Now in the twentyand fourthdayof thismonththe childrenof Israelwere assembledwith fasting, and with sackclothes, and earthuponthem. And the seedof Israelseparated themselvesfrom allstrangers, and stoodand confessedtheir sins, and the iniquitiesof their fathers. And they stood upintheir place, and readin the bookof the lawof the LORDtheir God one fourthpart of the day; and another fourthpart they confessed, and worshipedthe LORDtheir God. Then stood upuponthe stairs, of the Levites, Jeshua, and Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani, and criedwith a loudvoiceuntothe LORDtheir God. Then the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said, Stand up and blessthe LORDyour Godforeverandever: and blessedbe thy gloriousname, which is exaltedaboveallblessingand praise. Thou, even thou, art LORDalone; thouhast madeheaven, the heavenof heavens, with alltheir host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and allthat is therein, and thoupreservestthem all; and the hostof heavenworshipeththee. Thou art the LORDthe God, whodidst chooseAbram, and broughtest him forthout of Urof the Chaldees, and gavesthim the nameof Abraham; And foundesthis heartfaithfulbeforethee, and madesta covenantwithhim to givethe landof 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 performedthy words; forthou art righteous: And didst seethe afflictionof our fathersin Egypt, and heardesttheir crybythe Redsea; And showedstsignsand wondersupon Pharaoh, and on allhis servants, and on allthe peopleof his land: forthou knewestthatthey dealt proudlyagainstthem. So didst thou getthee a name, as it is thisday. And thou didst dividethe seabeforethem, so that they went throughthe midstof the seaon the dry land; and their persecutorsthou threwestinto the deeps, asa stoneinto the mightywaters. Moreover thou leddestthem in the dayby a cloudypillar; and in the nightby a pillarof fire, to give them lightin the waywhereinthey should go. Thou camest downalso uponmountSinai, and spakestwiththem from heaven, and gavestthem rightjudgments, and truelaws, goodstatutesand commandments: And madest knownunto them thy holysabbath, and commandedstthem precepts, statutes, and laws, by the handof Mosesthy servant: And gavestthem breadfrom heavenfor their hunger, and broughtest forthwaterfor them out of the rockfor their thirst, and promisedstthem that they should go into possessthe landwhichthou hadst swornto givethem. But theyand our fathersdealt proudly, and hardenedtheir necks, and hearkenednottothy commandments, And refusedto obey, neitherwere mindfulof thy wondersthatthou didstamongthem; but hardenedtheir necks, and in their rebellionappointeda captainto returnto their bondage: but thou art a Godready to pardon, graciousand merciful, slowto anger, and of greatkindness, and forsookestthem not. Yea, whenthey had madethem a moltencalf, and said, This is thy Godthatbrought thee upout of Egypt, and had wroughtgreatprovocations; Yet thouin thy manifoldmerciesforsookestthem notin the wilderness: the pillarof the clouddepartednotfromthem by day, to leadthem in the way; neither the pillarof fireby night, to show them light, and the waywhereinthey should go. Thou gavestalso thy goodspiritto instructthem, and withheldestnotthy mannafrom their mouth, and gavestthem waterfor their thirst. Yea, fortyyearsdidst thou sustainthem in the wilderness, so that they lackednothing; their clotheswaxed not old, and their feetswellednot. Moreover thou gavestthem kingdomsand nations, and didst dividethem into corners: so they possessedthe landof Sihon, and the landof the kingof Heshbon, and the landof Ogkingof Bashan. Their childrenalso multipliedstthou as the starsof heaven, and broughtestthem intothe land, concerning whichthou hadst promisedto their fathers, that they should go into possess it . So the childrenwent inand possessedthe land, and thou subduedstbeforethem the inhabitantsof the land, the Canaanites, and gavestthem into their hands, with their kings, and the peopleof the land, that they might dowith them as they would. And they tookstrongcities, and a fatland, and possessedhousesfullof allgoods, wellsdigged, vineyards, and oliveyards, and fruittreesin abundance: so they did eat, and were filled, and became fat, and delighted themselvesin thy greatgoodness. Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelledagainst thee, and castthy lawbehindtheir backs, and slewthy prophetswhichtestifiedagainst them to turnthem tothee, and they wroughtgreatprovocations. Therefore thou deliveredstthem into the handof their enemies, who vexedthem: and in the timeof their trouble, when they crieduntothee, thouheardest them from heaven; and according to thy manifoldmerciesthou gavestthem saviors, who savedthem out of the handof their enemies. But after they had rest, they didevilagainbeforethee: therefore leftestthou them in the handof their enemies, so that they had the dominionover them: yet when they returned, and criedunto thee, thouheardest them from heaven; and manytimesdidst thou deliverthem according to thy mercies; And testifiedstagainst them, that thou mightest bring them againuntothy law: yet theydealt proudly, and hearkenednotunto thy commandments, but sinnedagainst thy judgments, ( whichif a mando, he shall livein them;) and withdrewthe shoulder, and hardenedtheir neck, and would nothear. Yet manyyearsdidst thou forbearthem, and testifiedstagainst them by thy spiritinthy prophets: yet would they notgive ear: therefore gavestthou them into the handof the peopleof the lands. Nevertheless for thy greatmercies' sake thou didst notutterly consumethem, norforsakethem; forthou art a graciousand mercifulGod. Nowtherefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the terribleGod, who keepestcovenantand mercy, let notallthe troubleseem littlebeforethee, thathath come uponus, on our kings, on our princes, and on our priests, and on our prophets, and on our fathers, and on allthy people, since the timeof the kingsof Assyriauntothisday. Howbeit thou art justinallthat is broughtuponus; forthou hast doneright, but wehave done wickedly: Neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, norour fathers, keptthy law, norhearkeneduntothy commandmentsand thy testimonies, wherewiththou didst testifyagainst them. For theyhave notservedthee in their kingdom, and in thy greatgoodnessthatthou gavestthem, and in the largeand fatlandwhichthou gavestbeforethem, neitherturnedthey from their wickedworks. Behold, we are servantsthis day, and for the landthatthou gavestunto our fathersto eatthe fruitthereof and the goodthereof, behold, we are servantsinit: And it yieldeth muchincreaseunto the kingswhomthou hast setoverus because of our sins: also they have dominionoverour bodies, and over our cattle, at their pleasure, and we are in greatdistress. And because of allthiswemakea sure covenant , and write it ; and our princes, Levites, and priests, seal unto it .