The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Nehemiah 08
1 All the people gathered themselves together as one
man into the wide place that
was in front of the water gate; and they
spoke to Ezra the scribe to bring the book
of the law of Moses, which Yahweh had
commanded to Israel.
2 Ezra the priest brought the law before
the assembly, both men and women, and
all who could hear with understanding, on
the first day of the seventh month.
3 He read from it before the wide place
that was in front of the water gate from
early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women, and of
those who could understand. The ears of
all the people were attentive to the book of
the law.
4 Ezra the scribe stood on a pulpit of
wood, which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah,
Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his
left hand, Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah,
Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and
Meshullam.
5 Ezra opened the book in the sight of
all the people (for he was above all the
people), and when he opened it, all the
people stood up.
6 Then Ezra blessed Yahweh, the great
God. Allthe people answered, “Amen, Amen,”
with the lifting up of their hands. They bowed their
heads, and worshiped Yahweh with their faces to the ground.
7 Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin,
Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and
the Levites, caused the people to understand the law; and the people stayed in
their place.
8 They readinthebook, inthe law of God,
distinctly; and they gave the sense, so that
they understood the reading.
9 Nehemiah, who was the governor, Ezra
the priest and scribe, and the Levites who
taught the people said to all the people,
“Today is holy to Yahweh your God. Don’t
mourn, nor weep.” For all the people wept
when they heard the words of the law.
10 Then he said to them, “Go your way.
Eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions tohim for whom nothing is prepared,
for today is holy to our Lord. Don’t be
grieved, for the joy of Yahweh is your
strength.”
11 So the Levites calmed all the people,
saying, “Hold your peace, for the day is
holy. Don’t be grieved.”
12 All the people went their way to eat, to
drink, to send portions, and to celebrate,
because they had understood the words
that were declared to them.
13 On the second day, the heads of fathers’ households of all the people, the
priests, and the Levites were gathered together to Ezra the scribe, to study the
words of the law.
14 They found written in the law how
Yahweh had commanded by Moses that
the children of Israel should dwell in
booths in the feast of the seventh month;
15 and that they should publish and proclaim in all their cities and in Jerusalem,
saying, “Go out to the mountain, and get
olive branches, branches of wild olive,
myrtle branches, palm branches, and
branches ofthick trees,tomake temporary
shelters,† as it is written.”
16 So the people went out and brought
them, and made themselves temporary
shelters,‡ everyone on the roof of his
house, intheir courts, inthe courts of God’s
house, in the wide place of the water gate,
and in the wide place of Ephraim’s gate.
17 All the assembly of those who had
come back out of the captivity made temporary shelters§ and
lived in the temporary shelters, for since the days of Joshua
the son of Nun to that day the children of
Israel had not done so. There was very
great gladness.
18 Also day by day, from the first day to
the last day, he read in the book of the law
of God. They kept the feast seven days; and
on the eighth day was a solemn assembly,
according to the ordinance.