8

¹Zuangx baeqc fingx daaih gapv zunv hnangv benx yietc laanh mienh nor, yiem Ye^lu^saa^lem, Wuom-Gaengh ndaangc nyei ciangv. Ninh mbuo heuc E^saa^laa sou-biuv dorh dongh Tin-Hungh longc Mose jiu bun I^saa^laa^en Mienh nyei Leiz-Latc Sou daaih.
²Taux cietv hlaax saeng-yietv wuov hnoi, E^saa^laa sai mienh ziouc dorh Leiz-Latc Sou daaih yiem gapv zunv nyei zuangx mienh nyei nza'hmien. Maaih m'jangc m'sieqv caux yietc zungv haih muangx duqv bieqc hnyouv nyei baeqc fingx. ³Ninh huin mingh Wuom-Gaengh nyei ciangv wuov bung, dorng jienv m'jangc m'sieqv caux yietc zungv haih muangx duqv mengh baeqc nyei mienh, doqc Leiz-Latc Sou, yiem lungh ndorm nziouv doqc taux lungh aanx.⚓ Zuangx mienh baeng m'normh muangx longx.
⁴E^saa^laa sou-biuv souv jienv mienh weic naaiv kang sic zoux daaih nyei ndiangx-paangh. Yiem ninh nyei mbiaauc maengx maaih Matv^ti^ti^yaa, Semaa, Aa^naa^yaa, U^li^aa, Hin^ki^yaa, caux Maa^aa^se^aa. Ninh nyei zaaix maengx maaih Be^ndaa^yaa, Mi^saa^en, Man^ki^yaa, Haasum, Hatv^mbatc^ndaa^naa, Se^kaa^li^yaa, caux Me^sun^laam.
⁵E^saa^laa ziouc koi sou. Zuangx mienh mangc duqv buatc ninh weic zuqc ninh yiem gauh hlang. Koi sou wuov zanc, zuangx mienh souv jiez sin daaih. ⁶E^saa^laa ceng Ziouv, hlo haic nyei Tin-Hungh. Zuangx mienh ziouc cau buoz dau, ⟨“Aamen, Aamen,”⟩ aengx gueic njiec, hmien puoqv taux ndau, baaix Ziouv.
⁷Zuangx mienh corc yiem wuov norm dorngx, Lewi Mienh, Ye^su^aa, Mbaani, Se^le^bi^yaa, Yaamin, Akc^kupc, Sapv^mbe^tai, Ho^ndi^yaa, Maa^aa^se^aa, Ke^li^taa, Aa^saa^li^yaa, Yo^saa^mbaatc, Haanan caux Be^lai^yaa porv mengh ⟨Leiz-Latc.⟩ ⁸Ninh mbuo doqc Tin-Hungh nyei Leiz-Latc Sou benx yietc douc yietc douc nyei, yaac porv mengh⚓ daaih tengx zuangx mienh bieqc hnyouv.
⁹Saengv-ziouv, Ne^haa^mi, caux zoux sai yaac zoux sou-biuv naaiv dauh E^saa^laa, aengx caux njaaux leiz-latc nyei ⟨Lewi Mienh⟩ gorngv mbuox zuangx mienh, “Ih hnoi se cing-nzengc hnoi weic fungx bun Ziouv, meih mbuo nyei Tin-Hungh. Maiv dungx nzauh yaac maiv dungx nyiemv.” Ninh hnangv naaiv gorngv weic zuqc muangx Leiz-Latc wuov zanc zuangx mienh nyiemv.
¹⁰Ne^haa^mi gorngv, “Gunv nzuonx aqv. Nzuonx mingh nyanc kuv nyei lai-hnaangx⚓ yaac hopv gaam nyei a'ngunc diuv, aengx fungx deix mingh bun maiv maaih nyei mienh. Naaiv norm hnoi se cing-nzengc hnoi weic fungx bun mbuo nyei Ziouv. Maiv dungx nzauh, weic zuqc Ziouv ceix bun nyei njien-youh benx meih mbuo nyei qaqv.”
¹¹Lewi Mienh heuc zuangx mienh sekv. Ninh mbuo gorngv, “Sekv deix maah! Ih hnoi se cing-nzengc hnoi, maiv dungx nzauh, maiv dungx nyiemv.”
¹²Zuangx mienh ziouc nzuonx biauv njien-youh nyei nyanc, njien-youh nyei hopv, gengh! orn-lorqc haic, aengx fungx deix nyanc hopv mingh bun mienh nyanc, weic zuqc ninh mbuo bieqc hnyouv zunh bun ninh mbuo muangx wuov deix waac mi'aqv.

Jiex Mbiorv Liuh Nyei Zipv

¹³Cietv hlaax saeng-nyeic, fingx-fingx nyei bieiv zeiv caux zuangx sai mienh caux Lewi Mienh daaih gapv zunv yiem E^saa^laa sou-biuv wuov, oix hoqc Leiz-Latc Sou nyei waac. ¹⁴Ninh mbuo buatc Leiz-Latc Sou fiev jienv Ziouv longc Mose hatc nyei waac gorngv, cietv hlaax I^saa^laa^en Mienh oix zuqc mbiorv liuh daaih yiem jiex zipv.⚓ ¹⁵Yaac oix zuqc mingh zunh mbuox Ye^lu^saa^lem caux norm-norm zingh nyei mienh, “Oix zuqc faaux mbong-aiv dorngx gaeqv zongh nquaah, ga'lanv nquaah, faan ziqc liouh ndiangx-nquaah,⚓ daau-normh, caux nyungc-nyungc maaih normh camv nyei ndiangx-nquaah daaih mbiorv liuh hnangv fiev jienv sou wuov nor.”
¹⁶Baeqc fingx ziouc cuotv mingh gaeqv ndiangx-nquaah daaih mbiorv liuh. Maaih deix mbiorv liuh yiem biauv-ngorh⚓ gu'nguaaic, fai ganh nyei biauv-hlen laatc gu'nyuoz, fai zaangc Tin-Hungh nyei biauv-hlen laatc gu'nyuoz, fai Wuom-Gaengh ndaangc nyei ciangv fai E^faa^im Gaengh ndaangc nyei ciangv. ¹⁷Zuqc guaatv mingh nzuonx daaih nyei zuangx mienh yietc zungv ziouc mbiorv liuh daaih yiem jienv. Zuangx mienh gengh! njien-youh orn-lorqc haic. Yiem Nun nyei dorn, Yo^su^waa, nyei ziangh hoc taux ih hnoi, I^saa^laa^en Mienh maiv hnangv naaiv zoux aqv.
¹⁸Yiem zipv nyei daauh hnoi taux nqa'haav laai nyei hnoi, E^saa^laa hnoi-hnoi doqc Tin-Hungh nyei Leiz-Latc Sou bun baeqc fingx muangx. Ninh mbuo jiex zipv siec hnoi liuz, taux da'betv hnoi zuangx mienh ei jienv leiz gapv zunv zoux leiz-baaix.

8

Ezra Reads the Law

¹all the people came together as one in the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the teacher of the Law to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded for Israel.
²So on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand. ³He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.
⁴Ezra the teacher of the Law stood on a high wooden platform built for the occasion. Beside him on his right stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah and Maaseiah; and on his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah and Meshullam.
⁵Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. ⁶Ezra praised the Lord, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
⁷The Levites—Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan and Pelaiah—instructed the people in the Law while the people were standing there. ⁸They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear⚓ and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read.
⁹Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher of the Law, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, “This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.
¹⁰Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
¹¹The Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be still, for this is a holy day. Do not grieve.”
¹²Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them.
¹³On the second day of the month, the heads of all the families, along with the priests and the Levites, gathered around Ezra the teacher to give attention to the words of the Law. ¹⁴They found written in the Law, which the Lord had commanded through Moses, that the Israelites were to live in temporary shelters during the festival of the seventh month ¹⁵and that they should proclaim this word and spread it throughout their towns and in Jerusalem: “Go out into the hill country and bring back branches from olive and wild olive trees, and from myrtles, palms and shade trees, to make temporary shelters”—as it is written.⚓
¹⁶So the people went out and brought back branches and built themselves temporary shelters on their own roofs, in their courtyards, in the courts of the house of God and in the square by the Water Gate and the one by the Gate of Ephraim. ¹⁷The whole company that had returned from exile built temporary shelters and lived in them. From the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day, the Israelites had not celebrated it like this. And their joy was very great.
¹⁸Day after day, from the first day to the last, Ezra read from the Book of the Law of God. They celebrated the festival for seven days, and on the eighth day, in accordance with the regulation, there was an assembly.