Ezra 9:13

But you, Lord, are a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness and truth.

Why have you despised Yahweh’s word, to do that which is evil in his sight? You have struck Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and have taken his wife to be your wife, and have slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.

For I know my transgressions. My sin is constantly before me.

But he, being merciful, forgave iniquity, and didn’t destroy them. Yes, many times he turned his anger away, and didn’t stir up all his wrath.

Won’t you revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?

But the tax collector, standing far away, wouldn’t even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’

Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “I have sinned this time. Yahweh is righteous, and I and my people are wicked.

You shall not be scared of them; for Yahweh your God is among you, a great and awesome God.

Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiff-necked.

For Yahweh your God, he is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, the mighty, and the awesome, who doesn’t respect persons or take bribes.

But a prophet of Yahweh was there, whose name was Oded; and he went out to meet the army that came to Samaria, and said to them, “Behold, because Yahweh, the God of your fathers, was angry with Judah, he has delivered them into your hand, and you have slain them in a rage which has reached up to heaven.

“Nevertheless in your manifold mercies you didn’t make a full end of them, nor forsake them; for you are a gracious and merciful God.

My tongue shall talk about your righteousness and about your praise all day long.

Let your work appear to your servants, your glory to their children.

He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor repaid us for our iniquities.

He remembered for them his covenant, and repented according to the multitude of his loving kindnesses.

Egypt, Judah, Edom, the children of Ammon, Moab, and all who have the corners of their hair cut off, who dwell in the wilderness, for all the nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in heart.”

Why is my pain perpetual, and my wound incurable, which refuses to be healed? Will you indeed be to me as a deceitful brook, like waters that fail?

You will pay them back, Yahweh, according to the work of their hands.

in that you have brought in foreigners, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in my sanctuary, to profane it, even my house, when you offer my bread, the fat and the blood, and they have broken my covenant, to add to all your abominations.

I prayed to Yahweh my God, and made confession, and said, “Oh, Lord, the great and dreadful God, who keeps covenant and loving kindness with those who love him and keep his commandments,

“For I, Yahweh, don’t change; therefore you, sons of Jacob, are not consumed.

His mercy is for generations of generations on those who fear him.

“You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit! As your fathers did, so you do.

Alexander, the coppersmith, did much evil to me. The Lord will repay him according to his deeds,

Watch yourselves, that we don’t lose the things which we have accomplished, but that we receive a full reward.

for her sins have reached to the sky, and God has remembered her iniquities.

Return to her just as she returned, and repay her double as she did, and according to her works. In the cup which she mixed, mix to her double.

Judah said, “What will we tell my lord? What will we speak? How will we clear ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants. Behold, we are my lord’s slaves, both we and he also in whose hand the cup is found.”

“But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against Yahweh; and be sure your sin will find you out.

Yahweh will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where Yahweh will lead you away.

and he said, “Yahweh, the God of Israel, there is no God like you, in heaven above, or on earth beneath; who keeps covenant and loving kindness with your servants, who walk before you with all their heart;

Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against him, and Hoshea became his servant, and brought him tribute.

and said, “I beg you, Yahweh, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and loving kindness with those who love him and keep his commandments:

For my iniquities have gone over my head. As a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.

All day long my dishonor is before me, and shame covers my face,

Yahweh, the God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before you.

Fools are afflicted because of their disobedience, and because of their iniquities.

My flesh trembles for fear of you. I am afraid of your judgments.

They will utter the memory of your great goodness, and will sing of your righteousness.

Unless Yahweh of Armies had left to us a very small remnant, we would have been as Sodom. We would have been like Gomorrah.

Let us lie down in our shame, and let our confusion cover us; for we have sinned against Yahweh our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even to this day. We have not obeyed Yahweh our God’s voice.”

Circumcise yourselves to Yahweh, and take away the foreskins of your heart, you men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem; lest my wrath go out like fire, and burn so that no one can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.

You are righteous, Yahweh, when I contend with you; yet I would like to reason the cause with you. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are they all at ease who deal very treacherously?

“Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? Look, and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow, which is brought on me, with which Yahweh has afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger.

Therefore Yahweh has watched over the evil, and brought it on us; for Yahweh our God is righteous in all his works which he does, and we have not obeyed his voice.

I will bear the indignation of Yahweh, because I have sinned against him, until he pleads my case, and executes judgment for me. He will bring me out to the light. I will see his righteousness.

I heard, and my body trembled. My lips quivered at the voice. Rottenness enters into my bones, and I tremble in my place, because I must wait quietly for the day of trouble, for the coming up of the people who invade us.

I am very angry with the nations that are at ease; for I was but a little displeased, but they added to the calamity.”

Or how can one enter into the house of the strong man, and plunder his goods, unless he first bind the strong man? Then he will plunder his house.

For being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, they didn’t subject themselves to the righteousness of God.

I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and they opened books. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged out of the things which were written in the books, according to their works.

Moses told his father-in-law all that Yahweh had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardships that had come on them on the way, and how Yahweh delivered them.

“ ‘But if you will not listen to me, and will not do all these commandments,

Yahweh your God will circumcise your heart, and the heart of your offspring, to love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.

“See how Ahab humbles himself before me? Because he humbles himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days; but I will bring the evil on his house in his son’s day.”

Pul the king of Assyria came against the land, and Menahem gave Pul one thousand talents of silver, that his hand might be with him to confirm the kingdom in his hand.

In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath Pileser king of Assyria came and took Ijon, Abel Beth Maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali; and he carried them captive to Assyria.

Notwithstanding Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that Yahweh’s wrath didn’t come on them in the days of Hezekiah.

“Behold, I am of small account. What will I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth.

Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”

Don’t gather my soul with sinners, nor my life with bloodthirsty men;

Deliver me from all my transgressions. Don’t make me the reproach of the foolish.

Also to you, Lord, belongs loving kindness, for you reward every man according to his work.

Has his loving kindness vanished forever? Does his promise fail for generations?

Yahweh is Gracious and righteous. Yes, our God is merciful.

Yahweh, I know that your judgments are righteous, that in faithfulness you have afflicted me.

You are righteous, Yahweh. Your judgments are upright.

If you, Yah, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand?

The foolishness of man subverts his way; his heart rages against Yahweh.

To whom should I speak and testify, that they may hear? Behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they can’t listen. Behold, Yahweh’s word has become a reproach to them. They have no delight in it.

Death will be chosen rather than life by all the residue that remain of this evil family, that remain in all the places where I have driven them,” says Yahweh of Armies.

Though our iniquities testify against us, work for your name’s sake, Yahweh; for our rebellions are many. We have sinned against you.

For Yahweh says, “Your hurt is incurable. Your wound is grievous.

For Yahweh has ransomed Jacob, and redeemed him from the hand of him who was stronger than he.

They came in and possessed it, but they didn’t obey your voice and didn’t walk in your law. They have done nothing of all that you commanded them to do. Therefore you have caused all this evil to come upon them.

“We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed. Forsake her, and let’s each go into his own country; for her judgment reaches to heaven, and is lifted up even to the skies.

The pride of Israel testifies to his face. Therefore Israel and Ephraim will stumble in their iniquity. Judah also will stumble with them.

In that day the beautiful virgins and the young men will faint for thirst.

And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.”

I also walked contrary to them, and brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised heart is humbled, and they then accept the punishment of their iniquity,

and I said, “My God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to you, my God; for our iniquities have increased over our head, and our guiltiness has grown up to the heavens.

Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and loving kindness, don’t let all the travail seem little before you, that has come on us, on our kings, on our princes, on our priests, on our prophets, on our fathers, and on all your people, since the time of the kings of Assyria to this day.

that he would show you the secrets of wisdom! For true wisdom has two sides. Know therefore that God exacts of you less than your iniquity deserves.

For he doesn’t need to consider a man further, that he should go before God in judgment.

Give them according to their work, and according to the wickedness of their doings. Give them according to the operation of their hands. Bring back on them what they deserve.

Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, the God of my salvation. My tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.

Shall the plunder be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captives be delivered?

For our transgressions are multiplied before you, and our sins testify against us; for our transgressions are with us, and as for our iniquities, we know them:

Why do you cry over your injury? Your pain is incurable. For the greatness of your iniquity, because your sins have increased, I have done these things to you.

“Yahweh is righteous; for I have rebelled against his commandment. Please hear all you peoples, and see my sorrow. My virgins and my young men have gone into captivity.

It is because of Yahweh’s loving kindnesses that we are not consumed, because his compassion doesn’t fail.

Why does a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?

“Lord, righteousness belongs to you, but to us confusion of face, as it is today; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, who are near, and who are far off, through all the countries where you have driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against you.

Yahweh, I have heard of your fame. I stand in awe of your deeds, Yahweh. Renew your work in the middle of the years. In the middle of the years make it known. In wrath, you remember mercy.

“Yahweh was very displeased with your fathers.

Did you suffer so many things in vain, if it is indeed in vain?