The Daily Audio Bible
8 all the people gathered together(A) at the square in front of the Water Gate.(B) They asked the scribe Ezra(C) to bring the book of the law of Moses(D) that the Lord had given Israel. 2 On the first day of the seventh month,(E) the priest Ezra(F) brought the law(G) before the assembly of men, women, and all who could listen with understanding. 3 While he was facing the square in front of the Water Gate,(H) he read out of it from daybreak until noon before the men, the women, and those who could understand. All the people listened attentively[a] to the book of the law.(I) 4 The scribe Ezra stood on a high wooden platform(J) made for this purpose. Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah stood beside him on his right; to his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hash-baddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam. 5 Ezra opened the book in full view of all the people, since he was elevated above everyone. As he opened it, all the people stood up. 6 Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and with their hands uplifted(K) all the people said, “Amen, Amen!” (L) Then they knelt low and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.(M)
7 Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah,(N) who were Levites,[b](O) explained the law(P) to the people as they stood in their places. 8 They read out of the book of the law of God, translating and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was read. 9 Nehemiah the governor,(Q) Ezra the priest and scribe,(R) and the Levites who were instructing the people said to all of them, “This day(S) is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.”(T) For all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the law. 10 Then he said to them, “Go and eat what is rich, drink what is sweet, and send portions to those who have nothing prepared,(U) since today(V) is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, because the joy of the Lord is your strength.”[c](W) 11 And the Levites quieted all the people, saying, “Be still,(X) since today(Y) is holy. Don’t grieve.” 12 Then all the people began to eat and drink, send portions, and have a great celebration,(Z) because they had understood the words that were explained to them.
Festival of Shelters Observed
13 On the second day, the family heads of all the people, along with the priests and Levites,(AA) assembled before the scribe Ezra(AB) 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.(AC) 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.”(AD) 16 The people went out, brought back branches, and made shelters for themselves on each of their rooftops(AE) and courtyards, the court of the house of God, the square by the Water Gate,(AF) and the square by the Ephraim Gate.(AG) 17 The whole community that had returned from exile(AH) made shelters and lived in them. The Israelites had not celebrated like this from the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day.(AI) And there was tremendous joy.(AJ) 18 Ezra[d] read out of the book of the law of God(AK) 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.(AL)
National Confession of Sin
9 On the twenty-fourth day of this month(AM) the Israelites assembled; they were fasting, wearing sackcloth, and had put dust on their heads.(AN) 2 Those of Israelite descent separated themselves from all foreigners,(AO) and they stood(AP) and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their ancestors.(AQ) 3 While they stood in their places,(AR) they read from the book of the law of the Lord their God for a fourth of the day and spent another fourth of the day(AS) in confession(AT) and worship of the Lord their God. 4 Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani stood on the raised platform built for the Levites(AU) and cried out loudly to the Lord their God. 5 Then the Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah(AV)—said, “Stand up. Blessed be the Lord your God from everlasting to everlasting.”(AW)
Blessed be your glorious name,(AX)
and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise.
6 You,[e] Lord, are the only God.[f](AY)
You created the heavens,
the highest heavens with all their stars,
the earth and all that is on it,
the seas and all that is in them.
You give life to all of them,(AZ)
and all the stars of heaven worship you.(BA)
7 You, the Lord,
are the God who chose Abram
and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans,(BB)
and changed his name to Abraham.(BC)
8 You found his heart faithful in your sight,(BD)
and made a covenant with him
to give the land of the Canaanites,
Hethites, Amorites, Perizzites,
Jebusites, and Girgashites—
to give it to his descendants.(BE)
You have fulfilled your promise,
for you are righteous.
9 You saw the oppression of our ancestors in Egypt(BF)
and heard their cry at the Red Sea.
10 You performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh,
all his officials, and all the people of his land,(BG)
for you knew how arrogantly they treated our ancestors.
You made a name for yourself
that endures to this day.
11 You divided the sea before them,
and they crossed through it on dry ground.(BH)
You hurled their pursuers into the depths
like a stone into raging water.(BI)
12 You led them with a pillar of cloud by day,
and with a pillar of fire by night,
to illuminate the way they should go.(BJ)
13 You came down on Mount Sinai,(BK)
and spoke to them from heaven.
You gave them impartial ordinances, reliable instructions,
and good statutes and commands.
14 You revealed your holy Sabbath to them,
and gave them commands, statutes, and instruction
through your servant Moses.(BL)
15 You provided bread from heaven(BM) for their hunger;
you brought them water from the rock(BN) for their thirst.
You told them to go in and possess the land
you had sworn[g] to give them.(BO)
16 But our ancestors acted arrogantly;
they became stiff-necked and did not listen to your commands.
17 They refused to listen
and did not remember your wonders
you performed among them.(BP)
They became stiff-necked and appointed a leader
to return to their slavery in Egypt.[h](BQ)
But you are a forgiving God,
gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in faithful love,(BR)
and you did not abandon them.
18 Even after they had cast an image of a calf
for themselves and said,
“This is your god who brought you out of Egypt,”(BS)
and they had committed terrible blasphemies,
19 you did not abandon them in the wilderness
because of your great compassion.
During the day the pillar of cloud
never turned away from them,
guiding them on their journey.
And during the night the pillar of fire
illuminated the way they should go.(BT)
20 You sent your good Spirit(BU) to instruct them.
You did not withhold your manna(BV) from their mouths,
and you gave them water for their thirst.(BW)
21 You provided for them in the wilderness forty years,(BX)
and they lacked nothing.
Their clothes did not wear out,
and their feet did not swell.(BY)
Paul’s Example as an Apostle
9 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? 2 If I am not an apostle to others, at least I am to you, because you are the seal(A) of my apostleship in the Lord.
3 My defense to those who examine me is this: 4 Don’t we have the right to eat and drink?(B) 5 Don’t we have the right to be accompanied by a believing wife[a] like the other apostles,(C) the Lord’s brothers, and Cephas?(D) 6 Or do only Barnabas(E) and I have no right to refrain from working? 7 Who serves as a soldier at his own expense?(F) Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its fruit? Or who shepherds a flock and does not drink the milk from the flock?
8 Am I saying this from a human perspective? Doesn’t the law also say the same thing? 9 For it is written in the law of Moses, Do not muzzle an ox(G) while it treads out grain.[b](H) Is God really concerned about oxen? 10 Isn’t he really saying it for our sake? Yes, this is written for our sake,(I) because he who plows ought to plow in hope,(J) and he who threshes should thresh in hope of sharing the crop.(K) 11 If we have sown spiritual things for you, is it too much if we reap material benefits from you? 12 If others have this right to receive benefits from you, don’t we even more? Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right; instead, we endure everything(L) so that we will not hinder the gospel of Christ.
13 Don’t you know that those who perform the temple services eat the food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar(M) share in the offerings of the altar? 14 In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should earn their living by the gospel.(N)
15 For my part I have used none of these rights, nor have I written these things that they may be applied in my case. For it would be better for me to die than for anyone to deprive me of my boast! 16 For if I preach the gospel, I have no reason to boast, because I am compelled to preach[c]—and woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! 17 For if I do this willingly, I have a reward, but if unwillingly, I am entrusted(O) with a commission. 18 What then is my reward? To preach the gospel and offer it free of charge and not make full use of my rights in the gospel.(P)
12 Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord—
the people he has chosen to be his own possession!(A)
13 The Lord looks down from heaven;
he observes everyone.(B)
14 He gazes on all the inhabitants of the earth
from his dwelling place.(C)
15 He forms the hearts of them all;
he considers all their works.(D)
16 A king is not saved by a large army;
a warrior will not be rescued by great strength.(E)
17 The horse is a false hope for safety;
it provides no escape by its great power.(F)
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