Read the Bible

¹ And all the people gathered as one man into the plaza before the Water Gate. And they spoke to Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses, which Jehovah had commanded to Israel.² And Ezra the priest brought the Law before the congregation, both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, on the first day of the seventh month.³ And he read in it before the plaza before the Water Gate, from the morning until noon, before the men and the women, and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people listened to the Book of the Law.⁴ And Ezra the scribe stood on a pulpit of wood which they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and Anaiah, and Urijah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand were Pedaiah, and Mishael,and Malchiah, and Hashum, and Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam.⁵ And Ezra opened the book to the eyes of all the people, for he was above all the people. And when he opened it, all the people stood up.⁶ And Ezra blessed Jehovah, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, lifting up their hands. And they bowed and worshiped to Jehovah with their noses to the ground.⁷ And Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the Law. And the people were in their place.⁸ And they read aloud clearly in the Book of the Law of God, and they gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.

⁹ And Nehemiah the governor, and Ezra the priest, the scribe, and the Levites who taught the people, said to all the people, This day is holy to Jehovah your God. Do not mourn or weep, For allthe people wept when they heard the Wordsof the Law.¹⁰ Then he said to them, Go eat the fat, and drink of the sweet, and send portions to him for whom nothing is prepared. For this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of Jehovah is your fortress.¹¹ And the Levites were silencing all the people, saying, Be quiet, for today is holy, and do not be grieved.¹² And all the people went to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the Words which were made known to them.

¹³ And on the second day the chief of the fathers of all the people, the priests, and the Levites, were gathered to Ezra the scribe even to ponder the Words of the Law.¹⁴ And they found written in the Law which Jehovah had commanded by Moses, that the sons of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh month:¹⁵ and that they should make heard and cause to pass the call in all their cities, and in Jerusalem, saying, Go forth to the mountain and bring olive leaves and wild olive leaves, and myrtle leaves, and leaves of palm, and leaves of thick trees, to make booths, as it is written.¹⁶ And the people went out and brought in, and made booths for themselves, each man on his roof and in their courts, and in the courts of the house of God, and in the plaza of the Water Gate, and in the plaza of the Ephraim Gate.¹⁷ And all the congregation of those who had come again out of the captivity made booths, and sat under the booths. For since the days of Joshua the son of Nun until that day, the sons of Israel had not done so. And there was very great gladness.¹⁸ Also day by day, from the first day until the last day, he read in the Book of the Law of God. And they performed the feast seven days, and on the eighth day was an assembly according to the Law.