Nehemaya 8
1 Ndị mmadụ niile zukọrọ dịka otu onye na mbara ala dị nʼỌnụ Ụzọ Ama Mmiri. Ha gwara Ezra onye nkuzi ka ọ weta akwụkwọ Mosis, nke Onyenwe anyị nyere ndị Izrel nʼiwu.
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 Ya mere, Ezra, onye nchụaja wepụtara akwụkwọ Iwu ahụ nʼụbọchị mbụ nke ọnwa asaa nʼihu mkpọkọta ahụ bụ nke ndị ikom na ndị inyom na onye ọbụla ga-aghọta ihe mejupụtara.
3 O chere ihu nʼỌnụ Ụzọ Ama Mmiri were oke olu gụọ ya site nʼụtụtụ ruokwa ehihie nʼihu ndị nwoke, ndị nwanyị na ndị ọzọ nwere ike ịghọta ihe o na-agụ. Mmadụ niile gekwara ntị na ngụpụta nke akwụkwọ iwu ahụ.
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 Ezra onye ode akwụkwọ, rigoro nʼelu ihe mgbakwasị ụkwụ ha mere maka nke a. Ndị guzo nʼaka nri ya bụ, Matitaia, Shema, Anaia, Ụraya, Hilkaya na Maaseia. Ndị guzo nʼaka ekpe ya bụkwa ndị a: Pedaia, Mishael, Malkija, Hashum, Hashbadana, Zekaraya na Meshulam.
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 meghere akwụkwọ ahụ mgbe mmadụ niile na-ahụzu ya nʼihi na o guzoro nʼebe dị elu mgbe ọ na-agụ ya. Mmadụ niile guzoro ọtọ mgbe ọ na-agụ ya.
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 Mgbe ahụ, Ezra gọziri Onyenwe anyị Chineke ukwu ahụ, mmadụ niile zakwara sị; “Amen! Amen!” Ha chịlịri aka ha abụọ elu, kpọọ isiala nye Onyenwe anyị.
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 Ndị Livayị aha ha bụ Jeshua, Bani, Sherebaya, Jamin, Akub, Shabetai, Hodia, Maaseia, Kelita, Azaraya, Jozabad, Hanan na Pelia, kuziri ndị mmadụ ihe dị nʼIwu mee ka ha ghọta ya dịka ha guzo nʼebe ahụ.
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 Ha gụpụtara site nʼakwụkwọ iwu Chineke ahụ, sụgharịa ya, kọwazie ọkpụrụkpụ okwu niile dị nʼihe a gụpụtara, mee ka ndị mmadụ ghọta ihe a na-agụpụta nke ọma.
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 Mgbe ahụ, Nehemaya, onyeisi ọchịchị, na Ezra, ode akwụkwọ na onye nchụaja, na ndị Livayị ahụ na-atụziri ndị mmadụ ihe, gwara ndị ahụ niile sị: “Taa bụ ụbọchị dị nsọ nye Onyenwe anyị, Chineke unu. Unu erula ụjụ maọbụ bee akwa.” Nʼihi na ha niile na-akwa akwa mgbe ha na-ege ntị nʼokwu niile nke iwu ahụ.
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 Nehemaya gwakwara ha sị; “Laanụ nʼụlọ unu gaa mee mmemme oriri na ọṅụṅụ nyekwanụ ndị na-enweghị nke ha ga-eri. Ụbọchị taa dị nsọ nye Chineke anyị. Unu erukwala ụjụ, nʼihi na ọṅụ Onyenwe anyị bụ ike unu.”
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 Ndị Livayị mere ka ndị mmadụ ahụ nọrọ nwayọọ, na-asị, “Nọrọnụ nwayọọ, nʼihi na taa bụ ụbọchị dị nsọ, ọ bụghị ụbọchị iru ụjụ na anya mmiri.”
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 Ya mere, ha niile lawara ị ga rie ma ṅụọ, na ikenye ndị ọzọ site nʼihe ha nwere. Ha gakwara ime mmemme nke oke ọṅụ, nʼihi na ha ghọtara okwu agwara ha.
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 Nʼụbọchị nke abụọ nke ọnwa ahụ, ndịisi ezinaụlọ niile na ndị nchụaja, na ndị Livayị, zukọrọ nʼebe Ezra, bụ onye nkuzi nọ, maka itinye uche nʼakwụkwọ iwu ahụ.
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 Mgbe ha na-agụ ya, ha chọpụtara ebe Onyenwe anyị gwara Mosis sị ya na ụmụ Izrel kwesiri ibi nʼụlọ ikwu mgbe ọbụla a na-eme mmemme ụlọ ikwu nke a ga-eme nʼọnwa ahụ.
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 O kwukwara na ha ga-ekwusa okwu a nʼobodo niile nke Juda na Jerusalem sị; “Gaanụ nʼala ugwu ugwu gbute alaka osisi oliv ụlọ, na alaka oliv ọhịa, na alaka osisi mietul, na alaka nkwụ, na alaka osisi ndị ọzọ na-enye ndo nke a ga-eji wuo ebe unu ga-ebi tutu ruo mgbe mmemme ahụ ga-agwụsị, dịka e dere ya nʼakwụkwọ iwu.”
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 Ya mere, ndị ahụ pụrụ gaa weta alaka osisi, jiri ha wuore onwe ha ụlọ ahịhịa ha ga-ebi nwa mgbe nta nʼelu ụlọ ha, na nʼogige ụlọ nke aka ha, nakwa nʼogige ụlọ Chineke, na mbara ala Ọnụ Ụzọ Ama Mmiri, na nʼakụkụ Ọnụ Ụzọ Ama Ifrem.
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 Ndị ahụ niile si na ndọta nʼagha lọta wuuru onwe ha ụlọ ikwu biri nʼime ya ụbọchị asaa ahụ niile e mere mmemme ahụ. Oke ọṅụ jupụtara obi mmadụ niile, nʼihi na site nʼoge Joshua nwa Nun ruo nʼoge a, o nwebeghị mgbe ụmụ Izrel mere mmemme a nʼụzọ dị otu a.
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 Ezra na-agụpụta site nʼakwụkwọ iwu Chineke kwa ụbọchị, site nʼụbọchị mbụ ruo nʼụbọchị ikpeazụ. Ha mere mmemme ahụ ụbọchị asaa ma nʼụbọchị nke asatọ ha nwere ọgbakọ ofufe mmechi dịka e dere ya nʼiwu.
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.
