1-2 On the twenty-fourth day of the same month the people of Israel gathered to fast in order to show sorrow for their sins. They had already separated themselves from all foreigners. They wore sackcloth and put dust on their heads as signs of grief. Then they stood and began to confess the sins that they and their ancestors had committed.
3 For about three hours the Law of the Lord their God was read to them, and for the next three hours they confessed their sins and worshiped the Lord their God.
4 There was a platform for the Levites, and on it stood Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani. They prayed aloud to the Lord their God.
5 The following Levites gave a call to worship: Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah. They said:“Stand up and praise the Lord your God;praise him forever and ever!Let everyone praise his glorious name,although no human praise is great enough.”
6 And then the people of Israel prayed this prayer:“You, Lord, you alone are Lord;you made the heavens and the stars of the sky.You made land and sea and everything in them;you gave life to all.The heavenly powers bow down and worship you.
7 You, Lord God, chose Abramand led him out of Ur in Babylonia;you changed his name to Abraham.
8 You found that he was faithful to you,and you made a covenant with him.You promised to give him the land of the Canaanites,the land of the Hittites and the Amorites,the land of the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Girgashites,to be a land where his descendants would live.You kept your promise, because you are faithful.