Nehemiah 8

CHAPTER 8

Ezra Reads the Book of the Law

¹And all the people gathered as one man at the square which was in front of ^athe Water Gate, and they said to ^bEzra the scribe to bring ^cthe book of the law of Moses which Yahweh had commanded to Israel.

²Then ^aEzra the priest brought the law before the assembly of men, women, and all who could understand when listening, on ^bthe first day of the seventh month.

³And he read from it before the square which was in front of ^athe Water Gate from ¹early morning until midday, in the presence of men and women, those who could understand; and all the ears of the people were attentive to the book of the law.

⁴Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden podium which they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hand; and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam on his left hand.

⁵And Ezra opened ^athe book in the sight of all the people for he was above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people ^bstood up.

⁶Then Ezra blessed Yahweh the great God. And all the people answered, “^aAmen, Amen!” while lifting up their hands; then ^bthey bowed low and worshiped Yahweh with their ¹faces to the ground.

⁷Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, the Levites, were providing understanding of the law to the people while the people stood in their place.

⁸They read from the book, from the law of God, ¹explaining and ²giving insight, and they provided understanding of the reading.

This Day Is Holy

⁹Then Nehemiah, who was the ^1agovernor, and Ezra ^bthe priest and scribe, and the Levites, who provided the people with understanding, said to all the people, “^cThis day is holy to Yahweh your God; ^ddo not mourn or weep.” For all the people were weeping when they heard the words of the law.

¹⁰Then he said to them, “Go, eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, and ^asend portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of Yahweh is your strength.”

¹¹So the Levites quieted all the people, saying, “Be still, for the day is holy; do not be grieved.”

¹²Then all the people went away to eat, to drink, ^ato send portions, and to celebrate with great gladness, ^bbecause they understood the words which had been made known to them.

Feast of Booths Restored

¹³Then on the second day the heads of fathers’ households of all the people, the priests and the Levites were gathered to Ezra the scribe that they might gain insight into the words of the law.

¹⁴They found written in the law how Yahweh had commanded by the hand of Moses that the sons of Israel ^ashould live in booths during the feast of the seventh month,

^15aand that they should make the report heard and make a proclamation of it pass throughout all their cities and ^bin Jerusalem, saying, “^cGo out to the hills, and bring olive branches and ¹wild olive branches, myrtle branches, palm branches, and branches of other leafy trees, to make booths, as it is written.”

¹⁶So the people went out and brought them and made booths for themselves, each ^aon his roof, and in their courts and in the courts of the house of God, and in the square at ^bthe Water Gate and in the square at ^cthe Gate of Ephraim.

¹⁷The entire assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and lived in the booths. The sons of Israel ^ahad indeed not done so from the days of Joshua the son of Nun to that day. And ^bthere was exceedingly great gladness.

^18aAnd he read from the book of the law of God daily, from the first day to the last day. And they ^bcelebrated the feast seven days, and on ^cthe eighth day there was a solemn assembly according to the legal judgment.