And all the peoplegatheredthemselvestogether as one man into the streetthat was before the watergate; and theyspakeuntoEzra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded to Israel.
And Ezra the priestbrought the law before the congregationboth of men and women, and all thatcouldhearwithunderstanding, upon the first day of the seventhmonth.
And he readthereinbefore the streetthat was before the watergatefrom the morninguntilmidday, before the men and the women, and thosethatcouldunderstand; and the ears of all the peoplewereattentiveunto the book of the law.
And Ezra the scribestoodupon a pulpit of wood, whichthey had made for the purpose; and beside him stoodMattithiah, and Shema, and Anaiah, and Urijah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his righthand; and on his lefthand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchiah, and Hashum, and Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam.
And Ezrablessed the LORD, the great God. And all the peopleanswered, Amen, Amen, withlifting up theirhands: and theybowedtheirheads, and worshipped the LORDwiththeirfaces to the ground.
AlsoJeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law: and the peoplestood in theirplace.
And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levitesthattaught the people, saidunto all the people, This day is holyunto the LORDyour God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the peoplewept, whentheyheard the words of the law.
Then he saiduntothem, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and sendportionsuntothem for whomnothing is prepared: for this day is holyunto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is yourstrength.
And all the peoplewenttheir way to eat, and to drink, and to sendportions, and to makegreatmirth, becausethey had understood the wordsthatweredeclareduntothem.
And on the second day weregatheredtogether the chief of the fathers of all the people, the priests, and the Levites, untoEzra the scribe, even to understand the words of the law.
And theyfoundwritten in the law which the LORD had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israelshoulddwell in booths in the feast of the seventhmonth:
And thattheyshouldpublish and proclaim in all theircities, and in Jerusalem, saying, Go forthunto the mount, and fetcholivebranches, and pinebranches, and myrtlebranches, and palmbranches, and branches of thicktrees, to makebooths, as it is written.
So the peoplewentforth, and broughtthem, and madethemselvesbooths, every one upon the roof of his house, and in theircourts, and in the courts of the house of God, and in the street of the watergate, and in the street of the gate of Ephraim.
And all the congregation of themthatwerecomeagain out of the captivitymadebooths, and sat under the booths: for since the days of Jeshua the son of Nun untothat day had not the children of Israeldone so. And there was verygreatgladness.
Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book of the law of God. And theykept the feastsevendays; and on the eighth day was a solemnassembly, accordingunto the manner.