“ When people do not agree, the priests must serve as judges between them. They must make their decisions based on my laws. They must obey my laws and rules for all my appointed feasts. And they must keep my Sabbath days holy.

有争讼的事，他们应当站立判断，要按我的典章判断。在我一切的节期必守我的律法、条例，也必以我的安息日为圣日。

有争讼的事，他们应当审判，按我的典章审判。他们要在我的节期守我的律法和条例，也当以我的安息日为圣日。

有争讼的事，他们应当审判，按我的典章审判。他们要在我的节期守我的律法和条例，也当以我的安息日为圣日。

他们要审理诉讼之事，按我的律例断是非。他们必须按我定的律例和法度遵守一切节期，守安息日为圣日。

他们要在争讼的事上作判断，要按着我的典章判断。他们要在我所有的节期里谨守我的律法和条例，守我的安息日为圣日。

有爭訟的事，他們應當站立判斷，要按我的典章判斷。在我一切的節期必守我的律法、條例，也必以我的安息日為聖日。

有爭訟的事，他們應當審判，按我的典章審判。他們要在我的節期守我的律法和條例，也當以我的安息日為聖日。

有爭訟的事，他們應當審判，按我的典章審判。他們要在我的節期守我的律法和條例，也當以我的安息日為聖日。

他們要審理訴訟之事，按我的律例斷是非。他們必須按我定的律例和法度遵守一切節期，守安息日為聖日。

他們要在爭訟的事上作判斷，要按著我的典章判斷。他們要在我所有的節期裡謹守我的律法和條例，守我的安息日為聖日。

在爭訟的事上他們要中立而判斷，按我的典章行判斷。我的禮節規矩、我的條例在我的一切制定節期上、他們都要謹守；我的安息日他們要守它為聖。

有訟事必審鞫、按我律而斷之、在我諸節期、必守我法律典章、亦守我安息日為聖、

有訟事、必當鞫問、遵我法度、在大會中必守我禮儀、法度、以我安息日為聖日、

有訟事、彼當審鞫、彼當審鞫原文作彼立以審鞫遵我法度而審鞫、在我諸節期、必守我律法禮儀、禮儀或作典章亦守我諸安息日為聖日、

“‘ In any dispute, the priests are to serve as judges and decide it according to my ordinances. They are to keep my laws and my decrees for all my appointed festivals, and they are to keep my Sabbaths holy.

In a dispute, they shall act as judges, and they shall judge it according to my judgments. They shall keep my laws and my statutes in all my appointed feasts, and they shall keep my Sabbaths holy.

“ They will serve as judges to resolve any disagreements among my people. Their decisions must be based on my regulations. And the priests themselves must obey my instructions and decrees at all the sacred festivals, and see to it that the Sabbaths are set apart as holy days.

“ In a dispute, they will officiate as judges and decide the case according to my ordinances. They are to observe my laws and statutes regarding all my appointed festivals, and keep my Sabbaths holy.

In a dispute they shall take their stand to judge; they shall judge it according to My ordinances. They shall also keep My laws and My statutes in all My appointed feasts, and sanctify My Sabbaths.

In controversy they shall stand as judges, and judge it according to My judgments. They shall keep My laws and My statutes in all My appointed meetings, and they shall hallow My Sabbaths.

And in a controversy they shall stand to judge; according to mine ordinances shall they judge it: and they shall keep my laws and my statutes in all my appointed feasts; and they shall hallow my sabbaths.

“ In a dispute, they will officiate as judges and decide the case according to My ordinances. They must observe My laws and statutes regarding all My appointed festivals, and keep My Sabbaths holy.

And in controversy they shall stand in judgment;[ and] they shall judge it according to my judgments: and they shall keep my laws and my statutes in all mine assemblies; and they shall hallow my sabbaths.

“‘ In a controversy they will act as judges; they will judge according to my ordinances. They will keep my laws and my statutes regarding all my appointed festivals and will observe my Sabbaths.

“‘“ In a controversy they shall stand to judge. They shall judge it according to my ordinances. They shall keep my laws and my statutes in all my appointed feasts. They shall make my Sabbaths holy.

David said,“ From them, 24,000 will be in charge of the work of the Lord’ s temple. And 6,000 will be officials and judges.

Its priests break my law. They treat things set apart to me as if they were not holy. They treat holy and common things as if they were the same. They teach that there is no difference between things that are‘ clean’ and things that are not. They refuse to keep my Sabbath days. So they treat me as if I were not holy.

In Jerusalem, Jehoshaphat chose some Levites and priests. He also chose some leaders of Israelite families. He appointed all of them to apply the law of the Lord fairly. He wanted them to decide cases. He wanted them to settle matters between people. All those judges lived in Jerusalem.Here are the orders Jehoshaphat gave them. He said,“ Have respect for the Lord. Serve him faithfully. Do it with all your heart.Cases will come to you from your people who live in the other cities. The cases might be about murder or other matters dealt with by the law, commands, directions and rules. Warn the people not to sin against the Lord. If you don’t warn them, he will be angry with you and your people. Do what I say. Then you won’t sin.

The Lord said to Moses,“ Here is a command I want you to give the Israelites. Tell them,‘ Make sure to present to me my food offerings. Do it at the appointed time. Their smell will please me.’Tell them,‘ Here is the food offering you must present to the Lord. Present to him two lambs a year old. They must not have any flaws. Present them as a regular burnt offering each day.Offer one lamb in the morning. Offer the other when the sun goes down.Present a grain offering along with them. It must have eight cups of the finest flour. Mix it with a quart of oil made from pressed olives.It is the regular burnt offering. The Lord established it at Mount Sinai. It has a pleasant smell. It is a food offering presented to the Lord.Along with that, offer a quart of wine as a drink offering. It must be given along with each lamb. Pour out the drink offering to the Lord at the sacred tent.Offer the second lamb when the sun goes down. Sacrifice it along with the same kind of grain offering and drink offering that you present in the morning. It is a food offering. Its smell pleases the Lord.“‘ On the Sabbath day, make an offering of two lambs. They must be a year old. They must not have any flaws. Sacrifice them along with their drink offering. Sacrifice them along with a grain offering of 16 cups of the finest flour. Mix it with olive oil.It is the burnt offering for every Sabbath day. It is in addition to the regular burnt offering and its drink offering.“‘ On the first day of every month, bring to the Lord a burnt offering. Bring two young bulls and one ram. Also bring seven male lambs a year old. They must not have any flaws.Present a grain offering along with each bull. It must have 24 cups of the finest flour. Mix it with olive oil. Present a grain offering along with the ram. It must have 16 cups of the finest flour. Mix it with oil.Present a grain offering along with each lamb. It must have eight cups of the finest flour. Mix it with oil. It is for a burnt offering. It has a pleasant smell. It is a food offering presented to the Lord.Present a drink offering along with each bull. It must have two quarts of wine. Offer two and a half pints along with the ram. And offer one quart along with each lamb. It is the burnt offering for each month. It must be made on the day of each New Moon feast during the year.One male goat must be sacrificed to the Lord as a sin offering. It is in addition to the regular burnt offering and its drink offering.“‘ The Lord’ s Passover Feast must be held on the 14th day of the first month.On the 15th day of the month there must be a feast. For seven days eat bread made without yeast.On the first day come together for a special service. Do not do any regular work.Present to the Lord a food offering. Present a burnt offering of two young bulls and one ram. Also present seven male lambs a year old. They must not have any flaws.Present a grain offering along with each bull. The offering must have 24 cups of the finest flour. Mix it with olive oil. Offer 16 cups along with the ram.Offer eight cups along with each of the seven lambs.Include a male goat as a sin offering. It will pay for your sin.Offer everything in addition to the regular morning burnt offering.Present the food offering every day for seven days. The smell of the offering will please the Lord. You must present the offering in addition to the regular burnt offering and its drink offering.On the seventh day come together for a special service. Do not do any regular work.“‘ On the day you gather the first share of your crops, present to the Lord an offering of your first grain. Do it during the Feast of Weeks. Come together for a special service. Do not do any regular work.Sacrifice a burnt offering of two young bulls and one ram. Also sacrifice seven male lambs a year old. The smell of the offering will please the Lord.Present a grain offering along with each bull. It must have 24 cups of the finest flour. Mix it with olive oil. Offer 16 cups along with the ram.Offer eight cups along with each of the seven lambs.

The governor gave them an order. He told them not to eat any of the most sacred food. They had to wait until there was a priest who could use the Urim and Thummim. The priest would use them to find out what the Lord wanted the people to do.

Then if I have to put off my visit, you will know how people should act in God’s family. The family of God is the church of the living God. It is the pillar and foundation of the truth.

People will bring their cases to your courts. But some cases will be too hard for you to judge. They might be about murders, attacks or other crimes. Then take those hard cases to the place the Lord your God will choose.Go to a priest, who is a Levite. And go to the judge who is in office at that time. Ask them for their decision. They will give it to you.They’ll hand down their decisions at the place the Lord will choose. You must do what they decide. Be careful to do everything they tell you to do.Act according to whatever they teach you. Accept the decisions they give you. Don’t turn away from what they tell you. Don’t turn to the right or the left.Someone might show that they don’t respect the judge. Or they will show that they don’t respect the priest. The priest will serve the Lord your God at the place God will choose. If anyone doesn’t show respect for these people, that person must be put to death. Remove that evil person from Israel.All the Israelites will hear about it. And they will be afraid to disrespect a judge or priest again.

all of them gathered together. They went to the open area in front of the Water Gate. They told Ezra to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses. The Lord had given Israel that Law so they would obey him. Ezra was the teacher of the Law.Ezra the priest brought the Law out to the whole community. It was the first day of the seventh month. The group was made up of men, women, and children old enough to understand what Ezra was going to read.He read the Law to them from sunrise until noon. He did it as he faced the open area in front of the Water Gate. He read it to the men, the women, and the children old enough to understand. And all the people paid careful attention as Ezra was reading the Book of the Law.Ezra, the teacher of the Law, stood on a high wooden stage. It had been built for the occasion. Mattithiah, Shema and Anaiah stood at his right side. So did Uriah, Hilkiah and Maaseiah. Pedaiah, Mishael and Malkijah stood at his left side. So did Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah and Meshullam.Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him. That’s because he was standing above them. As he opened the book, the people stood up.Ezra praised the Lord. He is the great God. All the people lifted up their hands and said,“ Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down. They turned their faces toward the ground and worshiped the Lord.The Levites taught the Law to the people. They remained standing while the Levites taught them. The Levites who were there included Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai and Hodiah. They also included Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan and Pelaiah.All these Levites read to the people parts of the Book of the Law of God. They made it clear to them. They told them what it meant. So the people understood what was being read.Nehemiah was the governor. Ezra was a priest and the teacher of the Law. They spoke up. So did the Levites who were teaching the people. All these men said to the people,“ This day is set apart to honor the Lord your God. So don’t weep. Don’t be sad.” All the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.Nehemiah said,“ Go and enjoy some good food and sweet drinks. Send some of it to people who don’t have any. This day is holy to our Lord. So don’t be sad. The joy of the Lord makes you strong.”The Levites calmed all the people down. They said,“ Be quiet. This is a holy day. So don’t be sad.”Then all the people went away to eat and drink. They shared their food with others. They celebrated with great joy. Now they understood the words they had heard. That’s because everything had been explained to them.All the family leaders gathered around Ezra, the teacher. So did the priests and Levites. All of them paid attention to the words of the Law. It was the second day of the month.The Lord had given the Law through Moses. He wanted the Israelites to obey it. It is written there that they were supposed to live in booths during the Feast of Booths. That feast was celebrated in the seventh month.They were also supposed to spread the message all through their towns and in Jerusalem. They were supposed to announce,“ Go out into the central hill country. Bring back some branches from olive and wild olive trees. Also bring some from myrtle, palm and shade trees. Use the branches to make booths.”So the people went out and brought back some branches. They built themselves booths on their own roofs. They made them in their courtyards. They put them up in the courtyards of the house of God. They built them in the open area in front of the Water Gate. And they built them in the open area in front of the Gate of Ephraim.All the people who had returned from the land of Babylon made booths. They lived in them during the Feast of Booths. They hadn’t celebrated the feast with so much joy for a long time. In fact, they had never celebrated it like that from the days of Joshua, the son of Nun, until that day. So their joy was very great.Day after day, Ezra read parts of the Book of the Law of God to them. He read it out loud from the first day to the last. They celebrated the Feast of Booths for seven days. On the eighth day they gathered together. They followed the required rules for celebrating the feast.

The Lord said to Moses,“ Speak to the Israelites. Tell them,‘ Here are my appointed feast days. They are the appointed feast days of the Lord. Tell the people that they must come together for these sacred assemblies.“‘ There are six days when you can work. But the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest. You must rest on it. Come together on that sacred day. You must not do any work on it. No matter where you live, it is a Sabbath day to honor the Lord.“‘ Here are the Lord’ s appointed feasts. Tell the people that they must come together for these sacred gatherings at their appointed times.The Lord’ s Passover begins when the sun goes down on the 14th day of the first month.The Lord’ s Feast of Unleavened Bread begins on the 15th day of that month. For seven days you must eat bread made without yeast.On the first day you must come together for a special service. Do not do any regular work on that day.On each of the seven days bring a food offering to the Lord. On the seventh day come together for a special service. Do not do any regular work on that day.’ ”The Lord said to Moses,“ Speak to the Israelites. Tell them,‘ When you enter the land I am going to give you, bring an offering to the Lord. Gather your crops. Bring the first bundle of grain to the priest.He must lift up the grain and wave it in front of the Lord. Then the Lord will accept it from you. The priest must wave it on the day after the Sabbath.On the day he waves the grain for you, you must sacrifice a burnt offering to me. It must be a lamb that does not have any flaws. It must be a year old.You must bring it together with its grain offering. The grain offering must be seven pounds of the finest flour. Mix it with olive oil. It is a food offering presented to the Lord. It has a pleasant smell. You must offer a drink offering along with the burnt offering. It must be a quart of wine.You must not eat any bread until the day you bring your offering to the Lord your God. You must not eat any cooked grain or any of your first grain until that time. This is a law that will last for all time to come. It applies no matter where you live.“‘ The day you brought the grain for the wave offering was the day after the Sabbath. Count off seven full weeks from that day.Count off 50 days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath. On that day bring to the Lord an offering of your first grain.Bring two loaves of bread that are made with seven pounds of the finest flour. They must be baked with yeast. Bring them to me as a wave offering from the first share of your crops. That applies no matter where you live.Together with the bread, bring seven male lambs. Each lamb must be a year old. It must not have any flaws. Also bring one young bull and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to the Lord. They will be offered together with their grain offerings and drink offerings. They are food offerings. Their smell pleases the Lord.Then sacrifice one male goat for a sin offering. Also sacrifice two lambs for a friendship offering. Each of the lambs must be a year old.The priest must lift up the two lambs and wave them in front of me as a wave offering. He must offer them together with the bread made out of the first share of your crops. They are a sacred offering to the Lord. They will be given to the priest.On that same day tell the people that they must come together for a special worship service. They must not do any regular work. That is a law that will last for all time to come. It applies no matter where you live.“‘ Suppose you are gathering your crops. Then do not harvest all the way to the edges of your field. And do not pick up the grain you missed. Leave some for the poor people and the outsiders who live among you. I am the Lord your God.’ ”The Lord said to Moses,“ Say to the Israelites,‘ On the first day of the seventh month you must have a day of sabbath rest. It must be a special service announced with trumpet blasts.Do not do any regular work on that day. Instead, bring a food offering to the Lord.’ ”The Lord spoke to Moses. He said,“ The tenth day of the seventh month is the day when sin is paid for. Come together for a special service. Do not eat any food. Bring a food offering to the Lord.Do not do any work on that day. It is the day when sin is paid for. On that day your sin will be paid for in my sight. I am the Lord your God.Suppose you do eat food on that day. Then you will be separated from your people.I will destroy anyone among your people who does any work on that day.You must not do any work at all. This is a law that will last for all time to come. It applies no matter where you live.That day is a day of sabbath rest for you. You must rest on it. You must not eat anything on that day. You must follow the rules of the sabbath rest. Follow them from the evening of the ninth day of the month until the following evening.”The Lord said to Moses,“ Say to the Israelites,‘ On the 15th day of the seventh month the Lord’ s Feast of Booths begins. It lasts for seven days.On the first day you must come together for a special service. Do not do any regular work on that day.On each of the seven days bring a food offering to the Lord. On the eighth day come together for a special service. Bring a food offering to the Lord. That special service is the closing service. Do not do any regular work on that day.“‘ These are the Lord’ s appointed feasts. Tell the people that they must come together for these sacred assemblies. During those times, the people must bring food offerings to the Lord. They are burnt offerings and grain offerings. They are sacrifices and drink offerings. Each offering must be brought at its required time.The offerings are in addition to those of the days of sabbath rest. The offerings are also in addition to your gifts and anything you have promised. They are also in addition to all the offerings you choose to give to the Lord.“‘ Begin with the 15th day of the seventh month. That is after you have gathered your crops. On that day celebrate the Lord’ s Feast of Booths for seven days. The first day is a day of rest. The eighth day is also a day of rest.On the first day you must get branches from palms, willows and other leafy trees. You must be filled with joy in front of the Lord your God for seven days.Celebrate the Lord’ s Feast of Booths for seven days each year. This is a law that will last for all time to come. Celebrate the feast in the seventh month.Live in booths for seven days. All the Israelites must live in booths.Then your children after you will know that I made the Israelites live in booths. I made them do it after I brought them out of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’ ”So Moses announced to the Israelites the appointed feasts of the Lord.

“ Do not work on the Sabbath day. Do not do just anything you want to on my holy day. Make the Sabbath a day you can enjoy. Honor the Lord’ s holy day. Do not work on it. Do not do just anything you want to. Do not talk about things that are worthless.Then you will find your joy in me. I will give you control over the most important places in the land. And you will enjoy all the good things in the land I gave your father Jacob.” The Lord has spoken.