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 ta leshele oshigwana ompango
1 Mesiku lyotango lyomwedhi omutiheyali oshigwana ashihe osha gongala muJerusalem mehalandjandja lyopOsheelo shomeya. Oya pula omuyambi nomunongompango Esra, a ka tale embo lyompango ndjoka Omuwa e yi pele Aaisraeli ye endele muMoses.
2 Esra okwe li eta moshigongi shaantu mboka ya gongala — aasamane naakulukadhi naanona mboka ye na omimvo dha gwana noyu uvite ko. 3 Mehalandjandja lyopOsheelo shomeya okwe ya leshele mompango okuza kepito lyetango sigo omoshanga shomutenya, noyo ayehe oya pulakene yi itula mo.
4 Esra okwa li a thikama komutuni gwiipilangi ngoka gwa li gwa tungilwa ompumbwe ndjoka. Mboka ya li ya thikama kolulyo lwe, oyo Mattitia, Shema, Anaia, Uria, Hilkia naMaaseia; naamboka ya li ya thikama kolumoho lwe, oyo Pedaia, Mishael, Malkija, Hashum, Hashbaddana, Sakaria naMeshullam.
5 Esra sho a thikama komutuni puule pombanda, aantu oya li ye mu nzanena mo omeho. Oya thikama mbala, sho a yanuna embo. 6 Esra okwa ti: “Hambeleleni Omuwa, Kalunga omunene!”
Aantu ayehe oya yelutha omaako gawo mombanda e taa yamukula taa ti: “Amen! Amen!” Oya tsu oongolo yi inyongamena pevi e taa galikana.
7 Nena oya galuka e taa thikama pomahala gawo. Aalevi mbaka ye ya fatululile ompango: Jeshua, Bani, Sherebia, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbetai, Hodia, Maaseia, Kelita, Azaria, Josabad, Hanan naPelaia. 8 Oya tolokele aantu ompango yaKalunga e taye yi fatulula, opo ye yi uve ko.
9 Aantu sho ya pulakene ompango tayi leshwa, oya tameke okulila. Nena omunashikandjo Nehemia, omuyambi nomunongompango Esra nAalevi mboka ya li taa fatululile aantu ompango, oya lombwele ayehe taa ti: “Esiku ndika olya yapulilwa Omuwa, Kalunga keni, onkee inamu yemata nenge mu lile. 10 Ngashingeyi indeni kaandjeni, mu dhane oshituthi. Topoleni iikulya nomaviinu naamboka yaa na sha. Esiku ndika olya yapulilwa Omuwa gwetu, onkee inamu yemata. Enyanyu ndyoka Omuwa te li gandja, nali mu kumike.”
11 Aalevi oye ende mokati kaantu, taye ya hekeleke taa ti: “Mweneni, oshoka esiku ndika eyapuki. Inamu sa oluhodhi.” 12 Aantu ayehe oya yi koyaandjawo e taa li e taa nu nokunyanyukwa noya topolele wo yalwe shoka ya li ye shi na, oshoka oya li yu uvite ko shoka ye shi leshelwa.
Oshituthi shomatsali giihwa iitalala
13 Esiku lya landula ko aakuluntu yomaludhi pamwe naayambi nAalevi oya yi kuEsra, ya konakone ompango. 14 Oye shi kutha mo nawa kutya ompango ndjoka Omuwa a pele Moses, otayi lombwele Aaisraeli, ya kale momatsali giihwa iitalala momasiku goshituthi. 15 Oyi igidhile aantu muJerusalem, miilando yilwe nomomikunda adhihe taa ti: “Indeni koondundu, mu ka komangele iitayi yomiolivi noyomidhime, iiyale yomilunga niihwa yilwe iitalala, mu dhike omatsali giihwa iitalala, ngaashi sha popiwa mompango.”
16 Aantu oya ka tala iitayi e taa dhike omatsali kombanda yoontala dhoongulu dhawo, momahalandjandja gomagumbo gawo, mehale lyotempeli nomehalandjandja lyopOsheelo shomeya nolyopOsheelo shaEfraim. 17 Aantu ayehe mboka ya galuka muupika, oya dhike omatsali e taa kala mo. Shika osho sha li shotango sha ningwa okuza komasiku gaJosua yaNun, naayehe oya li ya nyanyukwa noonkondo.
18 Okuza kesiku lyotango lyoshituthi sigo okehulilo oya kala taa lesha sha mompango yaKalunga. Oya dhana oshituthi omasiku gaheyali, nomesiku etihetatu oya hulitha nelongelokalunga, ngaashi shu uthwa kompango.
