Nehemiah 7:73-9:21
New American Standard Bible
73 Now (A)the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the temple servants, and all Israel lived in their cities.
(B)And when the seventh month came, the sons of Israel were in their cities.
Ezra Reads the Law
8 And all the people gathered as one person at the public square which was in front of (C)the Water Gate, and they [a]asked (D)Ezra the scribe to bring (E)the Book of the Law of Moses which the Lord had [b]given to Israel. 2 Then (F)Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly of men, women, and all who could listen with understanding, on (G)the first day of the seventh month. 3 And he read from it before the public square which was in front of (H)the Water Gate, from [c]early morning until midday, in the presence of men and women, those who could understand; and [d]all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law. 4 Ezra the scribe stood at a wooden podium which they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right; and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam on his left. 5 Then Ezra opened (I)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 (J)stood up. 6 Then Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. And all the people answered, “(K)Amen, Amen!” with the raising of their hands; then (L)they kneeled down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. 7 Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites explained the Law to the people while the people remained in their place. 8 They read from the book, from the Law of God, [e]translating to give the sense so that they understood the reading.
This Day Is Holy
9 Then Nehemiah, who was the [f](M)governor, and Ezra (N)the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “(O)This day is holy to the Lord your God; (P)do not mourn or weep.” For all the people were weeping when they heard the words of the Law. 10 Then he said to them, “Go, eat the festival foods, drink the sweet drinks, and (Q)send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your [g]refuge.” 11 So the Levites silenced all the people, saying, “Be still, for the day is holy; do not be grieved.” 12 Then all the people went away to eat, drink, (R)to send portions, and to [h]celebrate a great feast, (S)because they understood the words which had been made known to them.
Feast of Booths Restored
13 Then on the second day the heads of fathers’ households of all the people, the priests, and the Levites were gathered to Ezra the scribe so that they might gain insight into the words of the Law. 14 And they found written in the Law how the Lord had commanded through Moses that the sons of Israel (T)were to live in [i]booths during the feast of the seventh month. 15 (U)And that they were to proclaim and circulate a proclamation in all their cities and (V)in Jerusalem, saying, “(W)Go out to the hills, and bring olive branches and [j]wild olive branches, myrtle branches, palm branches, and branches of other trees with thick branches, to make booths, as it is written.” 16 So the people went out and brought them and made booths for themselves, each (X)on his roof, and in their courtyards and in the courtyards of the house of God, and in the public square at (Y)the Water Gate, and in the square at (Z)the Gate of Ephraim. 17 The entire assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and lived in the booths. Indeed, the sons of Israel (AA)had not done so since the days of Joshua the son of Nun to that day. And (AB)there was very great rejoicing. 18 (AC)He read from the Book of the Law of God daily, from the first day to the last day. And they (AD)celebrated the feast seven days, and on (AE)the eighth day there was a festive assembly in accordance with the ordinance.
The People Confess Their Sin
9 Now on the twenty-fourth day of (AF)this month the sons of Israel assembled (AG)with fasting, in sackcloth and with (AH)dirt upon them. 2 The [k](AI)descendants of Israel separated themselves from all foreigners, and they stood and (AJ)confessed their sins and the wrongdoings of their fathers. 3 While (AK)they stood in their place, they read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a fourth of the day; and for another fourth they confessed and worshiped the Lord their God. 4 (AL)Now on the Levites’ platform stood Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani, and they cried out with a loud voice to the Lord their God.
5 Then the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah said, “Arise, bless the Lord your God forever and ever!
May Your glorious name be blessed
And exalted above all blessing and praise!
6 (AM)You alone are the Lord.
(AN)You have made the heavens,
The heaven of heavens with all their [l]lights,
The earth and everything that is on it,
The seas and everything that is in them.
(AO)You give life to all of them,
And the heavenly [m]lights bow down before You.
7 You are the Lord God,
(AP)Who chose Abram
And brought him out from (AQ)Ur of the Chaldees,
And (AR)gave him the name Abraham.
8 You found (AS)his heart faithful before You,
And made a covenant with him
To give him the land of the Canaanite,
Of the Hittite and the Amorite,
Of the Perizzite, the Jebusite, and the Girgashite—
To give it to his [n]descendants.
And You (AT)have fulfilled Your [o]promise,
Because You are righteous.
9 “(AU)You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt,
And (AV)heard their cry by the [p]Red Sea.
10 Then You performed (AW)signs and wonders against Pharaoh,
Against all his servants and all the people of his land;
For You knew that (AX)they acted arrogantly toward them,
And You (AY)made a name for Yourself as it is this day.
11 (AZ)You divided the sea before them,
So they passed through the midst of the sea on dry ground;
And You hurled (BA)their pursuers into the depths,
Like a stone into [q]raging waters.
12 And with a pillar of cloud (BB)You led them by day,
And with a pillar of fire by night
To light for them the way
In which they were to go.
13 Then (BC)You came down on Mount Sinai,
And (BD)spoke with them from heaven;
You gave them (BE)just ordinances and true laws,
Good statutes and commandments.
14 So You made known to them (BF)Your holy Sabbath,
And gave them commandments, statutes, and law,
Through Your servant Moses.
15 You (BG)provided bread from heaven for them for their hunger,
You (BH)brought out water from a rock for them for their thirst,
And You (BI)told them to enter in order to take possession of
The land which You [r]swore to give them.
16 “But they, our fathers, (BJ)acted arrogantly;
They [s](BK)became stubborn and would not listen to Your commandments.
17 They refused to listen,
And (BL)did not remember Your wondrous deeds which You performed among them;
So they became stubborn and (BM)appointed a leader to return to their slavery in [t]Egypt.
But You are a God (BN)of forgiveness,
Gracious and compassionate,
Slow to anger and abounding in [u]mercy;
And You did not abandon them.
18 Even when they (BO)made for themselves
A calf of cast metal
And said, ‘This is your [v]god
Who brought you up from Egypt,’
And committed great blasphemies,
19 (BP)You, in Your great compassion,
Did not abandon them in the wilderness;
(BQ)The pillar of cloud did not leave them by day,
To guide them on their way,
Nor the pillar of fire by night, to light for them the way in which they were to go.
20 Instead, (BR)You gave Your good Spirit to instruct them,
You did not withhold Your manna from their mouth,
And You gave them water for their thirst.
21 Indeed, for (BS)forty years You provided for them in the wilderness and they were not lacking;
Their clothes did not wear out, nor did their feet swell up.
Footnotes
- Nehemiah 8:1 Lit said to
- Nehemiah 8:1 Lit commanded
- Nehemiah 8:3 Lit the light
- Nehemiah 8:3 Lit the ears of all...were to
- Nehemiah 8:8 Or explaining
- Nehemiah 8:9 Heb Tirshatha, a Persian title
- Nehemiah 8:10 Or stronghold
- Nehemiah 8:12 Lit make a great rejoicing
- Nehemiah 8:14 I.e., huts, also called tabernacles
- Nehemiah 8:15 Lit oil tree, species unknown
- Nehemiah 9:2 Lit seed
- Nehemiah 9:6 Lit host; i.e., sun, stars, etc.
- Nehemiah 9:6 Lit host; i.e., sun, stars, etc.
- Nehemiah 9:8 Lit seed
- Nehemiah 9:8 Lit words
- Nehemiah 9:9 Lit Sea of Reeds
- Nehemiah 9:11 Lit strong, mighty
- Nehemiah 9:15 Lit lifted up Your hand
- Nehemiah 9:16 Lit stiffened their neck; so also v 17
- Nehemiah 9:17 As in LXX and some Heb mss; MT their rebellion
- Nehemiah 9:17 Or faithfulness
- Nehemiah 9:18 Or God; i.e., an idol intended to represent God
Nehemiah 7:73-9:21
New Living Translation
73 So the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the Temple servants, and some of the common people settled near Jerusalem. The rest of the people returned to their own towns throughout Israel.
Ezra Reads the Law
In October,[a] when the Israelites had settled in their towns, 8 1 all the people assembled with a unified purpose at the square just inside the Water Gate. They asked Ezra the scribe to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had given for Israel to obey.
2 So on October 8[b] Ezra the priest brought the Book of the Law before the assembly, which included the men and women and all the children old enough to understand. 3 He faced the square just inside the Water Gate from early morning until noon and read aloud to everyone who could understand. All the people listened closely to the Book of the Law.
4 Ezra the scribe stood on a high wooden platform that had been made for the occasion. To his right stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah. To his left stood Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam. 5 Ezra stood on the platform in full view of all the people. When they saw him open the book, they all rose to their feet.
6 Then Ezra praised the Lord, the great God, and all the people chanted, “Amen! Amen!” as they lifted their hands. Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
7 The Levites—Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah—then instructed the people in the Law while everyone remained in their places. 8 They read from the Book of the Law of God and clearly explained the meaning of what was being read, helping the people understand each passage.
9 Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were interpreting for the people said to them, “Don’t mourn or weep on such a day as this! For today is a sacred day before the Lord your God.” For the people had all been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.
10 And Nehemiah[c] continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!”
11 And the Levites, too, quieted the people, telling them, “Hush! Don’t weep! For this is a sacred day.” 12 So the people went away to eat and drink at a festive meal, to share gifts of food, and to celebrate with great joy because they had heard God’s words and understood them.
The Festival of Shelters
13 On October 9[d] the family leaders of all the people, together with the priests and Levites, met with Ezra the scribe to go over the Law in greater detail. 14 As they studied the Law, they discovered that the Lord had commanded through Moses that the Israelites should live in shelters during the festival to be held that month.[e] 15 He had said that a proclamation should be made throughout their towns and in Jerusalem, telling the people to go to the hills to get branches from olive, wild olive,[f] myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees. They were to use these branches to make shelters in which they would live during the festival, as prescribed in the Law.
16 So the people went out and cut branches and used them to build shelters on the roofs of their houses, in their courtyards, in the courtyards of God’s Temple, or in the squares just inside the Water Gate and the Ephraim Gate. 17 So everyone who had returned from captivity lived in these shelters during the festival, and they were all filled with great joy! The Israelites had not celebrated like this since the days of Joshua[g] son of Nun.
18 Ezra read from the Book of the Law of God on each of the seven days of the festival. Then on the eighth day they held a solemn assembly, as was required by law.
The People Confess Their Sins
9 On October 31[h] the people assembled again, and this time they fasted and dressed in burlap and sprinkled dust on their heads. 2 Those of Israelite descent separated themselves from all foreigners as they confessed their own sins and the sins of their ancestors. 3 They remained standing in place for three hours[i] while the Book of the Law of the Lord their God was read aloud to them. Then for three more hours they confessed their sins and worshiped the Lord their God. 4 The Levites—Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Kenani—stood on the stairway of the Levites and cried out to the Lord their God with loud voices.
5 Then the leaders of the Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah—called out to the people: “Stand up and praise the Lord your God, for he lives from everlasting to everlasting!” Then they prayed:
“May your glorious name be praised! May it be exalted above all blessing and praise!
6 “You alone are the Lord. You made the skies and the heavens and all the stars. You made the earth and the seas and everything in them. You preserve them all, and the angels of heaven worship you.
7 “You are the Lord God, who chose Abram and brought him from Ur of the Chaldeans and renamed him Abraham. 8 When he had proved himself faithful, you made a covenant with him to give him and his descendants the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites, and Girgashites. And you have done what you promised, for you are always true to your word.
9 “You saw the misery of our ancestors in Egypt, and you heard their cries from beside the Red Sea.[j] 10 You displayed miraculous signs and wonders against Pharaoh, his officials, and all his people, for you knew how arrogantly they were treating our ancestors. You have a glorious reputation that has never been forgotten. 11 You divided the sea for your people so they could walk through on dry land! And then you hurled their enemies into the depths of the sea. They sank like stones beneath the mighty waters. 12 You led our ancestors by a pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night so that they could find their way.
13 “You came down at Mount Sinai and spoke to them from heaven. You gave them regulations and instructions that were just, and decrees and commands that were good. 14 You instructed them concerning your holy Sabbath. And you commanded them, through Moses your servant, to obey all your commands, decrees, and instructions.
15 “You gave them bread from heaven when they were hungry and water from the rock when they were thirsty. You commanded them to go and take possession of the land you had sworn to give them.
16 “But our ancestors were proud and stubborn, and they paid no attention to your commands. 17 They refused to obey and did not remember the miracles you had done for them. Instead, they became stubborn and appointed a leader to take them back to their slavery in Egypt.[k] But you are a God of forgiveness, gracious and merciful, slow to become angry, and rich in unfailing love. You did not abandon them, 18 even when they made an idol shaped like a calf and said, ‘This is your god who brought you out of Egypt!’ They committed terrible blasphemies.
19 “But in your great mercy you did not abandon them to die in the wilderness. The pillar of cloud still led them forward by day, and the pillar of fire showed them the way through the night. 20 You sent your good Spirit to instruct them, and you did not stop giving them manna from heaven or water for their thirst. 21 For forty years you sustained them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out, and their feet did not swell!
Footnotes
- 7:73 Hebrew In the seventh month. This month of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar occurred within the months of October and November 445 B.c.
- 8:2 Hebrew on the first day of the seventh month, of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar. This day was October 8, 445 B.c.; also see note on 1:1.
- 8:10 Hebrew he.
- 8:13 Hebrew On the second day, of the seventh month of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar. This day was October 9, 445 B.c.; also see notes on 1:1 and 8:2.
- 8:14 Hebrew in the seventh month. This month of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar usually occurs within the months of September and October. See Lev 23:39-43.
- 8:15 Or pine; Hebrew reads oil tree.
- 8:17 Hebrew Jeshua, a variant spelling of Joshua.
- 9:1 Hebrew On the twenty-fourth day of that same month, the seventh month of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar. This day was October 31, 445 B.c.; also see notes on 1:1 and 8:2.
- 9:3 Hebrew for a quarter of a day.
- 9:9 Hebrew sea of reeds.
- 9:17 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads in their rebellion.
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Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
