1all the people came together as one in the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the teacher of the Law to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded for Israel.
2So on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand. 3He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.
4Ezra the teacher of the Law stood on a high wooden platform built for the occasion. Beside him on his right stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah and Maaseiah; and on his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah and Meshullam.
5Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. 6Ezra praised the Lord, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, ‘Amen! Amen!’ Then they bowed down and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
7The Levites – Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan and Pelaiah – instructed the people in the Law while the people were standing there. 8They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear8:8 Or God, translating it and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read.
9Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher of the Law, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, ‘This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.’ For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.
10Nehemiah said, ‘Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’
11The Levites calmed all the people, saying, ‘Be still, for this is a holy day. Do not grieve.’
12Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them.
13On the second day of the month, the heads of all the families, along with the priests and the Levites, gathered round Ezra the teacher of the Law to give attention to the words of the Law. 14They found written in the Law, which the Lord had commanded through Moses, that the Israelites were to live in temporary shelters during the festival of the seventh month 15and that they should proclaim this word and spread it throughout their towns and in Jerusalem: ‘Go out into the hill country and bring back branches from olive and wild olive trees, and from myrtles, palms and other leafy trees, to make temporary shelters’ – as it is written.8:15 See Lev. 23:37-40.
16So the people went out and brought back branches and built themselves temporary shelters on their own roofs, in their courtyards, in the courts of the house of God and in the square by the Water Gate and the one by the Gate of Ephraim. 17The whole company that had returned from exile built temporary shelters and lived in them. From the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day, the Israelites had not celebrated it like this. And their joy was very great.
18Day 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, in accordance with the regulation, there was an assembly.
1Anthu onse anasonkhana ngati munthu mmodzi pabwalo limene lili patsogolo pa Chipata cha Madzi. Iwo anawuza mlembi Ezara kuti abwere ndi buku la malamulo a Mose limene Yehova anapereka kwa Aisraeli.
2Choncho pa tsiku loyamba la mwezi wachisanu ndi chiwiri wansembe Ezara, anabwera ndi buku la malamulo ku msonkhano wa amuna, akazi ndi ana onse amene ankatha kumvetsa zinthu bwino. 3Choncho Ezara anawerenga bukulo atayangʼana bwalo la Chipata cha Madzi kuyambira mmawa mpaka masana pamaso pa amuna, akazi ndi onse amene ankamvetsa bwino zinthu. Ndipo anthu onse anatchera khutu kuti amve malamulowo.
4Mlembi Ezara anayimirira pa nsanja ya mitengo imene anthu anamanga chifukwa cha msonkhanowu. Ku dzanja lake lamanja kunayimirira Matitiya, Sema, Anaya, Uriya, Hilikiya ndi Maaseya, ndipo kudzanja lake lamanzere kunali Pedaya, Misaeli, Malikiya, Hasumu, Hasibadana, Zekariya ndi Mesulamu.
5Tsono Ezara anatsekula buku, akuona popeza anayima pa nsanja. Pamene anafutukula bukulo anthu onse anayimirira. 6Ezara anatamanda Yehova, Mulungu wamkulu, ndipo anthu onse anakweza manja awo ndi kuyankha kuti, “Ameni, ameni.” Pambuyo pake onse anaweramitsa pansi mitu yawo napembedza Yehova akanali chizolikire choncho.
7Anthuwo atayimiriranso Alevi awa: Yesuwa, Bani, Serebiya, Yamini, Akubu, Sabetayi, Hodiya, Maaseya, Kerita, Azariya, Yozabadi, Hanani ndi Pelaya anawathandiza kuti amvetse bwino malamulowo. 8Iwo anawerenga buku la malamulo a Mulungu momveka bwino ndi kutanthauzira mawuwo kuti anthu amvetse bwino zowerengedwazo.
9Tsono bwanamkubwa Nehemiya pamodzi ndi wansembe ndi mlembi Ezara komanso Alevi amene amaphunzitsa anthu anati kwa anthu onse, “Lero ndi tsiku lopatulika kwa Yehova Mulungu wanu. Musakhale ndi chisoni ndipo musalire.” Anayankhula choncho popeza anthu onse ankalira atamva mawu a buku la malamulo lija.
10Nehemiya anatinso, “Pitani, kachiteni phwando ku nyumba ndipo mukawagawireko ena amene alibe kanthu kalikonse popeza lero ndi tsiku lopatulika kwa Yehova. Musakhale ndi chisoni, pakuti chimwemwe cha Yehova ndiye mphamvu yanu.”
11Alevi anakhalitsa bata anthu onse powawuza kuti, “Khalani chete, pakuti lero ndi tsiku lopatulika ndipo musakhale ndi chisoni.”
12Anthu onse anachoka kupita kukadya ndi kumwa. Chakudya china anatumiza kwa anzawo. Choncho panali chikondwerero chachikulu popeza tsopano anali atamvetsa bwino mawu a Mulungu amene anawawerengera ndi kuwafotokozerawo.
13Mmawa mwake atsogoleri a mabanja pamodzi ndi ansembe ndi alevi anasonkhana kwa Ezara, mlembi wa malamulo kuti aphunzire mawu a malamulowo. 14Tsono anapeza kuti zinalembedwa mʼbuku la malamulo kuti Yehova analamula kudzera mwa Mose kuti Aisraeli azikhala mʼzithando pa nthawi yonse ya chikondwerero cha mwezi wachisanu ndi chiwiri. 15Choncho analengeza ndi kufalitsa mʼmizinda yawo yonse ndi mu Yerusalemu kuti, “Pitani ku phiri mukadule nthambi za mtengo wa olivi, za mtengo wa olivi wa kutchire, za mtengo wa mchisu, za mtengo wa mgwalangwa ndiponso za mitengo ina ya masamba, zomangira zithando monga zalembedweramu ndi kubwera nazo.”
16Choncho anthu anapita kukatenga nthambi ndipo aliyense anadzimangira misasa pa denga ya nyumba yake, mʼmabwalo awo, mʼmabwalo a Nyumba ya Mulungu, mʼbwalo la pa Chipata cha Madzi ndiponso mʼbwalo la pa Chipata cha Efereimu. 17Gulu lonse la anthu limene linabwera ku ukapolo linamanga misasa ndipo linakhala mʼmenemo. Kuyambira nthawi ya Yoswa mwana wa Nuni mpaka tsiku limenelo nʼkuti Aisraeli asanachitepo zimenezi. Choncho panali chimwemwe chachikulu.
18Tsiku ndi tsiku, kuyambira tsiku loyamba mpaka lomaliza, Ezara ankawerenga buku la malamulo a Mulungu. Anthu anachita chikondwerero masiku asanu ndi awiri. Pa tsiku lachisanu ndi chitatu panachitika msonkhano potsata buku la malamulo lija.
