Nehemiah 8
Open in the reader1At that time all the people gathered together in the square before the Water Gate, and they asked Help the scribe to bring out the Book of the Teaching of Drawn-Out, which He-Who-Is had commanded for Strives-with-God.
2On the first day of the seventh month, Help the priest brought the Teaching before the assembly of men and women and all who could listen and understand.
3So Help read it aloud from daybreak until noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate, in front of the men and women and those who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Teaching.
4Help the scribe stood on a high wooden platform built for this occasion. At his right side stood Gift-of-He-Who-Is, Gift-of-He-Who-Is, Hearing, He-Who-Is-Has-Answered, My-Light-Is-He-Who-Is, and Work-of-He-Who-Is, and at his left were He-Who-Is-Has-Ransomed, Who-Is-What-God-Is, Who-Is-What-God-Is, My-King-Is-He-Who-Is, Hashum, He-Who-Is-Remembers, and Allied.
5Help opened the book in full view of all the people, since he was standing above them all, and as he opened it, all the people stood up.
6Then Help blessed He-Who-Is, the great God, and with their hands uplifted, all the people said, “Amen, Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped He-Who-Is with their faces to the ground.
7The Levites—He-Who-Is-Saves, Built, He-Who-Is-Has-Sent-Burning-Heat, Right-Hand, Insidious, Sabbath-Born, Splendor-of-He-Who-Is, Work-of-He-Who-Is, Stunted-One, He-Who-Is-Helps, He-Who-Is-Has-Endowed, Gracious, and He-Who-Is-Has-Done-Wonderfully—instructed the people in the Teaching as they stood in their places.
8So they read from the Book of the Teaching of God, explaining it and giving insight, so that the people could understand what was being read.
9He-Who-Is-Comforts the governor, Help the priest and scribe, and the Joined-Ones who were instructing the people said to all of them, “This day is devoted to He-Who-Is your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the Teaching.
10Then He-Who-Is-Comforts told them, “Go and eat what is rich, drink what is sweet, and send out portions to those who have nothing prepared, since today is devoted to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of He-Who-Is is your strength.”
11And the Joined-Ones calmed all the people, saying, “Be still, since today is devoted. Do not grieve.”
12Then all the people began to eat and drink, to send out portions, and to rejoice greatly, because they understood the words that had been made known to them.
13On the second day of the month, the heads of all the families, along with the priests and Joined-Ones, gathered around Help the scribe to study the words of the Teaching.
14And they found written in the Teaching, which He-Who-Is had commanded through Drawn-Out, that the children of Strives-with-God were to dwell in booths during the feast of the seventh month,
15and that they should proclaim this message and spread it throughout their towns and in Foundation-of-Peace, saying, “Go out to the hill country and bring back branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees, to make booths, as it is written.”
16And the people went out, brought back branches, and made booths on their own rooftops, in their courtyards, in the courts of the house of God, and in the squares by the Water Gate and by the Gate of Double-Fruit.
17The whole assembly that had returned from exile made booths and lived in them. From the days of He-Who-Is-Saves son of Nun until that day, the children of Strives-with-God had not celebrated like this. And there was great rejoicing.
18Day after day, from the first day to the last, Help read from the Book of the Teaching of God. The Israelites kept the feast for seven days, and on the eighth day they held an assembly, according to the ordinance.