Nehemias 8
1 Da samledes det hele Folk som een Mand paa Pladsen, som er foran Vandporten, og de sagde til Esra den skriftlærde, at han skulde bringe Bogen med Mose Lov frem, som Herren havde budet Israel.
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 Og Esra, Præsten, bragte Loven frem for Forsamlingens ansigt, baade for Mænd og Kvinder og for alle, som kunde forstaa at høre til, paa den første Dag i den syvende Maaned.
3 Og han læste i den lige for Pladsen, som er foran Vandporten, fra lys Morgen indtil midt paa Dagen, for Mænd og Kvinder og dem, som kunde forstaa det, og alt Folkets Øren agtede paa Lovbogen.
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 Og Esra, den skriftlærde, stod paa en Forhøjning af Træ, som de havde gjort til det samme, og hos ham stod Mathithja og Sema og Anaja og Uria og Hilkia og Maeseja ved hans højre Haand; og ved hans venstre Haand Pedaja og Misael og Malkia og Hasum og Hasbaddana, Sakaria og Mesullam.
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 Og Esra oplod Bogen for alt Folkets Øjne; thi han stod højere end alt Folket; og der han oplod den, blev alt Folket staaende.
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 Og Esra lovede Herren, den store Gud, og alt Folket svarede: Amen! Amen! med deres Hænder oprakte, og de kastede sig ned og bøjede sig ned for Herren med Ansigtet til Jorden.
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 Og Jesua og Bani og Serebja, Jamin, Akkub, Sabthaj, Hodija, Maeseja, Klita, Asarja, Josabad, Hanan, Plaja og Leviterne underviste Folket om Loven; og Folket stod paa sit Sted.
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 Og de læste i Bogen, i Guds Lov, klarlig og gave Folket Forstand derpaa, og dette forstod det læste.
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 Og Nehemia (det er Hattirsatha) og Esra, Præsten, den skriftlærde, og Leviterne, som underviste Folket, sagde til alt Folket: Denne Dag er Herren eders Gud hellig, derfor sørger ikke og græder ikke; thi alt Folket græd, der de hørte Lovens Ord.
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 Fremdeles sagde han til dem: Gaar, æder det fede og drikker det søde og sender den, som intet har beredt, en Del; thi denne Dag er vor Herre hellig; derfor værer ikke bekymrede, thi Herrens Glæde den er eders Styrke.
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 Og Leviterne fik alt Folket til at tie ved at sige: Værer stille, thi denne Dag er hellig, og værer ikke bekymrede!
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 Og alt Folket gik at æde og drikke og at sende en Del ud og at gøre sig en stor Glæde, fordi de havde forstaaet de Ord, som man havde kundgjort dem.
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 Og den anden Dag samledes Øversterne for Fædrenehusene iblandt alt Folket, Præsterne og Leviterne hos Esra, den skriftlærde, og det for ret at faa Forstand paa Lovens Ord.
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 Og de fandt skrevet i Loven, som Herren havde budet ved Mose, at Israels Børn skulde bo i Hytter paa Højtiden i den syvende Maaned,
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 og at de skulde lade bekendtgøre og lade udraabe igennem alle deres Stæder og i Jerusalem og sige: Gaar ud paa Bjerget og bringer Oliegrene og vilde Olietræers Grene og Myrtegrene og Palmegrene og Grene af løvrige Træer til at gøre Hytter, som skrevet er.
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 Og Folket gik ud og bragte det frem og gjorde sig Hytter, paa hver sit Tag, og i deres Forgaarde og i Guds Hus's Forgaard og paa Pladsen ved Vandporten og paa Pladsen ved Efraims Port.
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 Og den hele Forsamling, de, som vare komne tilbage fra Fangenskabet, gjorde Hytter og boede i Hytter; thi Israels Børn havde ikke gjort saaledes siden Josvas, Nuns Søns, Dage indtil den Dag; og der var en saare stor Glæde.
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 Og man læste i Guds Lovbog Dag for Dag, fra den første Dag indtil den sidste Dag; og de holdt Højtid i syv Dage, og paa den ottende Dag holdt de Slutningshøjtid, som Skik er.
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.
