Nehemiah 9:16-17

9:16 “But they – our ancestors ¹  – behaved presumptuously; they rebelled ²  and did not obey your commandments. 9:17 They refused to obey and did not recall your miracles that you had performed among them. Instead, they rebelled and appointed a leader to return to their bondage in Egypt. ³  But you are a God of forgiveness, merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and unfailing in your loyal love. ⁴  You did not abandon them,

Nehemiah 9:26

9:26 “Nonetheless they grew disobedient and rebelled against you; they disregarded your law. ⁵  They killed your prophets who had solemnly admonished them in order to cause them to return to you. They committed atrocious blasphemies.

Nehemiah 9:29

9:29 And you solemnly admonished them in order to return them to your law, but they behaved presumptuously and did not obey your commandments. They sinned against your ordinances – those by which an individual, if he obeys them, ⁶  will live. They boldly turned from you; ⁷  they rebelled ⁸  and did not obey.

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¹ tn Heb “and our fathers.” The vav is explicative.

² tn Heb “they stiffened their neck” (so also in the following verse).

³ tc The present translation follows a few medieval Hebrew MSS and the LXX in reading בְּמִצְרָיִם (bÿmitsrayim, “in Egypt”; so also NAB, NASB, NRSV, TEV, NLT) rather than the MT reading בְּמִרְיָם (bÿmiryam, “in their rebellion”).

⁴ tc The translation follows the Qere reading חֶסֶד (khesed, “loyal love”) rather than the Kethib reading וְחֶסֶד (vÿkhesed, “and loyal love”) of the MT.

⁵ tn Heb “they cast your law behind their backs.”

⁶ tn Heb “if a man keep.” See note on the word “obey” in Neh 1:5.

⁷ tn Heb “they gave a stubborn shoulder.”

⁸ tn Heb “they stiffened their neck.”