Fear God

5 ^{[a] (A)}Guard your steps when you go to ^(B)the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to ^(C)offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. ^2 [b] Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore ^(D)let your words be few. ³ For a dream comes with much business, and a fool's voice with ^(E)many words.

⁴ When ^(F)you vow a vow to God, ^(G)do not delay paying it, for he has no pleasure in fools. ^(H)Pay what you vow. ^5 (I)It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay. ⁶ Let not your mouth lead you^[c] into sin, and do not say before ^(J)the messenger^[d] that it was ^(K)a mistake. Why should God be angry at your voice and destroy the work of your hands? ⁷ For when dreams increase and words grow many, there is vanity;^[e] but^{[f] (L)}God is the one you must fear.

The Vanity of Wealth and Honor

^8 (M)If you see in a province the oppression of the poor and the violation of justice and righteousness, ^(N)do not be amazed at the matter, ^(O)for the high official is watched by a higher, and there are yet higher ones over them. ⁹ But this is gain for a land in every way: a king committed to cultivated fields.^[g]

¹⁰ He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity. ¹¹ When goods increase, they increase who eat them, and what advantage has their owner but to see them with his eyes? ¹² Sweet is the sleep of a laborer, whether he eats little or much, but the full stomach of the rich will not let him sleep.

^13 (P)There is a grievous evil that I have seen under the sun: riches were kept by their owner to his hurt, ¹⁴ and those riches were lost in a bad venture. And he is father of a son, but he has nothing in his hand. ^15 (Q)As he came from his mother's womb he shall go again, naked as he came, and shall take nothing for his toil that he may carry away in his hand. ¹⁶ This also is a grievous evil: just as he came, so shall he go, and what ^(R)gain is there to him who ^(S)toils for the wind? ¹⁷ Moreover, all his days he ^(T)eats in darkness in much vexation and sickness and anger.

¹⁸ Behold, what I have seen to be ^(U)good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment^[h] in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his ^(V)lot. ¹⁹ Everyone also to whom ^(W)God has given ^(X)wealth and possessions ^(Y)and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is ^(Z)the gift of God. ²⁰ For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart.

My Soul Longs for the Courts of the Lord

To the choirmaster: according to ^(A)The Gittith.^[a] A Psalm of ^(B)the Sons of Korah.

Ezra Reads the Law

8 And all the people gathered as one man into the square before ^(A)the Water Gate. And they told ^(B)Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the Lord had commanded Israel. ² So Ezra the priest ^(C)brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, ^(D)on the first day of the seventh month. ^3 (E)And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law. ⁴ And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hand, and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam on his left hand. ⁵ And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people, and as he opened it all the people stood. ⁶ And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, ^(F)“Amen, Amen,” ^(G)lifting up their hands. ^(H)And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. ^7 (I)Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, the Levites,^{[a] (J)}helped the people to understand the Law, ^(K)while the people remained in their places. ⁸ They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly,^[b] and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.

This Day Is Holy

⁹ And Nehemiah, who was ^(L)the governor, and Ezra ^(M)the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, ^(N)“This day is holy to the Lord your God; ^(O)do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law. ¹⁰ Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and ^(P)send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” ¹¹ So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be quiet, for this day is holy; do not be grieved.” ¹² And all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing, because ^(Q)they had understood the words that were declared to them.

Feast of Booths Celebrated

¹³ On the second day the heads of fathers' houses of all the people, with the priests and the Levites, came together to Ezra the scribe in order to study the words of the Law. ¹⁴ And they found it written in the Law that the Lord had commanded by Moses ^(R)that the people of Israel should dwell in booths^[c] during the feast of the seventh month, ¹⁵ and that they should proclaim it and ^(S)publish it in all their towns and ^(T)in Jerusalem, “Go out to the hills and bring ^(U)branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees to make booths, as it is written.” ¹⁶ So the people went out and brought them and made booths for themselves, each ^(V)on his roof, and in their courts and in the courts of the house of God, and in the square at ^(W)the Water Gate and in the square at ^(X)the Gate of Ephraim. ¹⁷ And all the assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and lived in the booths, for from the days of Jeshua the son of Nun to that day ^(Y)the people of Israel had not done so. And there was ^(Z)very great rejoicing. ¹⁸ And day by day, from the first day to the last day, ^(AA)he read from the Book of the Law of God. They kept the feast seven days, and ^(AB)on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly, according to the rule.