OET interlinear NEH 9:32

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result

וְ⁠עַתָּ֣ה

and=now

This phrase indicates that the Levites believe that what they are about to ask for should be the results of what they have just described. Specifically, because he is merciful, God helped the Israelites in the past even though they did not deserve it. And so the Levites are praying for God to be merciful and help the Israelites now even though they do not deserve it. Alternate translation: “and that is why we are praying this now”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / doublet

הָ⁠אֵ֨ל הַ⁠גָּד֜וֹל הַ⁠גִּבּ֣וֹר וְ⁠הַ⁠נּוֹרָא֮

the,God the,great the,mighty and,the,awesome

As in 1:5, great and fearsome mean similar things. “Mighty” also means something similar. The Levites use all of these words together to emphasize how much respect God deserves. You do not need to repeat all three words in your translation if that would be confusing for your readers. However, there is a slight difference in meaning, and you could also bring that out in your translation. “Great” and “mighty” refer to how powerful God is objectively. “Fearsome” reflects how people should respond to God’s greatness subjectively. They should “fear” God. This does not mean that they should be afraid of him, but that they should show him respect and reverence. Alternate translation: “the God who deserves total respect” (A doublet can involve the use of more than two words.)

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / parallelism

שׁוֹמֵ֣ר הַ⁠בְּרִ֣ית וְ⁠הַ⁠חֶסֶד֒

keeps the,covenant and,the,steadfast_love

As in 1:5, covenant and covenant faithfulness mean similar things. The Levites said the same thing twice, in slightly different ways, to emphasize how certain it is that God will keep his promises. You do not need to repeat both phrases in your translation if that would be confusing for your readers. However, there is a slight difference in meaning, and you could bring that out in your translation even if you combine the phrases. The “covenant” is God’s promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and their descendants. “Covenant faithfulness” is a character quality of God. He is inwardly disposed to keep all of his promises, and he always does so faithfully. So you could say something like, “you always keep your promises faithfully because of who you are.”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

אַל־יִמְעַ֣ט לְ⁠פָנֶ֡י⁠ךָ אֵ֣ת כָּל־הַ⁠תְּלָאָ֣ה

not belittle to=your=face DOM all/each/any/every the,hardship

Here the Levites speak of something being small to mean that it is insignificant and not worthy of being noticed and addressed. Alternate translation: “do not regard our sufferings as insignificant”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

אַל־יִמְעַ֣ט לְ⁠פָנֶ֡י⁠ךָ אֵ֣ת כָּל־הַ⁠תְּלָאָ֣ה

not belittle to=your=face DOM all/each/any/every the,hardship

As in 9:28, face refers to a person’s opinion or judgment, by association with the way they use the eyes in their face to see things and the way their facial expression shows what they think of those things. So the Levites would be praying that God would not regard their suffering as insignificant. Alternate translation: “do not regard our sufferings as insignificant”

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / personification

הַ⁠תְּלָאָ֣ה אֲֽשֶׁר־מְ֠צָאַתְ⁠נוּ

the,hardship which/who come_upon,us

Here the Levites speak of the suffering that the Israelites have experienced as if it were a living thing that has looked for them and found them in order to cause them harm. Alternate translation: “the sufferings we have experienced”

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

הַ⁠תְּלָאָ֣ה אֲֽשֶׁר־מְ֠צָאַתְ⁠נוּ

the,hardship which/who come_upon,us

Hardship is an abstract noun that refers to the suffering that the Israelites have experienced as a result of being conquered and dominated by foreign nations. If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate the idea behind it with a verb such as “suffer.” Alternate translation: “how much we have suffered”

Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

וְ⁠לַ⁠אֲבֹתֵ֖י⁠נוּ

and,upon,ancestors,our

Fathers here means ancestors. Alternate translation: “our ancestors”

Note 9 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

מִ⁠ימֵי֙ מַלְכֵ֣י אַשּׁ֔וּר עַ֖ד הַ⁠יּ֥וֹם הַ⁠זֶּֽה

from,days kings ʼAshshūr until the=day the,this

The implication is that the Levites are talking about the suffering that the Israelites have experienced specifically because foreign nations have conquered them, beginning with the Assyrians who first conquered the northern part of Israel. If it would be helpful in your language, you could say this explicitly. Alternate translation: “from the time Israel was first conquered by the Assyrian kings until now”

Note 10 topic: figures-of-speech / merism

מִ⁠ימֵי֙ מַלְכֵ֣י אַשּׁ֔וּר עַ֖ד הַ⁠יּ֥וֹם הַ⁠זֶּֽה

from,days kings ʼAshshūr until the=day the,this

This is a figure of speech in which the Levites are describing an entire time period by reference to its beginning and end, in order to include everything in between. Alternate translation: “the entire time we have been under foreign domination”