Nehemia 8
1 watu wote wakakusanyika kama mtu mmoja kwenye uwanja mbele ya Lango la Maji. Wakamwambia Ezra mwandishi alete Kitabu cha Sheria ya Mose, ambacho Bwana aliamuru kwa ajili ya Israeli.
And when the seventh month came, the children of Israel were in their towns. And all the people came together like one man into the wide place in front of the water-doorway; and they made a request to Ezra the scribe that he would put before them the book of the law of Moses which the Lord had given to Israel.
2 Basi katika siku ya kwanza ya mwezi wa saba, kuhani Ezra akaleta Sheria mbele ya kusanyiko, ambamo walikuwamo wanaume, wanawake na watu wote walioweza kufahamu.
And Ezra the priest put the law before the meeting of the people, before the men and women and all those who were able to take it in, on the first day of the seventh month.
3 Akaisoma kwa sauti kubwa tangu mapambazuko mpaka adhuhuri, akiwa ameuelekea uwanja uliokuwa mbele ya Lango la Maji mbele ya wanaume, wanawake na wengine ambao waliweza kufahamu. Watu wote wakasikiliza kwa makini kile Kitabu cha Sheria.
He was reading it in the wide place in front of the water-doorway, from early morning till the middle of the day, in the hearing of all those men and women whose minds were able to take it in; and the ears of all the people were open to the book of the law.
4 Mwandishi Ezra alikuwa amesimama juu ya jukwaa la miti lililojengwa kwa kusudi hilo. Karibu naye upande wa kuume alisimama Matithia, Shema, Anaya, Uria, Hilkia na Maaseya. Upande wake wa kushoto walikuwepo Pedaya, Mishaeli, Malkiya, Hashumu, Hashbadani, Zekaria na Meshulamu.
And Ezra the scribe took his place on a tower of wood which they had made for the purpose; and by his side were placed Mattithiah and Shema and Anaiah and Uriah and Hilkiah and Maaseiah on the right; and on the left, Pedaiah and Mishael and Malchijah and Hashum and Hashbaddanah, Zechariah and Meshullam.
5 Ezra akakifungua kile kitabu. Watu wote waliweza kumwona kwa sababu alikuwa amesimama juu zaidi, naye alipokifungua watu wote wakasimama.
And Ezra took the book, opening it before the eyes of all the people (for he was higher than the people); and when it was open, all the people got to their feet:
6 Ezra akamsifu Bwana, Mungu mkuu, nao watu wote wakainua mikono yao na kuitikia, “Amen! Amen!” Kisha wakasujudu na kumwabudu Bwana hali nyuso zao zikigusa ardhi.
And Ezra gave praise to the Lord, the great God. And all the people in answer said, So be it, so be it; lifting up their hands; and with bent heads they gave worship to the Lord, going down on their faces to the earth.
7 Watu wakiwa wamesimama pale, Walawi wafuatao waliwafunza ile Sheria: Yeshua, Bani, Sherebia, Yamini, Akubu, Shabethai, Hodia, Maaseya, Kelita, Azaria, Yozabadi, Hanani na Pelaya.
And Jeshua and Bani and Sherebiah and Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites made the law clear to the people: and the people kept in their places.
8 Walisoma kutoka kile Kitabu cha Sheria ya Mungu, wakiifafanua na kuwapa maelezo ili watu waweze kufahamu kile kilichokuwa kikisomwa.
And they gave out the words of the book the law of God, clearly, and gave the sense of it, so that their minds were able to take it in.
9 Ndipo Nehemia aliyekuwa mtawala, Ezra kuhani na mwandishi, pamoja na Walawi waliokuwa wakiwafundisha watu wakawaambia wote, “Siku hii ni takatifu kwa Bwana Mungu wenu. Msiomboleze wala msilie.” Kwa kuwa watu wote walikuwa wakilia walipokuwa wakisikiliza maneno ya ile Sheria.
And Nehemiah, who was the Tirshatha, and Ezra, the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were the teachers of the people, said to all the people, This day is holy to the Lord your God; let there be no sorrow or weeping; for all the people were weeping on hearing the words of the law.
10 Nehemia akasema, “Nendeni mkafurahie chakula kizuri na vinywaji vitamu, na mpeleke sehemu kwa wale ambao hawana chochote cha kula. Siku hii ni takatifu kwa Bwana. Msihuzunike, kwa kuwa furaha ya Bwana ni nguvu zenu.”
Then he said to them, Go away now, and take the fat for your food and the sweet for your drink, and send some to him for whom nothing is made ready: for this day is holy to our Lord: and let there be no grief in your hearts; for the joy of the Lord is your strong place.
11 Walawi wakawatuliza watu wote wakisema, “Kuweni watulivu, kwa kuwa hii ni siku takatifu. Msihuzunike.”
So the Levites made all the people quiet, saying, Be quiet, for the day is holy; and do not give way to grief.
12 Kisha watu wote wakaondoka kwenda kula na kunywa, na kupeana sehemu ya chakula, na wakaadhimisha kwa furaha kubwa, kwa sababu sasa walifahamu maneno yale waliyokuwa wameelezwa.
And all the people went away to take food and drink, and to send food to others, and to be glad, because the words which were said to them had been made clear.
13 Katika siku ya pili ya mwezi, wakuu wa mbari zote, pamoja na makuhani na Walawi, walikusanyika wakimzunguka Ezra mwandishi ili wapate kusikiliza kwa makini maneno ya Sheria.
And on the second day the heads of families of all the people and the priests and the Levites came together to Ezra the scribe, to give attention to the words of the law.
14 Wakakuta imeandikwa katika ile Sheria, ambayo Bwana aliiamuru kupitia kwa Mose, kwamba Waisraeli walipaswa kukaa katika vibanda wakati wa sikukuu ya mwezi wa saba,
And they saw that it was recorded in the law that the Lord had given orders by Moses, that the children of Israel were to have tents for their living-places in the feast of the seventh month:
15 na kwamba walipaswa kutangaza neno hili na kulieneza katika miji yao na katika Yerusalemu wakisema: “Enendeni katika nchi ya mlima na kuleta matawi kutoka miti ya mizeituni, mizeituni mwitu, mihadasi, mitende na miti ya kivuli, ili kutengeneza vibanda,” kama ilivyoandikwa.
And that they were to give out an order, and make it public in all their towns and in Jerusalem, saying, Go out to the mountain and get olive branches and branches of field olives and of myrtle, and palm branches and branches of thick trees, to make tents, as it says in the book.
16 Basi watu wakaenda na kuleta matawi, nao wakajijengea vibanda juu ya paa za nyumba zao, katika nyua zao, katika nyua za nyumba ya Mungu, na katika uwanja karibu na Lango la Maji na uwanja wa Lango la Efraimu.
And the people went out and got them and made themselves tents, every one on the roof of his house, and in the open spaces and in the open squares of the house of God, and in the wide place of the water-doorway, and the wide place of the doorway of Ephraim.
17 Jamii yote ya watu waliorudi kutoka utumwani wakajenga vibanda na kuishi ndani yake. Tangu wakati wa Yoshua mwana wa Nuni mpaka siku ile, Waisraeli hawakuwahi kuiadhimisha namna hii. Furaha yao ilikuwa kubwa sana.
All the people who had been prisoners and had come back, made tents and were living in them: for from the time of Jeshua, the son of Nun, till that day, the children of Israel had not done so. And there was very great joy.
18 Siku baada ya siku, kuanzia siku ya kwanza hadi ya mwisho, Ezra alisoma kutoka kwenye kile Kitabu cha Sheria ya Mungu. Wakaiadhimisha sikukuu ile kwa siku saba, nayo siku ya nane, kufuatana na maagizo, kulikuwa na kusanyiko maalum.
And day by day, from the first day till the last, he was reading from the book of the law of God. And they kept the feast for seven days: and on the eighth day there was a holy meeting, as it is ordered in the law.
