8

¹Now all ⚓the people gathered together as one man in the open square that was⚓in front of the Water Gate; and they told Ezra the ⚓scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded Israel. ²So Ezra the priest brought ⚓the Law before the assembly of men and women and all who could hear with understanding ⚓on the first day of the seventh month. ³Then he ⚓read from it in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate from morning until midday, before the men and women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.
⁴So Ezra the scribe stood on a platform of wood which they had made for the purpose; and beside him, at his right hand, stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Urijah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah; and at his left hand Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam. ⁵And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people ⚓stood up. ⁶And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God.
Then all the people ⚓answered, “Amen, Amen!” while ⚓lifting up their hands. And they ⚓bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
⁷Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, ⚓helped the people to understand the Law; and the people ⚓stood in their place. ⁸So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading.
⁹⚓And Nehemiah, who was the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, ⚓“This day is holy to the Lord your God; ⚓do not mourn nor weep.” For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law.
¹⁰Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, ⚓and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
¹¹So the Levites quieted all the people, saying, “Be still, for the day is holy; do not be grieved.” ¹²And all the people went their way to eat and drink, to ⚓send portions and rejoice greatly, because they ⚓understood the words that were declared to them.

The Feast of Tabernacles

¹³Now on the second day the heads of the fathers’ houses of all the people, with the priests and Levites, were gathered to Ezra the scribe, in order to understand the words of the Law. ¹⁴And they found written in the Law, which the Lord had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in ⚓booths during the feast of the seventh month, ¹⁵and ⚓that they should announce and proclaim in all their cities and ⚓in Jerusalem, saying, “Go out to the mountain, and ⚓bring olive branches, branches of oil trees, myrtle branches, palm branches, and branches of leafy trees, to make booths, as it is written.”
¹⁶Then the people went out and brought them and made themselves booths, each one on the ⚓roof of his house, or in their courtyards or the courts of the house of God, and in the open square of the ⚓Water Gate ⚓and in the open square of the Gate of Ephraim. ¹⁷So the whole assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and sat under the booths; for since the days of Joshua the son of Nun until that day the children of Israel had not done so. And there was very ⚓great gladness. ¹⁸Also ⚓day by day, from the first day until the last day, he read from the Book of the Law of God. And they kept the feast ⚓seven days; and on the ⚓eighth day there was a sacred assembly, according to the prescribed manner.

8

Exalas Nyeem Txoj Kevcai Rau Cov Pejxeem Mloog

¹Thaum lub xya hli ntuj, cov pejxeem Yixalayees txawm mus nyob tas rau hauv lawv tej nroog lawm. Lub hlis ntawd hnub xiab ib, tagnrho sawvdaws thiaj tuaj sib sau ua ke rau hauv lub nroog Yeluxalees, ntawm lub tshavpuam uas nyob ntawm lub Roojvag Dej sab hauv. Lawv thiaj thov kom tus povthawj Exalas uas yog tus kawm paub txoj Kevcai uas tus TSWV tau muab cob rau Mauxes, mus nqa phau Kevcai ntawd tuaj. ²Yog li ntawd, Exalas thiaj nqa phau kevcai tuaj rau ntawm qhov chaw uas cov pejxeem tuaj sib sau, tsis hais cov pojniam, cov txivneej thiab cov menyuam uas loj thiab paub qabhau uas tuaj ntawd. ³Exalas txawm nyeem Phau Kevcai rau lawv mloog, ntawm lub tshavpuam uas nyob ntawm lub roojvag sab hauv, thaum kaj ntug txoog mus txog thaum tavsu, thiab lawv puavleej ua tib zoo mloog.
⁴Exalas sawv saum lub samthiaj uas yeej ua los npaj rau tej lub sijhawm uas muaj li ntawd. Matithiyas, Semas, Anayas, Uliyas, Hilekiyas thiab Ma-axeyas yog cov txivneej uas sawv ntawm nws sab xis; thiab Pedayas, Misayees, Makhiyas, Hasoos, Hasenpadanas, Xakhaliyas thiab Mesulas yog cov txivneej uas sawv ntawm nws sab laug.
⁵Exalas sawv saum lub samthiaj uas siab tshaj cov neeg sawvdaws, thiab cov pejxeem puavleej tig mus saib nws. Thaum nws nthuav hlo phau ntawv, lawv sawvdaws puavleej sawv ntsug tagnrho. ⁶Exalas hais tias, “Ua tus TSWV uas yog Vajtswv tus muaj hwjchim loj kawg nkaus tsaug!”
Tagnrho cov neeg sawvdaws puavleej tsa tes rau saum ntuj thiab teb hais tias, “Amees! Amees!” Thiab lawv txawm txhos caug ntua nyo hau ua ntsejmuag ti nkaus rau hauv av pehawm Vajtswv.
⁷Ces lawv rov sawv ntsug thiab nyias sawv ntawm nyias qhov chaw, thiab cov Levis uas muaj npe li nram no thiaj los piav txoj kevcai rau lawv mloog: Yesuas, Npanis, Selenpiyas, Yamees, Akus, Sanpethais, Haudiyas, Ma-axeyas, Kelitas, Axaliyas, Yauxanpas, Hanas thiab Pelayas. ⁸Lawv txhais Vajtswv txoj Kevcai thiab piav txoj Kevcai ntawd kom cov pejxeem paub tseeb.
⁹Thaum cov neeg hnov tej uas txoj Kevcai ntawd qhia kom sawvdaws ua, lawv tu siab thiab quaj kawg li. Nehemis uas yog tus tswvxeev, thiab Exalas uas yog tus povthawj thiab yog tus uas kawm paub txoj Kevcai no zoo, thiab cov Levis uas qhia Vajtswv txoj Kevcai thiaj hais rau cov pejxeem tias, “Hnub no yog ib hnub uas dawbhuv rau tus TSWV uas yog nej tus Vajtswv. Yog li ntawd, nej tsis txhob tu siab thiab tsis txhob quaj.” ¹⁰Ces nws txawm hais rau lawv tias, “Nej cia li rov mus tsev, noj tej nqaij rog thiab haus tej cawv qab zib thiab muab ibtxhia pub rau cov neeg uas tsis tau npaj dabtsi noj; rau qhov hnub no yog hnub uas dawbhuv rau peb tus TSWV; thiab tsis txhob nyuaj siab, vim txojkev zoo siab uas los ntawm tus TSWV twb txhawb tau nej lub zog lawm.”
¹¹Cov Levis ncig mus thoob plaws cov neeg hais kom sawvdaws nyob twjywm thiab tsis txhob nyuaj siab rau hnub dawbhuv ntawd. ¹²Yog li ntawd, cov pejxeem thiaj li rov mus tsev thiab noj haus tsau npo muaj kev zoo siab thiab faib tej uas lawv muaj pub rau lwm tus, rau qhov lawv totaub zoo txog txoj Kevcai uas nyeem rau lawv mloog ntawd lawm.

Ua Kevcai Nyob Tsev Pheebsuab

¹³Hnub tom qab, txhua tus thawjcoj ntawm txhua cuab kwvtij, nrog cov povthawj thiab cov Levis, txawm sib sau ua ke tuaj kawm Vajtswv txoj Kevcai ntawm Exalas. ¹⁴Lawv pom hais tias txoj Kevcai uas tus TSWV muab cob rau Mauxes yeej qhia rau cov Yixalayees kom yuav tsum nyob hauv cov Tsev Pheebsuab mus txog hnub uas lawv ua kevcai tas lawm. ¹⁵Yog li ntawd, lawv thiaj li tshaj tawm tej lus uas hais li nram no, xa mus thoob plaws hauv lub nroog Yeluxalees, lwm lub nroog thiab lwm cov zos hais tias, “Sawvdaws cia li nce mus rau pem tej roob, mus lov tej ceg thuv, ceg txiv ntoo roj, ceg ntoo tsw qab, nplooj toovlaj thiab lwm yam ntoo los ua Tsev Pheebsuab raws li tej lus uas tau sau tseg rau hauv phau Kevcai lawm.”
¹⁶Yog li ntawd, cov neeg thiaj mus lov tej cegntoo coj los ua Tsev Pheebsuab rau saum lawv tej tsev txheej saud, rau ntawm lawv tej togvaj togtsev, rau ntawm lub tshavpuam ntawm lub Tuamtsev, thiab ua rau ntawm lub tshavpuam uas nyob ntawm lub Roojvag Dej thiab lub Roojvag Efalayees. ¹⁷Tagnrho cov neeg uas raug luag ntes mus thiab tau rov los puavleej ua Tsev Pheebsuab thiab mus nyob hauv tej tsev ntawd. Suav txij thaum Noos tus tub Yausuas tiam los txog rau lub sijhawm no, zaum no yog thawj zaug uas lawv ua, txhua tus txaus siab thiab zoo siab kawg nkaus li. ¹⁸Thawj hnub uas lawv pib ua kevcai los txog rau hnub uas ua kevcai xaus, Exalas muab Vajtswv phau kevcai nyeem rau cov pejxeem mloog txhua hnub. Lawv ua kevcai tau xya hnub, hnub yim yog hnub uas lawv xaus raws li txoj kevcai tau qhia tseg lawm.