1And when the seventh month came, the children of Yisra’ĕl were in their cities. And all the people gathered together as one man in the open space that was in front of the Water Gate. And they spoke to Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Torah of Mosheh, which יהוה had commanded Yisra’ĕl.

2And Ezra the priest brought the Torah before the assembly of both men and women and all who could hear with understanding, on the first day of the seventh month.

3And he read from it in the open space in front of the Water Gate from morning until midday, before the men and women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people listened to the Book of the Torah.

4And Ezra the scribe stood on a platform of wood which they had made for the purpose. And beside him on his right stood Mattithyah, and Shema, and Anayah, and Uriyah, and Ḥilqiyah, and Ma‛asĕyah. And on his left stood Peḏayah, and Misha’ĕl, and Malkiyah, and Ḥashum, and Ḥashbaddanah, Zeḵaryah, Meshullam.

5And 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.

6And Ezra blessed יהוה, the great Elohim. Then all the people answered, “Amĕn, Amĕn!” while lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshipped יהוה with faces to the ground.

7And Yĕshua, and Bani, and Shĕrĕḇyah, Yamin, Aqquḇ, Shabbethai, Hoḏiyah, Ma‛asĕyah, Qelita, Azaryah, Yozaḇaḏ, Ḥanan, Pelayah, and the Lĕwites, caused the people to understand the Torah while the people were in their place.

8And they read in the Book of the Torah of Elohim, translating to give the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.

9And Neḥemyah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest, the scribe, and the Lĕwites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is set-apart to יהוה your Elohim. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept when they heard the words of the Torah.

10Then he said to them, “Go, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom none is prepared. For this day is set-apart to our יהוה. Do not be sad, for the joy of יהוה is your strength.”

11And the Lĕwites were silencing all the people, saying, “Hush, for the day is set-apart, do not be sad.”

12And all the people went to eat and to drink, and to send portions and make a great rejoicing, because they understood the words that were made known to them.

13And on the second day the heads of the fathers’ houses of all the people, with the priests and Lĕwites, were gathered to Ezra the scribe, in order to study the words of the Torah.

14And they found written in the Torah, which יהוה had commanded by Mosheh, that the children of Yisra’ĕl should dwell in booths in the festival of the seventh month,

15and that they should announce and proclaim in all their cities and in Yerushalayim, saying, “Go out to the mountain, and bring olive branches, branches of oil trees, and myrtle branches, and palm branches, and branches of leafy trees, to make booths, as it is written.”

16So the people went out and brought them and made themselves booths, each one on the roof of his house, and in their courtyards and in the courtyards of the House of Elohim, and in the open space of the Water Gate and in the open space of the Gate of Ephrayim.

17And the entire assembly of those who had come back from the captivity made booths and sat under the booths, for since the days of Yeshua son of Nun until that day the children of Yisra’ĕl had not done so. And there was very great rejoicing.

18And day by day, from the first day until the last day, he read from the Book of the Torah of Elohim. And they performed the festival seven days. And on the eighth day there was an assembly, according to the right-ruling.