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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Nehemiah 8 NLT</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/nehemiah/8.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="../topmenuchap/nehemiah/8-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="http://biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="../">NLT</a> > Nehemiah 8</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../nehemiah/7.htm" title="Nehemiah 7">◄</a> Nehemiah 8 <a href="../nehemiah/9.htm" title="Nehemiah 9">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top">New Living Translation</td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/p/nlt/esv/nehemiah/8.shtml" style="color:#001320" title="Parallel Chapters"> Par ▾ </a></td></tr></table></div><div class="chap"><p class="hdg">Ezra Reads the Law</p><p class="reg">In October,<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">a</span></a> when the Israelites had settled in their towns, <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/nehemiah/8-1.htm"><b>1</b></a></span>all the people assembled with a unified purpose at the square just inside the Water Gate. They asked Ezra the scribe to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the LORD had given for Israel to obey.</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/nehemiah/8-2.htm"><b>2</b></a></span>So on October 8<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">b</span></a> Ezra the priest brought the Book of the Law before the assembly, which included the men and women and all the children old enough to understand. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/nehemiah/8-3.htm"><b>3</b></a></span>He faced the square just inside the Water Gate from early morning until noon and read aloud to everyone who could understand. All the people listened closely to the Book of the Law.</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/nehemiah/8-4.htm"><b>4</b></a></span>Ezra the scribe stood on a high wooden platform that had been made for the occasion. To his right stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah. To his left stood Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/nehemiah/8-5.htm"><b>5</b></a></span>Ezra stood on the platform in full view of all the people. When they saw him open the book, they all rose to their feet.</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/nehemiah/8-6.htm"><b>6</b></a></span>Then Ezra praised the LORD, the great God, and all the people chanted, “Amen! Amen!” as they lifted their hands. Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/nehemiah/8-7.htm"><b>7</b></a></span>The Levites—Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah—then instructed the people in the Law while everyone remained in their places. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/nehemiah/8-8.htm"><b>8</b></a></span>They read from the Book of the Law of God and clearly explained the meaning of what was being read, helping the people understand each passage.</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/nehemiah/8-9.htm"><b>9</b></a></span>Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were interpreting for the people said to them, “Don’t mourn or weep on such a day as this! For today is a sacred day before the LORD your God.” For the people had all been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/nehemiah/8-10.htm"><b>10</b></a></span>And Nehemiah<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">c</span></a> continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the LORD is your strength!”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/nehemiah/8-11.htm"><b>11</b></a></span>And the Levites, too, quieted the people, telling them, “Hush! Don’t weep! For this is a sacred day.” <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/nehemiah/8-12.htm"><b>12</b></a></span>So the people went away to eat and drink at a festive meal, to share gifts of food, and to celebrate with great joy because they had heard God’s words and understood them.</p><p class="hdg">The Festival of Shelters</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/nehemiah/8-13.htm"><b>13</b></a></span>On October 9<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">d</span></a> the family leaders of all the people, together with the priests and Levites, met with Ezra the scribe to go over the Law in greater detail. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/nehemiah/8-14.htm"><b>14</b></a></span>As they studied the Law, they discovered that the LORD had commanded through Moses that the Israelites should live in shelters during the festival to be held that month.<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">e</span></a> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/nehemiah/8-15.htm"><b>15</b></a></span>He had said that a proclamation should be made throughout their towns and in Jerusalem, telling the people to go to the hills to get branches from olive, wild olive,<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">f</span></a> myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees. They were to use these branches to make shelters in which they would live during the festival, as prescribed in the Law.</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/nehemiah/8-16.htm"><b>16</b></a></span>So the people went out and cut branches and used them to build shelters on the roofs of their houses, in their courtyards, in the courtyards of God’s Temple, or in the squares just inside the Water Gate and the Ephraim Gate. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/nehemiah/8-17.htm"><b>17</b></a></span>So everyone who had returned from captivity lived in these shelters during the festival, and they were all filled with great joy! The Israelites had not celebrated like this since the days of Joshua<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">g</span></a> son of Nun.</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/nehemiah/8-18.htm"><b>18</b></a></span>Ezra read from the Book of the Law of God on each of the seven days of the festival. Then on the eighth day they held a solemn assembly, as was required by law.</p><A name="footnotes"></a><hr size="1" color="DDEEFF"><span class="mainfootnotes"><span class="mainfootnoteshdg">Footnotes:</span><br><span class="fn">a</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">7:73 </span><span class="ft">Hebrew </span><span class="it">In the seventh month.</span><span class="ft"> This month of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar occurred within the months of October and November 445 </span><span class="sc">b.c.</span><br><span class="fn">b</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">8:2 </span><span class="ft">Hebrew </span><span class="it">on the first day of the seventh month,</span><span class="ft"> of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar. This day was October 8, 445 </span><span class="sc">b.c.</span><span class="ft">; also see note on 1:1.</span><br><span class="fn">c</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">8:10 </span><span class="ft">Hebrew </span><span class="it">he.</span><br><span class="fn">d</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">8:13 </span><span class="ft">Hebrew </span><span class="it">On the second day,</span><span class="ft"> of the seventh month of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar. This day was October 9, 445 </span><span class="sc">b.c.</span><span class="ft">; also see notes on 1:1 and 8:2.</span><br><span class="fn">e</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">8:14 </span><span class="ft">Hebrew </span><span class="it">in the seventh month.</span><span class="ft"> This month of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar usually occurs within the months of September and October. See Lev 23:39-43.</span><br><span class="fn">f</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">8:15 </span><span class="ft">Or </span><span class="it">pine;</span><span class="ft"> Hebrew reads </span><span class="it">oil tree.</span><br><span class="fn">g</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">8:17 </span><span class="ft">Hebrew </span><span class="it">Jeshua,</span><span class="ft"> a variant spelling of Joshua.</span><br></span></div></div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center"><em>Holy Bible</em>, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of <a href="http://www.tyndale.com">Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.</a>, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. 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