Nehemiah 8

New King James Version

Ezra Reads and Explains the Law

8 Now all^(A)the people gathered together as one man in the open square thatwas^(B)in front of the Water Gate; and they told Ezra the^(C)scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses, which theLordhad commanded Israel.² So Ezra the priest brought^(D)the Law before the assembly of men and women and all whocouldhear with understanding^(E)on the first day of the seventh month.³ Then he^(F)read from it in the open square thatwasin front of the Water Gate^[a]from morning until midday, before the men and women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the peoplewere attentiveto the Book of the Law.

⁴ So Ezra the scribe stood on a platform of wood which they had made for the purpose; and beside him, at his right hand, stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Urijah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah; and at his left hand Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbadana, Zechariah,andMeshullam.⁵ And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he wasstandingabove all the people; and when he opened it, all the people^(G)stood up.⁶ And Ezra blessed theLord, the great God.

Then all the people^(H)answered, “Amen, Amen!” while^(I)lifting up their hands. And they^(J)bowed their heads and worshiped theLordwiththeirfaces to the ground.

⁷ Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites,^(K)helped the people to understand the Law; and the people^(L)stoodin their place.⁸ So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and helpedthemto understand the reading.

^9 (M)And Nehemiah, whowasthe^[b]governor, Ezra the priestandscribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people,^(N)“This dayisholy to theLordyour God;^(O)do not mourn nor weep.” For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law.

¹⁰ Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet,^(P)and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; forthisdayisholy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of theLordis your strength.”

¹¹ So the Levites quieted all the people, saying, “Be still, for the dayisholy; do not be grieved.”¹² And all the people went their way to eat and drink, to^(Q)send portions and rejoice greatly, because they^(R)understood the words that were declared to them.

The Feast of Tabernacles^(S)

¹³ Now on the second day the heads of the fathers’housesof all the people, with the priests and Levites, were gathered to Ezra the scribe, in order to understand the words of the Law.¹⁴ And they found written in the Law, which theLordhad commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in^(T)booths^[c]during the feast of the seventh month,¹⁵ and^(U)that they should announce and proclaim in all their cities and^(V)in Jerusalem, saying, “Go out to the mountain, and^(W)bring olive branches, branches of oil trees, myrtle branches, palm branches, and branches of leafy trees, to make booths, asit iswritten.”

¹⁶ Then the people went out and broughtthemand made themselves booths, each one on the^(X)roof of his house, or in their courtyards or the courts of the house of God, and in the open square of the^(Y)Water Gate^(Z)and in the open square of the Gate of Ephraim.¹⁷ So the whole assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made^[d]booths and sat under the booths; for since the days of Joshua the son of Nun until that day the children of Israel had not done so. And there was very^(AA)great gladness.¹⁸ Also^(AB)day by day, from the first day until the last day, he read from the Book of the Law of God. And they kept the feast^(AC)seven days; and on the^(AD)eighth daythere wasa sacred assembly, according to theprescribedmanner.