Nehemiah 8–9

Ezra Reads the Law to the People

8All of the people gathered as one to the public square before the Water Gate. They asked Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law^a of Moses that Yahweh had commanded Israel. ²So Ezra the priest brought the law^b before the assembly for each man and woman to hear with understanding, on the first day of the seventh month. ³He read from it facing the public square before the Water Gate from dawn until noon that day, opposite the men, women, and those with understanding. The ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the law.^{c 4}Then Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden podium that had been made for the occasion. And beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right. On his left was Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam. ⁵Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, because he was above all of the people. When he opened it all the people stood up. ⁶Then Ezra blessed Yahweh the great God, and all of the people answered, “Amen! Amen!” while lifting their hands. Then they bowed down and worshiped Yahweh with their noses to the ground. ⁷And Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites were teaching the people from the law^d while the people were in their places. ⁸So they read the book from the law^e of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that they could understand the reading.

⁹Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all of the people, “This day is holy to Yahweh your God. Do not mourn nor weep.” For all of the people wept when they heard the words of the law.^{f 10}Then he said to them, “Go, eat festive food and drink sweet drinks, and send a share to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our lord. Do not be grieved because the joy of Yahweh is your refuge.” ¹¹So the Levites silenced all of the people, saying, “Silence, for this day is holy. Do not be grieved.” ¹²All of the people went to eat, to drink, to send a share, and to have great joy because they understood the words that they had made known to them.

Festival of Booths

¹³On the second day the heads of the families^g of all the people, the priests, and the Levites gathered together to Ezra the scribe to study the words of the law.^{h 14}They found written in the law,ⁱ which Yahweh had commanded by the hand of Moses, that the Israelites^j should live in booths during the festival of the seventh month, ¹⁵and that they should proclaim and give voice in all of their cities in Jerusalem, saying, “Go out to the hill and bring olive tree branches, olive oil wood branches, myrtle shrub branches, palm tree branches, and other leafy tree branches to make booths, as it is written.” ¹⁶So the people went out and brought them and made booths for themselves, each on his roof, in their courtyards, in the courtyards of the house of God, in the public square of the Water Gate, and in the public square of the Gate of Ephraim. ¹⁷And all of the assembly of those who returned from captivity made booths and lived in the booths because the Israelites^k had not done it from the days of Jeshua son of Nun until that day. And there was very great joy. ¹⁸And he read from the scroll of the law^l of God day by day from the first day up to the last day. They celebrated the festival for seven days, and on the eighth day there was an assembly according to the rule.

The Nation Confesses

9On the twenty-fourth day of this month the Israelites^a gathered in fasting, in sackcloths, and with soil on them. ²Those of the seed of Israel separated themselves from all of the foreigners and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their ancestors.^{b 3}They stood up in their place and read from the book of the law^c of Yahweh their God for a fourth part of the day, and for a fourth they were confessing and worshiping Yahweh their God. ⁴Then Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Kenani stood on the platform of the Levites and cried out with a loud voice to Yahweh their God. ⁵Then the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah said, “Stand up, bless Yahweh your God from everlasting until everlasting. Blessed be your glorious name that is being exalted above all blessing and praise!

⁶“You alone are Yahweh. You alone have made the heavens, the heavens of the heavens, and all of their army, the earth and all that is in it, the waters and all that is in them. You give life to all of them, and the army of the heavens worship you. ⁷You are Yahweh, the God who chose Abram and brought him from Ur of the Chaldeans and named him Abraham. ⁸You found his heart faithful before you and made a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite and the Girgashite—to give it to his seed. And you have kept your word because you are righteous.

⁹“You saw the misery of our ancestors^d in Egypt, and you heard their shout at the Red Sea. ¹⁰You gave signs and wonders against Pharaoh, all of his servants, and all of the people of his land because you knew that they acted arrogantly against them. You made a name for yourself, as it is this day. ¹¹And you divided the sea before them, and they passed through the sea on dry ground, but their pursuers you threw into the depths like a stone into mighty waters. ¹²You led them by day with a column of cloud and with a column of fire by night, to give them light on the way that they were to go. ¹³Then you came down on Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven and gave them right judgments and true teachings, good regulations and commandments. ¹⁴You made known your holy Sabbath to them and gave them commandments, regulations, and law^e by the hand of your servant Moses. ¹⁵You gave them bread from heaven for their starvation, and you caused water to go out from a rock for their thirst. You told them to go in order to take into possession the land that you have sworn by your hand to give to them.

¹⁶“But they and our ancestors^f acted arrogantly and stiffened their neck and did not listen to your commandments. ¹⁷They refused to listen and did not remember your wonders that you did among them. They stiffened their neck and in their rebellion determined^g to return to their slavery. But you are a God of forgiveness, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger,^h abundant in loyal love, so you did not abandon them. ¹⁸Even when they made for themselves a molten idol of a calf and said, ‘This is your God who brought you out from Egypt,’ and committed great blasphemies. ¹⁹But you in your many mercies did not abandon them in the desert. The column of cloud that was over them in the day did not cease to lead them on the way, and the column of fire by night that gave light to them on the way that they went. ²⁰And you gave your good Spirit to instruct them and did not withhold your manna from their mouth and gave them water for their thirst. ²¹Forty years you sustained them in the desert—they were not in need. Their clothing did not wear out and their feet did not swell. ²²And you gave them kingdoms and nations and allotted them a portion. They took into possession the land of Sihon king of Heshbon and the land of Og king of Bashan. ²³You made their childrenⁱ numerous like the stars of the heavens and brought them to the land that you told their ancestors^j to enter in order to take possession. ²⁴So the children^k went in and took possession of the land. You subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites; you gave them into their hand, and their kings and the nations of the land to do with them according to their pleasure. ²⁵And they captured fortified cities and a fertile land and took possession of houses filled with every good thing: hewn cisterns, vineyards, olive groves, and many fruit trees. They ate and became full, and they became fat and took delight in your great goodness.

²⁶“But they rebelled and were rebellious against you and cast your law^l behind their back and killed your prophets, who had warned them to turn back to you, and they did great blasphemies. ²⁷Therefore you gave them into the hand of their enemy, and they brought trouble to them. Then in the time of their trouble they cried out to you, and you heard from the heavens, and according to your great compassions, you gave them saviors, and you saved them from the hand of their enemies. ²⁸But when they had rest they returned to doing evil before you, and you abandoned them in the hand of their enemies, and they ruled over them. Then they returned and cried out to you, and from the heavens you heard and many times rescued them according to your compassions. ²⁹You warned them so that they would return to your law.^m Yet they acted arrogantly and did not listen to your commandments but sinned against your judgments that a person must do so that they may live. They turned a stubborn shoulder and stiffened their neck and would not listen. ³⁰You were patient toward them for many years, and you have warned them by your spirit through the hand of your prophets, but they did not listen. So you gave them into the hand of the nations of the lands. ³¹But in your great compassions you did not put an end to them, and you did not abandon them. For you are a gracious and compassionate God.

³²“And now our God, the great, mighty, and awesome God who keeps his covenant and loyal love, do not belittle in your presence all of the hardship that is found in us, our kings, our officials, our priests, our prophets, our ancestors,ⁿ and all of our people, from the days of the kings of Assyria until this day. ³³You are righteous in everything that has come on us, for you dealt faithfully, and we have acted wickedly. ³⁴Our kings, our officials, our priests, and our ancestors^o did not keep your law…