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They had not been able to observe it at the proper time because the cohanim had not consecrated themselves in sufficient number; also the people had not assembled in Yerushalayim.

Because of this, Hizkiyahu the king and Yesha‘yahu the prophet, the son of Amotz, prayed and cried out to heaven.

However, Hizkiyahu did not respond commensurately with the benefit done for him, because he had grown proud; thus he brought anger on himself and on Y'hudah and Yerushalayim as well.

because they have abandoned me and offered to other gods, in order to provoke me with everything they do. Therefore my anger is poured out on this place and will not be quenched.'

because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before God when you heard his words against this place and its inhabitants — you humbled yourself before me, tore your clothes and cried before me — I have also heard you,' says Adonai .

Afterwards, they prepared food for themselves and for the cohanim; because the cohanim, the descendants of Aharon, were busy till nightfall offering the fat and the portions to be burned up; this is why the L'vi'im prepared food both for themselves and for the cohanim the descendants of Aharon.

The singers the sons of Asaf were at their posts, as ordered by David — Asaf, Heman and Y'dutun the king's seer. The gatekeepers were at every gate, and they did not need to leave their posts, because their brothers the L'vi'im prepared [food] for them.

There archers shot King Yoshiyahu. The king said to his servants, "Take me away, because I'm badly wounded."

Time after time, and frequently, Adonai , the God of their ancestors, sent word to them through his messengers; because he had compassion on his people and on the place where he lived.

They sang antiphonally, praising and giving "thanks to Adonai , for he is good, for his grace continues forever" toward Isra'el. All the people raised a great shout of praise to Adonai , because the foundation of the house of Adonai had been laid.

Now, because we eat the king's salt, and it is not right for us to see the king dishonored, we therefore are sending to inform the king,

But because our ancestors provoked the God of heaven, he handed them over to N'vukhadnetzar king of Bavel, the Kasdi; he destroyed this house and carried the people off to Bavel.

Then Tatnai the governor of the territory beyond the [Euphrates] River, Sh'tar-Boznai and their colleagues obeyed strictly; because Daryavesh the king had given the order to do so.

Since the times of our ancestors, we have been deeply guilty; and because of our sins, we, our kings and our cohanim have been handed over to the kings of the lands, to the sword, to exile, to pillage and to disgrace, as is the case today.

which you gave us through your servants the prophets when they said, ‘The land which you are going to in order to take possession of it is a land defiled by the uncleanness of the peoples of the lands, because of their disgusting practices, which have filled it with their filth from one end to the other.

Now, after all that has come upon us because of our evil deeds and our deep guilt — and even so, you, our God, have punished us less than our sins deserve and have given us a surviving remnant —

Adonai , God of Isra'el! You are just; yet we have been left a surviving remnant that has escaped, as is the case today. Look, we are before you in our guilt; because of it, no one can stand in your presence."

‘Ezra then left his place in front of the house of God and went to the room of Y'hochanan the son of Elyashiv. After going there, he neither ate food nor drank water; because he was mourning over the treachery of the exiles.

All the men of Y'hudah and Binyamin assembled in Yerushalayim within the three days. It was the twentieth day of the ninth month. All the people sat in the open place in front of the house of God, trembling because of this matter and because of the heavy rain.

Finally, between the upper room at the corner and the Sheep Gate the goldsmiths and merchants made repairs. But when Sanvalat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he was furious. Greatly enraged, he ridiculed the Judeans; before his kinsmen and the army of Shomron he said, "What are these pathetic Judeans doing? Are they going to rebuild anything they want? Are they going to sacrifice? Are they going to finish today? Are they going to recover useful stones from the piles of rubble, burned rubble at that?" Toviyah the ‘Amoni was with him, and he said, "Whatever they're building, why, if even a fox went up it, he'd knock their stone wall down!" Our God, listen! We are being treated with contempt. Turn back their jeers on their own heads; give them over to be plundered in a land of exile. Don't cover their guilt, don't let their sin be wiped out from before you; because they have insulted the builders to their face. So we kept building the wall, which was soon joined together and completed to half its height all the way around; because the people worked with a will.