73AND THEY DWELT THE PRIESTS AND THE LEVITES AND THE GATEKEEPERS AND THE SINGERS AND SOME OF THE PEOPLE AND THE TEMPLE SERVANTS AND ALL ISRAEL IN OWN CITIES THEIR AND IT ARRIVED THE MONTH <THE> SEVENTH AND [THE] PEOPLE OF ISRAEL [WERE] IN CITIES THEIR 73So the priests, Levites, gatekeepers, singers, and temple servants, along with some of the people and the rest of the Israelites, settled in their own towns. And by the seventh month the Israelites had settled in their towns.
1AND THEY GATHERED ALL THE PEOPLE LIKE A PERSON ONE TO THE OPEN SPACE WHICH [WAS] <TO> BEFORE [THE] GATE OF THE WATER AND THEY SAID TO EZRA THE SCRIBE TO BRING <OBJ.> [THE] SCROLL OF [THE] LAW OF MOSES WHICH HE HAD COMMANDED YAHWEH <OBJ.> ISRAEL Ezra Reads the Law (Deuteronomy 31:9–13) 1At that time all the people gathered together in the square before the Water Gate, and they asked Ezra the scribe to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded for Israel.
2AND HE BROUGHT EZRA THE PRIEST <OBJ.> THE LAW <TO> BEFORE THE ASSEMBLY FROM MAN AND UNTO WOMAN AND EVERY [ONE WHO] UNDERSTOOD TO LISTEN ON DAY ONE OF THE MONTH <THE> SEVENTH 2On the first day of the seventh month, Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly of men and women and all who could listen and understand.
3AND HE READ ALOUD IN IT <TO> BEFORE THE OPEN SPACE WHICH [WAS] <TO> BEFORE [THE] GATE OF THE WATER FROM THE LIGHT UNTIL [THE] MIDDLE OF THE DAY BEFORE THE MEN AND THE WOMEN AND THE [ONES WHO] UNDERSTOOD AND [THE] EARS OF ALL THE PEOPLE [WERE] TO [THE] SCROLL OF THE LAW 3So Ezra read it aloud from daybreak until noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate, in front of the men and women and those who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.
4AND HE STOOD EZRA THE SCRIBE ON A HIGH PLATFORM OF WOOD WHICH PEOPLE HAD MADE FOR THE MATTER AND HE STOOD BESIDE HIM MATTITHIAH AND SHEMA AND ANAIAH AND URIAH AND HILKIAH AND MAASEIAH ON RIGHT [HAND] HIS AND FROM LEFT HIS PEDAIAH AND MISHAEL AND MALKIJAH AND HASHUM AND HASHBADDANAH ZECHARIAH MESHULLAM 4Ezra the scribe stood on a high wooden platform built for this occasion. At his right side stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, and at his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hash-baddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam.
5AND HE OPENED EZRA THE SCROLL TO [THE] EYES OF ALL THE PEOPLE FOR <FROM> ABOVE ALL THE PEOPLE HE WAS AND JUST AS OPENED [IT] HE THEY STOOD UP ALL THE PEOPLE 5Ezra opened the book in full view of all the people, since he was standing above them all, and as he opened it, all the people stood up.
6AND HE BLESSED EZRA <OBJ.> YAHWEH <THE> GOD <THE> GREAT AND THEY ANSWERED ALL THE PEOPLE AMEN AMEN IN [THE] RAISING OF HANDS THEIR AND THEY BOWED LOW AND THEY BOWED DOWN TO YAHWEH FACE [THE] GROUND TOWARDS 6Then Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and with their hands uplifted, all the people said, “Amen, Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.
7AND JESHUA AND BANI AND SHEREBIAH JAMIN AKKUB SHABBETHAI HODIAH MAASEIAH KELITA AZARIAH JOZABAD HANAN PELAIAH AND THE LEVITES [WERE] CAUSING TO UNDERSTAND <OBJ.> THE PEOPLE <TO> THE LAW AND THE PEOPLE [WERE] AT PLACE THEIR 7The Levites— Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah— instructed the people in the Law as they stood in their places.
8AND THEY READ ALOUD IN THE SCROLL IN [THE] LAW OF <THE> GOD MAKING CLEAR AND THEY GAVE [THE] SENSE AND THEY UNDERSTOOD <IN> THE READING 8So they read from the Book of the Law of God, explaining it*NoteCloseOr translating it or paragraph by paragraph and giving insight, so that the people could understand what was being read.
9AND HE SAID NEHEMIAH HE [WAS] THE GOVERNOR AND EZRA THE PRIEST THE SCRIBE AND THE LEVITES WHO WERE CAUSING TO UNDERSTAND <OBJ.> THE PEOPLE TO ALL THE PEOPLE THIS DAY [IS] HOLY IT TO YAHWEH GOD YOUR MAY NOT YOU MOURN AND MAY NOT YOU WEEP FOR [WERE] WEEPING ALL THE PEOPLE WHEN HEARD THEY <OBJ.> [THE] WORDS OF THE LAW 9Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to all of them, “This day is holy to the LORD your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the Law.
10AND HE SAID TO THEM GO EAT FAT FOODS AND DRINK SWEET THINGS AND SEND PORTIONS TO [ANY WHOM] NOTHING [IS] PREPARED FOR HIM FOR [IS] HOLY THIS DAY TO LORD<S> OUR AND MAY NOT YOU BE GRIEVED FOR [THE] JOY OF YAHWEH IT [IS] REFUGE YOUR 10Then Nehemiah told them, “Go and eat what is rich, drink what is sweet, and send out portions to those who have nothing prepared since today is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
11AND THE LEVITES [WERE] MAKING QUIET <TO> ALL THE PEOPLE <TO> SAYING HUSH! FOR THIS DAY [IS] HOLY AND MAY NOT YOU BE GRIEVED 11And the Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be still, since today is holy. Do not grieve.”
12AND THEY WENT ALL THE PEOPLE TO EAT AND TO DRINK AND TO SEND PORTIONS AND TO MAKE JOY GREAT FOR THEY HAD UNDERSTOOD <IN> THE WORDS WHICH THEY HAD MADE KNOWN TO THEM 12Then all the people began to eat and drink, to send out portions, and to rejoice greatly, because they understood the words that had been made known to them.
13AND ON THE DAY <THE> SECOND THEY GATHERED [THE] LEADERS OF THE FATHERS OF ALL THE PEOPLE THE PRIESTS AND THE LEVITES TO EZRA THE SCRIBE AND TO GAIN INSIGHT INTO [THE] WORDS OF THE LAW The Feast of Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:33–44; Zechariah 14:16–21) 13On the second day of the month, the heads of all the families, along with the priests and Levites, gathered around Ezra the scribe to study the words of the Law.
14AND THEY FOUND WRITTEN IN THE LAW WHICH HE HAD COMMANDED YAHWEH BY [THE] HAND OF MOSES THAT THEY WILL DWELL [THE] PEOPLE OF ISRAEL IN <THE> BOOTHS AT THE FESTIVAL IN THE MONTH <THE> SEVENTH 14And they found written in the Law, which the LORD had commanded through Moses, that the Israelites were to dwell in booths*NoteCloseOr tabernacles or shelters; also in verses 15, 16, and 17 during the feast of the seventh month,
15AND THAT THEY WILL MAKE PROCLAMATION AND THEY MAY CAUSE TO PASS A PROCLAMATION IN ALL CITIES THEIR AND IN JERUSALEM <TO> SAYING GO OUT THE HILL COUNTRY AND BRING LEAVES OF OLIVE AND LEAVES OF TREE[S] OF OIL AND LEAVES OF MYRTLE AND LEAVES OF PALM TREES AND LEAVES OF TREE[S] LEAFY TO MAKE BOOTHS ACCORDING TO <THE> [WHAT] IS WRITTEN 15and that they should proclaim this message and spread it throughout their towns and in Jerusalem, saying, “Go out to the hill country and bring back branches of olive, wild olive,*NoteCloseOr pine; literally oil tree myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees, to make booths, as it is written.”*NoteCloseSee Leviticus 23:37–40.
16AND THEY WENT OUT THE PEOPLE AND THEY BROUGHT [LEAVES] AND THEY MADE FOR THEMSELVES BOOTHS EACH ONE ON OWN ROOF HIS AND IN COURTYARDS THEIR AND IN [THE] COURTYARDS OF [THE] HOUSE OF <THE> GOD AND IN [THE] OPEN SPACE OF [THE] GATE OF THE WATER AND IN [THE] OPEN SPACE OF [THE] GATE OF EPHRAIM 16And the people went out, brought back branches, and made booths on their own rooftops, in their courtyards, in the courts of the house of God, and in the squares by the Water Gate and by the Gate of Ephraim.
17AND THEY MADE ALL THE ASSEMBLY WHICH HAD RETURNED FROM THE CAPTIVITY BOOTHS AND THEY DWELT IN THE BOOTHS FOR NOT THEY HAD DONE SINCE [THE] DAYS OF JESHUA [THE] SON OF NUN THUS [THE] PEOPLE OF ISRAEL UNTIL THE DAY <THE> THAT AND IT WAS JOY GREAT VERY 17The whole assembly that had returned from exile made booths and lived in them. From the days of Joshua*NoteCloseHebrew Jeshua, a variant of Joshua son of Nun until that day, the Israelites had not celebrated like this. And there was great rejoicing.
18AND HE READ ALOUD IN [THE] SCROLL OF [THE] LAW OF <THE> GOD A DAY IN A DAY FROM THE DAY <THE> FIRST UNTIL THE DAY <THE> LAST AND THEY CELEBRATED A FESTIVAL SEVEN DAYS AND ON THE DAY <THE> EIGHTH AN ASSEMBLY ACCORDING TO THE ORDINANCE 18Day after day, from the first day to the last, Ezra read from the Book of the Law of God. The Israelites kept the feast for seven days, and on the eighth day they held an assembly, according to the ordinance.