圣经In the seventh month, the Israelites lived in their own cities. At that time, they gathered like one person in front of the water gate, inviting the scribe Ezra to bring the book of the law that the Lord had passed down to the Israelites through Moses.
On the first day of the seventh month, the priest Ezra brought the Book of the Law to the assembly of men and women who could understand it.
Read this book of the law in front of all men and women, and all those who hear and understand it, from early morning until noon, in the spacious area in front of the water gate. The people listened attentively.
The scribe Ezra stood on a wooden platform specially prepared for this matter. Mattathiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah stood on his right side. Padaiah, Mishali, Machiah, Hashun, Hobadana, Zechariah, and Mishullam stood on his left side.
Ezra stood above the people and opened this book in front of them. As soon as he unfolded, all the people stood up.
Ezra praises the Lord, the great God. All the people raised their hands and answered, saying, Amen, Amen. They lowered their heads and bowed to the ground, worshipping the Lord.
Jeshua, Bani, Shelabi, Jamin, Akkul, Shabitai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites made the people understand the law. The people are all standing in their own place.
They read the Book of God’s Law clearly, explaining the meaning and making the people understand what they are reading.
The governor Nehemiah and the priest Ezra, as well as the Levites who taught the people, said to all the people, ‘Today is the holy day of the Lord your God, do not mourn or cry.’. This is because all the people cried when they heard the words in the Book of the Law.
And he said to them, Go eat the fat and drink the sweet, and if there is anything that cannot be prepared, give it to him. Because today is our Lord’s holy day. Do not be sorrowful, for the joy obtained through the Lord is your strength.
So the Levites caused all the people to remain silent, saying, Today is a holy day. Don’t be silent, and don’t worry.
All the people went to eat and drink, and were given to others, greatly joyful because they understood the words that were taught them.
The next day, the heads of the people’s families, priests, and Levites gathered to Ezra the scribe to pay attention to the words of the law.
They saw that it was written in the law, ‘The Lord commanded the Israelites through Moses to live in tents during the seventh month festival.’,
And they shall proclaim and report in every city and Jerusalem, saying, Go up to the mountain, and take the branches of the olive tree, the wild olive tree, the pomegranate tree, the palm tree, and all kinds of dense trees, and build tents according to the writing.
So the people went out and took branches, and each person built a tent on their own roof, or in the courtyard, or in the courtyard of the temple, or in the wide area of the water gate, or in the wide area of the Ephraim gate.
The whole assembly that returned from the land of captivity set up tents and lived in them. From the time of Joshua the son of Nun until this day, the Israelites did not do this. So everyone was overjoyed.
From the first day until the last day, Ezra read the law of God every day. Everyone will observe the festival for seven days, and on the eighth day, there will be a serious meeting as usual.
