Ezra Reads the Law to the People
1 By the seventh month the people of Israel were all settled in their towns. On the first day of that month they all assembled in Jerusalem, in the square just inside the Water Gate. They asked Ezra, the priest and scholar of the Law which the Lord had given Israel through Moses, to get the book of the Law. 2 So Ezra brought it to the place where the people had gathered—men, women, and the children who were old enough to understand. 3 There in the square by the gate he read the Law to them from dawn until noon, and they all listened attentively.
4 Ezra was standing on a wooden platform that had been built for the occasion. The following men stood at his right: Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah; and the following stood at his left: Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam.
5 As Ezra stood there on the platform high above the people, they all kept their eyes fixed on him. As soon as he opened the book, they all stood up. 6 Ezra said, “Praise the Lord, the great God!”
All the people raised their arms in the air and answered, “Amen! Amen!” They knelt in worship, with their faces to the ground.
7 Then they rose and stood in their places, and the following Levites explained the Law to them: Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah. 8 They gave an oral translation of God's Law and explained it so that the people could understand it.
9 When the people heard what the Law required, they were so moved that they began to cry. So Nehemiah, who was the governor, Ezra, the priest and scholar of the Law, and the Levites who were explaining the Law told all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God, so you are not to mourn or cry. 10 Now go home and have a feast. Share your food and wine with those who don't have enough. Today is holy to our Lord, so don't be sad. The joy that the Lord gives you will make you strong.”
11 The Levites went around calming the people and telling them not to be sad on such a holy day. 12 So all the people went home and ate and drank joyfully and shared what they had with others, because they understood what had been read to them.
The Festival of Shelters
13 The next day the heads of the clans, together with the priests and the Levites, went to Ezra to study the teachings of the Law. 14 They discovered that the Law, which the Lord gave through Moses, ordered the people of Israel to live in temporary shelters during the Festival of Shelters. 15 So they gave the following instructions and sent them all through Jerusalem and the other cities and towns: “Go out to the hills and get branches from pines, olives, myrtles, palms, and other trees to make shelters according to the instructions written in the Law.”
16 So the people got branches and built shelters on the flat roofs of their houses, in their yards, in the Temple courtyard, and in the public squares by the Water Gate and by the Ephraim Gate. 17 All the people who had come back from captivity built shelters and lived in them. This was the first time it had been done since the days of Joshua son of Nun, and everybody was excited and happy. 18 From the first day of the festival to the last they read a part of God's Law every day. They celebrated for seven days, and on the eighth day there was a closing ceremony, as required in the Law.
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.
