^61 (A)The following were those who came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, ^(B)Addon, and Immer, but they could not prove their fathers' houses nor their descent, whether they belonged to Israel: ⁶² the sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah, the sons of Nekoda, 642. ⁶³ Also, of the priests: the sons of Hobaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, the sons of Barzillai (who had taken a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by their name). ⁶⁴ These sought their registration among those enrolled in the genealogies, but it was not found there, so they were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. ^65 (C)The ^(D)governor told them that they were not to partake of the most holy food until a priest with Urim and Thummim should arise.

Totals of People and Gifts

⁶⁶ The whole assembly together was 42,360, ⁶⁷ besides their male and female servants, of whom there were 7,337. And they had 245 singers, male and female. ⁶⁸ Their horses were 736, their mules 245,^{[a] 69} their camels 435, and their donkeys 6,720.

⁷⁰ Now some of the heads of fathers' houses gave to the work. The ^(E)governor gave to the treasury 1,000 darics^[b] of gold, 50 basins, 30 priests' garments and 500 minas^[c] of silver.^{[d] 71} And some of the heads of fathers' houses gave into the treasury of the work 20,000 darics of gold and 2,200 minas of silver. ^72 (F)And what the rest of the people gave was 20,000 darics of gold, 2,000 minas of silver, and 67 priests' garments.

⁷³ So the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the temple servants, and all Israel, lived in their towns.

^(G)And when the seventh month had come, the people of Israel were in their towns.

Ezra Reads the Law

8 And all the people gathered as one man into the square before ^(H)the Water Gate. And they told ^(I)Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the Lord had commanded Israel. ² So Ezra the priest ^(J)brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, ^(K)on the first day of the seventh month. ^3 (L)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, ^(M)“Amen, Amen,” ^(N)lifting up their hands. ^(O)And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. ^7 (P)Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, the Levites,^{[e] (Q)}helped the people to understand the Law, ^(R)while the people remained in their places. ⁸ They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly,^[f] and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.

This Day Is Holy

⁹ And Nehemiah, who was ^(S)the governor, and Ezra ^(T)the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, ^(U)“This day is holy to the Lord your God; ^(V)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 ^(W)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 ^(X)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 ^(Y)that the people of Israel should dwell in booths^[g] during the feast of the seventh month, ¹⁵ and that they should proclaim it and ^(Z)publish it in all their towns and ^(AA)in Jerusalem, “Go out to the hills and bring ^(AB)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 ^(AC)on his roof, and in their courts and in the courts of the house of God, and in the square at ^(AD)the Water Gate and in the square at ^(AE)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 ^(AF)the people of Israel had not done so. And there was ^(AG)very great rejoicing. ¹⁸ And day by day, from the first day to the last day, ^(AH)he read from the Book of the Law of God. They kept the feast seven days, and ^(AI)on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly, according to the rule.

¹⁹ Now we know that whatever ^(A)the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, ^(B)so that every mouth may be stopped, and ^(C)the whole world may be held accountable to God. ²⁰ For ^(D)by works of the law no human being^[a] will be justified in his sight, since ^(E)through the law comes knowledge of sin.

The Righteousness of God Through Faith

²¹ But now ^(F)the righteousness of God ^(G)has been manifested apart from the law, although ^(H)the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— ²² the righteousness of God ^(I)through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. ^(J)For there is no distinction: ²³ for ^(K)all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ^24 (L)and are justified ^(M)by his grace as a gift, ^(N)through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, ²⁵ whom God ^(O)put forward as ^(P)a propitiation ^(Q)by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in ^(R)his divine forbearance he had passed over ^(S)former sins. ²⁶ It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

^27 (T)Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. ²⁸ For we hold that one is justified by faith ^(U)apart from works of the law. ²⁹ Or ^(V)is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, ³⁰ since ^(W)God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and ^(X)the uncircumcised through faith. ³¹ Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.