Nehemiah 8

Ezra's Readiness and Blessing Nehemiah 8:4–6

⁴Verse 4. Ezra the scribe stood on a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam. ⁵Verse 5. Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people (for he was above all the people), and when he opened it, all the people stood up. ⁶Verse 6. Then Ezra blessed Yahweh, the great God. All the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” with the lifting up of their hands. They bowed their heads, and worshiped Yahweh with their faces to the ground.

Understanding the Law Nehemiah 8:7–9

⁷Verse 7. Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law; and the people stayed in their place. ⁸Verse 8. They read in the book, in the law of God, distinctly; and they gave the sense, so that they understood the reading. ⁹Verse 9. Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people, said to all the people, “Today is holy to Yahweh your God. Don’t mourn, nor weep.” For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law.

Joy in God's Strength Nehemiah 8:10–12

¹⁰Verse 10. Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to him for whom nothing is prepared, for today is holy to our Lord. Don’t be grieved, for the joy of Yahweh is your strength.” ¹¹Verse 11. So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Hold your peace, for the day is holy. Don’t be grieved.” ¹²Verse 12. All the people went their way to eat, to drink, to send portions, and to celebrate, because they had understood the words that were declared to them.

Celebrating the Feast of Booths Nehemiah 8:13–17

¹³Verse 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. ¹⁴Verse 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; ¹⁵Verse 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, as it is written.”

¹⁶Verse 16. So the people went out, and brought them, and made themselves temporary shelters, 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. ¹⁷Verse 17. All the assembly of those who had come back out of the captivity made temporary shelters, and lived in the booths; for since the days of Jeshua the son of Nun to that day the children of Israel had not done so. There was very great gladness.

Ongoing Reading and Assembly Nehemiah 8:18

¹⁸Verse 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.