Nehemiah 9

King James Version

Full text for Nehemiah Chapter 9

1¶ Now in the twenty and fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackclothes, and earth upon them.

2And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers.

3And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of the LORD their God [one] fourth part of the day; and [another] fourth part they confessed, and worshipped the LORD their God.

4¶ Then stood up upon the stairs, of the Levites, Jeshua, and Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, [and] Chenani, and cried with a loud voice unto the LORD their God.

5Then the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, [and] Pethahiah, said, Stand up [and] bless the LORD your God for ever and ever: and blessed be thy glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise.

6Thou, [even] thou, [art] LORD alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all [things] that [are] therein, the seas, and all that [is] therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee.

7Thou [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;

8And foundest his heart faithful before thee, and madest a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Jebusites, and the Girgashites, to give [it, I say], to his seed, and hast performed thy words; for thou [art] righteous:

9And didst see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heardest their cry by the Red sea;

10And shewedst 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. So didst thou get thee a name, as [it is] this day.

11And thou didst divide the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land; and their persecutors thou threwest into the deeps, as a stone into the mighty waters.

12Moreover thou leddest them in the day by a cloudy pillar; and in the night by a pillar of fire, to give them light in the way wherein they should go.

13Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments:

14And madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and commandedst them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses thy servant:

15And gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and promisedst them that they should go in to possess the land which thou hadst sworn to give them.

16But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their necks, and hearkened not to thy commandments,

17And refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage: but thou [art] a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not.

18Yea, 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;

19Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to shew them light, and the way wherein they should go.

20Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst.

21Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness, [so that] they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not old, and their feet swelled not.

22Moreover thou gavest them kingdoms and nations, and didst divide them into corners: so they possessed the land of Sihon, and the land of the king of Heshbon, and the land of Og king of Bashan.

23Their children also multipliedst thou as the stars of heaven, and broughtest them into the land, concerning which thou hadst promised to their fathers, that they should go in to possess [it].

24So the children went in and possessed the land, and thou subduedst before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gavest them into their hands, with their kings, and the people of the land, that they might do with them as they would.

25And they took strong cities, and a fat land, and possessed houses full of all goods, wells digged, vineyards, and oliveyards, and fruit trees in abundance: so they did eat, and were filled, and became fat, and delighted themselves in thy great goodness.

26Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs, and slew thy prophets which testified against them to turn them to thee, and they wrought great provocations.

27Therefore thou deliveredst them into the hand of their enemies, who vexed them: and in the time of their trouble, when they cried unto thee, thou heardest [them] from heaven; and according to thy manifold mercies thou gavest them saviours, who saved them out of the hand of their enemies.

28But after they had rest, they did evil again before thee: therefore leftest thou them in the hand of their enemies, so that they had the dominion over them: yet when they returned, and cried unto thee, thou heardest [them] from heaven; and many times didst thou deliver them according to thy mercies;

29And testifiedst against them, that thou mightest bring them again unto thy law: yet they dealt proudly, and hearkened not unto thy commandments, but sinned against thy judgments, (which if a man do, he shall live in them;) and withdrew the shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear.

30Yet many years didst thou forbear them, and testifiedst against them by thy spirit in thy prophets: yet would they not give ear: therefore gavest thou them into the hand of the people of the lands.

31Nevertheless for thy great mercies' sake thou didst not utterly consume them, nor forsake them; for thou [art] a gracious and merciful God.

32Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who keepest covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble 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.

33Howbeit thou [art] just in all that is brought upon us; for thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly:

34Neither 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.

35For 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.

36Behold, we [are] servants this day, and [for] the land that thou gavest unto our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof, behold, we [are] servants in it:

37And it yieldeth much increase unto the kings whom thou hast set over us because of our sins: also they have dominion over our bodies, and over our cattle, at their pleasure, and we [are] in great distress.

38And because of all this we make a sure [covenant], and write [it]; and our princes, Levites, [and] priests, seal [unto it].

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

Nehemiah chapter 9 details a solemn assembly of the children of Israel, who gathered with fasting, sackcloth, and earth upon them to confess their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. The Levites led a lengthy prayer, recounting God's faithfulness from creation, through the Abrahamic covenant, the Exodus, wilderness wanderings, and the conquest of Canaan. Despite God's continuous goodness, the prayer highlights Israel's persistent rebellion and disobedience, yet also emphasizes God's enduring mercy and forbearance. The chapter concludes with the people acknowledging their current state of servitude as a consequence of sin, affirming God's justice, and sealing a new covenant.

Medium Summary

On the twenty-fourth day of the month, the children of Israel assembled in humility, separating themselves from strangers to confess their own and their fathers' sins. They dedicated a quarter of the day to reading the Law and another quarter to confession and worship. Levites then led a profound prayer, beginning by exalting God as the sole Creator and Preserver of all things. The prayer recounts God's election of Abram, the covenant with Abraham, and His miraculous deliverance of Israel from Egyptian bondage, including the parting of the Red Sea and guidance by pillars of cloud and fire. It details God's giving of the Law at Sinai and His provision of manna and water in the wilderness, sustaining them for forty years. However, the prayer repeatedly contrasts God's faithfulness with Israel's pride, hardened necks, and disobedience, including their idolatry and rejection of prophets. Despite their rebellion, God's manifold mercies are highlighted, as He continually provided saviours and did not utterly consume them. The people acknowledge their present distress and servitude under foreign kings as a just consequence of their wickedness, and conclude by making a sure covenant.

Long Summary

Nehemiah chapter 9 opens with the children of Israel gathered on the twenty-fourth day of the month, engaging in a profound act of national repentance, marked by fasting, sackcloth, and earth. They separated themselves from all strangers, confessing both their own sins and the iniquities of their ancestors. This solemn assembly included a quarter of the day dedicated to reading from the book of the Law of the LORD and another quarter spent in confession and worship. The Levites, including Jeshua, Bani, and others, then led a lengthy and comprehensive prayer, beginning with an exaltation of God as the one and only LORD, the Creator of heaven, earth, and seas, who preserves all things and is worshipped by the host of heaven. The prayer recounts God's historical faithfulness, starting with His choice of Abram, bringing him out of Ur, and establishing the covenant with Abraham to give the land of Canaan to his seed, a promise God faithfully performed. It continues with God's observation of Israel's affliction in Egypt, His hearing their cry at the Red Sea, and His display of signs and wonders against Pharaoh, leading to their miraculous deliverance through the divided sea. God's continuous guidance in the wilderness by cloudy and fiery pillars, His descent upon Mount Sinai to give righteous judgments and laws, and His provision of manna and water from the rock are all recounted. Yet, the prayer starkly contrasts God's unwavering goodness with Israel's persistent rebellion; they dealt proudly, hardened their necks, refused to obey, and even appointed a captain to return to bondage. Despite their making a molten calf and great provocations, God in His manifold mercies did not forsake them, continuing to provide His Spirit, manna, and water, sustaining them for forty years without lack. Upon entering the promised land, God subdued the inhabitants, allowing Israel to possess strong cities, fat land, and abundant goods. Nevertheless, they again rebelled, cast God's law behind their backs, and slew His prophets. Consequently, God delivered them into the hands of their enemies, yet when they cried out, He heard them and provided saviours. This cycle of disobedience, judgment, and God's merciful deliverance is repeated, highlighting Israel's continued pride and refusal to hear God's testimonies. The prayer acknowledges that God forbore them for many years, testifying through His prophets, but their refusal to listen led to their being given into the hand of the people of the lands. Despite all, God, for His great mercies' sake, did not utterly consume or forsake them, being a gracious and merciful God. The prayer concludes with the people acknowledging their current great distress and servitude under foreign kings as a just consequence of their collective sins, affirming that God is just in all that has come upon them because they have done wickedly. In response to this profound confession and historical review, the leaders, Levites, and priests make and seal a sure covenant.

Core Concepts

  • National Confession and RepentanceThe chapter begins with the children of Israel assembling with fasting, sackcloth, and earth, separating themselves from strangers to confess their sins and the iniquities of their fathers, demonstrating a collective act of humility and repentance.
  • Divine Faithfulness and CreationThe Levites' prayer opens by exalting God as the sole LORD, the Creator of heaven and earth, emphasizing His sovereignty and His consistent faithfulness in preserving all things and fulfilling His covenants.
  • God's Providence in Israel's HistoryThe prayer extensively recounts God's miraculous acts, from choosing Abram and delivering Israel from Egypt with signs and wonders, to guiding them with pillars of cloud and fire, providing manna and water in the wilderness, and enabling their conquest of Canaan.
  • Israel's Persistent DisobedienceA recurring theme is the people's pride, hardened necks, refusal to obey God's commandments, idolatry (like the molten calf), and rejection of His prophets, illustrating a continuous pattern of rebellion despite God's goodness.
  • God's Enduring Mercy and ForbearanceDespite Israel's repeated provocations and disobedience, God is consistently portrayed as 'ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness,' never utterly forsaking them and repeatedly delivering them according to His mercies.
  • Consequences of Sin and Divine JusticeThe people acknowledge their current state of servitude and distress under foreign kings, recognizing it as a just consequence of their own and their fathers' wickedness, affirming that God is righteous in all that has befallen them.
  • Covenant RenewalThe chapter concludes with the decision to make a 'sure covenant' and to seal it, signifying a renewed commitment to God's law in light of their confession and the recognition of God's justice and mercy.