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Nehemiah 9:36-38
New English Translation
Nehemiah 9:36-38
New English Translation
36 “So today we are slaves! In the very land you gave to our ancestors to eat its fruit and to enjoy[a] its good things—we are slaves. 37 Its abundant produce goes to the kings you have placed over us due to our sins. They rule over our bodies and our livestock as they see fit,[b] and we are in great distress!
The People Pledge to be Faithful
38 (10:1)[c] “Because of all this we are entering into[d] a binding covenant in written form;[e] our leaders, our Levites, and our priests have affixed their names[f] on the sealed document.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Nehemiah 9:36 tn The expression “to enjoy” is not included in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
- Nehemiah 9:37 tn Heb “according to their desire.”
- Nehemiah 9:38 sn Beginning with 9:38, the verse numbers through 10:39 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 9:38 ET = 10:1 HT, 10:1 ET = 10:2 HT, 10:2 ET = 10:3 HT, etc., through 10:39 ET = 10:40 HT. Beginning with 11:1 the verse numbers in the ET and HT are again the same.
- Nehemiah 9:38 tn Heb “we are cutting.”
- Nehemiah 9:38 tn Heb “and writing.”
- Nehemiah 9:38 tn Heb “our leaders, our Levites, and our priests on the sealed document.” The Hebrew text is elliptical here; the words “have affixed their names” are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons. Cf. v. 2.
Nehemiah 9:36-38
King James Version
Nehemiah 9:36-38
King James Version
36 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:
37 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.
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 9:36-38
New King James Version
Nehemiah 9:36-38
New King James Version
36 “Here (A)we are, servants today!
And the land that You gave to our fathers,
To eat its fruit and its bounty,
Here we are, servants in it!
37 And (B)it yields much increase to the kings
You have set over us,
Because of our sins;
Also they have (C)dominion over our bodies and our cattle
At their pleasure;
And we are in great distress.
38 “And because of all this,
We (D)make a sure covenant and write it;
Our leaders, our Levites, and our priests (E)seal it.”
Nehemiah 9:36-38
English Standard Version
Nehemiah 9:36-38
English Standard Version
36 Behold, (A)we 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 (B)And 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.
38 [a] “Because of all this (C)we make a firm covenant in writing; on (D)the sealed document are the names of[b] our princes, our Levites, and our priests.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Nehemiah 9:38 Ch 10:1 in Hebrew
- Nehemiah 9:38 Hebrew lacks the names of
Nehemiah 9:36-38
New International Version
Nehemiah 9:36-38
New International Version
36 “But see, we are slaves(A) today, slaves in the land you gave our ancestors so they could eat its fruit and the other good things it produces. 37 Because of our sins, its abundant harvest goes to the kings you have placed over us. They rule over our bodies and our cattle as they please. We are in great distress.(B)
The Agreement of the People
38 “In view of all this, we are making a binding agreement,(C) putting it in writing,(D) and our leaders, our Levites and our priests are affixing their seals to it.”[a]
Footnotes
- Nehemiah 9:38 In Hebrew texts this verse (9:38) is numbered 10:1.
New English Translation (NET)
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New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.