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.
Pea naʻe fakakātoa fakataha ʻakinautolu ʻe he kakai ʻo hangē ko e tangata pē taha ʻi he hala lahi ʻaia naʻe hangatonu ki he matapā vai: pea naʻa nau lea kia Esela ko e tangata tohi ke ʻomi ʻae tohi ʻoe fono ʻa Mōsese, ʻaia naʻe fekau ʻe Sihova ki ʻIsileli.
Pea naʻe ʻomi ʻe Esela ko e tangata tohi ʻae fono ki he ʻao ʻoe fakataha ʻoe kau tangata mo e kau fefine, pea mo kinautolu kotoa pē naʻe faʻa fanongo mo e loto ʻilo, ʻi he ʻuluaki ʻaho ʻi hono fitu ʻoe māhina.
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.
Pea naʻa ne lau ʻe ia ʻi ai ʻi he hala ʻaia naʻe hangatonu ki he matapā vai mei he pongipongi ki he hoʻatā, ʻi he ʻao ʻoe kau tangata mo e kau fefine, mo kinautolu naʻe ʻilo hono ʻuhinga; pea naʻe fanongo ʻe he kakai kotoa pē ki he tohi ʻoe fono.
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.
Pea naʻe tuʻu ʻa Esela ko e tangata tohi ki he tuʻunga ʻakau, ʻaia naʻa nau ngaohi ki he meʻa ko ia: pea naʻe tuʻu mo ia ʻa Matitia, mo Sema, mo ʻAnaia, mo Ulisa, mo Hilikia, mo Maaseia ʻi hono nima toʻomataʻu; pea ʻi hono toʻohema, ko Pitaia, mo Misaeli, mo Melikia, mo Hasumi, mo Hasipatana, mo Sakalia, mo Mesulami.
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].
Pea naʻe folahi ʻe Esela ʻae tohi ʻi he ʻao ʻoe kakai kotoa pē: (he naʻe māʻolunga ia ʻi he kakai kotoa pē; ) pea ʻi heʻene folahi ia, naʻe tuʻu hake ai ʻae kakai kotoa pē:
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.
“Pea naʻe fakafetaʻi ʻe Esela kia Sihova, ko e ʻOtua lahi.” Pea naʻe tali ʻe he kakai kotoa pē, “ʻEmeni, ʻEmeni,” ʻo hiki hake honau nima: pea naʻa nau punou hifo honau ʻulu, ʻo hū kia Sihova mo honau mata ki he kelekele.
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.
Pea ko Sesua foki mo Pani, mo Selepea, mo Samini, mo ʻAkupi, mo Sapitei, mo Hotisa, mo Maaseia, mo Kilita, mo ʻAsalia, mo Sosapati, mo Hanani, mo Pelaia, mo e kau Livai, naʻa nau ako ki he kakai ke nau ʻilo ʻae fono pea naʻe tutuʻu ʻae kakai ʻi honau potu:
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.
Ko ia naʻa nau lau fakapatonu ʻi he tohi ʻi he fono ʻae ʻOtua, mo fakamatala hono ʻuhinga, pea akonakiʻi ʻakinautolu ke ʻilo hono ʻuhinga ʻoe lau.
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.
Pea ko Nehemaia, ʻaia ko e ʻeiki pule, mo Esela ko e taulaʻeiki mo e tangata tohi, mo e kau Livai ʻaia naʻe akonakiʻi ʻae kakai, naʻa nau lau ki he kakai kotoa pē, “ʻOku māʻoniʻoni ʻae ʻaho ni kia Sihova ko homou ʻOtua: ʻoua naʻa mou mamahi, pe tangi. He naʻe tangi ʻae kakai kotoa pē, ʻi heʻenau fanongo ki he ngaahi lea ʻoe fono.”
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.”
Pea naʻe pehē ʻe ia kiate kinautolu, “ʻAlu ʻi homou hala, kai ʻae ngako, pea inu ʻae meʻa melie, pea fekau ke ʻave ʻae ngaahi ʻinasi kiate kinautolu ʻaia naʻe ʻikai teuteu ha meʻa ʻe taha ki ai: he ʻoku māʻoniʻoni ʻae ʻaho ni ki hotau ʻOtua: pea ʻoua naʻa mou loto mamahi: he ko e fiefia ʻa Sihova ko homou mālohi.”
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!”
Pea naʻe lolomi ʻe he kau Livai ʻae kakai kotoa pē, ʻo pehē, “Mou longo pe, he ʻoku māʻoniʻoni ʻae ʻaho ni: pea ʻoua foki naʻa mou mamahi.”
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.
Pea naʻe ʻalu ʻae kakai kotoa pē ʻi honau hala ke kai, mo inu, pea ke feʻaveʻaki ʻae ngaahi ʻinasi, pea ke fai ʻae fiefia lahi, ko e meʻa ʻi heʻenau ʻilo hono ʻuhinga ʻoe ngaahi lea naʻe fakapapau kiate kinautolu.
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.
Pea naʻe fakakātoa fakataha ʻi hono ua ʻoe ʻaho ʻae kau tuʻukimuʻa ʻi he mātuʻa ʻoe kakai, mo e kau taulaʻeiki, mo e kau Livai, kia Esela ko e tangata tohi, ʻio, ke nau ʻilo hono ʻuhinga ʻoe ngaahi lea ʻoe fono.
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].
Pea naʻa nau ʻilo kuo tohi ʻi he fono ʻaia naʻe fekau ʻe Sihova ʻia Mōsese, ʻo pehē ʻe nofo ʻae fānau ʻa ʻIsileli ʻi he ngaahi fale fehikitaki ʻi he kātoanga ʻo hono fitu ʻoe māhina:
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].
Pea ke nau fakahā mo fanongonongo ʻi heʻenau ngaahi kolo, pea ʻi Selūsalema, ʻo pehē, “Mou ʻalu atu ki he moʻunga, pea fetuku mei ai ʻae ngaahi ʻuluʻi ʻolive, mo e ʻuluʻi paini, mo e ngaahi maile, mo e ngaahi vaʻa ponga, mo e ngaahi vaʻa ʻakau matolutolu, ke ngaohiʻaki ʻae ngaahi falefehikitaki, ʻo hangē ko ia kuo tohi.”
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.
Ko ia naʻe ʻalu atu ai ʻae kakai, ʻo fetuku ia, pea naʻe ngaohi ʻaki ʻae ngaahi tuʻu fale, ʻo taki taha ki he tuʻa fale ʻo hono fale, pea ʻi honau ngaahi loto ʻā, pea mo e lotoʻā ʻoe fale ʻoe ʻOtua, pea ʻi he hala lahi ʻoe matapā vai, pea ʻi he hala lahi ʻoe matapā ʻo ʻIfalemi.
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.
Pea ko e fakataha kotoa pē ʻokinautolu naʻe toe haʻu mei he pōpula, naʻa nau ngaohi honau ngaahi tuʻu fale, pea nofo ʻi he malu ʻoe ngaahi tuʻu fale: he ʻoku talu mei he ngaahi ʻaho ʻo Siosiua ko e foha ʻo Nuni ʻo aʻu ki he ʻaho ko ia naʻe ʻikai fai pehē ʻe he fānau ʻa ʻIsileli. Pea naʻe ʻi ai ʻae fiefia lahi ʻaupito.
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.
Pea naʻa ne lau ʻi he tohi ʻoe fono ʻoe ʻOtua ʻi he ʻaho hokohoko pe, mei he ʻuluaki ʻaho ʻo aʻu ki he ʻaho ki mui. Pea naʻa nau fai ʻae kātoanga ʻi he ʻaho ʻe fitu; pea ʻi hono valu ʻoe ʻaho naʻe ʻi ai ʻae fakakātoa molumalu, ʻo fakatatau mo hono anga.
