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 live by them.’ And they gave the rebellious shoulder and hardened their necks, and would not hear.
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.”