And theystood up in theirplace, and read in the book of the law of the LORDtheir God one fourthpart of the day; and anotherfourthparttheyconfessed, and worshipped the LORDtheir God.
Thenstood up upon the stairs, of the Levites, Jeshua, and Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani, and criedwith a loudvoiceunto the LORDtheir God.
Then the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said, Stand up and bless the LORDyour God for ever and ever: and blessed be thy gloriousname, which is exaltedabove all blessing and praise.
Thou, eventhou, art LORDalone; thouhastmadeheaven, the heaven of heavens, with all theirhost, the earth, and all thingsthat are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thoupreservestthem all; and the host of heavenworshippeththee.
And foundest his heartfaithfulbeforethee, and madest a covenantwith him to give the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Jebusites, and the Girgashites, to give it, I say, to his seed, and hastperformed thy words; for thou art righteous:
And shewedstsigns and wondersuponPharaoh, and on all his servants, and on all the people of his land: for thouknewestthattheydealtproudlyagainstthem. So didstthou get thee a name, as it is this day.
And thoudidstdivide the sea beforethem, so thattheywentthrough the midst of the sea on the dry land; and theirpersecutorsthouthrewestinto the deeps, as a stoneinto the mightywaters.
And gavestthembreadfromheaven for theirhunger, and broughtestforthwater for them out of the rock for theirthirst, and promisedstthemthattheyshould go in to possess the landwhichthouhadstsworn to givethem.
And refused to obey, neitherweremindful of thy wondersthatthoudidstamongthem; but hardenedtheirnecks, and in theirrebellionappointed a captain to return to theirbondage: but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of greatkindness, and forsookestthem not.
Yet thou in thy manifoldmerciesforsookestthem not in the wilderness: the pillar of the clouddeparted not fromthem by day, to leadthem in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to shewthemlight, and the way whereintheyshould go.
Moreoverthougavestthemkingdoms and nations, and didstdividethemintocorners: so theypossessed the land of Sihon, and the land of the king of Heshbon, and the land of Og king of Bashan.
Theirchildrenalsomultipliedstthou as the stars of heaven, and broughtesttheminto the land, concerningwhichthouhadstpromised to theirfathers, thattheyshould go in to possess it.
So the childrenwent in and possessed the land, and thousubduedstbeforethem the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gavestthemintotheirhands, withtheirkings, and the people of the land, thattheymight do withthem as theywould.
And theytookstrongcities, and a fat land, and possessedhousesfull of all goods, wellsdigged, vineyards, and oliveyards, and fruittrees in abundance: so they did eat, and werefilled, and became fat, and delightedthemselves in thy greatgoodness.
Neverthelesstheyweredisobedient, and rebelledagainstthee, and cast thy law behindtheirbacks, and slew thy prophetswhichtestifiedagainstthem to turnthem to thee, and theywroughtgreatprovocations.
Thereforethoudeliveredsttheminto the hand of theirenemies, who vexedthem: and in the time of theirtrouble, whentheycrieduntothee, thouheardestthemfromheaven; and according to thy manifoldmerciesthougavestthemsaviours, who savedthem out of the hand of theirenemies.
But afterthey had rest, they did evilagainbeforethee: thereforeleftestthouthem in the hand of theirenemies, so thatthey had the dominionoverthem: yet whentheyreturned, and crieduntothee, thouheardestthemfromheaven; and manytimesdidstthoudeliverthemaccording to thy mercies;
And testifiedstagainstthem, thatthoumightestbringthemagainunto thy law: yet theydealtproudly, and hearkened not unto thy commandments, but sinnedagainst thy judgments, (which if a man do, he shalllive in them;) and withdrew the shoulder, and hardenedtheirneck, and would not hear.
Yet manyyearsdidstthouforbearthem, and testifiedstagainstthem by thy spirit in thy prophets: yet wouldthey not give ear: thereforegavestthoutheminto the hand of the people of the lands.
Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who keepestcovenant and mercy, let not all the troubleseemlittlebeforethee, thathathcomeupon us, on our kings, on our princes, and on our priests, and on our prophets, and on our fathers, and on all thy people, since the time of the kings of Assyriauntothis day.
For theyhave not servedthee in theirkingdom, and in thy greatgoodnessthatthougavestthem, and in the large and fat landwhichthougavestbeforethem, neitherturnedtheyfromtheirwickedworks.
Behold, we are servantsthis day, and for the landthatthougavestunto our fathers to eat the fruitthereof and the goodthereof, behold, we are servants in it:
And it yieldethmuchincreaseunto the kingswhomthouhast set over us because of our sins: alsotheyhavedominionover our bodies, and over our cattle, at theirpleasure, and we are in greatdistress.