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.
ɔmanfo no nyinaa hyiaa wɔ wɔn Asuten Pon no ano. Ɔmanfo no ka kyerɛɛ Ɛsra a ɔyɛ mmara no kyerɛkyerɛfo no se ɔnkenkan Mose mmara a Awurade ahyɛ sɛ Israelfo nni so no.
Enti ɔsram Tisri (bɛyɛ Ahinime) da a ɛto so awotwe no, ɔsɔfo Ɛsra de krataa mmobɔwee a mmara no wɔ mu no baa bagua a mmarima ne mmea ne wɔn a wotumi te asɛm ase no nyinaa no anim.
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.
Ɔde nʼani kyerɛɛ aguabɔbea wɔ Asuten Pon no ano, fi anɔpahema kosii owigyinae kenkan mmara no den, maa obiara a ɔte ase no tee. Ɔmanfo no nyinaa wɛn wɔn aso tiee mmara no.
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.
Ɛsra a ɔyɛ mmara no kyerɛkyerɛfo no gyinaa apa tenten bi a wosi maa saa da no so. Nnipa a na wogyinagyina ne nifa so no din de Matitia, Sema, Anaia, Uria, Hilkia ne Maaseia. Wɔn a na wogyinagyina ne benkum so no din de Pedaia, Misael, Malkia, Hasum, Hasbadana, Sakaria ne Mesulam.
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].
Ɛsra gyinaa apa no so a nnipadɔm no nyinaa hu no. Bere a wohuu sɛ wabue nhoma no mu no, wɔn nyinaa sɔresɔre gyinaa wɔn anan so.
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.
Na Ɛsra kamfoo Awurade, Otumfo Nyankopɔn, na ɔmanfo no bɔ gyee so se, “Amen! Amen!” bere a na wɔmemamema wɔn nsa so akyerɛɛ soro. Afei, wɔkotokotow, som Awurade a wɔn anim butubutuw fam.
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.
Afei, Lewifo a wɔn din de Yesua, Bani, Serebia, Yamin, Akub, Sabetai, Hodia, Maaseia, Kelita, Asaria, Yosabad, Hanan ne Pelaia kyerɛɛ ɔmanfo a wogyinagyina hɔ no nea wɔnyɛ.
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.
Wɔkenkan fii Onyankopɔn mmara nhoma no mu kyerɛɛ wɔn nea wɔkenkanee no ase, boaa ɔmanfo no ma wɔtee ɔkasapɛn biara ase.
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.
Na amrado Nehemia, ɔsɔfo Ɛsra a na ɔyɛ mmara no kyerɛkyerɛfo ne Lewifo a na wɔrekyerɛkyerɛ ase akyerɛ ɔmanfo no ka kyerɛɛ wɔn se, “Munnsu da a ɛte sɛɛ yi! Efisɛ nnɛ yɛ da kronkron wɔ Awurade, mo Nyankopɔn, anim.” Nnipa no tee mmara no mu nsɛm no, wɔn nyinaa sui.
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.”
Na Nehemia toaa so sɛ, “Momfa nnuan pa ne anonne a ɛyɛ dɛ nkodi afahyɛ no na mo ne wɔn a wonni nnuan pa a wɔanoa no nnidi. Nnɛ yɛ da kronkron wɔ Awurade anim. Munnni abooboo ne awerɛhow, na Awurade mu anigye no yɛ ahoɔden.”
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!”
Na Lewifo no nso kasae se, “Hwɛ! Munnsu. Efisɛ nnɛ yɛ da kronkron” de dwudwoo wɔn.
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.
Na nnipa no kodidii, kyɛɛ nnuan, nomee, dii dapɔnna no anigye so, efisɛ wɔtee Onyankopɔn nsɛm no, tee ase.
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.
Na ɔsram Tisri (bɛyɛ Ahinime) da a ɛto so akron no, mmusua ntuanofo no ne asɔfo no ne Lewifo no ne Ɛsra hyiae sɛ, wɔrehwehwɛ mmara no mu fekɔfekɔ.
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].
Wɔkɔɔ mmara no mu no, wohuu sɛ Awurade nam Mose so ahyɛ sɛ, ɛsɛ sɛ Israelfo no tena asese mu afahyɛ a wɔrebedi no saa ɔsram no mu no.
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].
Waka se, ɛsɛ sɛ wɔbɔ ɔhyɛ no ho dawuru wɔ wɔn nkurow nyinaa so, ne titirw no, Yerusalem nam so aka akyerɛ ɔmanfo no se, wɔnkɔ nkoko so nkɔhwehwɛ ngodua mman, kranku mman, ohuamnnua mman, bere ne nnua kusukusuu mman, na wɔmfa mmɛbobɔ asese ntena mu, sɛnea wɔakyerɛw no mmara no mu no.
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.
Enti nnipa no kotwitwaa nnua mman, na wɔde sisii asese wɔ wɔn afi, wɔn adiwo, Onyankopɔn asɔredan adiwo anaa aguabɔbea a ɛwowɔ Asuten Pon no ne Efraim Pon no mu.
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.
Enti obiara a wafi afiasenna mu aba no kɔtenaa saa asese yi mu wɔ afahyɛbere no mu nnanson; na obiara ani gyee yiye. Efi Nun babarima Yosua bere so no, na Israelfo nnii afahyɛ no wɔ saa kwan yi so da.
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.
Ɛsra de nnanson kenkan Onyankopɔn mmara nhoma no wɔ afahyɛ no ase da biara, efi da a edi kan de kosi da a etwa to. Afei, Tisri ɔsram (bɛyɛ Ahinime) da a ɛto so dunum no, wɔyɛɛ nhyiamu, sɛnea Mose mmara no kyerɛ no.
