Nehemia 8
1 Pada bulan tujuh orang Israel telah menetap di kotanya masing-masing. Pada tanggal satu bulan itu mereka semua berkumpul di Yerusalem, di halaman di depan Pintu Gerbang Air. Mereka meminta supaya Buku Hukum diambil oleh Imam Ezra, seorang ahli dalam Hukum yang diberikan TUHAN kepada Israel melalui Musa.
All the people gathered themselves together as one man into the wide place that was in front of the water gate; and they spoke to Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded to Israel.
2 Lalu Ezra membawa buku itu ke hadapan sidang yang terdiri dari laki-laki, wanita dan anak-anak yang cukup dewasa untuk mengerti.
Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly, both men and women, and all who could hear with understanding, on the first day of the seventh month.
3 Kemudian, dari pagi sampai siang, Ezra membacakan Hukum itu kepada mereka. Mereka semua mendengarkan dengan penuh perhatian.
He read from it before the wide place that was in front of the water gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women, and of those who could understand. The ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the law.
4 Ezra berdiri di atas mimbar kayu yang telah dibuat untuk keperluan pertemuan itu. Di sebelah kanannya berdiri orang-orang ini: Matica, Sema, Anaya, Uria, Hilkia dan Maaseya; sedang di sebelah kirinya berdiri: Pedaya, Misael, Malkia, Hasum, Hasbadana, Zakharia dan Mesulam.
Ezra the scribe stood on a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam.
5 Panggung tempat Ezra berdiri itu lebih tinggi dari orang-orang itu, sehingga mereka semua dapat melihatnya. Segera ia membuka buku itu, mereka semua berdiri.
Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people (for he was above all the people), and when he opened it, all the people stood up.
6 Ezra berkata, "Pujilah TUHAN, Allah yang besar!" Seluruh rakyat mengangkat tangan tinggi-tinggi dan menjawab, "Amin, amin!" Lalu mereka sujud menyembah Allah.
Then Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. All the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” with the lifting up of their hands. They bowed their heads, and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.
7 Setelah itu mereka bangkit dan berdiri di tempat masing-masing, sementara sejumlah orang Lewi menerangkan Hukum itu kepada mereka. Orang-orang Lewi itu ialah: Yesua, Bani, Serebya, Yamin, Akub, Sabetai, Hodia, Maaseya, Kelita, Azarya, Yozabad, Hanan dan Pelaya.
Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law; and the people stayed in their place.
8 Mereka menterjemahkan Hukum Allah itu bagian demi bagian serta menjelaskannya sehingga rakyat dapat mengerti bacaan itu.
They read in the book, in the law of God, distinctly; and they gave the sense, so that they understood the reading.
9 Mendengar pembacaan Hukum itu, rakyat menjadi sangat terharu, lalu menangis. Maka gubernur Nehemia dan Imam Ezra ahli Hukum itu, serta orang-orang Lewi yang menerangkan Hukum itu, mengatakan kepada seluruh rakyat demikian, "Hari ini hari yang khusus bagi TUHAN Allahmu, jadi jangan bersedih atau menangis.
Nehemiah, who was the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “Today is holy to the LORD your God. Don’t mourn, nor weep.” For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law.
10 Sekarang pulanglah; makanlah dan minumlah dengan gembira. Berilah sebagian dari makanan dan anggurmu kepada mereka yang berkekurangan. Hari ini hari yang khusus bagi Tuhan kita, jadi jangan bersusah. Kegembiraan yang diberikan TUHAN kepada kalian akan menguatkan kalian."
Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to him for whom nothing is prepared, for today is holy to our Lord. Don’t be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
11 Juga orang-orang Lewi menenangkan rakyat dan berkata berulang-ulang, "Jangan bersedih pada hari yang khusus ini."
So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Hold your peace, for the day is holy. Don’t be grieved.”
12 Maka pulanglah seluruh rakyat untuk makan dan minum serta membagi-bagikan makanan kepada orang-orang lain. Mereka bergembira karena telah mengerti arti bacaan yang mereka dengar itu.
All the people went their way to eat, to drink, to send portions, and to celebrate, because they had understood the words that were declared to them.
13 Besoknya berkumpullah semua kepala kaum, para imam dan orang-orang Lewi, lalu pergi kepada Ezra untuk mempelajari ajaran-ajaran Hukum TUHAN.
On the second day, the heads of fathers’ households of all the people, the priests, and the Levites were gathered together to Ezra the scribe, to study the words of the law.
14 Mereka mendapati bahwa di dalam Hukum yang diberikan TUHAN melalui Musa, TUHAN menyuruh umat Israel tinggal di dalam pondok-pondok darurat selama pesta Pondok Daun.
They found written in the law how the LORD had commanded by Moses that the children of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh month;
15 Sebab itu di seluruh Yerusalem di kota-kota dan di desa-desa, mereka mengumumkan perintah ini, "Pergilah ke pegunungan dan ambillah dahan-dahan pohon cemara, zaitun, pohon minyak, palma dan pohon-pohon lain untuk membuat pondok sesuai dengan peraturan di dalam Buku Hukum."
and that they should publish and proclaim in all their cities and in Jerusalem, saying, “Go out to the mountain, and get olive branches, branches of wild olive, myrtle branches, palm branches, and branches of thick trees, to make temporary shelters, as it is written.”
16 Lalu pergilah rakyat mengambil dahan-dahan itu. Mereka semua membuat pondok-pondok pada atap-atap datar di atas rumah mereka, di halaman rumahnya, di halaman depan Rumah TUHAN, di lapangan dekat Pintu Gerbang Air dan di lapangan dekat Pintu Gerbang Efraim.
So the people went out and brought them, and made themselves temporary shelters, everyone on the roof of his house, in their courts, in the courts of God’s house, in the wide place of the water gate, and in the wide place of Ephraim’s gate.
17 Seluruh rakyat yang telah pulang dari pembuangan itu membuat pondok-pondok itu, lalu tinggal di situ. Inilah pertama kali hal itu dilakukan sejak zaman Yosua anak Nun, maka semuanya senang dan bahagia.
All the assembly of those who had come back out of the captivity made temporary shelters and lived in the temporary shelters, for since the days of Joshua the son of Nun to that day the children of Israel had not done so. There was very great gladness.
18 Tujuh hari lamanya mereka berpesta. Tiap-tiap hari bagian-bagian buku Hukum Allah dibacakan oleh Ezra. Pada hari yang kedelapan diadakan upacara penutupan, sesuai dengan peraturan Hukum.
Also day by day, from the first day to the last day, he read in the book of the law of God. They kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according to the ordinance.
