Nehemiah 9:33-38

33 And Lord, thou art just in all (the) things, that came [up]on us, for thou didest truth(fully) to us; but we have done wickedly.

34 And our kings, and our princes, and our priests, and our fathers, have not done thy law; and they perceived not thy behests and thy witnessings, which thou hast witnessed in thy behests. (And our kings, and our leaders, and our priests, and our fathers, have not obeyed thy Law; and they did not heed thy commandments and thy testimonies, which thou witnessed to them.)

35 And they, in their good realms, and in thy much goodness which thou gavest to them, and in the full large land and fat, which thou haddest given in the sight of them, served not thee, neither turned again from their worst studies. (And they, in their kingdoms/with their kings, and in the great goodness, or prosperity, which thou gavest them, and in the very broad and fertile land, which thou gavest them, served thee not, nor turned away from their evil doings.)

36 Lo! we ourselves be thralls to day; and the land which thou gavest to our fathers, that they should eat the bread thereof, and the goods that be thereof, is thrall; and we ourselves be thralls, either bondmen, in that land. (Lo! we ourselves be slaves today, in the land which thou gavest to our forefathers, so that they could eat its bread, and enjoy its good things; yea, we ourselves be slaves, or bondsmen, here in this land.)

37 And the fruits thereof be multiplied to (the) kings, which thou hast set upon us for our sins; and they be lords of our bodies, and of our beasts, by their will, and we be in great tribulation. (And its fruits be multiplied, but only unto the kings whom thou hast put upon us for our sins; and they be lords of us, and of our beasts, at their pleasure, and we be in great tribulation.)

38 Therefore on all these things we ourselves smite and write (a) bond of peace, and our princes, our deacons, and our priests aseal (it). (And so for all these things, we hereby make a covenant in writing, and our leaders, and our Levites, and our priests, put their seals to it.)

Nehemiah 9:33-38 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO NEHEMIAH 9

In this chapter we have an account of a fast kept by the Jews, which was observed, as by outward acts of humiliation, so by confession of sin, reading the law, and worshipping the Lord, Ne 9:1-3 and of a long prayer that the Levites made, in which they celebrate the divine perfections, take notice of various instances of the goodness of God to the people of Israel, acknowledge their manifold transgressions, observe the Lord's correction of them for them, in which they own he was righteous, Ne 9:4-38.