Nehemiah 8
1 Pilnam pum te tui vongka hmai kah toltung ah hlang pakhat bangla tingtun uh. Te vaengah cadaek Ezra te, “Moses kah olkhueng cabu te hang khuen, te nen ni BOEIPA loh Israel a uen,” a ti uh.
and the people gathered together as one in the square beside the Water Gate. They told Ezra the scribe to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had ordered Israel to follow.
2 A hla rhih kah lamhmacuek hnin vaengah tah khosoih Ezra loh olkhueng te hlangping mikhmuh ah tongpa lamloh huta ham khaw, yaak ham aka yakming boeih taengah a phoe puei.
On the first day of the seventh month, Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly—men and women, and all those children who could listen and understand.
3 Te lamkah te tui vongka hmai kah toltung imdan ah khopo lamloh khothun khovang hil a tae. tongpa neh huta neh aka yakming rhoek kah hmai neh olkhueng cabu dongla hna aka kaeng pilnam cungkuem ham a tae pah.
He read from it in front of the square before the Water Gate from early morning till noon to everyone there, the men and the women and those who could understand. All the people listened carefully to the Book of the Law.
4 Te vaengah cadaek Ezra te olthui vaengah kah ham a dawn tlaang thing dongah pai. Anih taengah Mattithiah neh Shema, Anaiah neh Uriah, Hilkiah neh Maaseiah, a banvoei neh a bantang ah Pedaiah neh Mishael, Malkhiah neh Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zekhariah neh Meshullam pai.
Ezra the scribe stood on a high wooden stage built for this event. On his right side stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, and on his left Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hash-baddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam.
5 Ezra loh cabu te pilnam boeih kah mikhmuh ah a ong. Pilnam boeih so la om tih cabu a ong vaengah pilnam khaw boeih pai uh.
Ezra opened the book while they were all watching because the whole crowd could see him. When he opened it they all stood up.
6 Ezra loh boeilen Pathen BOEIPA te a uem vaengah pilnam pum loh a kut thueng neh, “Amen, Amen,” tila a doo uh. Te phoeiah a tal te diklai la a buluk uh tih BOEIPA te a bawk uh.
Ezra praised the Lord, the great God, and everyone answered, “Amen! Amen!” as they lifted up their hands. Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
7 Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah neh amih Levi rhoek loh olkhueng te pilnam taengah a thuicaih pah. Te vaengah pilnam tah amamih paihmuen ah paiuh.
Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah, who were the Levites present, explained the Law to the people as they remained standing there.
8 Pathen kah olkhueng cabu lamkah te puk a tae uh tih lungmingnah khaw a paek dongah tingtunnah ham khaw a yakming uh.
They read from the Book of the Law of God, making clear the meaning so that the people could understand what it said.
9 Te vaengah tongmang boei Nehemiah amah neh khosoih cadaek Ezra, pilnam ham aka thuicaih Levi rhoek loh pilnam boeih taengah, “Na Pathen BOEIPA kah khohnin cim ah he nguekcoi uh boeh, rhap uh boeh. Olkhueng ol a yaak vanbangla pilnam boeih rhap coeng,” a ti nah.
Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were teaching the people told them all, “This is a holy day to the Lord your God. Don't mourn or cry,” for everyone was crying as they heard the Law being read.
10 Amih te, “Cet uh, buhtha te ca uh lamtah didip tui khaw o uh. Mamih Boeipa kah khohnin he a cim dongah maehvae te a taengah aka sikim pawt taengah thak uh. BOEIPA kah kohoenah he nangmih kah lunghim la a om dongah kothae sak uh boeh.
Nehemiah went on, “Go and enjoy some good food and sweet drinks, and share some with those who don't have anything ready, because today is a special, holy day to our Lord. Don't be sad, for your strength comes from the Lord who makes you happy.”
11 Aka ngam Levi rhoek long khaw pilnam boeih taengah, “Saah lah, khohnin cim ni, na kothae sak uh boeh,” a ti nah.
The Levites too were quieting everyone down, telling them, “Don't cry! This is a holy day and you shouldn't be sad.”
12 Amih taengah a thuicaih pah ol te a yakming uh coeng dongah tah pilnam pum te caak ham neh ok hamla, maehvae tael hamla, kohoenah len saii hamla cet uh.
Then everyone went away to eat and drink, and to share their food. They celebrated happily because now they understood the Law as it had been explained to them.
13 A hnin bae dongah tah pilnam pum kah a napa boeilu rhoek, khosoih rhoek neh Levi rhoek tah cadaek Ezra taengah olkhueng ol dongah lungming la om ham tingtun uh.
The next day family leaders of all the people, as well as the priests and Levites, joined with Ezra the scribe to study the Law in more depth.
14 Te vaengah, 'Israel ca he hla rhih vaengkah khotue ah dungtlungim khuiah khosa saeh,’ tila BOEIPA loh Moses kut ah a uen tih olkhueng khuiah a daek te a hmuh uh.
They discovered written in the Law the Lord had ordered to be observed through Moses, that the Israelites were to live in shelters during the festival of the seventh month.
15 Te dongah amamih kho takuem ah a yaak sak uh tih ol a haeh uh. Jerusalem ah khaw, “Tlang la cet uh lamtah olive hnah, situi thing hnah, cuihal hnah, rhophoe hnah neh thing hnah aka bu te lo uh. A daek bangla dungtlungim saii ham om,” a ti nah.
They were to make an announcement in all their towns and in Jerusalem, saying, “Go into the hills and bring back branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees, to make shelters to live in, as the Law requires.”
16 Pilnam te cet tih a khuen phoeiah tah amamih ham dungtlungim te a imphu ah khaw, a vongup ah khaw, Pathen im kah vongup ah khaw, tui vongka kah toltung ah khaw, Ephraim vongka kah toltung ah khaw rhip a saii uh.
So they went out and brought back branches and made shelters for themselves on the roofs of their houses, in their courtyards, in the courtyards of God's Temple, and in the squares near the Water Gate and the Ephraim Gate.
17 Tamna lamkah aka mael hlangping boeih long khaw dungtlungim a saii uh tih dungtlungim ah kho a sak uh. Nun capa Jeshua tue lamloh te khohnin hil Israel ca rhoek loh ana saii moenih. Te dongah kohoenah khaw muep om khungdaeng mai.
Everyone who came back from exile made shelters and stayed in them. They had not celebrated like this since the time of Joshua, son of Nun. Everyone was very happy.
18 Pathen kah olkhueng cabu te a hnin, hnin ah a tongcuek hnin lamloh a bawt hnin hil a tae pah. Khotue te hnin rhih a saii uh tih a hnin rhet dongah tah a khosing bangla pahong uh.
Ezra read from the Book of the Law of God every day, from the first day to the last. The Israelites observed the festival for seven days, and on the eighth day they met together in assembly, as the Law required.
