Nehemia 8
Hoffnung für Alle
Die Israeliten verpflichten sich zur Einhaltung des Gesetzes (Kapitel 8–10)
Esra liest aus dem Gesetz vor
8 1-2 Am 1. Tag des 7. Monats, als alle Israeliten wieder in ihren Städten wohnten,[a] versammelte sich das ganze Volk auf dem Platz vor dem Wassertor. Sie baten den Schriftgelehrten Esra, das Buch mit dem Gesetz zu holen, das der Herr dem Volk Israel durch Mose gegeben hatte. 3 Da las der Priester Esra das Gesetz vor den Männern und Frauen und vor den Kindern, die alt genug waren, um es verstehen zu können. Alle hörten aufmerksam zu, vom frühen Morgen bis zum Mittag. 4 Esra stand auf einer Plattform aus Holz, die man eigens dafür errichtet hatte. Rechts neben ihm waren Mattitja, Schema, Anaja, Uria, Hilkija und Maaseja, links Pedaja, Mischaël, Malkija, Haschum, Haschbaddana, Secharja und Meschullam.
5 Weil Esra einen erhöhten Platz hatte, konnten alle sehen, wie er die Schriftrolle öffnete. Da stand das ganze Volk auf. 6 Esra pries den Herrn, den großen Gott, und alle riefen mit erhobenen Händen: »Amen, so soll es sein!« Dann warfen sie sich vor dem Herrn nieder, mit dem Gesicht zum Boden. 7 Die Leviten Jeschua, Bani, Scherebja, Jamin, Akkub, Schabbetai, Hodija, Maaseja, Kelita, Asarja, Josabad, Hanan und Pelaja legten den Versammelten das Gesetz aus. 8 Sie lasen laut aus dem Buch vor und erklärten Abschnitt für Abschnitt, damit das Volk es wirklich verstehen konnte.
9 Als die Menschen hörten, was im Gesetz stand, begannen sie zu weinen. Aber der Statthalter Nehemia, der Priester und Schriftgelehrte Esra und die Leviten, die das Gesetz auslegten, ermutigten sie: »Seid nicht traurig und weint nicht! Heute ist ein Festtag; er gehört dem Herrn, eurem Gott! 10 Und nun geht nach Hause, esst und trinkt! Bereitet euch ein Festmahl zu und feiert! Gebt auch denen etwas, die sich ein solches Mahl nicht leisten können! Dieser Tag gehört unserem Gott. Lasst den Mut nicht sinken, denn die Freude am Herrn gibt euch Kraft!« 11 Auch die Leviten beruhigten das Volk und sagten: »Seid nicht traurig, denn dieser Tag gehört Gott!«
12 Da gingen die Versammelten nach Hause und feierten ein großes Freudenfest. Sie aßen und tranken und teilten mit denen, die selbst nichts besaßen, denn sie hatten verstanden, was man ihnen verkündet hatte.
Das Laubhüttenfest
13 Am zweiten Tag kamen die Sippenoberhäupter des ganzen Volkes, die Priester und Leviten zu Esra, dem Schriftgelehrten, um das Gesetz noch besser zu verstehen. 14 Dabei entdeckten sie, dass der Herr durch Mose befohlen hatte, die Israeliten sollten während des Festes im 7. Monat in Laubhütten wohnen. 15 Darum ließ man in Jerusalem und in allen anderen Städten bekannt geben: »Steigt auf die Hügel und bringt frische Zweige von Ölbäumen, Myrten, Palmen und anderen Bäumen mit dichten Blättern. Dann baut damit Laubhütten, wie es das Gesetz vorschreibt!«
16 Die Judäer folgten der Aufforderung. Sie schnitten Zweige ab und errichteten Hütten auf den flachen Dächern ihrer Häuser, in ihren Höfen, in den Vorhöfen am Tempel, auf dem Platz am Wassertor und am Tor Ephraim. 17 Alle, die aus der Verbannung zurückgekehrt waren, bauten Laubhütten und wohnten darin. Seit der Zeit von Josua, dem Sohn von Nun, hatten die Israeliten es nicht mehr so gemacht. Nun aber feierten sie mit großer Freude. 18 An jedem Tag des Festes wurde aus dem Gesetzbuch Gottes vorgelesen. Sieben Tage lang feierten die Israeliten, und am achten Tag beendeten sie das Fest mit einer Versammlung, wie es im Gesetz steht.[b]
Footnotes
- 8,1-2 Dieser Versteil gehört nach der regulären Zählung noch zu Kapitel 7,72.
- 8,18 Vgl. 3. Mose 23,40‒43.
Nehemiah 8
King James Version
8 And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded to Israel.
2 And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month.
3 And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law.
4 And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and Anaiah, and Urijah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchiah, and Hashum, and Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam.
5 And 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 And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
7 Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law: and the people stood in their place.
8 So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.
9 And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the Lord your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law.
10 Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
11 So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, Hold your peace, for the day is holy; neither be ye grieved.
12 And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great mirth, because they had understood the words that were declared unto them.
13 And on the second day were gathered together the chief of the fathers of all the people, the priests, and the Levites, unto Ezra the scribe, even to understand the words of the law.
14 And they found written in the law which the Lord had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh month:
15 And that they should publish and proclaim in all their cities, and in Jerusalem, saying, Go forth unto the mount, and fetch olive branches, and pine branches, and myrtle branches, and palm branches, and branches of thick trees, to make booths, as it is written.
16 So the people went forth, and brought them, and made themselves booths, every one upon the roof of his house, and in their courts, and in the courts of the house of God, and in the street of the water gate, and in the street of the gate of Ephraim.
17 And all the congregation of them that were come again out of the captivity made booths, and sat under the booths: for since the days of Jeshua the son of Nun unto that day had not the children of Israel done so. And there was very great gladness.
18 Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book of the law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according unto the manner.
Nehemiah 8
English Standard Version
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.
Footnotes
- Nehemiah 8:7 Vulgate; Hebrew and the Levites
- Nehemiah 8:8 Or with interpretation, or paragraph by paragraph
- Nehemiah 8:14 Or temporary shelters
Nehemiah 8
New King James Version
Ezra Reads and Explains the Law
8 Now all (A)the people gathered together as one man in the open square that was (B)in front of the Water Gate; and they told Ezra the (C)scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded Israel. 2 So Ezra the priest brought (D)the Law before the assembly of men and women and all who could hear with understanding (E)on the first day of the seventh month. 3 Then he (F)read from it in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate [a]from morning until midday, before the men and women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.
4 So Ezra the scribe stood on a platform of wood which they had made for the purpose; and beside him, at his right hand, stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Urijah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah; and at his left hand Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam. 5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people (G)stood up. 6 And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God.
Then all the people (H)answered, “Amen, Amen!” while (I)lifting up their hands. And they (J)bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
7 Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, (K)helped the people to understand the Law; and the people (L)stood in their place. 8 So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading.
9 (M)And Nehemiah, who was the [b]governor, Ezra 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 nor weep.” For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law.
10 Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, (P)and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
11 So the Levites quieted all the people, saying, “Be still, for the day is holy; do not be grieved.” 12 And all the people went their way to eat and drink, to (Q)send portions and rejoice greatly, because they (R)understood the words that were declared to them.
The Feast of Tabernacles(S)
13 Now on the second day the heads of the fathers’ houses of all the people, with the priests and Levites, were gathered to Ezra the scribe, in order to understand the words of the Law. 14 And they found written in the Law, which the Lord had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in (T)booths[c] during the feast of the seventh month, 15 and (U)that they should announce and proclaim in all their cities and (V)in Jerusalem, saying, “Go out to the mountain, and (W)bring olive branches, branches of oil trees, myrtle branches, palm branches, and branches of leafy trees, to make booths, as it is written.”
16 Then the people went out and brought them and made themselves booths, each one on the (X)roof of his house, or in their courtyards or the courts of the house of God, and in the open square of the (Y)Water Gate (Z)and in the open square of the Gate of Ephraim. 17 So the whole assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made [d]booths and sat under the booths; for since the days of Joshua the son of Nun until that day the children of Israel had not done so. And there was very (AA)great gladness. 18 Also (AB)day by day, from the first day until the last day, he read from the Book of the Law of God. And they kept the feast (AC)seven days; and on the (AD)eighth day there was a sacred assembly, according to the prescribed manner.
Footnotes
- Nehemiah 8:3 Lit. from the light
- Nehemiah 8:9 Heb. Tirshatha
- Nehemiah 8:14 Temporary shelters
- Nehemiah 8:17 Temporary shelters
Hoffnung für Alle® (Hope for All) Copyright © 1983, 1996, 2002 by Biblica, Inc.®
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
