Nehemiah 8
1 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.
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。
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 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.
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 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.
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 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].
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 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.
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, 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.
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 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.
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 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.
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 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.”
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 also caused the people to be quiet, saying “Be quiet [and do not cry], because this is a sacred day! Do not 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 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.
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, 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.
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 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].
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 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].
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 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.
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 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.
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 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.
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。
