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 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.
