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13 On the second day, the heads of fathers’ households of all the people, the priests, and the Levites were gathered together to Ezra the scribe, to study the words of the law. 14 They found written in the law how Yahweh 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 out to the mountain, and get olive branches, branches of wild olive, myrtle branches, palm branches, and branches of thick trees, to make temporary shelters,[a] as it is written.”

16 So the people went out, and brought them, and made themselves temporary shelters,[b] everyone on the roof of his house, in their courts, in the courts of God’s house, in the wide place of the water gate, and in the wide place of Ephraim’s gate. 17 All the assembly of those who had come back out of the captivity made temporary shelters,[c] and lived in the temporary shelters; for since the days of Joshua the son of Nun to that day the children of Israel had not done so. There was very great gladness. 18 Also day by day, from the first day to the last day, he read in the book of the law of God. They kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according to the ordinance.

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Footnotes

  1. 8:15 or, booths
  2. 8:16 or, booths
  3. 8:17 or, booths

Festival of Shelters Observed

13 On the second day, the family heads of all the people, along with the priests and Levites,(A) assembled before the scribe Ezra(B) to study the words of the law. 14 They found written in the law how the Lord had commanded through Moses that the Israelites should dwell in shelters during the festival of the seventh month.(C) 15 So they proclaimed and spread this news throughout their towns and in Jerusalem, saying, “Go out to the hill country and bring back branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees to make shelters, just as it is written.”(D) 16 The people went out, brought back branches, and made shelters for themselves on each of their rooftops(E) and courtyards, the court of the house of God, the square by the Water Gate,(F) and the square by the Ephraim Gate.(G) 17 The whole community that had returned from exile(H) made shelters and lived in them. The Israelites had not celebrated like this from the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day.(I) And there was tremendous joy.(J) 18 Ezra[a] read out of the book of the law of God(K) every day, from the first day to the last. The Israelites celebrated the festival for seven days, and on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly, according to the ordinance.(L)

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Footnotes

  1. 8:18 Some Hb mss, Syr read They