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, our Levites, [and] our Kohanim, seal to it.

King James Version
And because of all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, Levites, and priests, seal unto it.

English Standard Version
"Because of all this we make a firm covenant in writing; on the sealed document are the names of our princes, our Levites, and our priests.

New Century Version
"Because of all this, we are making an agreement in writing, and our leaders, Levites, and priests are putting their seals on it."

New English Translation
"Because of all of this we are entering into a binding covenant in written form; our leaders, our Levites, and our priests have affixed their names on the sealed document."

Amplified Bible
"Now because of all this We are making an agreement in writing; And on the sealed document are the names of our princes, our Levites, and our priests."

New American Standard Bible
"Now because of all this We are making an agreement in writing; And on the sealed document are the names of our leaders, our Levites, and our priests."

World English Bible
Yet for all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, our Levites, [and] our priests, seal to it.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Nowe because of all this we make a sure couenant, and write it, and our princes, our Leuites and our Priestes seale vnto it.

Legacy Standard Bible
"Now because of all thisWe are cutting an agreement in writing;And on the sealed document are the names of our princes, our Levites, and our priests."

Berean Standard Bible
In view of all this, we make a binding agreement, putting it in writing and sealing it with the names of our leaders, Levites, and priests."

Contemporary English Version
And so, a firm agreement was made that had the official approval of the leaders, the Levites, and priests.

Darby Translation
And because of all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, our Levites, [and] our priests are at the sealing.

Easy-to-Read Version
"Because of all these things, we are making an agreement that cannot be changed. We are putting this agreement in writing. Our leaders, Levites, and priests are signing their names to this agreement and sealing it with a seal."

George Lamsa Translation
And in view of all these things we make a sure covenant and bear witness over the seal, even our elders, Levites, and priests, and all those who have been spared of us.

Good News Translation
Because of all that has happened, we, the people of Israel, hereby make a solemn written agreement, and our leaders, our Levites, and our priests put their seals to it.

Lexham English Bible
"Now because of all of this we make a binding written agreement and are writing on the sealed documents the names of our commanders, our Levites, and our priests."

Literal Translation
And because of all this, we are cutting a sure covenant and writing it , and our rulers, Levites, and priests are sealing it.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And in all this made we a sure couenaunt, & wrote it, & let or prynces, Leuites & prestes seale it.

American Standard Version
And yet for all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, our Levites, and our priests, seal unto it.

Bible in Basic English
And because of all this we are making an agreement in good faith, and putting it in writing; and our rulers, our Levites, and our priests are putting their names to it.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Now because of all this make we a sure couenaunt and write it, & our princes, leuites, and priestes, seale vnto it.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
span data-lang="eng" data-trans="jps" data-ref="neh.9.1" class="versetxt"> Now in the twenty and fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackcloth, and earth upon them. And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all foreigners, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers. And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the Law of the LORD their God a fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed, and prostrated themselves before the LORD their God. Then stood up upon the platform of the Levites, Jeshua, and Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani, and cried with a loud voice unto the LORD their God. Then the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said: 'Stand up and bless the LORD your God from everlasting to everlasting; and let them say: Blessed be Thy glorious Name, that is exalted above all blessing and praise. Thou art the LORD, even Thou alone; Thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all things that are thereon, the seas and all that is in them, and Thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth Thee. Thou art the LORD the God, who didst choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham; and foundest his heart faithful before Thee, and madest a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, and the Perizzite, and the Jebusite, and the Girgashite, even to give it unto his seed, and hast performed Thy words; for Thou art righteous; And Thou sawest the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heardest their cry by the Red Sea; and didst show signs and wonders upon Pharaoh, and on all his servants, and on all the people of his land; for Thou knewest that they dealt proudly against them; and didst get Thee a name, as it is this day. And Thou didst divide the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land; and their pursuers Thou didst cast into the depths, as a stone into the mighty waters. Moreover in a pillar of cloud Thou didst lead them by day; and in a pillar of fire by night, to give them light in the way wherein they should go. Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spokest with them from heaven, and gavest them right ordinances and laws of truth, good statutes and commandments; and madest known unto them Thy holy sabbath, and didst command them commandments, and statutes, and a law, by the hand of Moses Thy servant; and gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and didst command them that they should go in to possess the land which Thou hadst lifted up Thy hand to give them. But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their neck, and hearkened not to Thy commandments, and refused to hearken, neither were mindful of Thy wonders that Thou didst among them; but hardened their neck, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage; but Thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy, and forsookest them not. Yea, when they had made them a molten calf, and said: 'This is thy God that brought thee up out of Egypt, and had wrought great provocations; yet Thou in Thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness; the pillar of cloud departed not from over them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to show them light, and the way wherein they should go. Thou gavest also Thy good spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not Thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst. Yea, forty years didst Thou sustain them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not old, and their feet swelled not. Moreover Thou gavest them kingdoms and peoples, which Thou didst allot quarter by quarter; so they possessed the land of Sihon, even the land of the king of Heshbon, and the land of Og king of Bashan. Their children also didst Thou multiply as the stars of heaven, and didst bring them into the land, concerning which Thou didst say to their fathers, that they should go in to possess it. So the children went in and possessed the land, and Thou didst subdue before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gavest them into their hands, with their kings, and the peoples of the land, that they might do with them as they would. And they took fortified cities, and a fat land, and possessed houses full of all good things, cisterns hewn out, vineyards, and oliveyards, and fruit-trees in abundance; so they did eat, and were filled, and became fat, and luxuriated in Thy great goodness. Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against Thee, and cast Thy law behind their back, and slew Thy prophets that did forewarn them to turn them back unto Thee, and they wrought great provocations. Therefore Thou didst deliver them into the hand of their adversaries, who distressed them; and in the time of their trouble, when they cried unto Thee, Thou heardest from heaven; and according to Thy manifold mercies Thou gavest them saviours who might save them out of the hand of their adversaries. But after they had rest, they did evil again before Thee; therefore didst Thou leave them in the hand of their enemies, so that they had the dominion over them; yet when they returned, and cried unto Thee, many times didst Thou hear from heaven, and deliver them according to Thy mercies; and didst forewarn them, that Thou mightest bring them back unto Thy law; yet they dealt proudly, and hearkened not unto Thy commandments, but sinned against Thine ordinances, which if a man do, he shall live by them, and presented a stubborn shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear. Yet many years didst Thou extend mercy unto them, and didst forewarn them by Thy spirit through Thy prophets; yet would they not give ear; therefore gavest Thou them into the hand of the peoples of the lands. Nevertheless in Thy manifold mercies Thou didst not utterly consume them, nor forsake them; for Thou art a gracious and merciful God. Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awful God, who keepest covenant and mercy, let not all the travail seem little before Thee, that hath come upon us, on our kings, on our princes, and on our priests, and on our prophets, and on our fathers, and on all Thy people, since the time of the kings of Assyria unto this day. Howbeit Thou art just in all that is come upon us; for Thou hast dealt truly, but we have done wickedly; neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, nor our fathers, kept Thy law, nor hearkened unto Thy commandments and Thy testimonies, wherewith Thou didst testify against them. For they have not served Thee in their kingdom, and in Thy great goodness that Thou gavest them, and in the large and fat land which Thou gavest before them, neither turned they from their wicked works. Behold, we are servants this day, and as for the land that Thou gavest unto our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof, behold, we are servants in it. And it yieldeth much increase unto the kings whom Thou hast set over us because of our sins; also they have power over our bodies, and over our cattle, at their pleasure, and we are in great distress.'

King James Version (1611)
And because of all this, wee make a sure couenant, and write it, and our Princes, Leuites, and Priestes, seale vnto it.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And in regard to all these circumstances we make a covenant, and write it, and our princes, our Levites, and our priests, set their seal to it.

English Revised Version
And yet for all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, our Levites, and our priests, seal unto it.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor on alle these thingis we `vs silf smyten and writen boond of pees, and oure princes, oure dekenes, and oure prestis aseelen.

Update Bible Version
And yet for all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, our Levites, [and] our priests, seal to it.

Webster's Bible Translation
And because of all this we make a sure [covenant], and write [it]; and our princes, Levites, [and] priests, set their seals [to it].

New King James Version
"And because of all this, We make a sure covenant and write it; Our leaders, our Levites, and our priests seal it."

New Living Translation
The people responded, "In view of all this, we are making a solemn promise and putting it in writing. On this sealed document are the names of our leaders and Levites and priests."

New Life Bible
"Now because of all this we are making an agreement in writing. And our leaders, our Levites, and our religious leaders have put their mark on it."

New Revised Standard
Because of all this we make a firm agreement in writing, and on that sealed document are inscribed the names of our officials, our Levites, and our priests.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Seeing, therefore, all this, we, are plighting our faith, and putting it in writing, - and, upon the sealed scroll, are our rulers, our Levites, our priests.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And because of all this we ourselves make a covenant, and write it, and our princes, our Levites, and our priests sign it.

Revised Standard Version
Because of all this we make a firm covenant and write it, and our princes, our Levites, and our priests set their seal to it.

Young's Literal Translation
And for all this we are making a stedfast covenant, and are writing, and over him who is sealed [are] our heads, our Levites, our priests.'

THE MESSAGE
"Because of all this we are drawing up a binding pledge, a sealed document signed by our princes, our Levites, and our priests."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Now because of all this We are making an agreement in writing; And on the sealed document are the names of our leaders, our Levites and our priests."

Contextual Overview

⁴ On the platform of the L'vi'im stood Yeshua, Bani, Kadmi'el, Sh'vanyah, Buni, Sherevyah, Bani and K'nani; they cried out loudly to Adonai their God. ⁵ Then the L'vi'im Yeshua, Kadmi'el, Bani, Hashavn'yah, Sherevyah, Hodiyah, Sh'vanyah and P'tachyah said, "Stand up, and bless Adonai your God from everlasting to everlasting; let them say: "‘Blessed be your glorious name, exalted above all blessing and praise! ⁶ "‘You are Adonai , you alone. You made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their array, the earth and all the things that are in it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve them all. The army of heaven worships you. ⁷ "‘You are Adonai , the God who chose Avram, brought him out of Ur-Kasdim and gave him the name of Avraham. ⁸ Finding that he was faithful to you, you made a covenant with him to give the land of the Kena‘ani, the Hitti, Emori and P'rizi, the Y'vusi and the Girgashi, to give it to his descendants; and you have done what you promised, because you are just. ⁹ "‘You saw the distress of our ancestors in Egypt and heard their cry by the Sea of Suf. ¹⁰ You performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh, against all his servants and the people of the land; for you knew how arrogantly they treated them; and you won yourself a name which is yours to this day. ¹¹ You divided the sea ahead of them, so that they could pass through the sea on dry land; then you hurled their pursuers into the depths, like a stone into turbulent waters. ¹² "‘In a column of cloud you led them by day, and by night in a column of fire, so that they would have light ahead of them on the way that they were to go. ¹³ "‘You descended on Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven. You gave them right rulings and true teachings, good laws and mitzvot.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

we make: Nehemiah 10:29, 2 Kings 23:3, 2 Chronicles 15:12, 2 Chronicles 15:13, 2 Chronicles 23:16, 2 Chronicles 29:10, 2 Chronicles 34:31, Ezra 10:3

seal unto it: Heb. are at the sealing, or sealed, Nehemiah 10:1

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 29:10 - General Joshua 24:25 - made 2 Samuel 5:3 - made 2 Kings 11:4 - made a covenant 2 Kings 11:17 - made a covenant Job 33:16 - sealeth Isaiah 44:5 - subscribe Jeremiah 34:8 - had

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And because of all this,.... Of all this distress, and that it might be removed, and be clear of it; or "in all this distress and evil", as Jarchi and Aben Ezra, in the midst of it all:

we make a sure covenant; or faithfully promise to observe the law of God, and particularly put away strange wives, and not intermarry with the people of the land:

and write it; that it may remain and be a testimony against them should they break it, being their own handwriting:

and our princes, Levites, and priests, seal unto it; as witnesses of it, and thereby binding themselves to observe the same things; their names that sealed are given in the next chapter.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Seal unto it - The exact force of the phrase used is doubtful; but its general sense must be that the classes named took part in the sealing. It was usual in the East to authenticate covenants by appending the seals of those who were parties to them (see Jeremiah 32:10).

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Nehemiah 9:38. Our princes, Levites, and priests, seal unto it. — Persuaded that we have brought all the miseries upon ourselves by our transgressions, feeling much and fearing more, we make a covenant with thee to devote ourselves to thy service; to do with us as thou pleasest. From this sealing we learn that at this time the government of the Jews was a mixed aristocracy; composed of the nobles for the civil department, and the priests and Levites for the ecclesiastical.

This was not mixing the Church with the state, or the state with the Church: both were separate, yet both mutually supported each other. The state never attempted to model the Church according to its own mind; because the Church had been founded and regulated by God, and neither its creed nor its ordinances could be changed. The Church did not meddle with the state, to give it new laws, new ordinances, or new officers. Therefore the one could not be jealous of the other. Where this state of things prevails, every public blessing may be expected. In every state God says to the governors and the governed: "Render to Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and to GOD the things which are GOD's."