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 ^(A)were to live in ^[a]booths during the feast of the seventh month. ^15 (B)And that they were to proclaim and circulate a proclamation in all their cities and ^(C)in Jerusalem, saying, “^(D)Go out to the hills, and bring olive branches and ^[b]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 ^(E)on his roof, and in their courtyards and in the courtyards of the house of God, and in the public square at ^(F)the Water Gate, and in the square at ^(G)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 ^(H)had not done so since the days of Joshua the son of Nun to that day. And ^(I)there was very great rejoicing. ^18 (J)He read from the Book of the Law of God daily, from the first day to the last day. And they ^(K)celebrated the feast seven days, and on ^(L)the eighth day there was a festive assembly in accordance with the ordinance.