Nehemiah 8:2-18 ▼

2 And Ezra the priest brought the Law before the face of the assembly, of men and also women, and all with understanding to hear, on the first day of the seventh month.

3 And he read from it before the face of the open square that was in front of the Water Gate from the morning until the middle of the day before the men and the women and those with understanding. And the ears of all the people were toward the Book of the Law.

4 And Ezra the scribe stood on a tower of wood that they had made for the purpose. And Mattithiah stood beside him, and Shema, and Anaiah, and Urijah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah at his right hand, and at his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchijah, and Hashum, and Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam.

5 And Ezra opened the book before the eyes of all the people, for he was above all the people. And at his opening it, all the people stood up.

6 And Ezra blessed YHWH, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” with lifting up of their hands, and they bowed and prostrated themselves to YHWH—nostrils to the ground.

7 And Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites instructed the people in the law, and the people were on their stations.

8 And they read from the Book of the Law of God, explaining it and giving the meaning, and they gave understanding to the convocation.

9 And Nehemiah (he was the Tirshatha) said—and Ezra the priest and the scribe and the Levites who were instructing the people—to all the people, “This day is holy to YHWH your? God. Do not mourn and do not weep.” For all the people wept at their hearing the words of the Law.

10 And he said to them, “Go, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions to those with nothing prepared for them, for the day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of YHWH is your? strength.”

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

12 And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to greatly rejoice because they understood concerning the words that were declared to them.

13 And on the second day the heads of the fathers of all the people, the priests, and the Levites, were gathered to Ezra the scribe, even to act wisely concerning the words of the Law.

14 And they found written in the Law that YHWH had commanded by Moses that the sons of Israel should dwell in booths during the feast of the seventh month,

15 and that they should proclaim and cause to pass over a voice in all their cities and in Jerusalem, saying, “Go out to the mountain and bring olive branches, and branches of oil tree, and branches of myrtle, and branches of palm trees, and branches of a leafy tree, to make booths, as it is written.”

16 And the people went out and brought them in and made for themselves booths, each man on his roof, and in their courtyards, and in the courtyards of the house of God, and in the open square of the Water Gate, and in the open square of the Gate of Ephraim.

17 And all the assembly who had returned from the captivity made booths, and they sat in the booths, for the sons of Israel had not done so from the days of Jeshua son of Nun until that day. And there was very great gladness.

18 And he read from the Book of the Law of God day by day, from the first day until the last day, and they kept the feast seven days, and on the eighth day was a sacred assembly, according to the ordinance.