尼8:1 到了七月，以色列人都住在自己的城里。（《马索拉抄本》以本句为7:73下半节）那时众民如同一人，在水门前的广场聚集，请经学家以斯拉把耶和华藉摩西命令以色列人遵守的律法书带来。
尼8:1 And when the seventh month came, the children of Israel were in their towns. And all the people came together like one man into the wide place in front of the water-doorway; and they made a request to Ezra the scribe that he would put before them the book of the law of Moses which the Lord had given to Israel.
尼8:2 七月初一日，以斯拉祭司把律法书带到所有听了能明白的男女会众面前。
尼8:2 And Ezra the priest put the law before the meeting of the people, before the men and women and all those who were able to take it in, on the first day of the seventh month.
尼8:3 在水门前面的广场，从清早到中午，向众男女和听了能明白的人宣读出来。众民都侧耳倾听这律法书的话。
尼8:3 He was reading it in the wide place in front of the water-doorway, from early morning till the middle of the day, in the hearing of all those men and women whose minds were able to take it in; and the ears of all the people were open to the book of the law.
尼8:4 经学家以斯拉站在为这事特制的木台上；站在他右边的，有玛他提雅、示玛、亚奈雅、乌利亚、希勒家和玛西雅；站在他左边的，有毗大雅、米沙利、玛基雅、哈顺、哈拔大拿、撒迦利亚和米书兰。
尼8:4 And Ezra the scribe took his place on a tower of wood which they had made for the purpose; and by his side were placed Mattithiah and Shema and Anaiah and Uriah and Hilkiah and Maaseiah on the right; and on the left, Pedaiah and Mishael and Malchijah and Hashum and Hashbaddanah, Zechariah and Meshullam.
尼8:5 以斯拉在众人眼前展开那书卷；他高高地站在众民以上，他把书卷展开，众民就站起来。
尼8:5 And Ezra took the book, opening it before the eyes of all the people (for he was higher than the people); and when it was open, all the people got to their feet:
尼8:6 以斯拉称颂耶和华至大的 神，众民举手应声说：“阿们！阿们！”然后跪下，脸伏在地，敬拜耶和华。
尼8:6 And Ezra gave praise to the Lord, the great God. And all the people in answer said, So be it, so be it; lifting up their hands; and with bent heads they gave worship to the Lord, going down on their faces to the earth.
尼8:7 然后利未人耶书亚、巴尼、示利比、雅悯、亚谷、沙比太、荷第雅、玛西雅、基利他、亚撒利雅、约撒拔、哈难和毗莱雅就教导他们明白律法。众人一直站在原处聆听。
尼8:7 And Jeshua and Bani and Sherebiah and Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites made the law clear to the people: and the people kept in their places.
尼8:8 他们宣读 神的律法，把意义清楚翻译出来，使众民明白所宣读的。
尼8:8 And they gave out the words of the book the law of God, clearly, and gave the sense of it, so that their minds were able to take it in.
尼8:9 省长尼希米和祭司兼经学家以斯拉，以及教导人民明白律法的利未人对众民说：“今天是耶和华你们的 神的圣日，你们不要悲哀哭泣。”因为众人听见律法书上的话，都哭了。
尼8:9 And Nehemiah, who was the Tirshatha, and Ezra, the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were the teachers of the people, said to all the people, This day is holy to the Lord your God; let there be no sorrow or weeping; for all the people were weeping on hearing the words of the law.
尼8:10 尼希米又对他们说：“你们应当去吃肥美的肉，喝甘甜的酒，把部分饮食分给没有能力预备的人，因为今天是我们的主的圣日；你们不要忧愁，因为靠耶和华而得的喜乐是你们的力量。”
尼8:10 Then he said to them, Go away now, and take the fat for your food and the sweet for your drink, and send some to him for whom nothing is made ready: for this day is holy to our Lord: and let there be no grief in your hearts; for the joy of the Lord is your strong place.
尼8:11 于是利未人使众民安静下来，说：“你们安静吧，因为今天是圣日，也不要再忧愁！”
尼8:11 So the Levites made all the people quiet, saying, Be quiet, for the day is holy; and do not give way to grief.
尼8:12 众民就去吃喝，也把部分饮食与人分享，大大欢乐。因为他们明白教训他们的话。
尼8:12 And all the people went away to take food and drink, and to send food to others, and to be glad, because the words which were said to them had been made clear.
尼8:13 第二天，众民的族长、祭司和利未人都聚集到经学家以斯拉那里，研究律法的话。
尼8:13 And on the second day the heads of families of all the people and the priests and the Levites came together to Ezra the scribe, to give attention to the words of the law.
尼8:14 他们发现律法上记载，耶和华曾借着摩西吩咐以色列人，要在七月的节期中，住在棚里，
尼8:14 And they saw that it was recorded in the law that the Lord had given orders by Moses, that the children of Israel were to have tents for their living-places in the feast of the seventh month:
尼8:15 并且要在自己的城里和在耶路撒冷宣扬布告说：“你们要上到山上，把橄榄树枝、油木树枝、番石榴枝、棕树枝和树叶繁茂大树的枝子带回来，照着律法所写的搭棚。”
尼8:15 And that they were to give out an order, and make it public in all their towns and in Jerusalem, saying, Go out to the mountain and get olive branches and branches of field olives and of myrtle, and palm branches and branches of thick trees, to make tents, as it says in the book.
尼8:16 于是众民出去，把树枝带回来，各人在自己的房顶上，在院子里， 神的院中，水门的广场，或是在以法莲门的广场搭棚。
尼8:16 And the people went out and got them and made themselves tents, every one on the roof of his house, and in the open spaces and in the open squares of the house of God, and in the wide place of the water-doorway, and the wide place of the doorway of Ephraim.
尼8:17 从被掳归回的全体会众都搭了棚，并且住在棚里；从嫩的儿子约书亚的时候，直到那日，以色列人都没有这样行过。大家都非常快乐。
尼8:17 All the people who had been prisoners and had come back, made tents and were living in them: for from the time of Jeshua, the son of Nun, till that day, the children of Israel had not done so. And there was very great joy.
尼8:18 从头一天直到最后一天，每天都宣读 神的律法书。他们守节七天，第八天照典章有严肃会。
尼8:18 And day by day, from the first day till the last, he was reading from the book of the law of God. And they kept the feast for seven days: and on the eighth day there was a holy meeting, as it is ordered in the law.