Nehemiah 8

1 And all the people gathered as one man in the open square in front of the Water Gate. And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord commanded Israel. [a] † 2 And Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly, both men and women, and everyone with understanding to hear, on the first day of the seventh month. [b] † 3 And he read from it from the hour when the sun gave light until the middle of the day, in front of the men and the women; and they understood, and the ears of all the people were on the book of the law.

4 And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform, and next to him stood Mattithiah and Shemaiah and Hananiah and Uriah and Hilkiah and Maaseiah on his right hand, and on his left Pedaiah and Mishael and Malchijah and Hashum and Hashbaddanah and Zechariah and Meshullam. [c] 5 And Ezra opened the book in front of all the people — for he was above the people — and when he opened it, all the people stood. 6 And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered and said, “Amen.” And they lifted up their hands, and they bent down and bowed down to the Lord with their faces to the ground. [d]

7 And Jeshua and Benaiah and Sherebiah were giving the people understanding of the law, and the people kept their places. [e] 8 And they read from the book of the law of God, and Ezra taught and set it out plainly with the knowledge of the Lord, and the people understood what was read.

9 And Nehemiah, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were giving the people understanding, spoke and said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord our God. Do not mourn and do not weep.” For all the people were weeping when they heard the words of the law. [f] 10 And he said to them, “Go, eat rich food and drink what is sweet, and send shares to those who have nothing, for the day is holy to our Lord. And do not break down, for it is your strength.” [g] 11 And the Levites quieted all the people, saying, “Be quiet, for the day is holy. Do not be downcast.” 12 And all the people went off to eat and to drink and to send shares and to make great gladness, because they had understood the words that he had made known to them.

13 And on the second day the leaders of the fathers’ houses gathered with all the people, and the priests and the Levites, to Ezra the scribe, to give attention to all the words of the law. 14 And they found it written in the law which the Lord commanded Moses, that the children of Israel should live in tents at the feast in the seventh month, [h] 15 and that they should sound trumpets in all their cities and in Jerusalem. And Ezra said, “Go out to the mountain and bring leaves of olive, and leaves of cypress trees, and leaves of myrtle, and leaves of palms, and leaves of leafy trees, to make tents, as it is written.” [i]

16 And the people went out and brought them and made tents for themselves, each one on his own roof, and in their courtyards, and in the courtyards of the house of God, and in the open squares of the city, and as far as the Gate of Ephraim. 17 And the whole assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made tents and lived in tents, for the children of Israel had not done so from the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day; and there was great gladness. [j] 18 And he read from the book of the law of God day by day, from the first day to the last day; and they kept the feast seven days, and on the eighth day the closing day, as the judgment was. [k]