30
Many years
1you bore with them
2and warned them
3by your Spirit through your prophets.
4Yet they would not give ear.
5Therefore you gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.
31
Nevertheless,
6in your great mercies
7you did not make an end of them or forsake them,
8for you are a gracious and merciful God.
32
"Now, therefore, our God,
9the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love, let not all the hardship seem little to you that has come upon us, upon our kings, our princes, our priests, our prophets, our fathers, and all your people,
10since the time of the kings of Assyria until this day.
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11Yet you have been righteous in all that has come upon us, for you have dealt faithfully
12and we have acted wickedly.
34
Our kings, our princes, our priests, and our fathers have not kept your law or paid attention to your commandments and your warnings that you gave them.
35
Even in their own kingdom,
13and amid your great goodness that you gave them, and in the large and
14rich land that you set before them,
15they did not serve you or turn from their wicked works.
36
Behold,
16we are slaves this day; in the land that you gave to our fathers to enjoy its fruit and its good gifts, behold, we are slaves.
37
17And its rich yield goes to the kings whom you have set over us because of our sins. They rule over our bodies and over our livestock as they please, and we are in great distress.
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"Because of all this
18we make a firm covenant in writing; on
19the sealed document are the names of our princes, our Levites, and our priests.