Nehemiah’s Prayer

1 These are the words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah.

I, Nehemiah, was in the capital city of Susa. It was in the month of Kislev. This was in the twentieth year.^{[a] 2} One of my brothers named Hanani came from Judah. Some other men were with him. I asked them about the Jews who lived through the captivity. And I also asked about Jerusalem.

³ They answered, “Nehemiah, those who are left from the captivity are back in the area of Judah. But they are in much trouble and are full of shame. The wall around Jerusalem is broken down. And its gates have been burned.”

⁴ When I heard these things, I sat down and cried for several days. I was sad and did not eat food. I prayed to the God of heaven. ⁵ I said, “Lord, God of heaven, you are the great God who is to be respected. You keep your agreement of love with those who love you and obey your commands. ⁶ Listen carefully. Look at me. Hear the prayer your servant is praying to you day and night. I am praying for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites have done against you. My father’s family and I have sinned against you. ⁷ We have been wicked toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, rules and laws you gave your servant Moses.

⁸ “Remember what you taught your servant Moses. You said, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations. ⁹ But if you come back to me and obey my commands, I will gather your people. I will gather them from the far ends of the earth. And I will bring them from captivity to where I have chosen to be worshiped.’

¹⁰ “They are your servants and your people. You have saved them with your great strength and power. ¹¹ Lord, listen carefully to my prayer. I am your servant. And listen to the prayers of your servants who love to honor you. Give me, your servant, success today. Allow this king to show kindness to me.”

I was the one who served wine to the king.

Nehemiah Is Sent to Jerusalem

2 It was the month of Nisan. It was in the twentieth year King Artaxerxes was king. He wanted some wine. So I took some and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before. ² So the king said, “Why does your face look sad? You are not sick. Your heart must be sad.”

Then I was very afraid. ³ I said to the king, “May the king live forever! My face is sad because the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins. And its gates have been destroyed by fire.”

⁴ Then the king said to me, “What do you want?”

First I prayed to the God of heaven. ⁵ Then I answered the king, “Send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried. I will rebuild it. Do this if you are willing and if I have pleased you.”

⁶ The queen was sitting next to the king. He asked me, “How long will your trip take? When will you get back?” It pleased the king to send me. So I set a time.

⁷ I also said to him, “If you are willing, give me letters for the governors west of the Euphrates River. Tell them to let me pass safely through their lands on my way to Judah. ⁸ And may I have a letter for Asaph? He is the keeper of the king’s forest. Tell him to give me timber. I will need it to make boards for the gates of the palace. It is by the Temple. The wood is also for the city wall and the house I will live in.” So the king gave me the letters. This was because God was showing kindness to me. ⁹ So I went to the governors west of the Euphrates River. I gave them the king’s letters. The king had also sent army officers and soldiers on horses with me.

¹⁰ Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite leader heard about this. They were upset that someone had come to help the Israelites.

Nehemiah Inspects Jerusalem

¹¹ I went to Jerusalem and stayed there three days. ¹² Then at night I started out with a few men. I had not told anyone what God had caused me to do for Jerusalem. There were no animals with me except the one I was riding.

¹³ It was night. I went out through the Valley Gate. I rode toward the Dragon Well and the Trash Gate. I was inspecting the walls of Jerusalem. They had been broken down. And the gates had been destroyed by fire. ¹⁴ Then I rode on toward the Fountain Gate and the King’s Pool. But there was not enough room for the animal I was riding to get through. ¹⁵ So I went up the valley at night. I was inspecting the wall. Finally, I turned and went back in through the Valley Gate. ¹⁶ The officers did not know where I had gone or what I was doing. I had not yet said anything to the Jews, the priests, the important men or the officers. I had not said anything to any of the others who would do the work.

¹⁷ Then I said to them, “You can see the trouble we have here. Jerusalem is a pile of ruins. And its gates have been burned. Come, let’s rebuild the wall of Jerusalem. Then we won’t be full of shame any longer.” ¹⁸ I also told them how God had been kind to me. And I told them what the king had said to me.

Then they answered, “Let’s start rebuilding.” So they began to work hard.

¹⁹ But Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite leader and Geshem the Arab heard about it. They made fun of us and laughed at us. They said, “What are you doing? Are you turning against the king?”

²⁰ But I answered them, “The God of heaven will give us success. We are God’s servants. We will start rebuilding. But you have no share in Jerusalem. You have no claim or past right to it.”

Builders of the Wall

3 Eliashib the high priest and his fellow priests went to work. They rebuilt the Sheep Gate. They gave it to the Lord’s service and set its doors in place. They worked as far as the Tower of the Hundred, and they gave it to the Lord’s service. Then they went on to the Tower of Hananel. ² The men of Jericho built the part of the wall next to the priests. And Zaccur son of Imri built next to them.

³ The sons of Hassenaah rebuilt the Fish Gate. They set the boards in place. And they put its doors, bolts and bars in place. ⁴ Meremoth son of Uriah made repairs next to them. (Uriah was the son of Hakkoz.) Meshullam son of Berekiah worked next to Meremoth. (Berekiah was the son of Meshezabel.) And Zadok son of Baana worked next to Meshullam. ⁵ The men from Tekoa made repairs next to them. But the leading men of Tekoa would not work under their supervisors.

⁶ Joiada son of Paseah and Meshullam son of Besodeiah repaired the Old Gate. They set its boards in place. And they put its doors, bolts and bars in place. ⁷ Next to them, men from Gibeon and Mizpah made repairs. Melatiah was from Gibeon, and Jadon was from Meronoth. These places were ruled by the governor west of the Euphrates River. ⁸ Next to them, Uzziel son of Harhaiah made repairs. He was a goldsmith. And next to him, Hananiah made repairs. He was one of the people who made perfume. These men rebuilt Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall. ⁹ The next part of the wall was repaired by Rephaiah son of Hur. He was ruler of half of the district of Jerusalem. ¹⁰ Next to him, Jedaiah son of Harumaph made repairs. He worked opposite his own house. And next to him, Hattush son of Hashabneiah made repairs. ¹¹ Malkijah son of Harim and Hasshub son of Pahath-Moab repaired another part of the wall. And they repaired the Tower of the Ovens. ¹² Next to them, Shallum son of Hallohesh made repairs. He was ruler of half of the district of Jerusalem. His daughters helped him.

¹³ Hanun and the people of Zanoah repaired the Valley Gate. They rebuilt it and put its doors, bolts and bars in place. They also repaired the 500 yards of the wall to the Trash Gate.

¹⁴ Malkijah son of Recab repaired the Trash Gate. He was ruler of the district of Beth Hakkerem. He rebuilt that gate and put its doors, bolts and bars in place.

¹⁵ Shallun son of Col-Hozeh repaired the Fountain Gate. He was ruler of the district of Mizpah. He rebuilt it and put a roof over it. And he put its doors, bolts and bars in place. He also repaired the wall of the Pool of Siloam. It is next to the King’s Garden. He repaired the wall all the way to the steps. They went down from the older part of the city. ¹⁶ Next to Shallun, Nehemiah^[b] son of Azbuk made repairs. He was ruler of half of the district of Beth Zur. He made repairs up to a place opposite the tombs of David. He made repairs as far as the man-made pool and the House of the Heroes.

¹⁷ Next to him, the Levites made repairs. Some worked under Rehum son of Bani. Next to him, Hashabiah made repairs for his district. He was ruler of half of the district of Keilah. ¹⁸ Next to him, Binnui son of Henadad and his relatives made repairs. Binnui was the ruler of the other half of the district of Keilah. ¹⁹ Next to them, Ezer son of Jeshua worked. He was ruler of Mizpah. He repaired another part of the wall. He worked across from the way up to the storehouse for weapons. And he worked to the place where the wall turns. ²⁰ Next to him, Baruch son of Zabbai worked very hard to repair another part of the wall. It went from the place where the wall turns to the entrance of the house of Eliashib. He was the high priest. ²¹ Next to him, Meremoth son of Uriah worked. (Uriah was the son of Hakkoz.) He repaired another part of the wall. It went from the entrance to Eliashib’s house to the far end of it.

²² Next to him worked the priests from the surrounding area. ²³ Next to them, Benjamin and Hasshub made repairs in front of their own house. Next to them, Azariah son of Maaseiah made repairs beside his own house. (Maaseiah was the son of Ananiah.) ²⁴ Next to him, Binnui son of Henadad repaired another part of the wall. It went from Azariah’s house to the place where the wall turned. And it went to the corner. ²⁵ Palal son of Uzai worked across from the place where the wall turned. And he worked by the tower on the upper palace. That is near the courtyard of the king’s guard. Next to Palal, Pedaiah son of Parosh made repairs. ²⁶ The Temple servants lived on the hill of Ophel. They made repairs as far as a point opposite the Water Gate. They worked toward the east and the tower that extends from the palace. ²⁷ Next to them, the men of Tekoa made repairs. They worked on the wall from the great tower that extends from the palace to the wall of Ophel.

²⁸ The priests made repairs above the Horse Gate. Each worked in front of his own house. ²⁹ Next to them, Zadok son of Immer made repairs across from his own house. Next to him, Shemaiah son of Shecaniah made repairs. He was the guard of the East Gate. ³⁰ Next to him, Hananiah son of Shelemiah and Hanun, the sixth son of Zalaph, made repairs. They worked on another part of the wall. Next to them, Meshullam son of Berekiah made repairs. It was across from where he lived. ³¹ Next to him, Malkijah made repairs. He was one of the goldsmiths. He worked as far as the house of the Temple servants and the traders. That is across from the Inspection Gate. And he worked as far as the room above the corner of the wall. ³² The goldsmiths and the traders made repairs on another part of the wall. It was between the room above the corner of the wall and the Sheep Gate.

Those Against the Rebuilding

4 Sanballat heard we were rebuilding the wall. He was very angry, even furious. He made fun of the Jews. ² He said to his friends and the army of Samaria, “What are these weak Jews doing? They think they can rebuild the wall. They think they will offer sacrifices. Maybe they think they can finish rebuilding it in only one day. They can’t bring stones back to life. These are piles of trash and ashes.”

³ Tobiah the Ammonite was next to Sanballat. Tobiah said, “A fox could climb up on what they are building. Even it could break down their stone wall.”

⁴ I prayed, “Hear us, our God. We are hated. Turn the insults of Sanballat and Tobiah back on their own heads. Let them be captured and taken away like valuables that are stolen. ⁵ Do not hide their guilt. Do not take away their sins so you can’t see them. The builders have seen them make you angry.”

⁶ So we rebuilt the wall until all of it went halfway up. The people were willing to work hard.

⁷ But Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the men from Ashdod were very angry. They heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls were continuing. And they heard that the holes in the wall were being closed. ⁸ So they all made plans against Jerusalem. They planned to come and fight and stir up trouble. ⁹ But we prayed to our God. And we appointed guards to watch for them day and night.

¹⁰ The people of Judah said, “The workers are getting tired. There is too much dirt and trash. We cannot rebuild the wall.”

¹¹ And our enemies said, “The Jews won’t know it or see us. But we will come among them and kill them. We will stop the work.”

¹² Then the Jews who lived near our enemies came. They told us ten times, “Everywhere you turn, the enemy will attack us.” ¹³ So I put some of the people behind the lowest places along the wall. And I put some at the open places. I put families together with their swords, spears and bows. ¹⁴ Then I looked around. I stood up and spoke to the important men, the leaders and the rest of the people. I said, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord. He is great and others are afraid of him. And fight for your brothers, your sons and daughters, your wives and your homes.”

¹⁵ Then our enemies heard that we knew about their plans. God had ruined their plans. So we all went back to the wall. Each person went back to his own work.

¹⁶ From that day on, half my men worked on the wall. The other half was ready with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers stood in back of the people of Judah ¹⁷ who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand. They carried a weapon in the other hand. ¹⁸ Each builder wore his sword at his side as he worked. The man who blew the trumpet to warn the people stayed next to me.

¹⁹ Then I spoke to the important men, the leaders and the rest of the people. I said, “This is a very big job. We are spreading out along the wall. We are far apart. ²⁰ So wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, assemble there. Our God will fight for us.”

²¹ So we continued to work. Half the men held spears. We worked from sunrise till the stars came out. ²² At that time I also said to the people, “Let every man and his helper stay inside Jerusalem at night. They can be our guards at night. And they can be workmen during the day.” ²³ Neither I, my brothers, my men nor the guards with me ever took off our clothes. Each person carried his weapon even when he went for water.

Nehemiah Helps Poor People

5 The men and their wives complained loudly against their fellow Jews. ² Some of them were saying, “We have many sons and daughters in our families. To eat and stay alive, we need grain.”

³ Others were saying, “We are borrowing money to get grain. There is not much food. We might not be able to pay back the money we’ve borrowed. Then we will have to pay with our fields, vineyards and homes.”

⁴ And still others were saying, “We are having to borrow money. We have to pay the king’s tax on our fields and vineyards. ⁵ We are just like our fellow Jews. Our sons are like their sons. But we have to sell our sons and daughters as slaves. Some of our daughters have already been sold. But there is nothing we can do. Our fields and vineyards already belong to other people.”

⁶ When I heard their complaints about these things, I was very angry. ⁷ I thought about it. Then I accused the important people and the leaders. I told them, “You are charging your own brothers too much interest.” So I called a large meeting to deal with them. ⁸ I said to them, “Our fellow Jews had been sold to non-Jewish nations. But, as much as possible, we have bought them back. Now you are making your fellow Jews sell themselves to us!” The leaders were quiet. They had nothing to say.

⁹ Then I said, “What you are doing is not right. You should live in fear of God. Don’t let our non-Jewish enemies shame us. ¹⁰ I, my brothers and my men are also lending money and grain to the people. But stop charging them too much for this! ¹¹ Give back their fields, vineyards, olive trees and houses right now. Also give them back the extra amount you charged them. That is the hundredth part of the money, grain, new wine and oil.”

¹² They said, “We will give it back. And we will not demand anything more from them. We will do as you say.”

Then I called for the priests. And I made the important men and leaders promise to do what they had said. ¹³ Also I shook out the folds of my robe. I said, “In this way may God shake out every man who does not keep his promise. May God shake him out of his house. And may he shake him out of the things that are his. Let that man be shaken out and emptied!”

Then the whole group said, “Amen.” And they praised the Lord. So the people did what they had promised.

¹⁴ I was appointed governor in the land of Judah. This was in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes’ rule. I was governor till his thirty-second year. So I was governor of Judah for 12 years. During that time neither my brothers nor I ate the food that was allowed for the governor. ¹⁵ But the governors before me placed a heavy load on the people. They took about one pound of silver from each person. And they took food and wine. The governors’ helpers before me also controlled the people. But I did not do that because I feared God. ¹⁶ I worked on the wall. So did all my men who were gathered there. We did not buy any fields.

¹⁷ Also, I fed 150 Jews and officers at my table. And I fed those who came from the nations around us. ¹⁸ This is what was prepared every day for me and those who ate with me: one ox, six good sheep, and birds. And every ten days there were all kinds of wine. But I never demanded the food that was allowed for the governor. This was because the people were already working very hard.

¹⁹ Remember, my God, to be kind to me. Remember all the good I have done for these people.

More Problems for Nehemiah

6 Then Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab and our other enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall. There was not one gap in it. But I had not yet set the doors in the gates. ² So Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: “Come, Nehemiah, let’s meet together in Kephirim on the plain of Ono.”

But they were planning to harm me. ³ So I sent messengers to them with this answer: “I am doing a great work. I can’t come down. I don’t want the work to stop while I leave to meet you.” ⁴ Sanballat and Geshem sent the same message to me four times. And I sent back the same answer each time.

⁵ The fifth time Sanballat sent his helper to me with the message. And in his hand was an unsealed letter. ⁶ This is what was written:

⁸ So I sent him back this answer: “Nothing you are saying is really happening. You are just making it up in your own mind.”

⁹ Our enemies were trying to scare us. They were thinking, “They will get too weak to work. Then the wall will not be finished.”

But I prayed, “God, make me strong.”

¹⁰ One day I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah. Delaiah was the son of Mehetabel. Shemaiah had to stay at home. He said, “Nehemiah, let’s meet in the Temple of God. Let’s go inside the Temple and close the doors. Men are coming at night to kill you.”

¹¹ But I said, “Should a man like me run away? Should I run into the Temple to save my life? I will not go.” ¹² I knew that God had not sent him. Tobiah and Sanballat had paid him to prophesy against me. ¹³ They paid him to frighten me so I would do this and sin. Then they could give me a bad name to shame me.

¹⁴ I prayed, “Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, my God. Remember what they have done. Also remember the prophetess Noadiah and the other prophets who have been trying to frighten me.”

The Wall Is Finished

¹⁵ So the wall of Jerusalem was completed. It was on the twenty-fifth day of the month of Elul. It took 52 days to rebuild. ¹⁶ Then all our enemies heard about it. And all the nations around us saw it. So they were shamed. They understood that the work had been done with the help of our God.

¹⁷ Also in those days the important men of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah. And Tobiah answered them. ¹⁸ Many Jews had promised to be faithful to Tobiah. This was because Tobiah was the son-in-law of Shecaniah son of Arah. And Tobiah’s son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berekiah. ¹⁹ Those important men kept telling me about the good things Tobiah was doing. Then they would tell Tobiah what I said about him. So Tobiah sent letters to frighten me.

7 After the wall had been rebuilt, I had set the doors in place. Then the gatekeepers, singers and Levites were chosen. ² I put my brother Hanani, along with Hananiah, in charge of Jerusalem. Hananiah was commander of the palace. He was honest, and he feared God more than most men. ³ I said to them, “The gates of Jerusalem should not be opened until the sun is hot. While the gatekeepers are still on duty, have them shut and bolt the doors. Appoint people who live in Jerusalem as guards. Put some at guard posts and some near their own houses.”

The Captives Who Returned

⁴ The city was large and full of room. But there were few people in it. And the houses had not yet been rebuilt. ⁵ So my God caused me to gather the people. I gathered the important men, the leaders and the common people. This was so I could register them by families. I found the family history of those who had returned first. This is what I found written there:

⁶ These are the people of the area who returned from captivity. Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken them captive. Now they returned to Jerusalem and Judah. Each one went back to his own town. ⁷ These people returned with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum and Baanah.

These are the men from Israel: ⁸ the descendants of Parosh—2,172; ⁹ the descendants of Shephatiah—372; ¹⁰ the descendants of Arah—652; ¹¹ the descendants of Pahath-Moab (through the family of Jeshua and Joab)—2,818; ¹² the descendants of Elam—1,254; ¹³ the descendants of Zattu—845; ¹⁴ the descendants of Zaccai—760; ¹⁵ the descendants of Binnui—648; ¹⁶ the descendants of Bebai—628; ¹⁷ the descendants of Azgad—2,322; ¹⁸ the descendants of Adonikam—667; ¹⁹ the descendants of Bigvai—2,067; ²⁰ the descendants of Adin—655; ²¹ the descendants of Ater (through Hezekiah)—98; ²² the descendants of Hashum—328; ²³ the descendants of Bezai—324; ²⁴ the descendants of Hariph—112; ²⁵ the descendants of Gibeon—95.

²⁶ These are the men from the towns of Bethlehem and Netophah—188; ²⁷ the men from Anathoth—128; ²⁸ the men from Beth Azmaveth—42; ²⁹ the men from Kiriath Jearim, Kephirah and Beeroth—743; ³⁰ the men from Ramah and Geba—621; ³¹ the men from Micmash—122; ³² the men from Bethel and Ai—123; ³³ the men from the other Nebo—52; ³⁴ the men from the other Elam—1,254; ³⁵ the men from Harim—320; ³⁶ the men from Jericho—345; ³⁷ the men from Lod, Hadid and Ono—721; ³⁸ the men from Senaah—3,930.

³⁹ These are the priests: the descendants of Jedaiah (through the family of Jeshua)—973; ⁴⁰ the descendants of Immer—1,052; ⁴¹ the descendants of Pashhur—1,247; ⁴² the descendants of Harim—1,017.

⁴³ These are the Levites: the descendants of Jeshua (through Kadmiel through the family of Hodaviah)—74.

⁴⁴ These are the singers: the descendants of Asaph—148.

⁴⁵ These are the gatekeepers: the descendants of Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita and Shobai—138.

⁴⁶ These are the Temple servants: the descendants of Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth, ⁴⁷ Keros, Sia, Padon, ⁴⁸ Lebana, Hagaba, Shalmai, ⁴⁹ Hanan, Giddel, Gahar, ⁵⁰ Reaiah, Rezin, Nekoda, ⁵¹ Gazzam, Uzza, Paseah, ⁵² Besai, Meunim, Nephusim, ⁵³ Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur, ⁵⁴ Bazluth, Mehida, Harsha, ⁵⁵ Barkos, Sisera, Temah, ⁵⁶ Neziah and Hatipha.

⁵⁷ These are the descendants of the servants of Solomon: the descendants of Sotai, Sophereth, Perida, ⁵⁸ Jaala, Darkon, Giddel, ⁵⁹ Shephatiah, Hattil, Pokereth-Hazzebaim and Amon.

⁶⁰ The Temple servants and the descendants of the servants of Solomon totaled 392 people.

⁶¹ Some people came to Jerusalem from these towns: Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon and Immer. But they could not prove that their families came from the family of Israel. Here are their names and their number: ⁶² the descendants of Delaiah, Tobiah and Nekoda—642.

⁶³ And these priests could not prove that their families came from Israel: the descendants of Hobaiah, Hakkoz and Barzillai. (He had married a daughter of Barzillai from Gilead and was called by her family name.)

⁶⁴ These people searched for their family records. But they could not find them. So they could not be priests because they were thought to be unclean. ⁶⁵ So the governor ordered them not to eat any of the food offered to God. First a priest had to settle this matter by using the Urim and Thummim.

⁶⁶ The total number of those who returned was 42,360. ⁶⁷ This is not counting their 7,337 male and female servants. They also had 245 men and women singers with them. ⁶⁸ They had 736 horses, 245 mules, ⁶⁹ 435 camels and 6,720 donkeys.

⁷⁰ Some of the family leaders gave to the work. The governor gave to the treasury about 19 pounds of gold. He also gave 50 bowls and 530 pieces of clothing for the priests. ⁷¹ Some of the family leaders gave about 375 pounds of gold to the treasury for the work. They also gave about 2,660 pounds of silver. ⁷² This is the total of what the other people gave: about 375 pounds of gold, about 2,250 pounds of silver and 67 pieces of clothing for the priests. ⁷³ So these people all settled in their own towns: the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the Temple servants and all the other people of Israel.

Ezra Reads the Teachings

By the seventh month the Israelites were settled in their own towns.

8 All the people of Israel gathered together in the square by the Water Gate. They asked Ezra the teacher to bring out the Book of the Teachings of Moses. These are the Teachings the Lord had given to Israel.

² So Ezra the priest brought out the Teachings for the crowd. This was on the first day of the seventh month. Men, women and all who could listen and understand had gathered. ³ Ezra read the Teachings out loud. He read from early morning until noon. He was facing the square by the Water Gate. He read to the men, women and everyone who could listen and understand. All the people listened carefully to the Book of the Teachings.

⁴ Ezra the teacher stood on a high wooden platform. It had been built just for this time. On his right were Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah and Maaseiah. And on his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah and Meshullam.

⁵ Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was above them. As he opened it, all the people stood up. ⁶ Ezra praised the Lord, the great God. And all the people held up their hands and said, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.

⁷ These Levites taught the people the Teachings as they stood there: Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan and Pelaiah. ⁸ They read the Book of the Teachings of God. They read so the people could understand. And they explained what it meant. Then the people understood what was being read.

⁹ Then Nehemiah the governor and Ezra the priest and teacher spoke up. And the Levites who were teaching spoke up. They said to all the people, “This is a holy day to the Lord your God. Don’t be sad or cry.” All the people had been crying as they listened to the words of the Teachings.

¹⁰ Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy good food and sweet drinks. Send some to people who have none. Today is a holy day to the Lord. Don’t be sad. The joy of the Lord will make you strong.”

¹¹ The Levites helped calm the people. They said, “Be quiet. This is a holy day. Don’t be sad.”

¹² Then all the people went away to eat and drink. They sent some of their food to others. And they celebrated with great joy. They finally understood what they had been taught.

¹³ On the second day of the month, the leaders of all the families met with Ezra the teacher. The priests and Levites also met with him. They gathered to study the words of the Teachings. ¹⁴ This is what they found written in the Teachings: The Lord had commanded through Moses that the people of Israel were to live in shelters. This was during the feast of the seventh month. ¹⁵ The people were supposed to preach this message. They were to spread it through all of their towns and in Jerusalem: “Go out into the mountains. Bring back branches from olive and wild olive trees, myrtle trees, palms and shade trees. Make shelters with them. It is written in the Law.”

¹⁶ So the people went out and got tree branches. They built shelters on their roofs^[c] and in their courtyards. They built shelters in the courtyards of the Temple. And they built them in the square by the Water Gate and the square next to the Gate of Ephraim. ¹⁷ The whole group that had come back from captivity built shelters. And they lived in them. The Israelites had not done this since the time of Joshua son of Nun. And they were very happy.

¹⁸ Ezra read to them from the Book of the Teachings. He read every day, from the first day to the last. The people of Israel celebrated the feast for seven days. Then on the eighth day the people gathered as the law said.