1 Now allthe people gathered together as one man in the open square thatwasin front of the Water Gate; and they told Ezra thescribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses, which theLordhad commanded Israel.
2 So Ezra the priest broughtthe Law before the assembly of men and women and all whocouldhear with understandingon the first day of the seventh month.
3 Then heread from it in the open square thatwasin front of the Water Gate from morning until midday, before the men and women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the peoplewereattentiveto 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 peoplestood up.
6 And Ezra blessed theLord, the great God.
# Then all the peopleanswered, “Amen, Amen!” whilelifting up their hands. And theybowed 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,helped the people to understand the Law; and the peoplestoodin 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 And Nehemiah, whowasthe governor, Ezra the priestandscribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people,“This dayisholy to theLordyour God;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,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, tosend portions and rejoice greatly, because theyunderstood the words that were declared to them.
The Feast of Tabernacles
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 inbooths during the feast of the seventh month,
15 andthat they should announce and proclaim in all their cities andin Jerusalem, saying, “Go out to the mountain, andbring olive branches, branches of oil trees, myrtle branches, palm branches, and branches of leafy trees, to make booths, asitiswritten.”
16 Then the people went out and broughtthemand made themselves booths, each one on theroof of his house, or in their courtyards or the courts of the house of God, and in the open square of theWater Gateand in the open square of the Gate of Ephraim.
17 So the whole assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made 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 verygreat gladness.
18 Alsoday by day, from the first day until the last day, he read from the Book of the Law of God. And they kept the feastseven days; and on theeighth daytherewasa sacred assembly, according to theprescribedmanner.