Nehemiah 8
1 Thapa yung sari a pha hoi, hmuen tangkuem koe kaawm e Isarelnaw pueng teh, a tho awh teh Tui longkha koe a kamkhueng awh. Isarelnaw koe lawk a poe e teh, Mosi kâlawk cauk sin loe telah kâlawk kacangkhaie Ezra koe a hei e patetlah.
Ezra, who taught people the laws of Moses, [had a scroll on which] the laws of Moses were written. Those were the laws that Yahweh had commanded the Israeli people [to obey]. On October 8 of that year, all the people gathered together in the plaza/square that was close to the Water Gate. Men and women and [children] who [were old enough to] understand gathered together. Someone told Ezra to bring out that scroll.
2 Vaihma Ezra ni vah kâlawk teh, napui tongpa hoi ka thai panuek hane ka kamkhuengnaw e hmalah thapa yung sari, apasuek hnin vah a thokhai.
3 Tui longkha hmalah kaawm e thongma lah kangvawi laihoi amom hoi tangmin totouh, ka thai panuek hane napui tongpa hmalah, kâlawk hah a touk pouh teh taminaw ni kahawicalah a thai awh.
So he brought it out and read it to the people. He started reading it early in the morning and continued reading it until noontime. All the people listened carefully to the laws that were written on the scroll.
4 Ahnimouh ni a sak awh e lawkdeinae tungkhung van a kangdue teh ahnie atengvah aranglah, Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah hoi Maaseiah, hahoi avoilah, Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkhijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zekhariah hoi, Meshullam a kangdue awh.
Ezra stood on top of a high wooden platform that had been built just for that event. At his right side stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah. At his left side stood Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam.
5 Ezra ni cauk hah taminaw e mithmu vah a kadai. Ahni teh taminaw hlakvah hmuen rasang koe a kangdue. A kadai toteh tami pueng a kangdue awh.
Ezra stood on the platform above the people, where they could all see him. He opened the scroll; and as he did that, all the people stood up, [and they continued to stand, to show respect for God’s word].
6 Ezra ni BAWIPA a lentoenae a pholen teh, taminaw ni a kut a dâw awh teh, Amen, Amen, telah a dei awh teh, a lûsaling laihoi BAWIPA a bawk awh.
Then Ezra praised Yahweh, the great God, and all the people lifted up their hands and said, “Amen! Amen!” Then they all bowed down with their foreheads touching the ground, and they worshiped Yahweh.
7 Taminaw ni a onae hmuen koe be ao awh lahun navah, Levih tami Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah naw ni hai taminaw kâlawk a panue awh nahanelah a thaisak awh.
Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah, were all (Levites/men who worked in the temple). They explained the meaning of the laws of Moses to the people who were standing there.
8 Cathut e kâlawk cauk thung e kamcengcalah a touk awh teh, a ngainae a dei pouh dawkvah, taminaw ni a touk awh e hah a thai panuek awh.
They also read from scrolls that contained the laws that God [gave to Moses], and they interpreted [into the Aramaic language] what they read, making the meaning clear so that the people could understand the meaning.
9 Hahoi ukkung bawi lah kaawm e, Nehemiah hoi vaihma hoi kâlawk kacangkhaikung Ezra hoi taminaw kacangkhaie Levihnaw ni vah, taminaw koe sahnin heh, Bawipa na Cathut e hnin kathoung doeh. Na lung mathout hanh awh. Kap hai kap awh hanh atipouh awh. Bangkongtetpawiteh, kâlawk a thai awh navah taminaw teh a khuika awh.
Then I, Nehemiah the governor, and Ezra, and the Levites who were interpreting what was being read to the people, said to them, “Yahweh your God considers that this day is very holy/sacred. So do not be sad or cry!” They said that because all the people were crying as they were listening to the laws of Moses.
10 Cet awh haw. Bu katuicalah cat awh nateh, misurtui karadip e net awh. Banghai ka tawn hoeh e koe kâreikhai awh. Bangkongtetpawiteh, sahnin heh Bawipa e hnin kathoung doeh. BAWIPA dawk na lunghawinae teh na thayung lah ao dawkvah, na lungmathout hanh awh atipouh.
Then I said to them, “Now go home and enjoy [some] good food and drink [some] sweet wine. And send some of it to people who do not have anything [to eat or drink]. This is a day that Yahweh considers sacred. Do not be sad! Yahweh will cause you to be joyful and make you strong.”
11 Hatdawkvah, Levihnaw ni taminaw sairasuep lah ao sak. Sahnin teh hnin kathounge lah ao dawkvah, sairasuepcalah awm awh. Na lungmathout awh hanh atipouh.
The Levites also caused the people to be quiet, saying “Be quiet [and do not cry], because this is a sacred day! Do not be sad!”
12 Taminaw ni a dei e lawknaw a thai panuek awh dawkvah, canei kawi sak hane hoi alouknaw hai kâreikhai hane hoi lunghawi nawmnae kalen poung sak hanelah be a cei awh.
So the people went away, and they ate and drank, and they sent portions of food [to those who did not have any]. They celebrated very joyfully, because they had heard and understood what had been read to them.
13 Apâhni hnin navah, a imthungkhu dawk e kacue lah kaawm e hah vaihmanaw hoi, Levihnaw teh phunglawk kamtu hanelah, cungtalah kâlawk kacangkhaikung Ezra koe a kamkhueng awh.
The next day, the leaders of the families and the priests and [other] descendants of Levi met with Ezra to study carefully the laws that Yahweh had given to Moses.
14 Phunglawk thung vah BAWIPA ni Mosi koe kâlawk a poe teh, a thut e hah a hmu awh. Hote thung vah Isarelnaw teh, thapa yung sarinae pawi dawk teh im ao awh hane doeh.
While they were doing that, they realized that Yahweh had told Moses to command the Israeli people to live in shelters during that month, [to remember that their ancestors lived in shelters when they left Egypt].
15 Kho tangkuem hoi Jerusalem khopui vah pathang pouh hane hoi, mon vah cet awh nateh, olivekungnaw hoi kahrawng e olive hna, tuihan hna, samtue hna hoi, a hna kahawi e a kang pueng rim sak nahanelah lat awh. Hahoi rim teh hettelah na sak awh han tie patetlah na sak awh han tie hah ca a thut.
They also learned that they should proclaim in Jerusalem and in all the towns that the people should go to the hills and cut branches from olive trees [that they have planted] and from wild olive trees and from myrtle trees and palm trees and fig trees. They should make shelters from these branches, and live in those shelters during the festival, just as Moses wrote [that they should do].
16 Hatdawkvah, a cei awh teh, a la awh. A im dawk thoseh, thongma dawk thoseh, Cathut e im thoseh, Tui longkha lawilah thoseh, Ephraim longkha alawilah thoseh, rim lengkaleng a sak awh.
So the people went out [of the city] and cut branches and used them to build shelters. They built shelters on the [flat] roofs [of their houses], in their courtyards, in the courtyards of the temple, and in the plazas/squares close to the Water Gate and the Ephraim Gate.
17 San dawk hoi kahlout pueng ni rim lengkaleng a sak awh teh, rim thungvah ao awh. Hothateh, Nun capa Joshua tueng hoi hot hnin totouh, Isarelnaw ni a sak awh boihoeh e lunghawinae kalen poung a tawn awh.
All of the Israeli people who had returned from Babylon built shelters and lived in them [for one week]. The Israeli people had not celebrated that festival like that since the time that Joshua lived. And they were very joyful.
18 Kamtawng hnin koehoi apoutnae hnin totouh, Cathut e kâlawk cauk hah pou a touk awh. Pawi teh hnin sari touh a sak awh teh, ataroe hnin vah amamae singyoe patetlah kamkhuengnae pawi hai a sak awh.
Every day during that week Ezra read to the people from the scroll that contained the laws that God [gave Moses]. Then on the eighth day, just as one of the laws of God said that they should do, they gathered together to end the celebration.
