Nehemia 8
1 wo katã wova ƒo ƒu ɖe ablɔ si dze ŋgɔ Tsigbo la me. Wogblɔ na agbalẽfiala Ezra be wòatsɔ Mose ƒe Segbalẽ, si Yehowa tsɔ na Israelviwo la vɛ.
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.
2 Ale le ɣleti adrelia ƒe ŋkeke gbãtɔ dzi la, nunɔla Ezra tsɔ Segbalẽ la do goe ɖe ameha la ŋkume, ŋutsuwo, nyɔnuwo kple ame siwo katã ate ŋu ase nu gɔme la woe ƒo ƒu.
3 Exlẽe na wo kple ɣli tso agudzedze va se ɖe esime ɣe ɖo to. Edze ŋgɔ ablɔ si le Tsigbo la ŋgɔ le ŋutsuwo kple nyɔnuwo kple ame siwo katã ate ŋu ase nu gɔme la ŋkume. Ameawo katã wonɔ to dzi esime wònɔ Segbalẽ la xlẽm.
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.
4 Agbalẽfiala Ezra de agba kɔkɔ aɖe si wowɔ kple ʋuƒo hena ŋkekea la dzi. Matitia, Sema, Anaya, Uria, Hilkia kple Maaseya, wonɔ tsitsre ɖe eƒe ɖusime, eye Pedaya, Misael, Malkiya, Hasum, Hasbadana, Zekaria kple Mesulam wonɔ tsitre ɖe eƒe miame.
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.
5 Ezra ʋu agbalẽ la. Amewo katã ate ŋu akpɔe, elabena etsi tsitre ɖe kɔkɔƒe, eye esi wòʋu agbalẽa la, ameawo katã tsi tsitre.
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].
6 Azɔ la, Ezra kafu Yehowa, Mawu gã la, eye ameawo katã gblɔ be, “Amen! Neva eme!” Wodo woƒe asiwo ɖe dziƒo, wobɔbɔ de ta agu, wotsyɔ mo anyi, eye wosubɔ Yehowa.
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.
7 Yesua, Bani, Serebia, Yamin, Akub, Sabetai, Hodia, Maaseya, Kelita, Azaria, Yozabad, Hanan kple Pelaya, ame siwo nye Levitɔwo la, woxlẽ Se la na ameawo esi wonɔ tsitre ɖe afi ma.
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.
8 Woxlẽ Mawu ƒe Segbalẽ la na wo, eye woɖe eme wòkɔ ale gbegbe be, ameawo te ŋu se nu si xlẽm wole la gɔme.
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.
9 Ale Gɔvina Nehemia, nunɔla kple agbalẽfiala Ezra kple Levitɔ siwo nɔ nu fiam ameawo la, gblɔ na wo katã be, “Egbee nye ŋkeke kɔkɔe na Yehowa, miaƒe Mawu la, eya ta migaxa nu alo afa avi o,” elabena ameawo katã wonɔ avi fam esi wonɔ Se la me nyawo sem.
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.
10 Nehemia gblɔ na wo be, “Miyi miaɖu nuɖuɖu nyui, miano aha vivi, eye miaɖo ɖe ɖe ame siwo mekpɔ naneke ɖa o. Esia nye ŋkeke kɔkɔe na míaƒe Aƒetɔ la. Migaxa nu o, elabena dzidzɔkpɔkpɔ ɖe Yehowa ŋu nye miaƒe ŋusẽ.”
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.”
11 Levitɔwo hã fa akɔ na ameawo be, “Miɖi ɖe eme, elabena egbee nye ŋkeke kɔkɔe. Migaxa nu o.”
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!”
12 Ale ameawo kaka, woyi ɖadi ŋkekenyuinuwo ɖu, wono nu, eye woɖo nunanawo ɖe wo nɔewo kple hiãtɔwo. Enye dzidzɔŋkekenyui gã aɖe woɖu, elabena wokpɔ mɔnu se Mawu ƒe nya, eye wote ŋu se egɔme hã.
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.
13 Esi ŋu ke la, ƒometatɔwo, nunɔlawo kple Levitɔwo ƒo ƒu, eye wona agbalẽfiala Ezra gaɖe Seawo me na wo tsitotsito.
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.
14 Wode dzesii le Seawo sɔsrɔ̃ me be, Yehowa de se to Mose dzi be, ele na Israelviwo be, woanɔ agbadɔwo me le Agbadɔmeŋkekenyuiwo me.
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].
15 Mawu gblɔ hã be, woaɖe gbeƒã le woƒe duwo katã me kple Yerusalem hã be, “Miyi toawo dzi, eye miatso amiti, gbemiti, mirteti, deti kple gboti ƒe alɔwo atu agbadɔwo, eye mianɔ wo me abe ale si woŋlɔe ɖi ene.”
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].
16 Ale ameawo yi ɖatso atilɔawo hetu agbadɔwo ɖe gbadzaƒewo le xɔwo tame, ɖe xɔxɔnuwo, gbedoxɔ ƒe xɔxɔnu, ɖe gbadzaƒe si le Tsigbo la ŋgɔ kple ɖe gbadzaƒe si le Efraimgbo la ŋgɔ.
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.
17 Ame siwo katã trɔ tso aboyome la tu agbadɔwo, eye wonɔ wo me. Tso Yosua, Nun ƒe vi ƒe ŋkekewo me va se ɖe gbe ma gbe la, Israelviwo megaɖu azã sia kpɔ abe ale si woɖui gbe ma gbe ene o, eye woƒe dzidzɔkpɔkpɔ gbã go.
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.
18 Gbe sia gbe, tso ŋkeke gbãtɔ dzi va se ɖe ŋkeke mamlɛtɔ dzi la, Ezra xlẽ Mawu ƒe Segbalẽ la na wo. Woɖu azã la ŋkeke adre, eye abe ale si wòle Sea nue ene la, woyɔ takpekpe le ŋkeke enyia gbe.
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.
