Nehemiah Chapter 8

Ezra Reads the Law

¹ The people congregated in the square by the Water Gate, and asked Ezra to bring The Book of the Law of Moses Yahveh had given Israel. ² On the first day, seventh month, he brought it to the assembly of men and women—anybody that could understand. ³ He read from early morning till noon, and the people listened. ⁴ He stood on a wooden podium built for that purpose. Beside him stood Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hash-baddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam on his left; and Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right. ⁵ He unrolled the scroll where everybody could see it, because he was standing above them. When he unrolled it, they stood up. ⁶ He blessed Yahveh the great God, and the people answered, “Amen! Amen!” and raised their hands. Then they bowed low in worship with their faces toward the ground. ⁷ Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites explained the Law while they stood in their places. ⁸ As they read the Law, they translated it so the people could understand it.

Neh 8:1-8

A Holy Day Declared

⁹ Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said, “Today is set aside to Yahveh your God. Don’t mourn or cry.” (The people had been crying when they heard what the Law said.) ¹⁰ He told them,

“Go eat the tasty food, drink the sweet things, and share with anyone that doesn’t have anything fixed. Don’t grieve; the joy of Yahveh makes you strong.”

¹¹ The Levites calmed the people, ¹² and they went away to eat, drink, share, and celebrate a great feast because they understood what had been explained to them.

Neh 8:9-12

Festival of Booths Celebrated

¹³ The next day the heads of families, the priests, and the Levites gathered to Ezra to gain greater insight into the Law. ¹⁴ They found how Yahveh had commanded the Israelites to camp in booths during the festival of the seventh month. ¹⁵ So they circulated a proclamation in their towns and in Jerusalem, “Go out to the hills, get olive branches, wild olive branches, myrtle branches, palm branches, and branches from leafy trees to make booths, like it’s written.” ¹⁶ So the people went out and brought them in to make booths on their roofs, in their courts, in the courts of God’s Temple, in the square by the Water Gate and the square by the Ephraim Gate. ¹⁷ The whole assembly that had come back from the captivity made booths and camped in them. Israelites hadn’t done that since Joshua’s time. There was a lot of celebrating. ¹⁸ Ezra read from God’s Law every day first to last. They celebrated the festival for a week, and on the eighth day held a solemn assembly as required by the Law.

Neh 8:13-18