Nehemiah 8
1 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.
所有的人民，都一致聚集到水門前的廣場上，要求厄斯德拉經師，拿出上主命以色列當遵守的梅瑟法律書來。
2 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.
厄斯德拉司祭便在七月一日，將法律書拿到會眾前，及男女和所有能聽懂的人面前，
3 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.
在水門前的廣場上，從早晨到中午，在男女和所有能聽懂的人面前，宣讀了法律，所有的人民都側耳靜聽法律書。
4 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.
厄斯德拉經師站在為此特備的木台上，他右邊站著瑪提提雅、舍瑪、阿納雅、烏黎雅、希耳克雅和瑪阿色雅；他左邊有培達雅、米沙耳、瑪耳基雅、哈雄、哈協巴達納、則加黎雅、和默叔藍。
5 Ezra opened the book while they were all watching because the whole crowd could see him. When he opened it they all stood up.
厄斯德拉在眾目注視下展開了書，因他高立在眾人以上，他展開書時，眾人都立起來。
6 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.
厄斯德拉先讚頌了上主，偉大的天主，全民眾舉手回答說：「阿們，阿們! 」以後跪下，伏首至地，欽崇上主。
7 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.
肋未人耶叔亞、巴尼、舍勒彼雅、雅明、阿谷布、沙貝泰、曷狄雅、瑪阿色雅、刻里達、阿匝黎雅、約匝巴得、哈南和培拉雅，為民眾講解法律，民眾立在原處不動。
8 They read from the Book of the Law of God, making clear the meaning so that the people could understand what it said.
厄斯德拉讀一段天主的法律書，及做翻譯和解釋，如此民眾可以懂清所誦讀的。
9 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.
乃赫米雅省長和厄斯德拉司祭兼經師，並教導民眾的肋未人，向民眾說：「今天是上主你們天主的聖日，你們不可憂愁哭泣! 」因為全民眾聽了法律的話，都在哭泣。
10 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.”
為此，乃赫米雅又向他們說：「你們應該去吃肥美的肉，喝甘甜的酒，且贈送一部份，給那些沒有預備的人，因為今天是吾主的聖日；你們不可憂愁，因為喜樂於上主，就是你們的力量。」
11 The Levites too were quieting everyone down, telling them, “Don't cry! This is a holy day and you shouldn't be sad.”
肋未人也安慰民眾說：「你們要安靜，因為今天是聖日，不應憂愁! 」
12 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.
民眾遂去吃喝，且贈送一部份給他人，大家異常歡樂，因為都明白了向他們所講的話。
13 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.
第二天，全民族的族長和司祭並肋未人，都聚集在厄斯德拉經師身旁，研究法律上的話。
14 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.
發現法律上記載：上主曾藉梅瑟，命令以色列子民，在七月的慶節日，應住在帳棚內。
15 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.”
他們一聽說如此，遂在各城和耶路撒冷，宣佈這命令說：「你們上山去，取橄欖樹的枝葉、野橄欖樹的枝葉、長春樹的枝葉、棕樹的枝葉，和其他茂盛樹的枝葉，照經上所寫的，搭造帳棚。」
16 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.
民眾就去採了樹枝來，在屋頂上，院子裏，天主殿宇的庭院內，水門的廣場上，和厄弗辣因廣場上，搭了帳棚。
17 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.
由充軍回來的全會眾，都搭造帳了棚，住在帳棚內；從農的兒子若蘇厄之日起，直到今日，以色列沒有舉行過如此的盛事，大家都非常歡樂。
18 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.
從第一日直到最後一日，天天宣讀天主的法律書；七天之久過了慶節，第八天按規定舉行了盛會。
