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Nehemiah 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
9:1 U VE YOM ESRIM VE ARBA'AH LA CHODESH HA ZEH NE'ESPHU VENEY YISRA-EL BE TSOM U VE SAKIM VA ADAMAH ALEYHEM
Nehemiah 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
9:1 U VE YOM ESRIM VE ARBA'AH LA CHODESH HA ZEH NE'ESPHU VENEY YISRA-EL BE TSOM U VE SAKIM VA ADAMAH ALEYHEM
וּבְיוֹם עֶשְׂרִים וְאַרְבָּעָה לַחֹדֶשׁ הַזֶּה נֶאֶסְפוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּצוֹם וּבְשַׂקִּים וַאֲדָמָה עֲלֵיהֶם
BN (BibleNet translation): Now on the
twenty-fourth day of this month the Beney Yisra-El were assembled with
fasting, and with sackcloth, and earth upon them.
This comes as a surprise, as the day after Shemini Atseret was not a fast day in Jewish calendar before this event, nor is it now, afterwards. Yet it sounds like Yom Kippur, which now falls on the 10th day of Tishrey, not the 24th.
The surprise, however, is not the one we might have anticipated, from the discussion at the end of the previous chapter, where the end of Sukot, going into Shemini Atseret, appeared to have an early version of Simchat Torah, though that was actually introduced by the Talmudic Rabbis.
A complete portrait of the month of Tishrey in today's world looks like this:
But the 24th of Tishrey is definitely a secular, non-religious day, the Yamim Nora'im completed. Though not, apparently, in Ezra's and Nechem-Yah's world.1: Rosh Hashanah; 2: Rosh Hashanah Day 2, in the Diaspora; 9: Kol Nidrei (Yom Kippur Eve); 10: Yom Kippur; 14: Erev Sukot; 15: Sukot (Day 1); 16: Sukot (Day 2); 17: Sukot (Day 3); 18: Sukot (Day 4); 19: Sukot (Day 5); 20: Sukot (Day 6); 21: Sukot (Day 7)/Hoshanah Rabah; 22: Shemini Atseret/Simchat Torah, and/or Sukot Day 8 in the Diaspora; 23: possibly Shemini Atseret, possibly Simchat Torah, possibly a non-festival day, depending on which branch of Judaism you follow, and whether or not you separated Shemini from Simchat.
SAKIM: The English word "sackcloth" comes from this Yehudit word, and is assumed in English to be clothing made out of the same materials that sacks are made from, coarse-fibred hessian, or burlap; but those are made from jute and sesal, neither of which existed in the Middle East at that time. Nor would it have been SAKIM if it had; SAKIM means "mourning clothes", and can frankly be anything you consider appropriate, provided you have made a tear in it, (the Yehudit word is קְרִיעָה - Keri'ah) to signify that the loss of the deceased is something that you have accepted, "justifying the judgement", as Jewish tradition phrases it. The ashes, on the other hand, or earth on this occasion, were real.
What we do not, probably cannot know, is why they chose this date, and why they wished to have this form of event. My speculation, based on its absence from any of the five "Books of the Return", is that they didn't yet have Yom Kippur; or perhaps it had once existed, but it was not in the liturgical memory of the priests, which seems to me highly unlikely given its status and all the other things they seem to have been able to remember. So, perhaps, Yom Kippur is being inaugurated here; and later on, because extending the month of festivals into a fourth week was more than the economy, let alone the souls of the people, could manage, it was placed conveniently between Rosh ha Shanah and Yom Kippur, and then the text of Leviticus 22 ammended to accommodate it Mosaically.
9:2 VA YIBADLU ZER'A YISRA-EL MI KOL BENEY NECHAR VA YA'AMDU VA YITVADU AL CHAT'OTEYHEM VA AVONOT AVOTEYHEM
וַיִּבָּדְלוּ זֶרַע יִשְׂרָאֵל מִכֹּל בְּנֵי נֵכָר וַיַּעַמְדוּ וַיִּתְוַדּוּ עַל חַטֹּאתֵיהֶם וַעֲוֹנוֹת אֲבֹתֵיהֶם
KJ: And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers.
BN: And the seed of Yisra-El separated themselves from all foreigners, and stood
and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers.
Which certainly sounds like Yom Kippur, though it may just be Selichot and Vidu'i, which are regular parts of the liturgy. Something similar in Ezra 8:21 ff, the location of that fast at the river Ahava, when Ezra was en route to Yeru-Shala'im from Babylon some years before. Ezra was apparently very keen on fasting and self-flaggellation; see my notes to Ezra 9:5, which include a list of the historical events which he might have been fasting as a way of remembering, though none of those are the 24th of Tishrey.
ZER'A: Interesting choice of vocabulary. Not HA AM ("the people"), or BENEY YISRA-EL; not even HA KAHAL ("the congregation"), which was used for the reading of the Torah in the previous chapter (Nehemiah 8:2 and 17). "Seed" is a word used in fertility cults, not those of metaphysical ideas; this is, that is to say, still very much polytheistic "Hebrewism", and still a long way from the "abstract monotheism" of what we would now call "Talmudic Judaism".
9:3 VA YAKUMU AL AMDAM VA YIKRE'U BE SEPHER TORAT YHVH ELOHEYHEM REVIY'IT HA YOM U REVIY'IT MITVADIM U MISHTACHAVIM LA YHVH ELOHEYHEM
וַיָּקוּמוּ עַל עָמְדָם וַיִּקְרְאוּ בְּסֵפֶר תּוֹרַת יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיהֶם רְבִעִית הַיּוֹם וּרְבִעִית מִתְוַדִּים וּמִשְׁתַּחֲוִים לַיהוָה אֱלֹהֵיהֶם
KJ: And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of the LORD their God one fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed, and worshipped the LORD their God.
BN: And they stood up in their place, and read in the Scroll of the Torah of YHVH their god for a quarter of the day; and for another quarter they made confession, and prostrated themselves before YHVH their god.
So they are still reading the Torah - I wonder how far they have got.
TORAT YHVH ELOHEYHEM: This is a change - previously in Nechem-Yah it has been referred to as TORAT ELOHIM, without YHVH; Nechem-Yah only ever refers to his deity as Elohim, unless he is reciting liturgy. The change came in chapter 8, when the scroll was presented, and clearly Ezra and the scribes and priests insisted on YHVH, and Necehem-Yah went along with them.
pey break
9:4 VA YAKAM AL MA'ALEH HA LEVIYIM YESHU'A U VANI KADMI-EL SHEVAN-YAH BUNI SHEREV-YAH BANI CHENANI VA YIZ'AKU BE KOL GADOL EL YHVH ELOHEYHEM
KJ: Then stood up upon the stairs, of the Levites, Jeshua, and Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani, and cried with a loud voice unto the LORD their God.
9:5 VA YOMRU HA LEVIYIM YESHU'A VE KADMI-EL BANI CHASHAVNE-YAH SHEREV-YAH HODI-YAH SHEVAN-YAH PETACH-YAH KUMU BARCHU ET YHVH ELOHEYCHEM MIN HA OLAM AD HA OLAM VIYVARCHU SHEM KEVODECHA U MEROMAM AL KOL BERACHAH U TEHILAH
KJ: Then the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said, Stand up and bless the LORD your God for ever and ever: and blessed be thy glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise.
KJ: Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee.
TSEV'A HA SHAMAYIM: Where previous he was YHVH Tseva'ot, the head of the Round Table where he served as Prime and they as Cabinet Ministers, now they are reduced to mere worshippers, eunuchs in the staterooms behind the seraglio.
9:7 ATAH HU YHVH HA ELOHIM ASHER BACHARTA BE AV-RAM VE HOTSE'TO ME UR KASDIM VE SAMTA SHEMO AV-RAHAM
KJ: Thou art the LORD the God, who didst choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham;
BN: "'You are YHVH Ha Elohim, who choose Av-Ram, and brought him out of Ur Kasdim, and gave him the name Av-Raham...
YHVH HA ELOHIM: Where previously there were two names, one for YHVH, the other for the polytheon as a whole, now they are absorbed into the One Name.
9:4 VA YAKAM AL MA'ALEH HA LEVIYIM YESHU'A U VANI KADMI-EL SHEVAN-YAH BUNI SHEREV-YAH BANI CHENANI VA YIZ'AKU BE KOL GADOL EL YHVH ELOHEYHEM
וַיָּקָם עַל מַעֲלֵה הַלְוִיִּם יֵשׁוּעַ וּבָנִי קַדְמִיאֵל שְׁבַנְיָה בֻּנִּי שֵׁרֵבְיָה בָּנִי כְנָנִי וַיִּזְעֲקוּ בְּקוֹל גָּדוֹל אֶל יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיהֶם
KJ: Then stood up upon the stairs, of the Levites, Jeshua, and Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani, and cried with a loud voice unto the LORD their God.
BN: Then Yeshu'a, and Bani, Kadmi-El, Shevan-Yah, Buni, Sherev-Yah, Bani, and
Chenani stood on the platform of the Leviyim, and cried with a loud voice to
YHVH their god.
YAKUM: Should be YAKUMU, plural. There should also be an ET before each of the names, or at least before the first in the list, to indicate the accusative. And the word "and" between each of the names, or only before the final one, but not mixed like this. Nechem-Yah's knowledge of Yehudit, thrice again, struggling to get that pass grade at Bagrut.
YAKUM: Should be YAKUMU, plural. There should also be an ET before each of the names, or at least before the first in the list, to indicate the accusative. And the word "and" between each of the names, or only before the final one, but not mixed like this. Nechem-Yah's knowledge of Yehudit, thrice again, struggling to get that pass grade at Bagrut.
MA'ALEH: I have gone for "platform", based on Nehemiah 8:4, where Ezra stood on some kind of wooden pulpit constructed for the purpose of reading the Torah in the market-square, and needing to be "above all the people" (8:5). The alternate translation should be "ramp" (not "steps" or "stairs", as in many translations); should be, because the ascent to the altar in the Temple was along a ramp, and steps were explicitly prohibited in Exodus 20:22 (20:26 in some versions) - and the word for those prohibited steps was MA'ALOT. This was not in the Temple of course, but once again in the market-square, but prohibitions are prohibitions, and this part of Exodus is considered, even by the most skeptical of Bible scholars, to have been part of the text redacted by Ezra and therefore being read this Tishrey.
9:5 VA YOMRU HA LEVIYIM YESHU'A VE KADMI-EL BANI CHASHAVNE-YAH SHEREV-YAH HODI-YAH SHEVAN-YAH PETACH-YAH KUMU BARCHU ET YHVH ELOHEYCHEM MIN HA OLAM AD HA OLAM VIYVARCHU SHEM KEVODECHA U MEROMAM AL KOL BERACHAH U TEHILAH
וַיֹּאמְרוּ הַלְוִיִּם יֵשׁוּעַ וְקַדְמִיאֵל בָּנִי חֲשַׁבְנְיָה שֵׁרֵבְיָה הוֹדִיָּה שְׁבַנְיָה פְתַחְיָה קוּמוּ בָּרְכוּ אֶת יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם מִן הָעוֹלָם עַד הָעוֹלָם וִיבָרְכוּ שֵׁם כְּבֹדֶךָ וּמְרוֹמַם עַל כָּל בְּרָכָה וּתְהִלָּה
KJ: Then the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said, Stand up and bless the LORD your God for ever and ever: and blessed be thy glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise.
BN: Then the Leviyim, Yeshu'a, and Kadmi-El, Bani, Chashavne-Yah, Sherev-Yah,
Hod-Yah, Shevan-Yah, and Petach-Yah, said: "Stand up and bless YHVH your god
from eternity to eternity; and let them say: 'Blessed be your glorious name,
which is exalted above all blessing and praise...
The list of those who helped Ezra at the reading of the Torah on Rosh ha Shanah can be found at Nehemiah 8:7; it includes Yeshu'a, Bani, Sherev-Yah and Hodi-Yah, but all the other names are different; and yes, it is entirely possible that the four whose names do appear in both lists are in fact four different people who just happen to have the same names - Nechem-Yah is once again proving unhelpful by his leaving out of patronymics.
The list of those who helped Ezra at the reading of the Torah on Rosh ha Shanah can be found at Nehemiah 8:7; it includes Yeshu'a, Bani, Sherev-Yah and Hodi-Yah, but all the other names are different; and yes, it is entirely possible that the four whose names do appear in both lists are in fact four different people who just happen to have the same names - Nechem-Yah is once again proving unhelpful by his leaving out of patronymics.
CHASHAVNE-YAH: Verse 4 had a SHEVAN-YAH, as does this verse, but here there is also Chashavne-Yah, and I suspect there is an error.
Among the many things that we do not, probably cannot know (unless the archaeologists come upon such evidence), is when prayer of this sort entered the rites and ceremonies of the Beney Yisra-El. In the days of the Solomonic Temple, the centrepiece was always sacrifice, and yes there were blessings and thanksgivings and petitions that went alongside those sacrifices, and we know that Psalms were sung by the dozen on a daily basis; but even though the form of those prayers, the language of those prayers, may have been just like these, this appears to be the inauguration of prayer as a formal ceremony in itself. It is possible that such "avodah" ("the technical term for "worship" of this kind) did take place in First Temple times, but surely there would have been some record of it, some allusion to it in the complaints of the Prophets, some nostalgic desire to recover it in the phrases of the Babylonian Prophets - but there is none, and the attempts to source prayer in Torah is oblique and strained to a point of virtual incredibility (Genesis 19:27, which finds Av-Raham praying in the morning, Genesis 24:63, where Yitschak meditates at dusk, and Genesis 28:10, where Ya'akov prays at night - but none of these are communal avodah). In all probability avodah of this kind was established during the Babylonian exile, to provide a substitute for the Temple, and it was felt useful to continue it in yeru-Shala'im until such time as the Temple itself could be brought back into full and proper use, which clearly it was not yet or there would have been sacrificial ceremonies there to sanctify the Torah reading and to complete this covenant renewal.
The irony of this is that the great debate among the Beney Yisra-El for the next five hundred years, the one between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, would be over "sacrifice versus prayer", which eventually became "Temple versus synagogue", until history declared the latter the victor.
9:6 ATAH HU YHVH LEVADECHA ET (ATAH) ASIYTA ET HA SHAMAYIM SHEMEY HA SHAMAYIM VE CHOL TSEVA'AM HA ARETS VE CHOL ASHER ALEYHA HA YAMIM VE CHOL ASHER BA HEM VE ATAH MECHAYEH ET KULAM U TSEV'A HA SHAMAYIM LECHA MISHTACHAVIM
9:6 ATAH HU YHVH LEVADECHA ET (ATAH) ASIYTA ET HA SHAMAYIM SHEMEY HA SHAMAYIM VE CHOL TSEVA'AM HA ARETS VE CHOL ASHER ALEYHA HA YAMIM VE CHOL ASHER BA HEM VE ATAH MECHAYEH ET KULAM U TSEV'A HA SHAMAYIM LECHA MISHTACHAVIM
אַתָּה הוּא יְהוָה לְבַדֶּךָ את (אַתָּה) עָשִׂיתָ אֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם שְׁמֵי הַשָּׁמַיִם וְכָל צְבָאָם הָאָרֶץ וְכָל אֲשֶׁר עָלֶיהָ הַיַּמִּים וְכָל אֲשֶׁר בָּהֶם וְאַתָּה מְחַיֶּה אֶת כֻּלָּם וּצְבָא הַשָּׁמַיִם לְךָ מִשְׁתַּחֲוִים
KJ: Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee.
BN: "'You are YHVH, you alone; you have made the heaven, and the heaven of heavens,
with all their host, the Earth and everything that is on it, the seas and
everything that is in them, and you bestow life on all of them; and the host of heaven
worships you...
This is a portrait of a sun-god, transformed in LEVADECHA, and in that space
between HA SHEMAYIM and SHEMEY HA SHAMAYIM, into the universal Omnideity that
we now think of as YHVH. He rules the heavens, by day when fertility is
bestowed on the Earth, and by night, when the stars are out in the heavens; so
he is a One-God, in that the feminine, who previously ruled the night and
bestowed fertility in partnership with him, has been removed. And just two chapters ago, we were quite clear that the transition had not yet happened! That quickly, and it did!
LEVADECHA: Alone. The polytheon absorbed into the Omnideity.
SHEMEY HA SHAMAYIM: And with it, this entirely new addition to the theology: YHVH the volcano-god, who was admitted into the polytheon on the metaphorical summit of Mount Sinai, and later Mount Mor-Yah, Yisra-Eli equivalent of Olympus and Valhalla, has not only taken supreme and autocratic control of the Cosmos, but moved his palace too, to the abstraction of Heaven, somewhere beyond the physical heavens. So the "seed" of verse 2 has been uprooted; so the market-sqaure, which will become the synagogue a hundred years hence, has begun to replace the Temple.
MECHAYEH ET KULAM: By translating this as "preserve life", King James ducks one of the great debates between Orthodox and Orthodox, let alone Orthodox and Reform Judaism - early Conservative and Reform Judaism too, before the non-kosher banquet that divided them. It is manifest in the Amidah, where the orthodox include MECHAYEH MEYTIM among the divine atributes, that he "brings the dead souls back to life". Yet here, perhaps, he is not doing that, he is merely "preserving it", or even just bestowing it in the first place, which is my translation. So is the great debate rooted in a mis-reading of text, or does the word simply change its meaning according to context?
MECHAYEH ET KULAM: By translating this as "preserve life", King James ducks one of the great debates between Orthodox and Orthodox, let alone Orthodox and Reform Judaism - early Conservative and Reform Judaism too, before the non-kosher banquet that divided them. It is manifest in the Amidah, where the orthodox include MECHAYEH MEYTIM among the divine atributes, that he "brings the dead souls back to life". Yet here, perhaps, he is not doing that, he is merely "preserving it", or even just bestowing it in the first place, which is my translation. So is the great debate rooted in a mis-reading of text, or does the word simply change its meaning according to context?
TSEV'A HA SHAMAYIM: Where previous he was YHVH Tseva'ot, the head of the Round Table where he served as Prime and they as Cabinet Ministers, now they are reduced to mere worshippers, eunuchs in the staterooms behind the seraglio.
9:7 ATAH HU YHVH HA ELOHIM ASHER BACHARTA BE AV-RAM VE HOTSE'TO ME UR KASDIM VE SAMTA SHEMO AV-RAHAM
אַתָּה הוּא יְהוָה הָאֱלֹהִים אֲשֶׁר בָּחַרְתָּ בְּאַבְרָם וְהוֹצֵאתוֹ מֵאוּר כַּשְׂדִּים וְשַׂמְתָּ שְּׁמוֹ אַבְרָהָם
KJ: Thou art the LORD the God, who didst choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham;
BN: "'You are YHVH Ha Elohim, who choose Av-Ram, and brought him out of Ur Kasdim, and gave him the name Av-Raham...
YHVH HA ELOHIM: Where previously there were two names, one for YHVH, the other for the polytheon as a whole, now they are absorbed into the One Name.
UR KASDIM: Nechem-Yah and these other men would very likely have had personal knowledge of Ur Kasdim,
or at least of its ruins, because the area of captivity of the Beney Yisra-El
was in precisely that part of Babylon. Many of the legends of Av-Ram and of
Av-Raham, especially the large number of tales connecting him with Nimrod which are collected in the Midrash (Bava Batra 91a, Genesis Rabbah 38, many others; click here), are likely to have been picked up in Babylon at the time of the exile,
and added to the history then, and only then; although there would also have
been legends brought by the Shomronim (Samaritans) when they were removed to Yisra-El for
their exile, because their land of origin was precisely that area around
Padan Aram to which Av-Ram’s family supposedly fled when Ur was destroyed. And
most likely the original sun-god was known as Av-Ram in Ur and Av-Raham in
Padan Aram, as he was known as Ib-Rahim in Arabia and Brahma on the east bank of the Indus; so this a key verse added by Ezra precisely to enable the
two peoples of the new Yisra-El to share a common heritage (the Shomronim rejected it).
9:8 U MATSA'TA ET LEVAVO NE'EMAN LEPHANEYCHA VE CHAROT IMO HA BERIT LATET ET ERETS HA KENA'ANI HA CHITI HA EMORI VE HA PERIZI VE HA YEVUSI VE HA GIRGASHI LATET LE ZAR'O VA TAKEM ET DEVAREYCHA KI TSADIK ATAH
9:8 U MATSA'TA ET LEVAVO NE'EMAN LEPHANEYCHA VE CHAROT IMO HA BERIT LATET ET ERETS HA KENA'ANI HA CHITI HA EMORI VE HA PERIZI VE HA YEVUSI VE HA GIRGASHI LATET LE ZAR'O VA TAKEM ET DEVAREYCHA KI TSADIK ATAH
וּמָצָאתָ אֶת-לְבָבוֹ נֶאֱמָן לְפָנֶיךָ וְכָרוֹת עִמּוֹ הַבְּרִית לָתֵת אֶת אֶרֶץ הַכְּנַעֲנִי הַחִתִּי הָאֱמֹרִי וְהַפְּרִזִּי וְהַיְבוּסִי וְהַגִּרְגָּשִׁי לָתֵת לְזַרְעוֹ וַתָּקֶם אֶת דְּבָרֶיךָ כִּי צַדִּיק אָתָּה
BN: "'And found his heart faithful before you, and made a covenant with him to give the land of the Kena'ani, the Chiti, the Emori, and the Perizi, and the Yevusi, and the Girgashi, to give it to his descendants, and you have performed your words; for you are righteous...
The narrative technique here, as well as the content and language, are strongly reminscent of Deuteronomy, albeit that this is liturgy, where Mosheh is supposedly making a farewell speech.
In the previous chapter we were told that the Levites, possibly the Scribes, went among the people to make sure they understood the new theology. Clearly they weren't successful - or perhaps these things just require time. So, with these prayers, a different method of inculcating theology, catechism-by-rote, which will become the principal methodology of synagogue Judaism in the centuries that follow, and of both Christianity and Islam too later on.
Once again I need to state how essential it is to read the Torah through the lens of the Books of the Return from Exile, and especially the latter chapters of both Ezra (7-10) and Nechem-Yah (8-13), because these tell us what the theology, and the perception of history, were at the time that the Torah was written down, and therefore why it got written down the way it did.
KENA'ANI... CHITI... EMORI... PERIZI... YEVUSI... GIRGASHI: Click on the links for background to these peoples.
9:9 VE TER'E ET ANI AVOTEYNU BE MITSRAYIM VE ET ZA'AKATAM SHAMA'TA AL YAM SUPH
וַתֵּרֶא אֶת עֳנִי אֲבֹתֵינוּ בְּמִצְרָיִם וְאֶת זַעֲקָתָם שָׁמַעְתָּ עַל יַם סוּף
KJ: And didst see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heardest their cry by the Red sea;
BN: "'And you saw the affliction of our ancestors in Mitsrayim, and heard their cry
by the Sea of Reeds...
9:10 VA TITEN OTOT U MOPHTIM BE PHAR'OH U VE CHOL AVADAV U VE CHOL AM ARTSO KI YADA'TA KI HEZIYDU ALEYHEM VA TA'AS LECHA SHEM KE HA YOM HA ZEH
9:10 VA TITEN OTOT U MOPHTIM BE PHAR'OH U VE CHOL AVADAV U VE CHOL AM ARTSO KI YADA'TA KI HEZIYDU ALEYHEM VA TA'AS LECHA SHEM KE HA YOM HA ZEH
וַתִּתֵּן אֹתֹת וּמֹפְתִים בְּפַרְעֹה וּבְכָל עֲבָדָיו וּבְכָל עַם אַרְצוֹ כִּי יָדַעְתָּ כִּי הֵזִידוּ עֲלֵיהֶם וַתַּעַשׂ לְךָ שֵׁם כְּהַיּוֹם הַזֶּה
KJ: And shewedst signs and wonders upon Pharaoh, and on all his servants, and on all the people of his land: for thou knewest that they dealt proudly against them. So didst thou get thee a name, as it is this day.
BN: "'And showed signs, and performed wonders, before Pharaoh, and all his servants, and before all the people of his land; for you knew that they were stirring things up for you; and you acquired a reputation for yourself, and still have it to this day...
HEZIYDU: In the Hiphil here, but in the Po'al, which is the most basic active form of the verb, it is the one used for the goulash that Ya'akov was making when Esav came in hungry from the fields (Genesis 25:29); with NAZID, the noun from the same root, providing the stew itself. How do we get from there to Exodus 18:11, which is the allusion here, though actually that uses the verb in the Po'al too, or Exodus 21:14, which does the same - yet both of them are translated as "acted presumptuously" or "dealt proudly", or "became arrogant", as in verse 16 below? Lots of other examples - click here. Hopefully my translation gets both the Ya'akovic and the Phaoronic.
ALEYHEM: who are the "them" referred to here? The next verse clarifies this; it is the Egyptians who are stirring things up for the "Habiru", which is not, it must be said, how most Bible scholars read the Egyptian tale. Nor would it be, if HEZIYDU were translated as "acted presumptuously" or "dealt proudly".
9:11 VE HA YAM BAKA'TA LIPHNEYHEM VE YA'AVRU VETOCH HA YAM BA YABASHAH VE ET RODPHEYHEM HISHLACHTA VIMTSOLOT KEMO EVEN BE MAYIM AZIM
וְהַיָּם בָּקַעְתָּ לִפְנֵיהֶם וַיַּעַבְרוּ בְתוֹךְ הַיָּם בַּיַּבָּשָׁה וְאֶת רֹדְפֵיהֶם הִשְׁלַכְתָּ בִמְצוֹלֹת כְּמוֹ אֶבֶן בְּמַיִם עַזִּים
KJ: And thou didst divide the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land; and their persecutors thou threwest into the deeps, as a stone into the mighty waters.
BN: "'And you divided the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry part; and you cast their pursuers into the depths, like a stone into the raging waters...
BAKA'TA: literally "made a valley out of the sea".
9:12 U VE AMUD ANAN HINCHIYTAM YOMAM U VE AMUD ESH LAILAH LEHA'IR LAHEM ET HA DERECH ASHER YELCHU VAH
וּבְעַמּוּד עָנָן הִנְחִיתָם יוֹמָם וּבְעַמּוּד אֵשׁ לַיְלָה לְהָאִיר לָהֶם אֶת הַדֶּרֶךְ אֲשֶׁר יֵלְכוּ בָהּ
KJ: Moreover thou leddest them in the day by a cloudy pillar; and in the night by a pillar of fire, to give them light in the way wherein they should go.
BN: "'Moreover you led them by day in a pillar of cloud, and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light on the way that they were going...
The original YHVH, his first manifestation, the volcano-god of Mount Chorev.
9:13 VE AL HAR SINAI YARADETA VE DABER IMAHEM MI SHAMAYIM VA TITEN LAHEM MISHPATIM YESHARIM VE TOROT EMET CHUKIM U MITSVOT TOVIM
וְעַל הַר סִינַי יָרַדְתָּ וְדַבֵּר עִמָּהֶם מִשָּׁמָיִם וַתִּתֵּן לָהֶם מִשְׁפָּטִים יְשָׁרִים וְתוֹרוֹת אֱמֶת חֻקִּים וּמִצְוֹת טוֹבִים
BN: "'Then you came down onto Mount Sinai, and spoke with them from the heavens, and gave them a table of values, and a Torah of truth, good rules and instructions...
YARADETA: This is not how it is presented in the Torah that we have now; YHVH only ever spoke to the people through Mosheh, or very occasionally through Aharon. So did Ezra change an original to this, and the original got reinstated later; or did Ezra write it like this, and the Hasmoneans, or the Talmudic Rabbis, rewrote it later?
MI SHAMAYIM: Ditto. This represents the same shift in the theology that we saw with SHEMEY HA SHAMAYIM in verse 6.
9:14 VE ET SHABAT KADSHECHA HODA'TA LAHEM U MITSVOT VE CHUKIM VE TORAH TSIVIYTA LAHEM BE YAD MOSHEH AVDECHA
וְאֶת שַׁבַּת קָדְשְׁךָ הוֹדַעְתָּ לָהֶם וּמִצְווֹת וְחֻקִּים וְתוֹרָה צִוִּיתָ לָהֶם בְּיַד מֹשֶׁה עַבְדֶּךָ
KJ: And madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and commandedst them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses thy servant:
BN: "'And made known to them your holy Sabbath, and gave them instruction in your statutes and your Torah, by the hand of Mosheh your servant...
Prayer functioning in exactly the same way that mediaeval frescos on the walls of churches did, and stained-glass windows, and state-run television channels and newspapers today: present history as you wish it to be accepted, and keep on repeating it, day by day, until the lookers and listeners have absorbed and assimilated it; do it with pictures, if they are illiterate; do it with prayers, which are good for endless repetition. The trained priests and scribes didn't need this Piagetian form of instruction.
9:15 VE LECHEM MI SHAMAYIM NATATAH LAHEM LIR'AVAM U MAYIM MI SEL'A HOTSE'TA LAHEM LITSMA'AM VA TO'MER LAHEM LAV'O LARESHET ET HA ARETS ASHER NASA'TA ET YADCHA LATET LAHEM
וְלֶחֶם מִשָּׁמַיִם נָתַתָּה לָהֶם לִרְעָבָם וּמַיִם מִסֶּלַע הוֹצֵאתָ לָהֶם לִצְמָאָם וַתֹּאמֶר לָהֶם לָבוֹא לָרֶשֶׁת אֶת הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר נָשָׂאתָ אֶת יָדְךָ לָתֵת לָהֶם
KJ: And gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and promisedst them that they should go in to possess the land which thou hadst sworn to give them.
BN: "'And gave them bread from the heavens for their hunger, and brought water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and told them
that they should go in and possess the land which you had lifted up your hand to
give them...
This is the verse that shifts the agenda from the purely-religious to the also-political; this is the equivalent of citing the 1947 UN Resolution (Number 181). The legitimisation of the new state.
This is the verse that shifts the agenda from the purely-religious to the also-political; this is the equivalent of citing the 1947 UN Resolution (Number 181). The legitimisation of the new state.
9:16 VE HEM VA AVOTEYNU HEZIYDU VA YAKSHU ET ARPAM VE LO SHAM'U EL MITSVOTEYCHA
וְהֵם וַאֲבֹתֵינוּ הֵזִידוּ וַיַּקְשׁוּ אֶת עָרְפָּם וְלֹא שָׁמְעוּ אֶל מִצְוֹתֶיךָ
KJ: But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their necks, and hearkened not to thy commandments,
BN: "'But they and our fathers became arrogant, and stiif-necked, and did not
listen to your instructions...
HEZIYDU: "dealt proudly" - see my note to verse 10? The intention here is different from the one there - this is Mosheh's compaint, in Deuteronomy 12:8, that they did "KOL HA YASHAR BE EYNAV", "as they saw fit in their own eyes".
HEZIYDU: "dealt proudly" - see my note to verse 10? The intention here is different from the one there - this is Mosheh's compaint, in Deuteronomy 12:8, that they did "KOL HA YASHAR BE EYNAV", "as they saw fit in their own eyes".
VA YAKSHU: "and hardened their neck"; slightly earier in Deuteronomy this, 9:6: "Know therefore that it is not for your righteousness that YHVH your god is giving you this good land as a possession; for you are a stiff-necked people." Repeated in 10:16 and 31:27.
9:17 VA YEMA'ANU LISHMO'A VE LO ZACHRU NIPHLE'OTEYCHA ASHER ASIYTA IMAHEM VA YAKSHU ET ARPAM VA YITNU ROSH LASHUV LE AVDUTAM BE MIRYAM VE ATAH ELOHA SELIYCHOT CHANUN VE RACHUM ERECH APAYIM VE RAV VE CHESED VE LO AZAVTAM
וַיְמָאֲנוּ לִשְׁמֹעַ וְלֹא זָכְרוּ נִפְלְאֹתֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר עָשִׂיתָ עִמָּהֶם וַיַּקְשׁוּ אֶת עָרְפָּם וַיִּתְּנוּ רֹאשׁ לָשׁוּב לְעַבְדֻתָם בְּמִרְיָם וְאַתָּה אֱלוֹהַּ סְלִיחוֹת חַנּוּן וְרַחוּם אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם וְרַב וחסד (חֶסֶד) וְלֹא עֲזַבְתָּם
KJ: And refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage: but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not.
BN: "'And refused to listen, and failed to remember your wonders which you performed on their behalves, and stiffened their necks still more, and in their rebellion appointed a captain
to take them back to their slavery. But you are a god who is ready to forgive, gracious and
full of compassion, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy, and you did not
forsake them...
It is, actually, a very clever strategy. Go out as a politician wanting to unify the nation, and tell the people what a bunch of useless scum they are, and they are likely to reject you as their leader, your ideology as well. But tell them how wonderful they are, relative to those whose foolishness got them carried off into slavery (Egypt, Babylon, what difference which one you name? they know which one you mean!); but you, you aren't like that, our generation isnt stiff-necked or disobedient or arrogant, our generation is simply lacking guidance, in need of a Table of Values... and guess what, Ezra has just found it, the ancient text of Mosheh, the Book of Deuteronomy, come to the market-square on the 24th of Tishrey and hear him read it...
It is, actually, a very clever strategy. Go out as a politician wanting to unify the nation, and tell the people what a bunch of useless scum they are, and they are likely to reject you as their leader, your ideology as well. But tell them how wonderful they are, relative to those whose foolishness got them carried off into slavery (Egypt, Babylon, what difference which one you name? they know which one you mean!); but you, you aren't like that, our generation isnt stiff-necked or disobedient or arrogant, our generation is simply lacking guidance, in need of a Table of Values... and guess what, Ezra has just found it, the ancient text of Mosheh, the Book of Deuteronomy, come to the market-square on the 24th of Tishrey and hear him read it...
BE MIRYAM: Nothing to do with Mosheh's sister, whose name just happens to be spelled exactly the same. This means "in their rebellion" - the BE being the preposition "in", MIRYA being the rebellion (click here for its many occurrences in the Tanach), and AM the third person plural in the possessive form. So it really is just coincidence. And actually, the one occasion that Mir-Yam does "rebel" against Mosheh (Numbers 12), it isn't really rebellion anyway, just a "complaint" (12:1), just "gossip" (12:2) - and in the end just a means of explaining in terms of sin why Mir-Yam was stupid enough to get too close to an erupting volcano, and was Pompeiied for her trouble.
ERECH APAYIM... One of the greatest pieces of liturgy, and referenced repeatedly by both Ezra and Nechem-Yah; the Thirteen Attributes that appear in Exodus 34:6/7.
VE CHESED: I assume the parenthesis is because the version in the liturgy does not have the conjunction, and the Masoretic scribe has gone back to the original, which is Exodus 34:6.
9:18 APH KI ASU LAHEM EGEL MASECHA VA YOMRU ZEH ELOHEYCHA ASHER HE'ELCHA MI MITSRAYIM VA YA'ASU NE'ATSOT GIDOLOT
9:18 APH KI ASU LAHEM EGEL MASECHA VA YOMRU ZEH ELOHEYCHA ASHER HE'ELCHA MI MITSRAYIM VA YA'ASU NE'ATSOT GIDOLOT
אַף כִּי עָשׂוּ לָהֶם עֵגֶל מַסֵּכָה וַיֹּאמְרוּ זֶה אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר הֶעֶלְךָ מִמִּצְרָיִם וַיַּעֲשׂוּ נֶאָצוֹת גְּדֹלוֹת
KJ: Yea, when they had made them a molten calf, and said, This is thy God that brought thee up out of Egypt, and had wrought great provocations;
BN: "'Even when they made a calf for themselves from molten gold, and said: “This is your god
who brought you out of Mitsrayim”, and added other massive provocations...
9:19 VE ATAH BE RACHAMEYCHA HA RABIM LO AZAVTAM BA MIDBAR ET AMUD HE ANAN LO SAR ME'ALEYHEM BE YOMAM LEHANCHOTAM BE HA DERECH VE ET AMUD HA ESH BI LAILAH LEHA'IR LAHEM VE ET HA DERECH ASHER YELCHU VAH
וְאַתָּה בְּרַחֲמֶיךָ הָרַבִּים לֹא עֲזַבְתָּם בַּמִּדְבָּר אֶת עַמּוּד הֶעָנָן לֹא סָר מֵעֲלֵיהֶם בְּיוֹמָם לְהַנְחֹתָם בְּהַדֶּרֶךְ וְאֶת עַמּוּד הָאֵשׁ בְּלַיְלָה לְהָאִיר לָהֶם וְאֶת הַדֶּרֶךְ אֲשֶׁר יֵלְכוּ בָהּ
KJ: Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to shew them light, and the way wherein they should go.
BN: "'Yet you in your manifold mercies did not forsake them in the wilderness. The pillar of cloud never ceased to blow over them by day, to lead them on the way; nor did the pillar of fire by night, to give them light, and show them the way that they should go...
MIDBAR: I am still struggling with this one. "Desert" infers a great deal more
sand and emptiness than does "wilderness", which is more like "bush". The Negev
and Aravah are definitely scrub-wilderness in their northern parts, but start to become sand-deserts as they go south; the Sinai, like the Nefud, is definitely sand-desert; yet the same noun is used for both.
9:20 U RUCHACHA HA TOVAH NATATA LEHASKIYLAM U MAN'CHA LO MANA'TA MI PIYHEM U MAYIM NATATAH LAHEM LE TSMA'AM
KJ: Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst.
9:21 VE ARBA'IM SHANAH KILKALTAM BA MIDBAR LO CHASERU SALMOTEYHEM LO VALU VE RAGLEYHEM LO VATSEKU
KJ: Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not old, and their feet swelled not.
KJ: Moreover thou gavest them kingdoms and nations, and didst divide them into corners: so they possessed the land of Sihon, and the land of the king of Heshbon, and the land of Og king of Bashan.
KJ: Their children also multipliedst thou as the stars of heaven, and broughtest them into the land, concerning which thou hadst promised to their fathers, that they should go in to possess it.
KJ: So the children went in and possessed the land, and thou subduedst before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gavest them into their hands, with their kings, and the people of the land, that they might do with them as they would.
AMEMEY: This came up before but I think missed commenting. AM (עם) is functioning here as a multiple plural, otherwise it would be AMEY, not AMEMEY.
As this prayer goes on, we begin to see its other purpose ever more clearly: the people need to be told their history (their history, as we, their rulers, have now determined that it shall be recorded), but they are unlikely ever to read the whole book. So, just like those mediaeval frescoes that I mentioned earlier, here is the simplified version. This prayer is "teacher's notes", all you need to pass the exam, even if you never read the book. There are several mediaeval piyyut, added to the varous liturgies, but especially the Yom Kippur liturgy, that work in precisely the same manner, and the Haggadah of Pesach ditto.
9:25 VA YILKEDU ARIM BETSUROT VA ADAMAH SHEMENAH VA YIYRSHU BATIM MELE'IM KOL TUV BOROT CHATSUVIM KERAMIM VE ZEYTIM VE ETS MA'ACHAL LA ROV VA YO'CHLU VA YISHBI'U VA YASHIYMINU VA YIT'ADNU BI TUVCHA HA GADOL
KJ: And they took strong cities, and a fat land, and possessed houses full of all goods, wells digged, vineyards, and oliveyards, and fruit trees in abundance: so they did eat, and were filled, and became fat, and delighted themselves in thy great goodness.
BN: "'And they conquered fortified cities, and fertile land, and took possession of houses full of every good thing, their cisterns hewn out, vineyards, and oliveyards, and fruit-trees in abundance; so they ate, and were satisfied, even became fat, and luxuriated in your great goodness...
In much the same way that the USA likes to present itself as "the American dream" and "the land of opportunity" - splendid self-esteeming fantasy, but alas the accounts in the Books of Joshua and Judges suggest something rather different (as do the lives of Baltimore Blacks and Reservation Iroquois). But as an act of inspiration for the people participating in this ceremony, while Sanvalat and Tovi-Yah and the Pelishtim of Ashdod sit with their troops mustered, hoping to end this Zionist invasion before it starts annexing any more land...
9:26 VA YAMRU VA YIMREDU BACH VA YASHLECHU ET TORAT'CHA ACHAREY GAVAM VE ET NEVIY'EYCHA HARAGU ASHER HE'IYDU VAM LAHASHIYVAM ELEYCHA VA YA'ASU NE'ATSOT GEDOLOT
KJ: Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs, and slew thy prophets which testified against them to turn them to thee, and they wrought great provocations.
BN (somewhat non-liturgical, somewhat colloquial translation]: "'Not that any of this precluded them from complaining, and rebelling against you, and throwing your Torah behind their backs, and stoning your Prophets when they forewarned them to turn them back to you... but no, they just went on provoking you...
9:27 VA TITNEM BE YAD TSAREYHEM VA YATSERU LAHEM U VE ET TSARATAM YITS'AKU ELEYCHA VE ATAH MISHAMAYIM TISHM'A U CHE RACHAMEYCHA HA RABIM TITEN LAHEM MOSHIY'IM VE YOSHIY'UM MI YAD TSAREYHEM
KJ: Therefore thou deliveredst them into the hand of their enemies, who vexed them: and in the time of their trouble, when they cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven; and according to thy manifold mercies thou gavest them saviours, who saved them out of the hand of their enemies.
BN: "Which is why you delivered them into the hand of their enemies, who caused them great distress; and in the time of their trouble, when they cried to you, you heard from the heavens, and according to your manifold mercies you sent them rescuers, who rescued them from the hand of their adversaries...
MOSHIY'IM...VI YOSHIY'UM: yet again; this should be VE YOSHIY'UM. Yes, this is the same word that yields Messiah, but the intention is Chizki-Yah, who saved Yeru-Shala'im at the time of Sennacheriv, and Zeru-Bavel, who brought the people back from exile in Babylon, and... and yes, of course, Nechem-Yah, and Ezra, and the priests and scribes who are leading these prayers right now, in a half-restored Yeru-Shala'im, in a half-restored Yehudah, and you, who are praying alongside us, you yourselves...but not yet, one more verse of criticism before that point can be reached...
9:28 U CHE NO'ACH LAHEM YASHUVU LA'ASOT RA LEPHANEYCHA VA TA'AZVEM BE YAD OYEVEYHEM VA YIRDU VAHEM VA YASHUVU VA YIZ'AKUCHA VE ATAH MISHAMAYIM TISHM'A VE TATSIYLEM KE RACHAMEYCHA RABOT ITIM
KJ: But after they had rest, they did evil again before thee: therefore leftest thou them in the hand of their enemies, so that they had the dominion over them: yet when they returned, and cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven; and many times didst thou deliver them according to thy mercies;
BN: "'But even after this period of respite, they went back to their bad old ways once again, and so you left them in the hand of their enemies, so that they had dominion over them. And again they came back to you, and called out to you, and many times you heard them from the heavens, and delivered them according to your mercies...
9:29 VA TA'AD BAHEM LAHASHIYVAM EL TORATECHA VE HEMAH HEZIYDU VE LO SHAM'U LE MITSVOTEYCHA U VE MISHPATEYCHA CHAT'U VAM ASHER YA'ASEH ADAM VI HAYAH VAHEM VA YITNU CHATEPH SORERET VE ARPAM HIKSHU VE LO SHAME'U
KJ: And testifiedst against them, that thou mightest bring them again unto thy law: yet they dealt proudly, and hearkened not unto thy commandments, but sinned against thy judgments, (which if a man do, he shall live in them;) and withdrew the shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear.
BN: "'And you brought witnesses to them, to inspire them back to your law; but they remained arrogant, and did not listen to your instructions, but sinned against your statutes, the ones by which a man should live, and once again they became stiff-shouldered as well as stiff-necked, and they would not hear...
Oh, but very slowly, this is getting closer to home, so close it could almost come in to roost.
9:30 VA TIMSHOCH ALEYHEM SHANIM RABOT VA TA'AD BAM BE RUCHACHA BE YAD NEVIY'EYCHA VE LO HE'EZIYNU VA TITNEM BE YAD AMEY HA ARATSOT
KJ: Yet many years didst thou forbear them, and testifiedst against them by thy spirit in thy prophets: yet would they not give ear: therefore gavest thou them into the hand of the people of the lands.
KJ: Nevertheless for thy great mercies' sake thou didst not utterly consume them, nor forsake them; for thou art a gracious and merciful God.
9:35 VE HEM BE MALCHUTAM U VE TUVCHA HA RAV ASHER NATATA LAHEM U VE ERETS HA RECHAVAH VE HA SHEMENAH ASHER NATATA LIPHNEYHEM LO AVADUCHA VE LO SHAVU MI MA'ALELEYHEM HA RA'IM
BN: "'For they have not served you in their kingdom, and in your great goodness that you gave them, and in the large and fat land which you set before them, nor have they turned away from their wicked deeds...
LO AVADUCHA: Again, and yet again, the same question arises: here though there is no doubt that AVODAH means "service" in the sense of "worship".
9:37 U TEVU'ATAH MARBAH LA MELACHIM ASHER NATATAH ALEYNU BE CHAT'OTEYNU VE AL GEVIYOTENU MOSHLIM U VI VEHEMTENU KIRTSONAM U VE TSARAH GEDOLAH ANACHNU
KJ: 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.
BN: "'And it yields much increase to the leaders whom you have set over us because of our sins; also they have power over our bodies, and over our cattle, at their pleasure, and we are in great distress...
KJ (9:38) And because of all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, Levites, and priests, seal unto it.
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Nehemiah 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
9:20 U RUCHACHA HA TOVAH NATATA LEHASKIYLAM U MAN'CHA LO MANA'TA MI PIYHEM U MAYIM NATATAH LAHEM LE TSMA'AM
וְרוּחֲךָ הַטּוֹבָה נָתַתָּ לְהַשְׂכִּילָם וּמַנְךָ לֹא מָנַעְתָּ מִפִּיהֶם וּמַיִם נָתַתָּה לָהֶם לִצְמָאָם
KJ: Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst.
BN: "'You also gave your good spirit to instruct them, and did not withhold your
manna from their mouth, and gave them water for their thirst...
RUCHACHA: Once again a reminder that CH is always hard, as in "loch", and never soft, as in "church".
LITSMA'AM: Some versions have this as LI TSEMA'AM, two words, but it has to be ellided as a single word; and anyway the LI should be a LE, sheva not chirik.
RUCHACHA: Once again a reminder that CH is always hard, as in "loch", and never soft, as in "church".
LITSMA'AM: Some versions have this as LI TSEMA'AM, two words, but it has to be ellided as a single word; and anyway the LI should be a LE, sheva not chirik.
9:21 VE ARBA'IM SHANAH KILKALTAM BA MIDBAR LO CHASERU SALMOTEYHEM LO VALU VE RAGLEYHEM LO VATSEKU
וְאַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה כִּלְכַּלְתָּם בַּמִּדְבָּר לֹא חָסֵרוּ שַׂלְמֹתֵיהֶם לֹא בָלוּ וְרַגְלֵיהֶם לֹא בָצֵקוּ
KJ: Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not old, and their feet swelled not.
BN: "'For forty years you sustained them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing;
their clothes did not grow not old, and their feet never swelled...
The point at which religious faith simply becomes silly! But... to continue my first note at verse 17... getting the people to recite all this, slowly, verse by verse, in a religious ceremony, inculcates (that is definitely the mot juste!); and in the second person, them saying "you", but understanding that "you" means "I" and "us"...
9:22 VA TITEN LAHEM MAMLACHUT VA A'MAMIM VA TACHLEKEM LE PHE'AH VA YIYRSHU ET ERETS SIYCHON VE ET ERETS MELECH CHESHBON VE ET ERETS OG MELECH HA BASHAN
The point at which religious faith simply becomes silly! But... to continue my first note at verse 17... getting the people to recite all this, slowly, verse by verse, in a religious ceremony, inculcates (that is definitely the mot juste!); and in the second person, them saying "you", but understanding that "you" means "I" and "us"...
9:22 VA TITEN LAHEM MAMLACHUT VA A'MAMIM VA TACHLEKEM LE PHE'AH VA YIYRSHU ET ERETS SIYCHON VE ET ERETS MELECH CHESHBON VE ET ERETS OG MELECH HA BASHAN
וַתִּתֵּן לָהֶם מַמְלָכוֹת וַעֲמָמִים וַתַּחְלְקֵם לְפֵאָה וַיִּירְשׁוּ אֶת אֶרֶץ סִיחוֹן וְאֶת אֶרֶץ מֶלֶךְ חֶשְׁבּוֹן וְאֶת אֶרֶץ עוֹג מֶלֶךְ הַבָּשָׁן
KJ: Moreover thou gavest them kingdoms and nations, and didst divide them into corners: so they possessed the land of Sihon, and the land of the king of Heshbon, and the land of Og king of Bashan.
BN: "'And you gave them kingdoms and peoples, which you allotted region by region; so they possessed the land of Sichon, and the land of the king of Cheshbon, and the land of Og king of the Bashan...
9:23 U
VENEYHEM HIRBIYTA KE CHOCHEVEY HA SHAMAYIM VA TEVIY'EM EL HA ARETS ASHER
AMARTA LA AVOTEYHEM LAV'O LARASHET
וּבְנֵיהֶם הִרְבִּיתָ כְּכֹכְבֵי הַשָּׁמָיִם וַתְּבִיאֵם אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אָמַרְתָּ לַאֲבֹתֵיהֶם לָבוֹא לָרָשֶׁת
KJ: Their children also multipliedst thou as the stars of heaven, and broughtest them into the land, concerning which thou hadst promised to their fathers, that they should go in to possess it.
BN: "'And you multiplied their offspring like the stars in the heavens, and brought them
into the land which you had told their ancestors they would go in and possess...
AMARTA...LAV'O LARESHET: As rich and complex as Yehudit is with the binyanim, it is rather the opposite when it comes to making distinctions in time. The reason is theological, not grammatical - when the gods created Creation, all the possible neutrons and electrons were sent out into the Cosmos, and all possible combinations of their anagramisation were thence and therefore implicit, intrinsic and inevitable - this is what is really meant by predetermination, and by "fate and destiny". So every action that will ever take place is already there in potensis, and, as far as the grammar of time is concerned, it is either in process of completion (present continuous), lying static (future), or already completed (past tense). No need for an imperfect (in process but not yet complete) or a pluperfect (was in process but not yet complete at the time of this other now completed incident that I am describing), let alone the subjunctives (might have been) and conditionals (would be) that we seem to depend on in the Latin tongues. And yet, as with this verse, there are times when a past preterite would be extremely useful, and not just a conditional but a future conditional absolutely necessary.
9:24 VA YAVO'U HA BANIM VA YIYRSHU ET HA ARETS VA TACHN'A LIPHNEYHEM ET YOSHVEY HA ARETS HA KENA'ANIM VA TITNEM BE YADAM VE ET MALCHEYHEM VE ET AMEMEY HA ARETS LA'ASOT BAHEM KIRTSONAM
9:24 VA YAVO'U HA BANIM VA YIYRSHU ET HA ARETS VA TACHN'A LIPHNEYHEM ET YOSHVEY HA ARETS HA KENA'ANIM VA TITNEM BE YADAM VE ET MALCHEYHEM VE ET AMEMEY HA ARETS LA'ASOT BAHEM KIRTSONAM
וַיָּבֹאוּ הַבָּנִים וַיִּירְשׁוּ אֶת הָאָרֶץ וַתַּכְנַע לִפְנֵיהֶם אֶת יֹשְׁבֵי הָאָרֶץ הַכְּנַעֲנִים וַתִּתְּנֵם בְּיָדָם וְאֶת מַלְכֵיהֶם וְאֶת עַמְמֵי הָאָרֶץ לַעֲשׂוֹת בָּהֶם כִּרְצוֹנָם
KJ: So the children went in and possessed the land, and thou subduedst before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gavest them into their hands, with their kings, and the people of the land, that they might do with them as they would.
BN: "'So the children went in and possessed the land, and you subdued the inhabitants
of the land, the Kena'anim, before them, and gave them into their hands, with
their kings, and the peoples of the land, that they might do with them as they
would...
AMEMEY: This came up before but I think missed commenting. AM (עם) is functioning here as a multiple plural, otherwise it would be AMEY, not AMEMEY.
As this prayer goes on, we begin to see its other purpose ever more clearly: the people need to be told their history (their history, as we, their rulers, have now determined that it shall be recorded), but they are unlikely ever to read the whole book. So, just like those mediaeval frescoes that I mentioned earlier, here is the simplified version. This prayer is "teacher's notes", all you need to pass the exam, even if you never read the book. There are several mediaeval piyyut, added to the varous liturgies, but especially the Yom Kippur liturgy, that work in precisely the same manner, and the Haggadah of Pesach ditto.
9:25 VA YILKEDU ARIM BETSUROT VA ADAMAH SHEMENAH VA YIYRSHU BATIM MELE'IM KOL TUV BOROT CHATSUVIM KERAMIM VE ZEYTIM VE ETS MA'ACHAL LA ROV VA YO'CHLU VA YISHBI'U VA YASHIYMINU VA YIT'ADNU BI TUVCHA HA GADOL
וַיִּלְכְּדוּ עָרִים בְּצוּרֹת וַאֲדָמָה שְׁמֵנָה וַיִּירְשׁוּ בָּתִּים מְלֵאִים כָּל טוּב בֹּרוֹת חֲצוּבִים כְּרָמִים וְזֵיתִים וְעֵץ מַאֲכָל לָרֹב וַיֹּאכְלוּ וַיִּשְׂבְּעוּ וַיַּשְׁמִינוּ וַיִּתְעַדְּנוּ בְּטוּבְךָ הַגָּדוֹל
KJ: And they took strong cities, and a fat land, and possessed houses full of all goods, wells digged, vineyards, and oliveyards, and fruit trees in abundance: so they did eat, and were filled, and became fat, and delighted themselves in thy great goodness.
BN: "'And they conquered fortified cities, and fertile land, and took possession of houses full of every good thing, their cisterns hewn out, vineyards, and oliveyards, and fruit-trees in abundance; so they ate, and were satisfied, even became fat, and luxuriated in your great goodness...
In much the same way that the USA likes to present itself as "the American dream" and "the land of opportunity" - splendid self-esteeming fantasy, but alas the accounts in the Books of Joshua and Judges suggest something rather different (as do the lives of Baltimore Blacks and Reservation Iroquois). But as an act of inspiration for the people participating in this ceremony, while Sanvalat and Tovi-Yah and the Pelishtim of Ashdod sit with their troops mustered, hoping to end this Zionist invasion before it starts annexing any more land...
9:26 VA YAMRU VA YIMREDU BACH VA YASHLECHU ET TORAT'CHA ACHAREY GAVAM VE ET NEVIY'EYCHA HARAGU ASHER HE'IYDU VAM LAHASHIYVAM ELEYCHA VA YA'ASU NE'ATSOT GEDOLOT
וַיַּמְרוּ וַיִּמְרְדוּ בָּךְ וַיַּשְׁלִכוּ אֶת תּוֹרָתְךָ אַחֲרֵי גַוָּם וְאֶת נְבִיאֶיךָ הָרָגוּ אֲשֶׁר הֵעִידוּ בָם לַהֲשִׁיבָם אֵלֶיךָ וַיַּעֲשׂוּ נֶאָצוֹת גְּדוֹלֹת
KJ: Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs, and slew thy prophets which testified against them to turn them to thee, and they wrought great provocations.
BN (somewhat non-liturgical, somewhat colloquial translation]: "'Not that any of this precluded them from complaining, and rebelling against you, and throwing your Torah behind their backs, and stoning your Prophets when they forewarned them to turn them back to you... but no, they just went on provoking you...
VA YAMRU: Exactly the same word used for Mir-Yam in the Numbers 12 fragment referenced at verse 17; really it means "whingeing" and "moaning" here, rather than outright "disobedience".
9:27 VA TITNEM BE YAD TSAREYHEM VA YATSERU LAHEM U VE ET TSARATAM YITS'AKU ELEYCHA VE ATAH MISHAMAYIM TISHM'A U CHE RACHAMEYCHA HA RABIM TITEN LAHEM MOSHIY'IM VE YOSHIY'UM MI YAD TSAREYHEM
וַתִּתְּנֵם בְּיַד צָרֵיהֶם וַיָּצֵרוּ לָהֶם וּבְעֵת צָרָתָם יִצְעֲקוּ אֵלֶיךָ וְאַתָּה מִשָּׁמַיִם תִּשְׁמָע וּכְרַחֲמֶיךָ הָרַבִּים תִּתֵּן לָהֶם מוֹשִׁיעִים וְיוֹשִׁיעוּם מִיַּד צָרֵיהֶם
KJ: Therefore thou deliveredst them into the hand of their enemies, who vexed them: and in the time of their trouble, when they cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven; and according to thy manifold mercies thou gavest them saviours, who saved them out of the hand of their enemies.
BN: "Which is why you delivered them into the hand of their enemies, who caused them great distress; and in the time of their trouble, when they cried to you, you heard from the heavens, and according to your manifold mercies you sent them rescuers, who rescued them from the hand of their adversaries...
MOSHIY'IM...VI YOSHIY'UM: yet again; this should be VE YOSHIY'UM. Yes, this is the same word that yields Messiah, but the intention is Chizki-Yah, who saved Yeru-Shala'im at the time of Sennacheriv, and Zeru-Bavel, who brought the people back from exile in Babylon, and... and yes, of course, Nechem-Yah, and Ezra, and the priests and scribes who are leading these prayers right now, in a half-restored Yeru-Shala'im, in a half-restored Yehudah, and you, who are praying alongside us, you yourselves...but not yet, one more verse of criticism before that point can be reached...
9:28 U CHE NO'ACH LAHEM YASHUVU LA'ASOT RA LEPHANEYCHA VA TA'AZVEM BE YAD OYEVEYHEM VA YIRDU VAHEM VA YASHUVU VA YIZ'AKUCHA VE ATAH MISHAMAYIM TISHM'A VE TATSIYLEM KE RACHAMEYCHA RABOT ITIM
וּכְנוֹחַ לָהֶם יָשׁוּבוּ לַעֲשׂוֹת רַע לְפָנֶיךָ וַתַּעַזְבֵם בְּיַד אֹיְבֵיהֶם וַיִּרְדּוּ בָהֶם וַיָּשׁוּבוּ וַיִּזְעָקוּךָ וְאַתָּה מִשָּׁמַיִם תִּשְׁמַע וְתַצִּילֵם כְּרַחֲמֶיךָ רַבּוֹת עִתִּים
KJ: But after they had rest, they did evil again before thee: therefore leftest thou them in the hand of their enemies, so that they had the dominion over them: yet when they returned, and cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven; and many times didst thou deliver them according to thy mercies;
BN: "'But even after this period of respite, they went back to their bad old ways once again, and so you left them in the hand of their enemies, so that they had dominion over them. And again they came back to you, and called out to you, and many times you heard them from the heavens, and delivered them according to your mercies...
9:29 VA TA'AD BAHEM LAHASHIYVAM EL TORATECHA VE HEMAH HEZIYDU VE LO SHAM'U LE MITSVOTEYCHA U VE MISHPATEYCHA CHAT'U VAM ASHER YA'ASEH ADAM VI HAYAH VAHEM VA YITNU CHATEPH SORERET VE ARPAM HIKSHU VE LO SHAME'U
וַתָּעַד בָּהֶם לַהֲשִׁיבָם אֶל תּוֹרָתֶךָ וְהֵמָּה הֵזִידוּ וְלֹא שָׁמְעוּ לְמִצְוֹתֶיךָ וּבְמִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ חָטְאוּ בָם אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֶׂה אָדָם וְחָיָה בָהֶם וַיִּתְּנוּ כָתֵף סוֹרֶרֶת וְעָרְפָּם הִקְשׁוּ וְלֹא שָׁמֵעוּ
KJ: And testifiedst against them, that thou mightest bring them again unto thy law: yet they dealt proudly, and hearkened not unto thy commandments, but sinned against thy judgments, (which if a man do, he shall live in them;) and withdrew the shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear.
BN: "'And you brought witnesses to them, to inspire them back to your law; but they remained arrogant, and did not listen to your instructions, but sinned against your statutes, the ones by which a man should live, and once again they became stiff-shouldered as well as stiff-necked, and they would not hear...
Oh, but very slowly, this is getting closer to home, so close it could almost come in to roost.
9:30 VA TIMSHOCH ALEYHEM SHANIM RABOT VA TA'AD BAM BE RUCHACHA BE YAD NEVIY'EYCHA VE LO HE'EZIYNU VA TITNEM BE YAD AMEY HA ARATSOT
וַתִּמְשֹׁךְ עֲלֵיהֶם שָׁנִים רַבּוֹת וַתָּעַד בָּם בְּרוּחֲךָ בְּיַד נְבִיאֶיךָ וְלֹא הֶאֱזִינוּ וַתִּתְּנֵם בְּיַד עַמֵּי הָאֲרָצֹת
KJ: Yet many years didst thou forbear them, and testifiedst against them by thy spirit in thy prophets: yet would they not give ear: therefore gavest thou them into the hand of the people of the lands.
BN: "'And yet throughout those years you remained steadfast for them, and sent more witnesses to your spirit, through the hand of your Prophets; and still they would not listen. And so you gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands...
9:31 U VE RACHAMEYCHA HA RABIM LO ASIYTAM KALAH VE LO AZAVTAM KI EL CHANUN VE RACHUM ATAH
9:31 U VE RACHAMEYCHA HA RABIM LO ASIYTAM KALAH VE LO AZAVTAM KI EL CHANUN VE RACHUM ATAH
וּבְרַחֲמֶיךָ הָרַבִּים לֹא עֲשִׂיתָם כָּלָה וְלֹא עֲזַבְתָּם כִּי אֵל חַנּוּן וְרַחוּם אָתָּה
BN: "But still, in the infinity of your compassion, you did not utterly destroy them, nor abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful god...
This verse is still in the liturgy, I do believe; in part in Ma'avir Sheyna, which concluded the Fourteen Shacharit blessings; mostly in the Ahavah which immediately precedes the Shema; and in the sixth blessing of the Amidah, the paragraph "Selichah" - click here for fuller details of all these.
9:32 VE ATAH ELOHEYNU HA EL HA GADOL HA GIBUR VE HA NORAH SHOMER HA BERIT VE HA CHESED AL YIM'AT LEPHANEYCHA ET KOL HA TELA'AH ASHER METSA'ATNU LIMLACHEYNU LE SAREYNU U LE CHOHANEYNU VE LINVIY'EYNU VE LA AVOTEYNU U LE CHOL AMECHA MIYMEY MALCHEY ASHUR AD HA YOM HA ZEH
KJ: Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who keepest covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble seem little before thee, that hath come upon 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 Assyria unto this day.
BN: "'Now therefore, our god, the great, the mighty and the awesome god, who keeps the covenant and brings mercy, do not let all of this struggle seem trivial to you, that has come upon us, on our kings, on our princes, and on our priests, and on our prophets, and on our fathers, and on all your people, since the time of the kings of Ashur until this very day...
HA EL HA GADOL HA GIBUR VE HA NORAH: And this even more so; it provides the a key sentence in the opening paragraph of the Amidah.
This verse is still in the liturgy, I do believe; in part in Ma'avir Sheyna, which concluded the Fourteen Shacharit blessings; mostly in the Ahavah which immediately precedes the Shema; and in the sixth blessing of the Amidah, the paragraph "Selichah" - click here for fuller details of all these.
9:32 VE ATAH ELOHEYNU HA EL HA GADOL HA GIBUR VE HA NORAH SHOMER HA BERIT VE HA CHESED AL YIM'AT LEPHANEYCHA ET KOL HA TELA'AH ASHER METSA'ATNU LIMLACHEYNU LE SAREYNU U LE CHOHANEYNU VE LINVIY'EYNU VE LA AVOTEYNU U LE CHOL AMECHA MIYMEY MALCHEY ASHUR AD HA YOM HA ZEH
וְעַתָּה אֱלֹהֵינוּ הָאֵל הַגָּדוֹל הַגִּבּוֹר וְהַנּוֹרָא שׁוֹמֵר הַבְּרִית וְהַחֶסֶד אַל יִמְעַט לְפָנֶיךָ אֵת כָּל הַתְּלָאָה אֲשֶׁר מְצָאַתְנוּ לִמְלָכֵינוּ לְשָׂרֵינוּ וּלְכֹהֲנֵינוּ וְלִנְבִיאֵינוּ וְלַאֲבֹתֵינוּ וּלְכָל עַמֶּךָ מִימֵי מַלְכֵי אַשּׁוּר עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה
KJ: Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who keepest covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble seem little before thee, that hath come upon 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 Assyria unto this day.
BN: "'Now therefore, our god, the great, the mighty and the awesome god, who keeps the covenant and brings mercy, do not let all of this struggle seem trivial to you, that has come upon us, on our kings, on our princes, and on our priests, and on our prophets, and on our fathers, and on all your people, since the time of the kings of Ashur until this very day...
HA EL HA GADOL HA GIBUR VE HA NORAH: And this even more so; it provides the a key sentence in the opening paragraph of the Amidah.
ASHUR: see the link.
AL YIM'AT LIPHANEYCHA ET KOL HA TELA'AH ASHER METSA'ATNU: I think this is the moment of genius in the construction of this story-prayer. As the criticism reaches the people standing there, at the very instant when the birds are tapping on the tree outside, looking for a place to roost, at that very moment, when the criticism of a thousand years of repeated failure is about to be accused against you personally, at that moment: "do not let all of this struggle seem trivial to you".
9:33 VE ATAH TSADIK AL KOL HA BA ALEYNU KI EMET ASIYTA VA ANACHNU HIRSHA'NU
KJ: Howbeit thou art just in all that is brought upon us; for thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly:
BN: "'Howbeit you are just in all that has come upon us; for you have dealt truly, but we have done wickedly...
This verse can still be found in the Yom Kippur liturgy, but that doesn't presume that Nechem-Yah was celebrating Yom Kippur; see my notes to verse 1.
AL YIM'AT LIPHANEYCHA ET KOL HA TELA'AH ASHER METSA'ATNU: I think this is the moment of genius in the construction of this story-prayer. As the criticism reaches the people standing there, at the very instant when the birds are tapping on the tree outside, looking for a place to roost, at that very moment, when the criticism of a thousand years of repeated failure is about to be accused against you personally, at that moment: "do not let all of this struggle seem trivial to you".
9:33 VE ATAH TSADIK AL KOL HA BA ALEYNU KI EMET ASIYTA VA ANACHNU HIRSHA'NU
וְאַתָּה צַדִּיק עַל כָּל הַבָּא עָלֵינוּ כִּי אֱמֶת עָשִׂיתָ וַאֲנַחְנוּ הִרְשָׁעְנוּ
BN: "'Howbeit you are just in all that has come upon us; for you have dealt truly, but we have done wickedly...
This verse can still be found in the Yom Kippur liturgy, but that doesn't presume that Nechem-Yah was celebrating Yom Kippur; see my notes to verse 1.
9:34 VE ET
MELACHEYNU SAREYNU KOHANEYNU VA AVOTEYNU LO ASU TORATECHA VE LO HIKSHIYVU EL
MITSVOTEYCHA U LE ED'OTEYCHA ASHER HA'IYDOTA BAHEM
KJ: Neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, nor our fathers, kept thy law, nor hearkened unto thy commandments and thy testimonies, wherewith thou didst testify against them.
BN: "'Nor did our kings, our princes, our priests, or our ancestors keep your Torah, nor heed your instructions or listen to your witnesses, the ones who bore witness against them...
And it may be true, and it may not be true, we cannot know; it depends entirely on how much, if any, of the Torah just read to the people had been in existence before Ezra and his fellow scribes wrote it down. Perhaps all, perhaps none, probably some, but in a very different form from the one that he as read. Nor does it matter. The Torah, for these people, is the one that has just been read, retroactively validated to the beginning of time, a covenant which they are renewing now. The very use, the repeated use, of the word "witness", confirms it. This prayer is an act of ratification, by the people.
וְאֶת מְלָכֵינוּ שָׂרֵינוּ כֹּהֲנֵינוּ וַאֲבֹתֵינוּ לֹא עָשׂוּ תּוֹרָתֶךָ וְלֹא הִקְשִׁיבוּ אֶל מִצְוֹתֶיךָ וּלְעֵדְוֹתֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר הַעִידֹתָ בָּהֶם
KJ: Neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, nor our fathers, kept thy law, nor hearkened unto thy commandments and thy testimonies, wherewith thou didst testify against them.
BN: "'Nor did our kings, our princes, our priests, or our ancestors keep your Torah, nor heed your instructions or listen to your witnesses, the ones who bore witness against them...
And it may be true, and it may not be true, we cannot know; it depends entirely on how much, if any, of the Torah just read to the people had been in existence before Ezra and his fellow scribes wrote it down. Perhaps all, perhaps none, probably some, but in a very different form from the one that he as read. Nor does it matter. The Torah, for these people, is the one that has just been read, retroactively validated to the beginning of time, a covenant which they are renewing now. The very use, the repeated use, of the word "witness", confirms it. This prayer is an act of ratification, by the people.
9:35 VE HEM BE MALCHUTAM U VE TUVCHA HA RAV ASHER NATATA LAHEM U VE ERETS HA RECHAVAH VE HA SHEMENAH ASHER NATATA LIPHNEYHEM LO AVADUCHA VE LO SHAVU MI MA'ALELEYHEM HA RA'IM
וְהֵם בְּמַלְכוּתָם וּבְטוּבְךָ הָרָב אֲשֶׁר נָתַתָּ לָהֶם וּבְאֶרֶץ הָרְחָבָה וְהַשְּׁמֵנָה אֲשֶׁר נָתַתָּ לִפְנֵיהֶם לֹא עֲבָדוּךָ וְלֹא שָׁבוּ מִמַּעַלְלֵיהֶם הָרָעִים
KJ: For they have not served thee in their kingdom, and in thy great goodness that thou gavest them, and in the large and fat land which thou gavest before them, neither turned they from their wicked works.
BN: "'For they have not served you in their kingdom, and in your great goodness that you gave them, and in the large and fat land which you set before them, nor have they turned away from their wicked deeds...
LO AVADUCHA: Again, and yet again, the same question arises: here though there is no doubt that AVODAH means "service" in the sense of "worship".
9:36 HINEH ANACHNU HA YOM AVADIM VE HA ARETS ASHER NATATAH LA AVOTEYNU LE'ECHOL ET PIRYAH VE ET TUVAH HINEH ANACHNU AVADIM ALEYHA
KJ: Behold, we are servants this day, and for the land that thou gavest unto our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof, behold, we are servants in it:
הִנֵּה אֲנַחְנוּ הַיּוֹם עֲבָדִים וְהָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר נָתַתָּה לַאֲבֹתֵינוּ לֶאֱכֹל אֶת פִּרְיָהּ וְאֶת טוּבָהּ הִנֵּה אֲנַחְנוּ עֲבָדִים עָלֶיהָ
BN: "Behold, we are servants this day, and as for the land that you gave to our
ancestors to eat its fruit and its produce, behold, we are servants in it...
AVADIM: This is now it, the culmination of the reading, the fasting, this prayer. Now is the time to say yes or no, we accept the covenant, or we do now. Sign, seal and deliver.
AVADIM: This is now it, the culmination of the reading, the fasting, this prayer. Now is the time to say yes or no, we accept the covenant, or we do now. Sign, seal and deliver.
9:37 U TEVU'ATAH MARBAH LA MELACHIM ASHER NATATAH ALEYNU BE CHAT'OTEYNU VE AL GEVIYOTENU MOSHLIM U VI VEHEMTENU KIRTSONAM U VE TSARAH GEDOLAH ANACHNU
וּתְבוּאָתָהּ מַרְבָּה לַמְּלָכִים אֲשֶׁר נָתַתָּה עָלֵינוּ בְּחַטֹּאותֵינוּ וְעַל גְּוִיֹּתֵנוּ מֹשְׁלִים וּבִבְהֶמְתֵּנוּ כִּרְצוֹנָם וּבְצָרָה גְדֹלָה אֲנָחְנוּ
BN: "'And it yields much increase to the leaders whom you have set over us because of our sins; also they have power over our bodies, and over our cattle, at their pleasure, and we are in great distress...
MELACHIM: From the root HALACH meaning "to go", but in the Pi'el form, so it is about those who make others go, i.e "leaders"; the word "king" comes from the same root, and in the same manner, but a king is only one type of leader, and the king of these people, the Shah in Persia, is not the one they are meaning today: Ezra, Nechem-Yah, the Kohanim and Leviyim, the clan-chiefs...
U VI TSARAH GIDOLAH ANACHINU: "and we are in great distress" - just thrown in, almost as an aside, an afterthought, a piece of improvisation at the end of formal prayer; the intention being, in case any of the congregation haven't worked it out yet, we can do this ourselves, by fortifying the wall, by setting guards, by working with one hand on th sword and the other on the plough, but we need a Table of Values, we need... you, the deity.
pey break
The King James version has one more verse, which is the opening verse of chapter 10 in most Jewish versions. I have placed it here as well, but will place any notes or comments on it in chapter 10.
U VI TSARAH GIDOLAH ANACHINU: "and we are in great distress" - just thrown in, almost as an aside, an afterthought, a piece of improvisation at the end of formal prayer; the intention being, in case any of the congregation haven't worked it out yet, we can do this ourselves, by fortifying the wall, by setting guards, by working with one hand on th sword and the other on the plough, but we need a Table of Values, we need... you, the deity.
pey break
The King James version has one more verse, which is the opening verse of chapter 10 in most Jewish versions. I have placed it here as well, but will place any notes or comments on it in chapter 10.
KJ (9:38) And because of all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, Levites, and priests, seal unto it.
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