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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.

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¹那時，眾百姓如同一人聚集在水門前的廣場，請以斯拉文士將耶和華吩咐以色列的摩西的律法書帶來。 ²七月初一，以斯拉祭司將律法書帶到聽了能明白的男女會眾面前。 ³他在水門前的廣場，從清早到中午，在男女和能明白的人面前讀這律法書，眾百姓都側耳而聽。 ⁴以斯拉文士站在為這事特製的木臺上。站在他旁邊的有瑪他提雅、示瑪、亞奈雅、烏利亞和希勒家；站在他右邊的有瑪西雅；站在他左邊的有毗大雅、米沙利、瑪基雅、哈順、哈拔大拿、撒迦利亞和米書蘭。 ⁵以斯拉站在上面，在眾百姓眼前展開這書。他一展開，眾百姓都站起來。 ⁶以斯拉稱頌耶和華至大的上帝，眾百姓都舉手應聲說：「阿們！阿們！」他們低頭，俯伏在地，敬拜耶和華。 ⁷耶書亞、巴尼、示利比、雅憫、亞谷、沙比太、荷第雅、瑪西雅、基利他、亞撒利雅、約撒拔、哈難、毗萊雅和利未人使百姓明白律法；百姓都站在自己的地方。 ⁸他們清清楚楚地念上帝的律法書，講明意思，使百姓明白所念的。
⁹尼希米省長、以斯拉祭司文士，和教導百姓的利未人對眾百姓說：「今日是耶和華－你們上帝的聖日，不要悲哀，也不要哭泣。」這是因為眾百姓聽見律法書上的話都哭了。 ¹⁰尼希米對他們說：「你們去吃肥美的，喝甘甜的，有不能預備的就分給他，因為今日是我們主的聖日。你們不要憂愁，因靠耶和華而得的喜樂是你們的力量。」 ¹¹於是利未人叫眾百姓安靜，說：「安靜，因今日是聖日，不要憂愁。」 ¹²眾百姓去吃喝，也分給別人，都大大喜樂，因為他們明白所教導他們的話。

住棚節

¹³次日，眾百姓的族長、祭司和利未人都聚集到以斯拉文士那裏，要明白律法書上的話。 ¹⁴他們發現律法書上寫着，耶和華藉摩西吩咐以色列人要在七月的節期中住在棚裏， ¹⁵並要在各城和耶路撒冷傳揚宣告說：「你們當出去，上山，把橄欖樹、野橄欖樹、番石榴樹、棕樹和各樣茂密樹的枝子取來，照着所寫的搭棚。」 ¹⁶於是百姓出去，取了樹枝來，各人在自己的房頂上、院子裏、上帝殿的院內、水門的廣場和以法蓮門的廣場搭棚。 ¹⁷從被擄之地歸回的全會眾就搭棚，住在棚裏。從嫩的兒子約書亞的時候直到這日，以色列人沒有這樣行。他們都大大喜樂。 ¹⁸從第一天直到末一天，以斯拉天天朗讀上帝的律法書。他們守節七日，第八日照例有嚴肅會。