Nehemiah 9:27-38

Nehemiah 9:27-38

[27] Therefore thou deliveredst  them into the hand  of their enemies,  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,  them out of the hand  of their enemies.  [28] But 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;  [29] And 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.  [30] Yet 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.  [31] Nevertheless for thy great  mercies'  sake thou didst  not utterly consume  them, nor forsake  them; for thou art a gracious  and merciful  God.  [32] Now 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.  [33] Howbeit thou art just  in all that is brought  upon us; for thou hast done  right,  but we have done wickedly:  [34] 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. [35] 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.  [36] Behold, 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  [37] And 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.  [38] And because of all this we make  a sure  covenant, and write  it; and our princes,  Levites,  and priests,  seal