8Nehemiah 8

Ezra Reads God's Law to the People

2On the first day of the seventh month, the people came together in the open area in front of the Water Gate. Then they asked Ezra, who was a teacher of the Law of Moses, to read to them from this Law that the Lord had given his people. Ezra the priest came with the Law and stood before the crowd of men, women, and the children who were old enough to understand.Select Nehemiah 8:2

3From early morning till noon, he read the Law of Moses to them, and they listened carefully.Select Nehemiah 8:3

4Ezra stood on a high wooden platform that had been built for this occasion. Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah were standing to his right, while Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hash Baddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam were standing to his left.Select Nehemiah 8:4

5Ezra was up on the high platform, where he could be seen by everyone, and when he opened the book, all the people stood up.Select Nehemiah 8:5

6Ezra praised the great Lord God, and they lifted their hands, shouting “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed with their faces to the ground and worshiped the Lord.Select Nehemiah 8:6

8After this, the Levites Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah went among the people, explaining the meaning of what Ezra had read.Select Nehemiah 8:8

9The people started crying when God's Law was read to them. Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher, and the Levites who had been teaching the people all said, “This is a special day for the Lord your God. So don't be sad and don't cry!”Select Nehemiah 8:9

10Nehemiah told the people, “Enjoy your good food and wine and share some with those who didn't have anything to bring. Don't be sad! This is a special day for the Lord, and he will make you happy and strong.”Select Nehemiah 8:10

11The Levites encouraged the people by saying, “This is a sacred day, so don't worry or mourn!”Select Nehemiah 8:11

12When the people returned to their homes, they celebrated by eating and drinking and by sharing their food with those in need, because they had understood what had been read to them.Select Nehemiah 8:12

Celebrating the Festival of Shelters

13On the second day of the seventh month, the leaders of all the family groups came together with the priests and the Levites, so Ezra could teach them the LawSelect Nehemiah 8:13

14that the Lord had given to Moses. They learned from the Law that the people of Israel were to live in shelters when they celebrated the festival in the seventh month of the year.Select Nehemiah 8:14

15They also learned that they were to go into the woods and gather branches of leafy trees such as olives, myrtles, and palms for making these shelters.Select Nehemiah 8:15

16So the people gathered branches and made shelters on the flat roofs of their houses, in their yards, in the courtyard of the temple, and in the open areas around the Water Gate and Ephraim Gate.Select Nehemiah 8:16

17Everyone who had returned from Babylonia built shelters. They lived in them and joyfully celebrated the Festival of Shelters for the first time since the days of Joshua son of Nun.Select Nehemiah 8:17

18On each of the first seven days of the festival, Ezra read to the people from God's Law. Then on the eighth day, everyone gathered for worship, just as the Law had said they must.Select Nehemiah 8:18