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.
ɔmanfoɔ no nyinaa hyiaa wɔ wɔn nsuseneeɛ ɛpono no ano. Ɔmanfoɔ no ka kyerɛɛ Ɛsra a ɔyɛ mmara no kyerɛkyerɛni sɛ ɔnkenkan Mose mmara a Awurade ahyɛ sɛ Israelfoɔ nni so no.
Enti, bosome Tisri (bɛyɛ Ahinime) da a ɛtɔ so nwɔtwe no, ɔsɔfoɔ Ɛsra de krataa mmobɔeɛ a mmara no wɔ mu no baa badwa no a mmarima ne mmaa ne mmɔfra a wɔanyini te asɛm ase 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 adwaberem wɔ nsuseneeɛ ɛpono no ano, firi anɔpahema kɔsii owigyinaeɛ kenkanee mmara no den, maa obiara a ɔte aseɛ no teeɛ. Ɔmanfoɔ no nyinaa wɛnee 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 kyerɛkyerɛni no gyinaa apa tenten bi a wɔsi maa saa da no so. Nnipa a na wɔgyinagyina ne nifa so no no din de Matitia, Sema, Anaia, Uria, Hilkia ne Maaseia. Wɔn a na wɔgyinagyina ne benkum so no 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 nnipa dɔm no nyinaa hunu no. Ɛberɛ a wɔhunuu sɛ wabue nwoma no mu no, wɔn nyinaa sɔresɔre gyinaa wɔn nan 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, Otumfoɔ Onyankopɔn, na ɔmanfoɔ no bɔ gyee so sɛ, “Amen! Amen!” wɔ ɛberɛ a wɔmemaa wɔn nsa so kyerɛɛ ɔsoro. Afei, wɔkotokotoeɛ, somm Awurade a wɔn anim butubutu 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, Lewifoɔ a wɔn din de Yesua, Bani, Serebia, Yamin, Akub, Sabetai, Hodia, Maaseia, Kelita, Asaria, Yosabad, Hanan ne Pelaia kyerɛɛ ɔmanfoɔ a wɔgyinagyina hɔ no deɛ 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 firii Onyankopɔn mmara nwoma no mu kyerɛɛ wɔn deɛ wɔkenkan no ase, boaa ɔmanfoɔ no ma wɔtee twerɛpɛn 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, ɔsɔfoɔ Ɛsra a ɔyɛ mmara no kyerɛkyerɛni ne Lewifoɔ a na wɔrekyerɛkyerɛ aseɛ akyerɛ ɔmanfoɔ no ka kyerɛɛ wɔn sɛ, “Monnsu ɛda a ɛte sɛ yei! Ɛfiri sɛ, ɛnnɛ yɛ ɛda kronkron wɔ Awurade, mo Onyankopɔn, anim.” Nnipa no tee mmara no mu nsɛm no, wɔn nyinaa suiɛ.
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 nnuane pa ne anonneɛ a ɛyɛ dɛ nkɔdi afahyɛ no na mo ne wɔn a wɔnni nnuane pa a wɔanoa no nnidi. Ɛnnɛ yɛ da kronkron wɔ Awurade anim. Monnni abooboo ne awerɛhoɔ, na Awurade mu anigyeɛ 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 Lewifoɔ no nso kasaa sɛ, “Hwɛ! Monnsu. Ɛfiri sɛ, ɛnnɛ yɛ ɛda kronkron” de dwodwoo 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 kɔdidiiɛ, kyɛɛ nnuane, nomeeɛ, dii dapɔnna no anigyeɛ so, ɛfiri sɛ, wɔtee Onyankopɔn nsɛm, tee aseɛ.
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 bosome Tisri (bɛyɛ Ahinime) a ɛtɔ so nkron no, mmusua ntuanofoɔ no ne asɔfoɔ no ne Lewifoɔ no ne Ɛsra hyiaeɛ sɛ, wɔrekɔ 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, wɔhunuu sɛ, Awurade nam Mose so ahyɛ sɛ, ɛsɛ sɛ Israelfoɔ no tena asese mu afahyɛ a wɔrebɛdi no saa bosome 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 sɛ, ɛsɛ sɛ wɔbɔ nhyɛ no ho dawuro wɔ wɔn nkuro nyinaa so, ne titire no, Yerusalem nam so aka akyerɛ ɔmanfoɔ no sɛ, wɔnkɔ nkokoɔ so nkɔpɛ ngo dua mman, kranku mman, ohwannua mman, ɛberɛ ne nnua kusukusuu mman, na wɔmfa mmɛbobɔ asese ntena mu, sɛdeɛ wɔatwerɛ 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 kɔtwitwaa mman, na wɔde sisii asese wɔ wɔn afie, wɔn adihɔ, Onyankopɔn asɔredan adihɔ anaa adwaberem a ɛwowɔ asutene apono no ne Efraim apono 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 wafiri nneduasom mu aba no kɔtenaa saa asese yi mu afahyɛberɛ no nnanson mu, na obiara ani gyee yie. Ɛfiri Nun babarima Yosua berɛ so no, Israelfoɔ anni afahyɛ no saa ɛkwan yi so.
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 kenkan firii Onyankopɔn mmara nwoma no mu wɔ afahyɛ no mu nnanson no mu da biara. Afei, Tisri bosome (bɛyɛ Ahinime) da a ɛtɔ so dunum no, wɔyɛɛ nhyiamu anibereɛ so, sɛdeɛ Mose mmara hwehwɛ no.
