Nehemia 8
1 ɔmanfo no nyinaa hyiaa wɔ wɔn Asuten Pon no ano. Ɔmanfo no ka kyerɛɛ Ɛsra a ɔyɛ mmara no kyerɛkyerɛfo no se ɔnkenkan Mose mmara a Awurade ahyɛ sɛ Israelfo nni so no.
All the people gathered as one man in the open area in front of the Water Gate. They asked Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses, which Yahweh had commanded Israel.
2 Enti ɔsram Tisri (bɛyɛ Ahinime) da a ɛto so awotwe no, ɔsɔfo Ɛsra de krataa mmobɔwee a mmara no wɔ mu no baa bagua a mmarima ne mmea ne wɔn a wotumi te asɛm ase no nyinaa no anim.
On the first day of the seventh month, Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly, both men and women, and all who could hear and understand.
3 Ɔde nʼani kyerɛɛ aguabɔbea wɔ Asuten Pon no ano, fi anɔpahema kosii owigyinae kenkan mmara no den, maa obiara a ɔte ase no tee. Ɔmanfo no nyinaa wɛn wɔn aso tiee mmara no.
He faced the open area in front of the Water Gate, and he read from it from early morning until midday, before men and women, and any who could understand, and all the people listened attentively to the book of the law.
4 Ɛsra a ɔyɛ mmara no kyerɛkyerɛfo no gyinaa apa tenten bi a wosi maa saa da no so. Nnipa a na wogyinagyina ne nifa so no din de Matitia, Sema, Anaia, Uria, Hilkia ne Maaseia. Wɔn a na wogyinagyina ne benkum so no din de Pedaia, Misael, Malkia, Hasum, Hasbadana, Sakaria ne Mesulam.
Then Ezra the scribe stood on a high wooden platform which the people had made for the purpose. Standing beside him were Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right side; and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam were standing on his left side.
5 Ɛsra gyinaa apa no so a nnipadɔm no nyinaa hu no. Bere a wohuu sɛ wabue nhoma no mu no, wɔn nyinaa sɔresɔre gyinaa wɔn anan so.
Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above the people, and when he opened it all the people stood up.
6 Na Ɛsra kamfoo Awurade, Otumfo Nyankopɔn, na ɔmanfo no bɔ gyee so se, “Amen! Amen!” bere a na wɔmemamema wɔn nsa so akyerɛɛ soro. Afei, wɔkotokotow, som Awurade a wɔn anim butubutuw fam.
Ezra gave thanks to Yahweh, the great God, and all the people lifted up their hands and answered, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed their heads and worshiped Yahweh with their faces to the ground.
7 Afei, Lewifo a wɔn din de Yesua, Bani, Serebia, Yamin, Akub, Sabetai, Hodia, Maaseia, Kelita, Asaria, Yosabad, Hanan ne Pelaia kyerɛɛ ɔmanfo a wogyinagyina hɔ no nea wɔnyɛ.
Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah—the Levites—helped the people understand the law, while the people remained in their place.
8 Wɔkenkan fii Onyankopɔn mmara nhoma no mu kyerɛɛ wɔn nea wɔkenkanee no ase, boaa ɔmanfo no ma wɔtee ɔkasapɛn biara ase.
They read in the book, The Law of God, making it clear with interpretation and giving the meaning so the people understood the reading.
9 Na amrado Nehemia, ɔsɔfo Ɛsra a na ɔyɛ mmara no kyerɛkyerɛfo ne Lewifo a na wɔrekyerɛkyerɛ ase akyerɛ ɔmanfo no ka kyerɛɛ wɔn se, “Munnsu da a ɛte sɛɛ yi! Efisɛ nnɛ yɛ da kronkron wɔ Awurade, mo Nyankopɔn, anim.” Nnipa no tee mmara no mu nsɛm no, wɔn nyinaa sui.
Nehemiah the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were interpreting to the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to Yahweh your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law.
10 Na Nehemia toaa so sɛ, “Momfa nnuan pa ne anonne a ɛyɛ dɛ nkodi afahyɛ no na mo ne wɔn a wonni nnuan pa a wɔanoa no nnidi. Nnɛ yɛ da kronkron wɔ Awurade anim. Munnni abooboo ne awerɛhow, na Awurade mu anigye no yɛ ahoɔden.”
Then Nehemiah said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat and have something sweet to drink, and send some of it to one who has nothing prepared, for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of Yahweh is your strength.”
11 Na Lewifo no nso kasae se, “Hwɛ! Munnsu. Efisɛ nnɛ yɛ da kronkron” de dwudwoo wɔn.
So the Levites made the people be quiet, saying, “Hush! for this day is holy. Do not be grieved.”
12 Na nnipa no kodidii, kyɛɛ nnuan, nomee, dii dapɔnna no anigye so, efisɛ wɔtee Onyankopɔn nsɛm no, tee ase.
Then all the people went their way to eat and to drink and to share food and to celebrate with great joy because they had understood the words that were made known to them.
13 Na ɔsram Tisri (bɛyɛ Ahinime) da a ɛto so akron no, mmusua ntuanofo no ne asɔfo no ne Lewifo no ne Ɛsra hyiae sɛ, wɔrehwehwɛ mmara no mu fekɔfekɔ.
On the second day the leaders of the ancestors' families from all the people, the priests and the Levites, came together to Ezra the scribe to gain insight from the words of the law.
14 Wɔkɔɔ mmara no mu no, wohuu sɛ Awurade nam Mose so ahyɛ sɛ, ɛsɛ sɛ Israelfo no tena asese mu afahyɛ a wɔrebedi no saa ɔsram no mu no.
They found written in the law how Yahweh had commanded through Moses that the people of Israel should live in shelters during the festival of the seventh month.
15 Waka se, ɛsɛ sɛ wɔbɔ ɔhyɛ no ho dawuru wɔ wɔn nkurow nyinaa so, ne titirw no, Yerusalem nam so aka akyerɛ ɔmanfo no se, wɔnkɔ nkoko so nkɔhwehwɛ ngodua mman, kranku mman, ohuamnnua mman, bere ne nnua kusukusuu mman, na wɔmfa mmɛbobɔ asese ntena mu, sɛnea wɔakyerɛw no mmara no mu no.
They should make a proclamation in all their cities, and in Jerusalem, saying, “Go out into the hill country, and bring back branches from olive and wild olive trees, and from myrtle, palms and shade trees, to make shelters, as it is written.”
16 Enti nnipa no kotwitwaa nnua mman, na wɔde sisii asese wɔ wɔn afi, wɔn adiwo, Onyankopɔn asɔredan adiwo anaa aguabɔbea a ɛwowɔ Asuten Pon no ne Efraim Pon no mu.
So the people went out and brought the branches back and made themselves shelters, each on their own roofs, in their courtyards, in the courts of the house of God, in the open area in front of the Water Gate, and in the square at the Gate of Ephraim.
17 Enti obiara a wafi afiasenna mu aba no kɔtenaa saa asese yi mu wɔ afahyɛbere no mu nnanson; na obiara ani gyee yiye. Efi Nun babarima Yosua bere so no, na Israelfo nnii afahyɛ no wɔ saa kwan yi so da.
All the assembly of those who had returned from captivity made shelters and lived in them. For since the days of Joshua son of Nun to that day, the people of Israel had not celebrated this festival, and so their joy was very great.
18 Ɛsra de nnanson kenkan Onyankopɔn mmara nhoma no wɔ afahyɛ no ase da biara, efi da a edi kan de kosi da a etwa to. Afei, Tisri ɔsram (bɛyɛ Ahinime) da a ɛto so dunum no, wɔyɛɛ nhyiamu, sɛnea Mose mmara no kyerɛ no.
Also day by day, from the first day to the last, Ezra read from the book of the law of God. They kept the festival for seven days and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, in obedience to the decree.
