القراءة بلغتين

إِجتَمَعَ الشَّعبُ كُلُّه كرَجُلٍ واحِدٍ في السَّاحَةِ الَّتي أَمامَ بابِ المِياه، وتَكَلَّموا مع عَزْرا الكاتِبِ في إِحْضارِ سِفرِ شَريعَةِ موسى الَّتي أَمَرَ بِها الرَّبُّ إِسْرائيل

فأَحضَرَ عَزْرا الكاهِنُ الشَّريعَةَ أَمامَ الجَماعَةِ مِنَ الرِّجالِ والنِّساءِ وكُلِّ ذي فَهْم لِيَسمَعَ، في اليَومِ الأَوَّلِ مِنَ الشَّهرِ السَّابِع

وقَرَأَ فيه في السَّاحَةِ الَّتي أَمامَ بابِ المِياه، مِنَ الصُّبحِ إِلى نِصفِ النَّهار، أَمامَ الرِّجالِ والنِّساءِ وكُلِّ ذي فَهم، وآذانُ كُلِّ الشَّعبِ مُصغِيَةٌ إِلى سِفْرِ الشَّريعة

وقامَ عَزْرا الكاتِبُ على مِنبَرٍ مِن خَشَبٍ مَصْنوعٍ لِذٰلك، وقامَ بِجانِبِه مَتَّتْيا وشامَعُ وعَنايا وأُورِيَّا وحِلقِيَّا ومَعَسْيا عن يَمينِه، وفَدايا وميشائيلُ ومَلْكِيَّا وحَشومُ وحَشْبَدَّانَةُ وزَكَرِيَّا ومَشُلَّامُ عن يَسارِه

وفَتَحَ عَزْرا السِّفرَ على عُيونِ كُلِّ الشَّعْب، لِأَنَّه كانَ فَوقَ الشَّعبِ كُلِّه، ولَمَّا فَتَحَه وَقَفَ الشَّعبُ كُلُّه

وبارَكَ عَزْرا الرَّبَّ الإِلٰهَ العَظيم، فأَجابَ كُلُّ الشَّعْب: «آمين، آمين»، رافِعينَ أَيديَهم، وٱرتَمَوا وسَجَدوا بوُجوهِهِم لِلرَّبِّ إِلى الأَرض

(وكانَ يَشوعُ وباني وشَرَبْيا ويامينُ وعَقُّوبُ وشَبْتايُ وهودِيَّا ومَعَسْيا وقَليطا وعَزَرْيا ويوزابادُ وحانانُ وفَلايا واللَّاوِيُّونَ يَشرَحونَ الشَّريعَةَ لِلشَّعب، والشَّعبُ في مَوقِفه)

فقَرَأُوا في سِفرِ شَريعَةِ اللهِ مُتَرجِمينَ وشارِحينَ المَعْنى حتَّى فَهِموا القِراءة

(ثُمَّ إِنَّ نَحَمْيا الَّذي هو التَّرْشاثا) وعَزْرا الكاهِنَ الكاتِبَ (واللَّاوِيِّينَ الَّذينَ كانوا يُعَلِّمونَ الشَّعْب) قالَ لِكُلِّ الشَّعْب: «هٰذا يَومٌ مُقَدَّسٌ لِلرَّبِّ إِلٰهِكم، فلا تَنوحوا ولا تَبْكوا»، وكانَ الشَّعبُ كُلُّه يَبْكي عِندَ سَماعِه كَلِماتِ الشَّريعَة

وقالَ لَهم: «أُمْضوا كُلوا المُسَمَّنات، وٱشرَبوا الحُلْوَ، ووَزِّعوا حِصَصًا على الَّذينَ لم يُهَيَّأْ لَهم، لِأَنَّه يَومٌ مُقَدَّسٌ لِرَبِّنا. فلا تَحزَنوا، لِأَنَّ فَرَحَ الرَّبِّ حِصنُكم»

وكانَ اللَّاوِيُّونَ يُسَكِّتونَ كُلَّ الشَّعبِ قائلين: «أُسكُتوا، لِأَنَّه يَومٌ مُقَدَّس، ولا تَحزَنوا»

فٱنصَرَفَ كُلُّ الشَّعبِ لِيَأكُلَ ويَشرَبَ ويُوَزِّعَ حِصَصًا ويَفَرَحَ فَرَحًا عَظيمًا، لِأَنَّه فَهِمَ الكَلِماتِ الَّتي عَلَّموه إِيَّاها

وفي اليَومِ الثَّاني، اِجتَمَعَ رُؤَساءُ آباءِ كُلِّ الشَّعبِ والكَهَنَةُ واللَّاوِيُّونَ إِلى عَزْرا الكاتِب، لِيَتَفَهَّموا كَلِماتِ الشَّريعَة

فوَجَدوا مَكْتوبًا في الشَّريعَةِ الَّتي أَمَرَ الرَّبُّ بِها على لِسانِ موسى أَنْ لِيَسكُنْ بَنو إِسْرائيلَ الأَكْواخَ في عيدِ الشَّهرِ السَّابِع

ولْيُسمِعوا ويُنادوا في جَميعِ مُدُنِهم وفي أُورَشَليمَ قائلين: «أُخرُجوا إِلى الجَبَل، وَأتوا بِأَغْصانٍ مِنَ الزَّيتونِ والعُتمِ والآسِ والنَّخيلِ وأَغْصانِ أَشْجارٍ كَثيفةٍ لِصَنْعِ الأَكْواخ، كما هو مَكْتوب»

فخَرَجَ الشَّعبُ وأَتى بِالأَغْصانِ وصَنَعَ لَه أَكْواخًا، كُلُّ واحِدٍ على سَطْحِه وفي دارِه وفي دورِ بَيتِ اللهِ وساحَةِ بابِ المِياهِ وساحَةِ بابِ أَفْرائيم

وصَنَعَت كُلُّ الجَماعَةِ الَّتي عادَت مِنَ الجَلاءِ أَكْواخًا وأَقامَت فيها. وكانَ مِن أَيَّامِ يَشوعَ بنِ نونٍ إِلى ذٰلك اليَومِ أَنَّ بَني إِسْرائيلَ لم يَعمَلوا مِثلَ ذٰلك، فكانَ فَرَحٌ عَظيمٌ جِدًّا

وكانوا يَقرَأُونَ في سِفرِ شَريعَةِ اللهِ كُلَّ يَوم، مِنَ اليَومِ الأَوَّلِ إِلى اليَومِ الأَخير، وأَقاموا العيدَ سَبعَةَ أَيَّام، وفي اليَومِ الثَّامِنِ كانَ مَحفِلٌ على حَسَبِ ما رُسِم

All the people gathered themselves together as one man into the wide place that was in front of the water gate; and they spoke to Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded to Israel.

Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly, both men and women, and all who could hear with understanding, on the first day of the seventh month.

He read from it before the wide place that was in front of the water gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women, and of those who could understand. The ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the law.

Ezra the scribe stood on a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam.

Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people (for he was above all the people), and when he opened it, all the people stood up.

Then Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. All the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” with the lifting up of their hands. They bowed their heads, and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.

Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law; and the people stayed in their place.

They read in the book, in the law of God, distinctly; and they gave the sense, so that they understood the reading.

Nehemiah, who was the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “Today is holy to the LORD your God. Don’t mourn, nor weep.” For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law.

Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to him for whom nothing is prepared, for today is holy to our Lord. Don’t be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Hold your peace, for the day is holy. Don’t be grieved.”

All the people went their way to eat, to drink, to send portions, and to celebrate, because they had understood the words that were declared to them.

On the second day, the heads of fathers’ households of all the people, the priests, and the Levites were gathered together to Ezra the scribe, to study the words of the law.

They found written in the law how the LORD had commanded by Moses that the children of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh month;

and that they should publish and proclaim in all their cities and in Jerusalem, saying, “Go out to the mountain, and get olive branches, branches of wild olive, myrtle branches, palm branches, and branches of thick trees, to make temporary shelters, as it is written.”

So the people went out and brought them, and made themselves temporary shelters, everyone on the roof of his house, in their courts, in the courts of God’s house, in the wide place of the water gate, and in the wide place of Ephraim’s gate.

All the assembly of those who had come back out of the captivity made temporary shelters and lived in the temporary shelters, for since the days of Joshua the son of Nun to that day the children of Israel had not done so. There was very great gladness.

Also day by day, from the first day to the last day, he read in the book of the law of God. They kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according to the ordinance.