< 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.
καὶ συνήχθησαν πᾶς ὁ λαὸς ὡς ἀνὴρ εἷς εἰς τὸ πλάτος τὸ ἔμπροσθεν πύλης τοῦ ὕδατος καὶ εἶπαν τῷ Εσδρα τῷ γραμματεῖ ἐνέγκαι τὸ βιβλίον νόμου Μωυσῆ ὃν ἐνετείλατο κύριος τῷ Ισραηλ
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.
καὶ ἤνεγκεν Εσδρας ὁ ἱερεὺς τὸν νόμον ἐνώπιον τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἀπὸ ἀνδρὸς καὶ ἕως γυναικὸς καὶ πᾶς ὁ συνίων ἀκούειν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ μιᾷ τοῦ μηνὸς τοῦ ἑβδόμου
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.
καὶ ἀνέγνω ἐν αὐτῷ ἀπὸ τῆς ὥρας τοῦ διαφωτίσαι τὸν ἥλιον ἕως ἡμίσους τῆς ἡμέρας ἀπέναντι τῶν ἀνδρῶν καὶ τῶν γυναικῶν καὶ αὐτοὶ συνιέντες καὶ ὦτα παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ εἰς τὸ βιβλίον τοῦ νόμου
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.
καὶ ἔστη Εσδρας ὁ γραμματεὺς ἐπὶ βήματος ξυλίνου καὶ ἔστησαν ἐχόμενα αὐτοῦ Ματταθιας καὶ Σαμαιας καὶ Ανανιας καὶ Ουρια καὶ Ελκια καὶ Μαασαια ἐκ δεξιῶν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐξ ἀριστερῶν Φαδαιας καὶ Μισαηλ καὶ Μελχιας καὶ Ωσαμ καὶ Ασαβδανα καὶ Ζαχαριας καὶ Μοσολλαμ
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.
καὶ ἤνοιξεν Εσδρας τὸ βιβλίον ἐνώπιον παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ ὅτι αὐτὸς ἦν ἐπάνω τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ ἐγένετο ἡνίκα ἤνοιξεν αὐτό ἔστη πᾶς ὁ λαός
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.
καὶ ηὐλόγησεν Εσδρας κύριον τὸν θεὸν τὸν μέγαν καὶ ἀπεκρίθη πᾶς ὁ λαὸς καὶ εἶπαν αμην ἐπάραντες χεῖρας αὐτῶν καὶ ἔκυψαν καὶ προσεκύνησαν τῷ κυρίῳ ἐπὶ πρόσωπον ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν
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.
καὶ Ἰησοῦς καὶ Βαναιας καὶ Σαραβια ἦσαν συνετίζοντες τὸν λαὸν εἰς τὸν νόμον καὶ ὁ λαὸς ἐν τῇ στάσει αὐτοῦ
8 They read from the Book of the Law of God, making clear the meaning so that the people could understand what it said.
καὶ ἀνέγνωσαν ἐν βιβλίῳ νόμου τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἐδίδασκεν Εσδρας καὶ διέστελλεν ἐν ἐπιστήμῃ κυρίου καὶ συνῆκεν ὁ λαὸς ἐν τῇ ἀναγνώσει
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.
καὶ εἶπεν Νεεμιας καὶ Εσδρας ὁ ἱερεὺς καὶ γραμματεὺς καὶ οἱ Λευῖται οἱ συνετίζοντες τὸν λαὸν καὶ εἶπαν παντὶ τῷ λαῷ ἡ ἡμέρα ἁγία ἐστὶν τῷ κυρίῳ θεῷ ἡμῶν μὴ πενθεῖτε μηδὲ κλαίετε ὅτι ἔκλαιεν πᾶς ὁ λαός ὡς ἤκουσαν τοὺς λόγους τοῦ νόμου
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.”
καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς πορεύεσθε φάγετε λιπάσματα καὶ πίετε γλυκάσματα καὶ ἀποστείλατε μερίδας τοῖς μὴ ἔχουσιν ὅτι ἁγία ἐστὶν ἡ ἡμέρα τῷ κυρίῳ ἡμῶν καὶ μὴ διαπέσητε ὅτι ἐστὶν ἰσχὺς ὑμῶν
11 The Levites too were quieting everyone down, telling them, “Don't cry! This is a holy day and you shouldn't be sad.”
καὶ οἱ Λευῖται κατεσιώπων πάντα τὸν λαὸν λέγοντες σιωπᾶτε ὅτι ἡ ἡμέρα ἁγία καὶ μὴ καταπίπτετε
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.
καὶ ἀπῆλθεν πᾶς ὁ λαὸς φαγεῖν καὶ πιεῖν καὶ ἀποστέλλειν μερίδας καὶ ποιῆσαι εὐφροσύνην μεγάλην ὅτι συνῆκαν ἐν τοῖς λόγοις οἷς ἐγνώρισεν αὐτοῖς
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.
καὶ ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ δευτέρᾳ συνήχθησαν οἱ ἄρχοντες τῶν πατριῶν τῷ παντὶ λαῷ οἱ ἱερεῖς καὶ οἱ Λευῖται πρὸς Εσδραν τὸν γραμματέα ἐπιστῆσαι πρὸς πάντας τοὺς λόγους τοῦ νόμου
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.
καὶ εὕροσαν γεγραμμένον ἐν τῷ νόμῳ ᾧ ἐνετείλατο κύριος τῷ Μωυσῇ ὅπως κατοικήσωσιν οἱ υἱοὶ Ισραηλ ἐν σκηναῖς ἐν ἑορτῇ ἐν μηνὶ τῷ ἑβδόμῳ
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.”
καὶ ὅπως σημάνωσιν σάλπιγξιν ἐν πάσαις ταῖς πόλεσιν αὐτῶν καὶ ἐν Ιερουσαλημ καὶ εἶπεν Εσδρας ἐξέλθετε εἰς τὸ ὄρος καὶ ἐνέγκετε φύλλα ἐλαίας καὶ φύλλα ξύλων κυπαρισσίνων καὶ φύλλα μυρσίνης καὶ φύλλα φοινίκων καὶ φύλλα ξύλου δασέος ποιῆσαι σκηνὰς κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον
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.
καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ὁ λαὸς καὶ ἤνεγκαν καὶ ἐποίησαν ἑαυτοῖς σκηνὰς ἀνὴρ ἐπὶ τοῦ δώματος αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐν ταῖς αὐλαῖς αὐτῶν καὶ ἐν ταῖς αὐλαῖς οἴκου τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἐν πλατείαις τῆς πόλεως καὶ ἕως πύλης Εφραιμ
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.
καὶ ἐποίησαν πᾶσα ἡ ἐκκλησία οἱ ἐπιστρέψαντες ἀπὸ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας σκηνὰς καὶ ἐκάθισαν ἐν σκηναῖς ὅτι οὐκ ἐποίησαν ἀπὸ ἡμερῶν Ἰησοῦ υἱοῦ Ναυη οὕτως οἱ υἱοὶ Ισραηλ ἕως τῆς ἡμέρας ἐκείνης καὶ ἐγένετο εὐφροσύνη μεγάλη
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.
καὶ ἀνέγνω ἐν βιβλίῳ νόμου τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμέραν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἀπὸ τῆς ἡμέρας τῆς πρώτης ἕως τῆς ἡμέρας τῆς ἐσχάτης καὶ ἐποίησαν ἑορτὴν ἑπτὰ ἡμέρας καὶ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ὀγδόῃ ἐξόδιον κατὰ τὸ κρίμα

< Nehemiah 8 >