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.
1 Bituŋ ì bee benta dulaa kiliŋ, kene fanuŋo kono, meŋ be Jii Dundaŋ Daa ñaatiliŋo la. Ì diyaamuta karammoo Esira ye ko, a si Musa la Luwaa* Kitaaboo bondi naŋ, Yaawe* ye Banisirayilankoolu yaamari meŋ na ka a muta. 2 Bituŋ kari woorowulanjaŋo tili foloo la, Piriisi* Esira ye Musa la Luwaa Kitaaboo samba naŋ kafoo ñaatiliŋo la, mennu keta kewolu ti, musoolu, aniŋ moo-wo-moo si i lamoyi noo ka fahaamuroo ke. 3 Kene fanuŋo to jee, Jii Dundaŋ Daa ñaatiliŋo la, Esira ye kitaaboo ñiŋ karaŋ ì ye. A ye a karaŋ ne biriŋ soomandaa fo tilikuntewo, moolu ñaatiliŋo la, mennu keta kewolu ti, musoolu, aniŋ moo-wo-moo meŋ si fahaamuroo ke noo. Aduŋ moolu bee tarata ì tuloo loo kaŋ kendeke Luwaa Kitaaboo kumoolu la le.
4 Karammoo Esira loota babara tintiŋ jaŋo le kaŋ, meŋ dadaata ñiŋ beŋo kamma. Ñiŋ kewolu le loota a bulubaa karoo la: Matitiya, Sema, Anaya, Uriya, Hilikiya, aniŋ Maaseya. Ñinnu le loota a maraa karoo la: Pedaya, Misayeli, Malikiya, Hasumu, Hasi-Badana, Jakariya, aniŋ Mesullamu. 5 Esira ye kitaaboo yele. Moolu bee ñaa ka a je noo le, kaatu a be looriŋ ì ye santo la le. A ye a yele doroŋ, moolu bee wulita ì loota. 6 Esira ye Yaawe tentu, Alla meŋ warata. Bituŋ moolu ye ì buloolu wulindi ka jinkaroo ke ko, “Amiin! Amiin!” Bituŋ ì sujudita ka ì foŋolu loo bankoo to, ka Yaawe batu. 7 Ñiŋ Lewi lasiloo le ye Luwaa kumoolu kotoo firiŋ moolu ye, a ye a tara moolu be looriŋ ì noo to: Yesuwa, Bani, Serebiya, Yamini, Akubu, Sabetayi, Hodiya, Maaseya, Kelita, Asariya, Yosabadi, Hanani, aniŋ Pelaya. 8 Ì ye Alla la Luwaa Kitaaboo karaŋ ne ka a fasari, aniŋ ka a kotoo fo moolu ye fo ì si a fahaamu noo.
9 Moolu bee tarata kumboo le la, biriŋ ì be i lamoyi kaŋ Luwaa Kitaaboo kumoolu la. Bituŋ kumandaŋo Nehemiya, Esira, meŋ mu karammoo niŋ piriisoo ti, aniŋ Lewi lasiloo, mennu be karandiroo la, ko moolu bee ye ko, “Bii mu luŋ baa le ti Yaawe ye, ali la Alla. Ali kana sunu waraŋ ka kumboo.” 10 Bituŋ Nehemiya ko moolu ye ko, “Ali ali la domori kendoolu domo, ali ye ali la miŋ feŋ diimaalu miŋ. Ali si moolu fanaa so doo la jee, mennu maŋ feŋ parendi ka a samba naŋ. Kaatu bii mu luŋ baa le ti m̀ Maarii ye. Ali kana sunu, kaatu Yaawe la kuwo seewoo le be ali bambandi la.” 11 Lewi lasiloo ye moolu deyindi le ka a fo ì ye ko, “Ali i deyi! Bii mu luŋ baa le ti. Ali kana sunu.” 12 Bituŋ moolu bee janjanta ka taa domoroo la aniŋ ka miŋ feŋolu miŋ, aduŋ ì ye moo doolu niibo le, ka juuraloo ke niŋ seewoo baa la. Ì ye ñiŋ ke le kaatu ì ye kumoolu fahaamu le mennu bankeeta ì ye.
Jembereŋ Juuraloo*
13 Wo saamoo lasiloolu la alifaalu, aniŋ piriisoolu niŋ Lewi lasiloo taata ñoo la karammoo Esira kaŋ ka Luwaa Kitaaboo kumoolu lamoyi. 14 Ì naata ñiŋ tara safeeriŋ Luwaa Kitaaboo kono, Yaawe ye ì yaamari meŋ na ka bo niŋ Musa la ko, Banisirayilankoolu ñanta le ka sabati jembereŋolu kono kari woorowulanjaŋo juurali waatoo la. 15 Ì ñanta le fanaa ka ñiŋ kumoo kankulaa ì la saatewolu bee kono, aniŋ Yerusalaamu ko, “Ali finti ka taa konkoolu kaŋ, ka ñiŋ yiribuloolu samba naŋ: Olifu* yiroo, tulu yiroo, miritali yiroo, tamarewo, aniŋ yirisuŋ biireeriŋ doolu. Ali si jembereŋolu dadaa ì la ko a safeeta ñaameŋ.”
16 Bituŋ moolu taata yiribuloolu kamma naŋ. Ì meŋ-wo-meŋ ye jembereŋolu loo ì la buŋolu kaŋ santo, ì la luwolu to, Alla Batudulaa Buŋo* luwo to, aniŋ kene fanuŋo to, Jii Dundaŋ Daa ñaatiliŋo la, ka taa doo meŋ fanaa be Efurayimu Dundaŋ Daa ñaatiliŋo la. 17 Moolu mennu bee seyita naŋ ka bo mutoo kono, ye jembereŋolu loo le ka sabati ì kono. Ka bo Nuni dinkewo Yosuwa la waatoo la ka naa bula wo luŋo la, Banisirayilankoolu nene maŋ a juura teŋ. Aduŋ ì seewoota baake le. 18 Luŋ-wo-luŋ, ka bo tili foloo ka taa fo tili labaŋo, Esira ka Alla la Luwaa Kitaaboo doo karaŋ moolu ye le. Bituŋ tili seyinjaŋo la, moolu bee benta ka baturoo ke, ko luwaa ye a fo ñaameŋ.
