Neemias 8

¹ And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that [was] before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra theRead (Ezr_7:6).scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded to Israel.

² And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and allWho had age and discretion to understand.that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month.

³ And he read therein before the street that [was] before the water gate from the morning untilThis declares the great zeal that the people had to hear the word of God.midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people [were attentive] unto the book of the law.

⁴ And Ezra the Scribe stoode vpon a pulpit of wood which he had made for the preaching, and beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, & Ananiah, and Vriiah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hande, and on his left hand Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchiah, & Hashum, & Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam.

⁵ And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he wasSo that his voice might be heard the better.above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up:

⁶ And Ezra praysed the Lorde the great God, and all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting vp their handes: & they bowed themselues, and worshipped the Lord with their faces toward the grounde.

⁷ Also Ieshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Iamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Iozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Leuites caused the people to vnderstand the lawe, and the people stood in their place.

⁸ And they read in the booke of the Lawe of God distinctly, and gaue the sense, & caused them to vnderstand the reading.

⁹ And Nehemiah, which [is] the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day [is] holy unto the LORD your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the peopleIn considering their offences against the Law, therefore the Levites do not reprove them for mourning, but assure them of God's mercies if they are repentant.wept, when they heard the words of the law.

¹⁰ Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing isThat is, remember the poor.prepared: for [this] day [is] holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for theRejoice in the Lord, and he will give you strength.joy of the LORD is your strength.

¹¹ And the Leuites made silence throughout all the people, saying, Holde your peace: for the day is holy, be not sad therefore.

¹² Then all the people went to eate and to drinke, and to send away part, and to make great ioy, because they had vnderstand the wordes that they had taught them.

¹³ And on the second day the chiefe fathers of all the people, the Priests and the Leuites were gathered vnto Ezra the scribe, that he also might instruct them in the wordes of the Lawe.

¹⁴ And they found written in the Law, (that the Lorde had commanded by Moses) that the children of Israel should dwel in boothes in the feast of the seuenth moneth,

¹⁵ And that they shoulde cause it to bee declared and proclaimed in all their cities, and in Ierusalem, saying, Go forth vnto the mount, and bring oliue branches, and pine branches, & branches of myrtus, and palme branches, & branches of thicke trees, to make boothes, as it is written.

¹⁶ So the people went forth, and brought [them], and made themselves booths, every one upon theFor their houses were made with flat roofs, read (Deu_22:8).roof of his house, and in their courts, and in the courts of the house of God, and in the street of the water gate, and in the street of the gate of Ephraim.

¹⁷ And all the congregation of them that were come again out of the captivity made booths, and sat under the booths: for since theWhich was almost a thousand years.days of Jeshua the son of Nun unto that day had not the children of Israel done so. And there was very great gladness.

¹⁸ And he read in the booke of the Lawe of God euery day, from the first day vnto the last day; they kept the feast seuen dayes, and on the eight day a solemne assemblie, according vnto the maner.