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Festival of Booths

13 On the second day the heads of the families[a] of all the people, the priests, and the Levites gathered together to Ezra the scribe to study the words of the law.[b] 14 They found written in the law,[c] which Yahweh had commanded by the hand of Moses, that the Israelites[d] should live in booths during the festival of the seventh month, 15 and that they should proclaim and give voice in all of their cities in Jerusalem, saying, “Go out to the hill and bring olive tree branches, olive oil wood branches, myrtle shrub branches, palm tree branches, and other leafy tree branches to make booths, as it is written.” 16 So the people went out and brought them and made booths for themselves, each on his roof, in their courtyards, in the courtyards of the house of God, in the public square of the Water Gate, and in the public square of the Gate of Ephraim. 17 And all of the assembly of those who returned from captivity made booths and lived in the booths because the Israelites[e] had not done it from the days of Jeshua son of Nun until that day. And there was very great joy. 18 And he read from the scroll of the law[f] of God day by day from the first day up to the last day. They celebrated the festival for seven days, and on the eighth day there was an assembly according to the rule.

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Footnotes

  1. Nehemiah 8:13 Literally “fathers”
  2. Nehemiah 8:13 Hebrew torah
  3. Nehemiah 8:14 Hebrew torah
  4. Nehemiah 8:14 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  5. Nehemiah 8:17 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  6. Nehemiah 8:18 Hebrew torah

The Festival of Booths Celebrated

13 On the second day the heads of ancestral 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 that the Israelites should live in booths[a] during the festival of the seventh month(A) 15 and that they should publish and proclaim in all their towns and in Jerusalem as follows, “Go out to the hills and bring branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees to make booths,[b] as it is written.”(B) 16 So the people went out and brought them and made booths[c] for themselves, each on the roofs of their houses, and in their courts and in the courts of the house of God, and in the square at the Water Gate and in the square at the Gate of Ephraim.(C) 17 And all the assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths[d] and lived in them, for from the days of Jeshua son of Nun to that day the Israelites had not done so. And there was very great rejoicing.(D) 18 And day by day, from the first day to the last day, Ezra[e] read from the book of the law of God. They kept the festival seven days, and on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly, according to the ordinance.(E)

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Footnotes

  1. 8.14 Or tabernacles
  2. 8.15 Or tabernacles
  3. 8.16 Or tabernacles
  4. 8.17 Or tabernacles
  5. 8.18 Heb he