Nehemia 8
1 Na rĩrĩ, mweri wa mũgwanja wagĩkinya-rĩ, andũ a Isiraeli magĩkorwo maatũũrĩte thĩinĩ wa matũũra mao. Nao andũ othe makĩũngana marĩ ta mũndũ ũmwe kĩhaaro-inĩ kĩrĩa kĩarĩ mbere ya Kĩhingo kĩa Maaĩ. Nao makĩĩra Ezara ũrĩa mwandĩki-marũa arute Ibuku rĩrĩa rĩa Watho wa Musa ũrĩa Jehova aathĩte andũ a Isiraeli.
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 Nĩ ũndũ ũcio, mũthenya wa mbere wa mweri wa mũgwanja, Ezara ũrĩa mũthĩnjĩri-Ngai agĩtwara ibuku rĩu rĩa Watho mbere ya kĩũngano kĩu kĩonganĩte kĩa arũme na andũ-a-nja, na arĩa angĩ othe mangĩahotire gũtaũkĩrwo nĩ ũhoro ũcio.
3 Agĩthoma ibuku rĩu aanĩrĩire kuuma rũciinĩ nginya mĩaraho, angʼetheire kĩhaaro kĩrĩa kĩarĩ mbere ya Kĩhingo kĩa Maaĩ, arĩ mbere ya arũme, na andũ-a-nja, na andũ arĩa angĩ mangĩahotire gũtaũkĩrwo nĩ ũhoro ũcio. Nao andũ othe magĩtega matũ, magĩthikĩrĩria ciugo cia Ibuku rĩa Watho.
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 Ezara ũrĩa mwandĩki-marũa aarũgamĩte igũrũ rĩa gĩtara kĩa mbaũ kĩrĩa gĩakĩtwo nĩ ũndũ wa ũndũ ũcio kĩũmbe. Mwena wake wa ũrĩo haarũgamĩte Matithia, na Shema, na Anaia, na Uria, na Hilikia, na Maaseia, naguo mwena wa ũmotho hakarũgama Pedaia, na Mishaeli, na Malikija, na Hashumu, na Hashibadana, na Zekaria, na Meshulamu.
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 Ezara akĩhingũra ibuku rĩu. Andũ othe nĩmamuonaga tondũ aarũgamĩte handũ hatũũgĩru. Na rĩrĩa aahingũrire ibuku, andũ othe makĩrũgama na igũrũ.
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 Ezara akĩgooca Jehova, Ngai ũrĩa mũnene; nao andũ othe makĩoya moko mao na igũrũ makiuga atĩrĩ, “Ameni! Ameni!” Magĩcooka makĩinamĩrĩra, makĩhooya Jehova maturumithĩtie mothiũ mao thĩ.
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 Nao Alawii, na nĩo Jeshua, na Bani, na Sherebia, na Jamini, na Akubu, na Shabethai, na Hodia, na Maaseia, na Kelita, na Azaria, na Jozabadu, na Hanani, na Pelaia, makĩruta andũ ũhoro wa Watho, andũ acio marũgamĩte o hau.
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 Magĩthoma kuuma Ibuku rĩa Watho wa Ngai, magĩtaũraga na magĩtaaragĩria wega nĩgeetha andũ acio mataũkĩrwo wega nĩ ũhoro ũcio wathomagwo.
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 Ningĩ Nehemia ũrĩa barũthi wa kũu na Ezara mũthĩnjĩri-Ngai na mwandĩki-marũa hamwe na Alawii arĩa maarutaga andũ, makĩĩra andũ acio othe atĩrĩ, “Mũthenya ũyũ wa ũmũthĩ nĩmwamũrĩre Jehova Ngai wanyu. Mũtigaacakaye kana mũrĩre.” Nĩgũkorwo andũ acio othe nĩmarĩraga maigua ciugo cia Watho ũcio.
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 akĩmeera atĩrĩ, “Thiĩi mũgekenie na irio iria njega, na mũnyue indo irĩ mũrĩo, na indo icio imwe mũhe arĩa matarĩ na kĩndũ mathondekeirwo. Mũthenya wa ũmũthĩ nĩmwamũrĩre Mwathani witũ. Mũtikagĩe na kĩeha, nĩgũkorwo gĩkeno kĩa Jehova nĩkĩo hinya wanyu.”
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 Alawii makĩhooreria andũ acio othe, makĩmeeraga atĩrĩ, “Hoorerai tondũ ũyũ nĩ mũthenya mwamũre. Mũtikagĩe na kĩeha.”
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 Ningĩ andũ othe magĩthiĩ makarĩe na makanyue, na makaheane irio imwe, na magakũngũĩre makenete nĩ ũndũ nĩmataũkĩirwo nĩ ciugo iria maarutĩtwo.
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 Mũthenya wa keerĩ wa mweri, atongoria a nyũmba ciothe, marĩ hamwe na athĩnjĩri-Ngai na Alawii, makĩũngana harĩ Ezara ũcio mwandĩki-marũa nĩguo mathikĩrĩrie ciugo cia Watho.
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 Nao magĩkora kwandĩkĩtwo watho-inĩ ũrĩa Jehova aathanĩte na kanua ka Musa, atĩ andũ a Isiraeli maikarage thĩinĩ wa ithũnũ hĩndĩ ya gĩathĩ kĩa mweri wa mũgwanja,
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 na atĩ maanagĩrĩre na mahunjagie ũhoro ũyũ matũũra-inĩ mao o na kũu Jerusalemu makiugaga atĩrĩ: “Thiĩi kũu bũrũri ũrĩa ũrĩ irĩma mũrehe honge cia mĩtamaiyũ ya mĩgũnda na ya gĩthaka, na cia mĩhandathi, na cia mĩkĩndũ, o na cia mĩtĩ ya kĩĩruru cia gwaka ithũnũ,” o ta ũrĩa kwandĩkĩtwo.
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 Nĩ ũndũ ũcio andũ makiumagara, makĩrehe honge, makĩĩakĩra ithũnũ igũrũ rĩa nyũmba ciao o na nja ciao, na nja cia nyũmba ya Ngai, na kĩhaaro-inĩ kĩrĩa kĩarĩ Kĩhingo-inĩ kĩa Maaĩ, na kĩrĩa kĩarĩ Kĩhingo-inĩ kĩa Efiraimu.
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 Andũ arĩa othe maacookete kuuma kũrĩa maatwarĩtwo maatahwo makĩĩakĩra ithũnũ, magĩikara thĩinĩ wacio. Kuuma matukũ ma Joshua mũrũ wa Nuni nginya mũthenya ũcio, andũ a Isiraeli matiakoretwo makũngũĩire gĩathĩ kĩu ta ũguo. Nakĩo gĩkeno kĩao kĩarĩ kĩnene mũno.
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 Mũthenya o mũthenya, kuuma mũthenya wa mbere nginya wa mũthia, Ezara nĩathomaga Ibuku rĩa Watho wa Ngai. Nao nĩmakũngũĩire gĩathĩ kĩu mĩthenya mũgwanja, na mũthenya wa kanana, kũringana na watho, gũkĩgĩa na kĩũngano.
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.
