Ezra Reads God's Law to the People
1-2 On the first day of the seventh month, the people came together in the open area in front of the Water Gate. Then they asked Ezra, who was a teacher of the Law of Moses, to read to them from this Law that the Lord had given his people. Ezra the priest came with the Law and stood before the crowd of men, women, and the children who were old enough to understand. 3 From early morning till noon, he read the Law of Moses to them, and they listened carefully. 4 Ezra stood on a high wooden platform that had been built for this occasion. Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah were standing to his right, while Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hash Baddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam were standing to his left.
5 Ezra was up on the high platform, where he could be seen by everyone, and when he opened the book, all the people stood up. 6 Ezra praised the great Lord God, and they lifted their hands, shouting “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed with their faces to the ground and worshiped the Lord.
7-8 After this, the Levites Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah went among the people, explaining the meaning of what Ezra had read.
9 The people started crying when God's Law was read to them. Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher, and the Levites who had been teaching the people all said, “This is a special day for the Lord your God. So don't be sad and don't cry!”
10 Nehemiah told the people, “Enjoy your good food and wine and share some with those who didn't have anything to bring. Don't be sad! This is a special day for the Lord, and he will make you happy and strong.”
11 The Levites encouraged the people by saying, “This is a sacred day, so don't worry or mourn!” 12 When the people returned to their homes, they celebrated by eating and drinking and by sharing their food with those in need, because they had understood what had been read to them.
Celebrating the Festival of Shelters
13 On the second day of the seventh month, the leaders of all the family groups came together with the priests and the Levites, so Ezra could teach them the Law 14 that the Lord had given to Moses. They learned from the Law that the people of Israel were to live in shelters when they celebrated the festival in the seventh month of the year. 15 They also learned that they were to go into the woods and gather branches of leafy trees such as olives, myrtles, and palms for making these shelters.
16 So the people gathered branches and made shelters on the flat roofs of their houses, in their yards, in the courtyard of the temple, and in the open areas around the Water Gate and Ephraim Gate. 17 Everyone who had returned from Babylonia built shelters. They lived in them and joyfully celebrated the Festival of Shelters for the first time since the days of Joshua son of Nun. 18 On each of the first seven days of the festival, Ezra read to the people from God's Law. Then on the eighth day, everyone gathered for worship, just as the Law had said they must.
Esra ma resere otjiwaṋa Embo rOmatwako
1 Momueze outjahambombari Ovaisrael avehe tjandje va tura movirongo vyawo. Meyuva etenga romueze mbo avehe va woronganena mOjerusalem morupare komurungu wOmuvero wOmeva. Owo va ningira Esra, onongo yomatwako kutja a kaete Embo rOmatwako Muhona nga yandjere ku Israel notjinyo tja Moses. 2 Esra, omupristeri, otja eta indi Embo rOmatwako poṋa pu pa woronganena otjiwaṋa, okutja ovarumendu novakazendu novanatje mbe kura, nu mba yenena okuzuva nawa. 3 Eye we ve resera indi Embo rOmatwako imbo morupare pOmuvero wOmeva okuza komuhuka omunene nga mutenya; navehe va puratena nawa tjinene.
4 Esra wa kuramene kotjikurameno tjomuti tji tja tungirirwa otjiungura hi. Ovarumendu mba kuramene posi ye kokunene kwe va ri Matitja na Sema na Anaja na Urija na Hilkija na Maaseja; nu imba mba kuramene posi ye kokumuho kwe va ri Pedaja na Misael na Malkija na Hasum na Hasbadana na Sakaria na Mesulam.
5 Esra wa kurama kotjikurameno a tongama kombanda yovandu, avehe tjandje mave tara ku ye. Mokamanga eye tja paturura Embo rOmatwako avehe otji va sekama. 6 Nu Esra wa tja nai: “Tangeye Muhona, Ndjambi omunene!”
Novandu avehe va yera omaoko meyuru nave ziri ave tja: “Amen! Amen!” Owo va wa kozongoro amave rikotamene, tjandje omirungu vyawo mavi tara mehi.
7 Nu arire tji va sekama nave kurama motuveze twawo, nOvalevi mbe ve handjaurira omatwako, owo mba: OoJesua na Bani na Serebja na Jamin na Akub na Sabetai na Hodija na Maaseja na Kelita na Asarja na Josabad na Hanan na Pelaja. 8 Owo va toroka omatwako wa Ndjambi mOtjiaramei, nave ye handjaura kutja otjiwaṋa tji zuve nawa.
9 Notjiwaṋa tji tja zuva Omatwako tja hihamwa omitima natji riri. Nehemia, ngwa ri ongooneya, na Esra, omupristeri nonongo yOmatwako, nOvalevi mbaa ve handjaura Omatwako, otji va raera nai kotjiwaṋa: “Eyuva ndi oro eyapuke ku Muhona, Ndjambi weṋu; amu ṱoruhoze, nu amu riri. 10 Nambano yarukeye kozoyeṋu mu katjite omukandi. Kahaṋasaneye ovikurya nomavinu weṋu na imba mbe hi na mbya yenene, tjinga ndinondi eri eyuva eyapuke ku Muhona, Ndjambi wetu; amu kurungisiwa namuṱoruhoze. Ondjoroka Muhona ndji me mu pe mai mu pe omasa.”
11 Ovalevi va ryanga okuhuhumiṋa ovandu nave ve raere kutja ave ha kurungisiwa nokuṱoruhoze meyuva eyapuke otja indi. 12 Novandu avehe va yaruka kozoyawo, ave karya nokunwa nondjoroka, nave kahaṋasana novakwao imbi mbi va ri na vyo, tjinga ava zuva nawa imbi mbi va resere rwe.
Omukandi wOviranda vyOmaso
13 Mependukirwa raindo oviuru vyozonganda puna ovapristeri nOvalevi va ya ku Esra, onongo yOmatwako, kutja ve kerihonge omahongero womatwako. 14 Owo va muna kutja Omatwako Muhona nga yandja notjinyo tja Moses ya rakiza kutja Ovaisrael ve kare moviranda vyomaso moruveze rOmukandi wOviranda vyOmaso. 15 Otji va hinda omaraerero akuhe mOjerusalem na movihuro na movirongo ovikwao, ngu maye tja nai: “Twendeye kozondunda mu kaete otutavi twovindombo notwomiṋinga notwomimbango notwomavare notwomiti vyarwe, tu ungure oviranda otja komaraerero nga tjangwa mEmbo rOmatwako.”
16 Otjiwaṋa otji tja kaeta otutavi natji tungu oviranda komitutu vyozondjuwo morupanda rwondjuwo ya Muhona, na motupare twopOmuvero wOmeva na pOmuvero wa Efraim. 17 Ovandu avehe mba kotokere okuza kouhuura va tunga oviranda nave tura mu vyo. Ihi tja ri otjikando otjitenga okutjitwa nao okuza komayuva wa Josua, omuzandu wa Nun; novandu avehe va nyanda nave yoroka. 18 Okuza keyuva ndi etenga romukandi nga ku indi esenina owo va resa orukondwa rumwe rwEmbo rOmatwako wa Ndjambi, eyuva arihe peke. Va nyanda oure womayuva hambombari, nu eyuva oritjahambondatu ra ri eyuva rombongarero potjouyapuke otja tji pa tjangwa mEmbo rOmatwako.
