1 وفي اليوم الرابع والعشرين من هذا الشهر اجتمع بنو اسرائيل بالصوم وعليهم مسوح وتراب.2 وانفصل نسل اسرائيل من جميع بني الغرباء ووقفوا واعترفوا بخطاياهم وذنوب آبائهم.3 واقاموا في مكانهم وقرأوا في سفر شريعة الرب الههم ربع النهار وفي الربع الآخر كانوا يحمدون ويسجدون للرب الههم4 ووقف على درج اللاويين يشوع وباني وقدميئيل وشبنيا وبنيّ وشربيا وباني وكناني وصرخوا بصوت عظيم الى الرب الههم.5 وقال اللاويون يشوع وقدميئيل وباني وحشبنيا وشربيا وهوديا وشبنيا وفتحيا قوموا باركوا الرب الهكم من الازل الى الابد وليتبارك اسم جلالك المتعالي على كل بركة وتسبيح.6 انت هو الرب وحدك. انت صنعت السموات وسماء السموات وكل جندها والارض وكل ما عليها والبحار وكل ما فيها وانت تحييها كلها وجند السماء لك يسجد.7 انت هو الرب الاله الذي اخترت ابرام واخرجته من اور الكلدانيين وجعلت اسمه ابراهيم.8 ووجدت قلبه امينا امامك وقطعت معه العهد ان تعطيه ارض الكنعانيين والحثّيين والاموريين والفرزّيين واليبوسيين والجرجاشيين وتعطيها لنسله. وقد انجزت وعدك لانك صادق.9 ورأيت ذلّ آبائنا في مصر وسمعت صراخهم عند بحر سوف10 واظهرت آيات وعجائب على فرعون وعلى جميع عبيده وعلى كل شعب ارضه لانك علمت انهم بغوا عليهم وعملت لنفسك اسما كهذا اليوم.11 وفلقت اليمّ امامهم وعبروا في وسط البحر على اليابسة وطرحت مطارديهم في الاعماق كحجر في مياه قوية.12 وهديتهم بعمود سحاب نهارا وبعمود نار ليلا لتضيء لهم في الطريق التي يسيرون فيها.13 ونزلت على جبل سينا وكلمتهم من السماء واعطيتهم احكاما مستقيمة وشرائع صادقة فرائض ووصايا صالحة.14 وعرّفتهم سبتك المقدس وامرتهم بوصايا وفرائض وشرائع عن يد موسى عبدك.15 واعطيتهم خبزا من السماء لجوعهم واخرجت لهم ماء من الصخرة لعطشهم وقلت لهم ان يدخلوا ويرثوا الارض التي رفعت يدك ان تعطيهم اياها16 ولكنهم بغوا هم وآباؤنا وصلّبوا رقابهم ولم يسمعوا لوصاياك17 وأبوا الاستماع ولم يذكروا عجائبك التي صنعت معهم وصلّبوا رقابهم وعند تمردهم اقاموا رئيسا ليرجعوا الى عبوديتهم. وانت اله غفور وحنان ورحيم طويل الروح وكثير الرحمة فلم تتركهم.18 مع انهم عملوا لانفسهم عجلا مسبوكا وقالوا هذا الهك الذي اخرجك من مصر وعملوا اهانة عظيمة19 انت برحمتك الكثيرة لم تتركهم في البرية ولم يزل عنهم عمود السحاب نهارا لهدايتهم في الطريق ولا عمود النار ليلا ليضيء لهم في الطريق التي يسيرون فيها.20 واعطيتهم روحك الصالح لتعليمهم ولم تمنع منّك عن افواههم واعطيتهم ماء لعطشهم21 وعلتهم اربعين سنة في البرية فلم يحتاجوا. لم تبل ثيابهم ولم تتورّم ارجلهم.22 واعطيتهم ممالك وشعوبا وفرقتهم الى جهات فامتلكوا ارض سيحون وارض ملك حشبون وارض عوج ملك باشان.23 واكثرت بنيهم كنجوم السماء واتيت بهم الى الارض التي قلت لآبائهم ان يدخوا ويرثوها.24 فدخل البنون وورثوا الارض واخضعت لهم سكان ارض الكنعانيين ودفعتهم ليدهم مع ملوكهم وشعوب الارض ليعملوا بهم حسب ارادتهم.25 وأخذوا مدنا حصينة وارضا سمينة وورثوا بيوتا ملآنة كل خير وآبارا محفورة وكروما وزيتونا واشجارا مثمرة بكثرة فأكلوا وشبعوا وسمنوا وتلذذوا بخيرك العظيم26 وعصوا وتمردوا عليك وطرحوا شريعتك وراء ظهورهم وقتلوا انبياءك الذين اشهدوا عليهم ليردوهم اليك وعملوا اهانة عظيمة.27 فدفعتهم ليد مضايقيهم فضايقوهم وفي وقت ضيقهم صرخوا اليك وانت من السماء سمعت وحسب مراحمك الكثيرة اعطيتهم مخلصين خلّصوهم من يد مضايقيهم.28 ولكن لما استراحوا رجعوا الى عمل الشر قدامك فتركتهم بيد اعدائهم فتسلطوا عليهم ثم رجعوا وصرخوا اليك وانت من السماء سمعت وانقذتهم حسب مراحمك الكثيرة احيانا كثيرة.29 واشهدت عليهم لتردهم الى شريعتك. واما هم فبغوا ولم يسمعوا لوصاياك واخطأوا ضد احكامك التي اذا عملها انسان يحيا بها. واعطوا كتفا معاندة وصلّبوا رقابهم ولم يسمعوا.30 فاحتملتهم سنين كثيرة واشهدت عليهم بروحك عن يد انبيائك فلم يصغوا فدفعتهم ليد شعوب الاراضي.31 ولكن لاجل مراحمك الكثيرة لم تفنهم ولم تتركهم لانك اله حنّان ورحيم32 والآن يا الهنا الاله العظيم الجبار المخوف حافظ العهد والرحمة لا تصغر لديك كل المشقات التي اصابتنا نحن وملوكنا ورؤساءنا وكهنتنا وانبياءنا وآباءنا وكل شعبك من ايام ملوك اشور الى هذا اليوم.33 وانت بار في كل ما اتى علينا لانك عملت بالحق ونحن اذنبنا.34 وملوكنا ورؤساؤنا وكهنتنا وآباؤنا لم يعملوا شريعتك ولا اصغوا الى وصاياك وشهاداتك التي اشهدتها عليهم35 وهم لم يعبدوك في مملكتهم وفي خيرك الكثير الذي اعطيتهم وفي الارض الواسعة السمينة التي جعلتها امامهم ولم يرجعوا عن اعمالهم الرديّة.36 ها نحن اليوم عبيد والارض التي اعطيت لآبائنا ليأكلوا اثمارها وخيرها ها نحن عبيد فيها.37 وغلاتها كثيرة للملوك الذين جعلتهم علينا لاجل خطايانا وهم يتسلطون على اجسادنا وعلى بهائمنا حسب ارادتهم ونحن في كرب عظيم.38 ومن اجل كل ذلك نحن نقطع ميثاقا ونكتبه. ورؤساؤنا ولاويّونا وكهنتنا يختمون

1 Now in the twenty and fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackcloths, and earth on them.2 And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers.3 And 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 on the stairs, of the Levites, Jeshua, and Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani, and cried with a loud voice to the LORD their God.5 Then 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 your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise.6 You, even you, are LORD alone; you have 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 you preserve them all; and the host of heaven worships you.7 You are the LORD the God, who did choose Abram, and brought him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gave him the name of Abraham;8 And found his heart faithful before you, and made 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 have performed your words; for you are righteous:9 And did see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heard their cry by the Red sea;10 And showed signs and wonders on Pharaoh, and on all his servants, and on all the people of his land: for you knew that they dealt proudly against them. So did you get you a name, as it is this day.11 And you did divide the sea before them, so that they went through the middle of the sea on the dry land; and their persecutors you threw into the deeps, as a stone into the mighty waters.12 Moreover you led 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.13 You came down also on mount Sinai, and spoke with them from heaven, and gave them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments:14 And made known to them your holy sabbath, and commanded them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses your servant:15 And gave them bread from heaven for their hunger, and brought forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and promised them that they should go in to possess the land which you had sworn to give them.16 But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their necks, and listened not to your commandments,17 And refused to obey, neither were mindful of your wonders that you did among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage: but you are a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsook them not.18 Yes, when they had made them a molten calf, and said, This is your God that brought you up out of Egypt, and had worked great provocations;19 Yet you in your manifold mercies forsook 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 show them light, and the way wherein they should go.20 You gave also your good spirit to instruct them, and withheld not your manna from their mouth, and gave them water for their thirst.21 Yes, forty years did you sustain them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not old, and their feet swelled not.22 Moreover you gave them kingdoms and nations, and did 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.23 Their children also multiplied you as the stars of heaven, and brought them into the land, concerning which you had promised to their fathers, that they should go in to possess it.24 So the children went in and possessed the land, and you subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gave them into their hands, with their kings, and the people of the land, that they might do with them as they would.25 And they took strong cities, and a fat land, and possessed houses full of all goods, wells dig, vineyards, and olive groves, and fruit trees in abundance: so they did eat, and were filled, and became fat, and delighted themselves in your great goodness.26 Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against you, and cast your law behind their backs, and slew your prophets which testified against them to turn them to you, and they worked great provocations.27 Therefore you delivered them into the hand of their enemies, who vexed them: and in the time of their trouble, when they cried to you, you heard them from heaven; and according to your manifold mercies you gave them saviors, who saved them out of the hand of their enemies.28 But after they had rest, they did evil again before you: therefore left you them in the land of their enemies, so that they had the dominion over them: yet when they returned, and cried to you, you heard them from heaven; and many times did you deliver them according to your mercies;29 And testified against them, that you might bring them again to your law: yet they dealt proudly, and listened not to your commandments, but sinned against your judgments, (which if a man do, he shall live in them;) and withdrew the shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear.30 Yet many years did you forbear them, and testified against them by your spirit in your prophets: yet would they not give ear: therefore gave you them into the hand of the people of the lands.31 Nevertheless for your great mercies'sake you did not utterly consume them, nor forsake them; for you are a gracious and merciful God.32 Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who keep covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble seem little before you, that has come on us, on our kings, on our princes, and on our priests, and on our prophets, and on our fathers, and on all your people, since the time of the kings of Assyria to this day.33 However, you are just in all that is brought on us; for you have done right, but we have done wickedly:34 Neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, nor our fathers, kept your law, nor listened to your commandments and your testimonies, with which you did testify against them.35 For they have not served you in their kingdom, and in your great goodness that you gave them, and in the large and fat land which you gave before them, neither turned they from their wicked works.36 Behold, we are servants this day, and for the land that you gave to our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof, behold, we are servants in it:37 And it yields much increase to the kings whom you have 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.38 And because of all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, Levites, and priests, seal to it.