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.
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
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 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.
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 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.
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 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].
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 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.
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, 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.
καὶ Ἰησοῦς καὶ Βαναιας καὶ Σαραβια ἦσαν συνετίζοντες τὸν λαὸν εἰς τὸν νόμον καὶ ὁ λαὸς ἐν τῇ στάσει αὐτοῦ
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.
καὶ ἀνέγνωσαν ἐν βιβλίῳ νόμου τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἐδίδασκεν Εσδρας καὶ διέστελλεν ἐν ἐπιστήμῃ κυρίου καὶ συνῆκεν ὁ λαὸς ἐν τῇ ἀναγνώσει
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.
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 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.”
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 also caused the people to be quiet, saying “Be quiet [and do not cry], because this is a sacred day! Do not be sad!”
καὶ οἱ Λευῖται κατεσιώπων πάντα τὸν λαὸν λέγοντες σιωπᾶτε ὅτι ἡ ἡμέρα ἁγία καὶ μὴ καταπίπτετε
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.
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, 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.
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 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].
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 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].
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 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.
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 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.
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 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.
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
