Ezra reads Jewish laws to a crowd
1Jews met at Water Gate one day, early in the autumn month of Tishri. [1] They came to hear a scholar [2] teach them the Laws of Moses. They had invited him to come and read aloud the book of laws that God gave Moses to write.2Ezra, who was also a priest, read the Law to all the people so they could hear for themselves what God wanted them to do. Ezra read this on the first day of the month. 3He read all morning, with his back to Water Gate and his face toward people in the courtyard. He started early and didn’t stop until noon.
4Ezra stood on a platform someone had built for the occasion. Thirteen men [3] stood with him. Six on his right side: Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah. Seven on his left: Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hash-baddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam.
5Everyone could see Ezra standing there on the raised platform. When he opened the book, everyone stood. 6Ezra praised the great God in a prayer of thanks. The people raised their hands and said, “Yes. Amen.” They bowed low with their faces to the ground as expressions of worship and respect for the LORD. [4]
7These Levites helped the people understand [5] what Ezra read: Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah. The people stayed where they were the whole time.
8Levite read from the Law again, [6] this time adding explanations. They helped the people understand what the Law meant.
Jewish crowd erupts into crying
9As the people listened to the Law and began to understand it, they started crying. [7] Nehemiah the governor tried to calm them, with the help of Ezra the priest and scholar, along with the scribes. They told the crowd, “Don’t be sad about this. Don’t cry. This is a holy day—a day we’ve set aside to spend time with the LORD our God.”10Nehemiah told them, “You need to eat something. Go and eat a good meal—good food with sweet drinks. Share some with others who need it. This isn’t a day for mourning. It’s a holy day to celebrate what the LORD our God means to us. Doing this will make us stronger.” [8]
11Levites moved among the crowd saying, “Quiet down. Stop crying. This isn’t a day to be sad. This is a holy day because we’re devoting ourselves to the LORD.” 12So, the people left to get something to eat and drink. They shared food with others, too. And before long the whole town was celebrating—happy because they understood the Law.
Camping: festival of Ttemporary shelters
13The next day, the scholar Ezra met with family leaders, priests, and Levites. They studied the Jewish laws together. 14They read one law that said they were supposed to celebrate a sacred festival this month, the one-week Festival of Temporary Shelters. [9]15The law said they should give these instructions to all Jews in Jerusalem and their outlying towns: “Go outside and collect leafy tree branches, such as myrtle and palm. Use them to make temporary shelters for your families, like the law says you’re to do.”
16So, that’s what the people did. They built those little shelters on flat rooftops of their homes, in their courtyards, in the courtyards of the Temple, Water Gate leading into the city, and Ephraim Gate. 17All the Jews who came back from exile did it. They made shelters and lived in them for a week. People of Israel had been doing that since the time of Joshua son of Nun. The Jews enjoyed their week of celebration.
18Every day of that week, Ezra read them excerpts from the Law of God. On the eighth day, the people met together for a time of worship, as the Law instructed. [10]
