Nehemiah 9:32–38

The people confess their present sins

“Now therefore, O our God, the great, mighty and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love, do not let all this hardship seem trifling in your eyes—the hardship that has come upon us, upon our kings and leaders, upon our priests and prophets, upon our fathers and all your people, from the days of the kings of Assyria until today. 33 In all that has happened to us, you have been just; you have acted faithfully, while we did wrong. 34 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. 35 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.

36“But you 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. 37 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.

38 “In view of all this, we are making a binding agreement, putting it in writing, and our leaders, our Levites and our priests are affixing their seals to it.”

The people expressed the same solidarity with previous generations that was typical of the book of Ezra. They admitted that their nation had deserved all the hardships it had suffered, even captivity in Assyria and Babylon. Even though the Persian kings had given them greater freedom, the Jews still felt that their subjection to foreign rulers was a heavy burden. It is a reflection of Ezra’s tact and his respect for his king that the rulers of Persia are not named in these negative comments about the rule of foreigners. Although Israel’s suffering had been deserved, the people were hopeful that the Lord would grant them further relief. The Israelites desired to renew the nation’s promise to observe God’s law. This commitment they now intended to express publicly, formally, and in writing.