Nehemiah 8

And all the people ^agathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the ^bwater gate; and they spake unto Ezra the ^cscribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded to Israel. ²And Ezra the priest brought ^dthe law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon ^ethe first day of the seventh month. ³And ^dhe read therein before the street that was before the ^bwater gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law. ⁴And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood ^fMattithiah, and Shema, and ^gAnaiah, and ^hUrijah, and Hilkiah, and ⁱMaaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and ^kMalchiah, and ^lHashum, and Hashbadana, ^mZechariah, and ^mMeshullam. ⁵And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for ⁿhe was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up: ⁶and Ezra ^oblessed the Lord, the great God. And all the people answered, ^pAmen, Amen, with ^qlifting up their hands: and they ^rbowed their heads, and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground. ⁷Also ^sJeshua, and ^tBani, and ^uSherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, ^xShabbethai, ^yHodijah, ⁱMaaseiah, ^zKelita, ^aAzariah, ^bJozabad, ^cHanan, ^cPelaiah, and the Levites, ^dcaused the people to understand the law: and the people ^estood in their place. ⁸So they read in the book in the law of God ^fdistinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.

⁹And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites ^gthat taught the people, said unto all the people, ^hThis day is holy unto the Lord your God; ⁱmourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law. ¹⁰Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength. ¹¹So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, Hold your peace, for the day is holy; neither be ye grieved. ¹²And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to ^jsend portions, and to make great mirth, because they had ^kunderstood the words that were declared unto them. ¹³And on the second day ^lwere gathered together the chief of the fathers of all the people, the priests, and the Levites, unto Ezra the scribe, even to understand the words of the law. ¹⁴And they found written in the law which the Lord had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in ^mbooths in the feast of the seventh month: ¹⁵and that they should ⁿpublish and proclaim in all their cities, and ^oin Jerusalem, saying, Go forth unto the mount, and fetch olive branches, and ^ppine branches, and myrtle branches, and ^qpalm branches, and branches of ^qthick trees, to make booths, as it is written. ¹⁶So the people went forth, and brought them, and made themselves booths, every one upon ^rthe roof of his house, and in their courts, and in the courts of the house of God, and in ^sthe street of the water gate, and in the street of the ^tgate of Ephraim. ¹⁷And all the congregation of them that were come again out of the captivity made booths, and sat under the booths: for since the days of Jeshua the son of Nun unto that day ^uhad not the children of Israel done so. And there was very ^xgreat gladness. ¹⁸Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, ^yhe read in the book of the law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according unto the manner.

IX.