Nehemiah 8

¹ All the people assembled as one man in the square before the Water Gate. They asked Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded Israel.

² So on the first day of the seventh month, Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly of men, women, and all who could understand what they heard.

³ He read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men, the women, and those who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.

⁴ Ezra the scribe stood on a high wooden platform built for this purpose. Beside him on his right stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah; and on his left stood Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam.

⁵ Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people. When he opened it, all the people stood up.

⁶ Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and all the people answered, "Amen! Amen!" lifting their hands. Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.

⁷ The Levites—Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah—helped the people understand the Law while the people remained standing.

⁸ They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense so that the people understood the reading.

⁹ Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were teaching the people said to all the people, "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.

¹⁰ He said to them, "Go, eat rich food and drink sweet drinks, and send portions to those who have nothing prepared, for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."

¹¹ So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, "Be quiet, for this day is holy. Do not grieve."

¹² Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions, and to celebrate with great joy, because they had understood the words that were made known to them.

¹³ On the second day, the heads of families of all the people, along with the priests and the Levites, gathered around Ezra the scribe to study the words of the Law.

¹⁴ They found written in the Law that the LORD had commanded through Moses that the people of Israel should live in booths during the festival of the seventh month,

¹⁵ and that they should proclaim and spread the word in all their cities and in Jerusalem: "Go out to the hills and bring branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees to make booths, as it is written."

¹⁶ So the people went out and brought them back and made booths for themselves, each on his roof, in their courtyards, in the courts of the house of God, in the square by the Water Gate, and in the square by the Gate of Ephraim.

¹⁷ The whole assembly of those who had returned from captivity made booths and lived in them. From the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day, the people of Israel had not done this. And there was very great rejoicing.

¹⁸ Day 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 there was a solemn assembly, according to the ordinance.