A Nation's Confession across the Generations

"Now in the twenty and fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackclothes, and earth upon them. And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins." They read for a fourth part of the day and confess for another fourth.

The Levites cry out: "Stand up and bless the LORD your God for ever and ever." The prayer begins: "Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host… and the host of heaven worshippeth thee."

"Thou art the LORD the God, who didst choose Abram… and gavest him the name of Abraham; and foundest his heart faithful before thee." Then Egypt and the sea, the pillar of cloud and fire, the law at Sinai, bread from heaven and water from the rock; and the fathers who "dealt proudly, and hardened their necks… and made them a molten calf." "But thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not."

The land, the cities, the houses full of good things; then rebellion, enemies, crying out, saviours, and rebellion again. "Many years didst thou forbear them, and testifiedst against them by thy spirit in thy prophets."

"Behold, we are servants this day, and for the land that thou gavest unto our fathers… behold, we are servants in it: and it yieldeth much increase unto the kings whom thou hast set over us because of our sins: also they have dominion over our bodies, and over our cattle, at their pleasure, and we are in great distress. And because of all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, Levites, and priests, seal unto it."

Who prays?

In the Hebrew (and the KJV and Vulgate) the Levites speak (9:5), and the prayer follows without a new speaker. The Greek Bible adds "And Ezra said" before 9:6. The library's Greek (Giguet) has it: "Et Esdras dit." Many modern translations (NRSV, NAB) follow the Greek. Which form is original is debated; the Greek may have supplied a speaker for a prayer that lacked one.

A history in prayer

The prayer follows Genesis 12 and 15 (Abraham), Exodus 3–20, Numbers 14 and 20, Deuteronomy 2–3 (Sihon and Og), Joshua and Judges, then the prophets and exile. It quotes the divine name formula of Exodus 34:6 ("gracious and merciful, slow to anger"). It shares themes with Psalms 78, 105 and 106 and the prayers of Ezra 9 and Daniel 9.

"Servants in the land"

The people own the land again but its produce goes in tribute to Persian kings, who also conscript bodies and cattle. The prayer describes the Persian peace, which Ezra and Nehemiah elsewhere present as God's favor, as a form of bondage. Both perspectives sit in the same book.

Separating from strangers

9:2 has "the seed of Israel" separate from "all strangers" (bene nekhar) for the day of confession. It anticipates the marriage clauses of the covenant (10:30) and Nehemiah 13.

An older liturgy?

Some scholars think the prayer was an existing liturgical composition, perhaps from Judah during the exile, because it does not mention Persia's favor, the return or the temple's rebuilding. Others see it as composed for this occasion. Both are hypotheses; no separate copy exists.

Hebrew and English numbering

English 9:38 ("we make a sure covenant") is Hebrew 10:1, so Hebrew chapter 10 is one verse ahead of the English throughout.