에스라의 율법 낭독
17월 일에 모든 이스라엘 백성들은 일제히 수문 앞 광장에 모여 율법학자 에 스라에게 여호와께서 모세를 통해 이스라엘 백성에게 주신 율법책을 가져와 읽어 달라고 하였다.
2그래서 제사장 에스라는 듣고 이해할 수 있는 남녀 모든 군중들 앞으로 그 율법책을 가지고 가
3그 곳 수문 앞 광장에서 새벽부터 정오까지 그것을 읽어 주었으며 백성들은 모두 귀를 기울이고 주의 깊게 들었다.
4그때 에스라는 특별히 마련된 나무 강단 위에 서서 그것을 읽었으며 그 오른쪽에는 맛디댜, 스마, 아나야, 우리아, 힐기야, 마아세야가 서 있었고 그 왼쪽에는 브다야, 미사엘, 말기야, 하숨, 하스밧다나, 스가랴, 므술람이 서 있었다.
5모든 사람들이 다 볼 수 있도록 에스라가 강단에 높이 서서 그 책을 폈을 때 백성들은 일제히 일어섰다.
6에스라가 위대하신 하나님 여호와를 찬양하자 모든 백성들은 손을 들고 “아멘! 아멘!” 하며 응답하였다. 그러고서 그들은 얼굴을 땅에 대고 엎드려 여호와께 경배하였다.
7-8에스라가 그 율법책을 읽을 때 레위 사 람 예수아, 바니, 세레뱌, 야민, 악굽, 사브대, 호디야, 마아세야, 그리다, 아사랴, 요사밧, 하난, 블라야는 백성들 가운데 서서 그 뜻을 8:7-8 율법은 히브리어로 기록되었는데 바빌로니아에서 포로 생활을 할 당시 유대인들은 아람어를 사용했기 때문에 통역이 불가피했다.해석하여 낭독하는 것을 백성들이 이해할 수 있도록 하였다.
9백성들이 그 율법의 말씀을 듣고 울기 시작하자 총독인 나 느헤미야와 제사장 에스라와 백성들을 가르치는 레위인들이 그들에게 “오늘은 우리 하나님 여호와께 거룩한 날이므로 슬퍼하거나 울지 마시오” 하였다.
10그리고 나 느헤미야는 다시 그들에게 이렇게 말하였다. “여러분은 집으로 가서 잔치를 베풀고 마음껏 먹고 마시며 가난한 사람들에게도 나누어 주십시오. 오늘은 여호와께 거룩한 날이므로 슬퍼해서는 안 됩니다. 여호와께서 주시는 기쁨이 여러분의 힘이 될 것입니다.”
11그리고 레위 사람들도 백성들을 진정시키며 거룩한 날에 슬퍼하지 말라고 하자
12모든 백성들은 집으로 가서 음식을 만들어 가난한 사람들과 함께 먹고 마시며 즐거워하였다. 이것은 그들이 들은 율법의 말씀을 깨달았기 때문이었다.
초막절
13그 다음날 족장들과 제사장들과 레위인들이 율법의 말씀을 더 자세히 알기 위해 에스라를 찾아갔다.
14그들은 율법책을 보다가 여호와께서 모세를 통해 이스라엘 백성에게 7월의 초막절 기간에는 초막에서 지내라고 명령하신 것을 알게 되었다.
15그래서 그들은 예루살렘과 다른 모든 성에 이렇게 공고하였다. “여러분은 산으로 가서 감람나무, 도금양, 종려나무, 그 밖에 잎이 무성한 나뭇가지를 꺾어 율법책에 기록된 대로 초막을 지으시오.”
16그러자 백성들은 가서 나뭇가지를 꺾어와 옥상이나 마당, 성전 뜰, 수문 옆 광장 또는 에브라임문 곁의 광장에 초막을 지었다.
17이와 같이 포로로 잡혀갔다가 돌아온 모든 사람들이 초막을 짓고 그 안에서 지냈는데 눈의 아들 여호수아 시대 이후로 초막절을 이처럼 성대하게 지킨 적이 없었으므로 모든 백성들이 크게 기뻐하고 즐거워하였다.
18에스라는 이 명절 7일 동안 매일 율법책을 낭독하였으며 8일째 되는 날에는 모세의 율법에 규정된 대로 모두 한자리에 모여 엄숙하게 8:18 또는 ‘성회를 열었느니라’폐회 예배를 드렸다.
1all of them gathered together. They went to the open area in front of the Water Gate. They told Ezra to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses. The Lord had given Israel that Law so they would obey him. Ezra was the teacher of the Law.
2Ezra the priest brought the Law out to the whole community. It was the first day of the seventh month. The group was made up of men, women, and children old enough to understand what Ezra was going to read. 3He read the Law to them from sunrise until noon. He did it as he faced the open area in front of the Water Gate. He read it to the men, the women, and the children old enough to understand. And all the people paid careful attention as Ezra was reading the Book of the Law.
4Ezra, the teacher of the Law, stood on a high wooden stage. It had been built for the occasion. Mattithiah, Shema and Anaiah stood at his right side. So did Uriah, Hilkiah and Maaseiah. Pedaiah, Mishael and Malkijah stood at his left side. So did Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah and Meshullam.
5Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him. That’s because he was standing above them. As he opened the book, the people stood up. 6Ezra praised the Lord. He is the great God. All the people lifted up their hands and said, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down. They turned their faces toward the ground and worshiped the Lord.
7The Levites taught the Law to the people. They remained standing while the Levites taught them. The Levites who were there included Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai and Hodiah. They also included Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan and Pelaiah. 8All these Levites read to the people parts of the Book of the Law of God. They made it clear to them. They told them what it meant. So the people understood what was being read.
9Nehemiah was the governor. Ezra was a priest and the teacher of the Law. They spoke up. So did the Levites who were teaching the people. All these men said to the people, “This day is set apart to honor the Lord your God. So don’t weep. Don’t be sad.” All the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.
10Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy some good food and sweet drinks. Send some of it to people who don’t have any. This day is holy to our Lord. So don’t be sad. The joy of the Lord makes you strong.”
11The Levites calmed all the people down. They said, “Be quiet. This is a holy day. So don’t be sad.”
12Then all the people went away to eat and drink. They shared their food with others. They celebrated with great joy. Now they understood the words they had heard. That’s because everything had been explained to them.
13All the family leaders gathered around Ezra, the teacher. So did the priests and Levites. All of them paid attention to the words of the Law. It was the second day of the month. 14The Lord had given the Law through Moses. He wanted the Israelites to obey it. It is written there that they were supposed to live in booths during the Feast of Booths. That feast was celebrated in the seventh month. 15They were also supposed to spread the message all through their towns and in Jerusalem. They were supposed to announce, “Go out into the central hill country. Bring back some branches from olive and wild olive trees. Also bring some from myrtle, palm and shade trees. Use the branches to make booths.”
16So the people went out and brought back some branches. They built themselves booths on their own roofs. They made them in their courtyards. They put them up in the courtyards of the house of God. They built them in the open area in front of the Water Gate. And they built them in the open area in front of the Gate of Ephraim. 17All the people who had returned from the land of Babylon made booths. They lived in them during the Feast of Booths. They hadn’t celebrated the feast with so much joy for a long time. In fact, they had never celebrated it like that from the days of Joshua, the son of Nun, until that day. So their joy was very great.
18Day after day, Ezra read parts of the Book of the Law of God to them. He read it out loud from the first day to the last. They celebrated the Feast of Booths for seven days. On the eighth day they gathered together. They followed the required rules for celebrating the feast.
