The Israelites Confess Their Sins

Stand up and praise the Lord your God, who is from everlasting to everlasting.

Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise.  You alone are The Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.

You have kept your promise because you are righteous.

You made a name for yourself, which remains to this day.

You gave them regulations and laws that are just and right, and decrees and commands that are good.  You made known to them your holy Sabbath and gave them commands, decrees and laws through your servant Moses.

But they, our forefathers, became arrogant and stiff-necked, and did not obey your commands.  They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery.  But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them.

You gave your good Spirit to instruct them.

You gave them kingdoms and nations, allotting to them even the remotest frontiers. You made their sons as numerous as the stars in the sky, and you brought them into the land that you told their fathers to enter and possess.  Their sons went in and took possession of the land.  They ate to the full and were well-nourished; they reveled in your great goodness. 

But they were disobedient and rebelled against you; they put your law behind their backs.  They killed your prophets, who had admonished them in order to turn them back to you; they committed awful blasphemies.  So you handed them over to their enemies, who oppressed them.  But when they were oppressed they cried out to you.  From heaven you heard them, and in your great compassion you gave them deliverers, who rescued them from the hand of their enemies.

But as soon as they were at rest, they again did what was evil in your sight.  Then you abandoned them to the hand of their enemies so that they ruled over them.  And when they cried out to you again, you heard from heaven, and in your compassion you delivered them time after time.

You warned them to return to your law, but they became arrogant and disobeyed your commands.  They sinned against your ordinances, by which a man will live if he obeys them.  Stubbornly they turned their backs on you, became stiff-necked and refused to listen.  For many years you were patient with them.  By your Spirit you admonished them through your prophets.  Yet they paid no attention, so you handed them over to the neighboring peoples.  But in your great mercy you did not put an end to them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful God.

In all that has happened to us, you have been just; you have acted faithfully, while we did wrong.  Our kings, our leaders, our priests and our fathers did not follow your law; they did not pay attention to your commands or the warnings you gave them.  Even while they were in their kingdom, enjoying your great goodness to them in the spacious and fertile land you gave them, they did not serve you or turn from their evil ways.

But see, we are slaves today, slaves in the land you gave our forefathers so they could eat its fruit and the other good things it produces.  Because of our sins, its abundant harvest goes to the kings you have placed over us.  They rule over our bodies and our cattle as they please.  We are in great distress.

(Parts) Nehemiah 9:5-6, 8, 10, 13-14, 16-17, 20, 22-31, 33-37 (NIV)