Die Voorsiening | The Providence

Nehemiah 9:6-38

[6]  “You are יהוה, You alone. You have made the heavens, the heavens of the heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that are on it, the seas and all that are in them, and You give life to them all. And the host of the heavens are bowing themselves to You.

[7]  “You are יהוה, the Elohim who chose Aḇram, and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gave him the name of Aḇraham,

[8]  and found his heart trustworthy before You, and made a covenant with him to give the land of the Kenaʽanites, the Ḥittites, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Yeḇusites, and the Girgashites – to give it to his seed. And You have established Your words, for You are righteous,

[9]  and saw the affliction of our fathers in Mitsrayim, and heard their cry by the Sea of Reeds,

[10]  and gave signs and wonders against Pharaoh, and against all his servants, and against all the people of his land. For You knew that they acted proudly against them. And You made a Name for Yourself, as it is this day.

[11]  “And You split the sea before them, and they passed over into the midst of the sea on the dry land. And their pursuers You threw into the deep as a stone into the mighty waters.

[12]  “And You led them by day with a cloudy column, and by night with a column of fire, to give them light in the way they were to go.

[13]  “And You came down on Mount Sinai, and spoke with them from the heavens, and gave them straight right-rulings and Torah of truth¹, good laws and commands. Footnote: ¹Traditionally rendered laws of truth, of which we also read in Mal. 2:6, while it is rendered in Rom. 2:20 as the truth in the law.

[14]  “And You made known to them Your set-apart Sabbath, and You commanded them commands and laws and Torot¹ , by the hand of Mosheh Your servant. Footnote: ¹Torot - plural of Torah - teaching.

[15]  “And You gave them bread from the heavens for their hunger, and brought them water out of the rock for their thirst, and said to them to go in to possess the land which You had sworn to give them.

[16]  “But they and our fathers acted proudly, and hardened their necks, and did not obey Your commands.

[17]  “And they refused to obey, and they remembered not Your wonders that You did among them, and hardened their necks, and in their rebellion they appointed a leader to return to their bondage. But You are a forgiving Eloah, showing favour, and compassionate, patient, and of great kindness, and did not forsake them.

[18]  “Even when they made a moulded calf for themselves, and said, ‘This is your mighty one that brought you up out of Mitsrayim,’ and worked great blasphemies,

[19]  yet You, in Your great compassion did not forsake them in the wilderness. The column of the cloud did not turn away from them by day to lead them on the way, nor the column of fire by night to give them light in the way they were to go.

[20]  “You also gave Your good Spirit to instruct them¹, and did not withhold Your manna from their mouth, and gave them water for their thirst. Footnote: ¹Prov. 1:23, Ezek. 36:27, Zech. 7:12.

[21]  “And for forty years You sustained them in the wilderness – they lacked not. Their garments did not wear out and their feet did not swell.

[22]  “And You gave them reigns and peoples, and apportioned them their lot. So they took possession of the land of Siḥon, and the land of the sovereign of Ḥeshbon, and the land of Oḡ sovereign of Bashan.

[23]  “And You increased their children as the stars of the heavens, and brought them into the land which You had said to their fathers to go in and possess.

[24]  “So the sons went in and possessed the land, and You humbled before them the people of the land, the Kenaʽanites, and gave them into their hands, with their sovereigns and the people of the land, to do with them as they desired.

[25]  “And they captured walled cities and a rich land, and possessed houses filled with all good, cisterns already dug, vineyards, and olive-trees, and fruit trees, in plenty. So they ate and were satisfied and grew fat, and delighted themselves in Your great goodness.

[26]  “But they became disobedient and rebelled against You, and cast Your Torah behind their backs. And they slew Your prophets who had warned them, to bring them back to Yourself. And they worked great blasphemies.

[27]  “Therefore You gave them into the hand of their enemies, who distressed them. And in the time of their distress, when they cried to You, You heard from the heavens. And according to Your great compassion You gave them saviours who saved them from the hand of their enemies.

[28]  “But after they had rest, they turned back to do evil before You. Then You left them in the hand of their enemies, so that they ruled over them. But when they turned back and cried out to You, You heard from the heavens, and delivered them according to Your compassion, many times,

[29]  and warned them, to bring them back to Your Torah. But they acted proudly, and did not obey Your commands, and sinned against Your right-rulings, ‘which if a man does, he shall live¹ by them.’ And they gave the rebellious shoulder and hardened their necks, and would not hear. Footnote: ¹Lev. 18:5, Mt. 19:17, Lk. 10:28 & John 12:50.

[30]  “And You had patience with them for many years, and did warn them by Your Spirit, by the hand of Your prophets, yet they would not give ear. Therefore You gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.

[31]  “But in Your great compassion You did not make an end of them nor forsake them, for You are an Ěl of favour and compassion.

[32]  “And now, our Elohim, the great, the mighty, and awesome Ěl, guarding the covenant and the kindness, let not all the trouble that has come upon us, our sovereigns and our heads, our priests and our prophets, our fathers and on all Your people, from the days of the sovereigns of Ashshur until this day, seem little before You.

[33]  “And in all that has come upon us You are righteous, for You have done truth, but we have done wrong.

[34]  “And our sovereigns, our rulers, our priests, and our fathers, have not done Your Torah, nor heeded Your commands and Your witnesses, with which You witnessed against them.

[35]  “For they have not served You in their reign, or in Your great goodness that You gave them, or in the large and rich land which You set before them – neither turned back from their evil deeds.

[36]  “See, we are servants today! And the land that You gave to our fathers, to eat its fruit and the good of it, see, we are servants in it!

[37]  “And its rich yield goes to the sovereigns You have set over us, because of our sins. And they rule over our bodies and our livestock at their pleasure, and we are in great distress.

[38]  “And because of all this, we are making a trustworthy pledge, and write it. And our rulers, our Lĕwites, our priests set their seal on it.”

Vir die Afrikaanse mense:  Nehemiá 9:6-38

Vanweë Julle Ongeregtighede | Because Of Your Iniquities

Isaiah 43:1-28

[1]  But now, thus said יהוה, your Creator, O Yaʽaqoḇ, and He who formed you, O Yisra’ĕl, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by your name, you are Mine.

[2]  “When you pass through the waters, I am with you; and through rivers, they do not overflow you. When you walk through fire, you are not scorched, and a flame does not burn you.

[3]  “For I am יהוה your Elohim, the Set-apart One of Yisra’ĕl, your Saviour; I gave Mitsrayim for your ransom, Kush and Seḇa in your place.

[4]  “Since you were precious in My eyes, you have been esteemed, and I have loved you. And I give men in your place, and peoples for your life.

[5]  “Do not fear, for I am with you. I shall bring your seed from the east, and gather you from the west.

[6]  “I shall say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ And to the south, ‘Do not keep them back!’ Bring My sons from afar, and My daughters from the ends of the earth –

[7]  all those who are called by My Name, whom I have created, formed, even made for My esteem.”

[8]  He shall bring out a blind people who have eyes, and deaf ones who have ears.

[9]  All the nations shall be assembled, and the peoples be gathered. Who among them declares this, and show us former events? Let them give their witnesses, to be declared right; or let them hear and say, “It is truth.”

[10]  “You are My witnesses,” declares יהוה, “And My servant whom I have chosen, so that you know and believe Me, and understand that I am He. Before Me there was no Ěl formed, nor after Me there is none.

[11]  “I, I am יהוה, and besides Me there is no saviour.

[12]  “I, I have declared and saved, and made known, and there was no foreign mighty one among you. And you are My witnesses,” declares יהוה, “that I am Ěl.

[13]  “Even from the day I am He, and no one delivers out of My hand. I work, and who turns it back?”

[14]  Thus said יהוה, your Redeemer, the Set-apart One of Yisra’ĕl, “For your sake I shall send to Baḇel, and bring them all down as fugitives, even the Chaldeans, who rejoice in their ships.

[15]  “I am יהוה, your Set-apart One, Creator of Yisra’ĕl, your Sovereign.”

[16]  Thus said יהוה, who makes a way in the sea and a path through the mighty waters,

[17]  who brings forth the chariot and horse, the army and the power (they lie down together, they do not rise, they have been extinguished, they have been quenched like a wick):

[18]  “Do not remember the former events, nor consider the events of old.

[19]  “See, I am doing what is new, let it now spring forth. Do you not know it? I am even making a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

[20]  “The beast of the field esteems Me, the jackals and the ostriches, because I have given waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to My people, My chosen,

[21]  this people I have formed for Myself, let them relate My praise.

[22]  “But you have not called on Me, O Yaʽaqoḇ, for you have been weary of Me, O Yisra’ĕl.

[23]  “You have not brought Me the sheep for your burnt offerings, nor have you esteemed Me with your slaughterings. I have not caused you to serve with grain offerings, nor wearied you with incense.

[24]  “You have not bought Me sweet cane with silver, nor have you satisfied Me with the fat of your slaughterings. You have only burdened Me with your sins, you have wearied Me with your crookednesses.

[25]  “I, I am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake, and remember your sins no more.

[26]  “Remind Me, let us enter into judgment, together; relate, that you might be declared right.

[27]  “Your first father sinned, and your interpreters have transgressed against Me.

[28]  “So I have profaned the chief ones of the set-apart place, and I have delivered up Yaʽaqoḇ to the curse, and Yisra’ĕl to scorn.

Jeremiah 43:1-13

[1]  And it came to be, when Yirmeyahu had ended speaking all these words to all the people – all the words of יהוה their Elohim, for which יהוה their Elohim had sent him to them –

[2]  that Azaryah son of Hoshayah, and Yoḥanan son of Qarĕaḥ, and all the proud men spoke, saying to Yirmeyahu, “You are speaking a lie! יהוה our Elohim has not sent you to say, ‘Do not go to Mitsrayim to sojourn there.’

[3]  “For Baruḵ son of Nĕriyah is moving you against us, to give us into the hand of the Chaldeans, to put us to death or exile us to Baḇel.”

[4]  So Yoḥanan son of Qarĕaḥ, and all the commanders of the army, and all the people disobeyed the voice of יהוה, to stay in the land of Yehuḏah.

[5]  And Yoḥanan son of Qarĕaḥ and all the commanders of the army took all the remnant of Yehuḏah who had returned to dwell in the land of Yehuḏah, from all nations where they had been driven –

[6]  the men, and the women, and the children, and the sovereign’s daughters, and every being whom Neḇuzaraḏan, chief of the guard, had left with Geḏalyahu son of Aḥiqam, son of Shaphan, and Yirmeyahu the prophet, and Baruḵ son of Nĕriyahu.

[7]  So they went to the land of Mitsrayim, for they disobeyed the voice of יהוה. And they went as far as Taḥpanḥes.

[8]  And the word of יהוה came to Yirmeyahu in Taḥpanḥes, saying,

[9]  “Take large stones in your hand, and you shall hide them before the eyes of the men of Yehuḏah, in the clay in the brick courtyard which is at the entrance to Pharaoh’s house in Taḥpanḥes.

[10]  “Then you shall say to them, ‘Thus said יהוה of hosts, the Elohim of Yisra’ĕl, “See, I am sending, and I shall bring Neḇuḵaḏretstsar the sovereign of Baḇel, My servant. And I shall set his throne above these stones that I have hidden. And he shall spread his canopy over them.

[11]  “And he shall come and smite the land of Mitsrayim, bringing death to those appointed for death, and captivity to those for captivity, and the sword to those for the sword.

[12]  “And he shall set fire to the houses of the mighty ones of Mitsrayim. And he shall burn them and take them captive. And he shall cover himself with the land of Mitsrayim, as a shepherd puts on his garment, and he shall go out from there in peace.

[13]  “And he shall break the stone pillars of the House of the Sun which are in the land of Mitsrayim, and he shall burn the houses of the mighty ones of the Mitsrites with fire.” ’ ”

 Vir die Afrikaanse mense:  Jesaja 43 en Jeremia 43.