Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were interpreting for the people said to them,“ Don’t mourn or weep on such a day as this! For today is a sacred day before the Lord your God.” For the people had all been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.

省长尼希米和作祭司的文士以斯拉，并教训百姓的利未人，对众民说：“今日是耶和华你们神的圣日，不要悲哀哭泣。”这是因为众民听见律法书上的话都哭了；

尼希米省长、以斯拉祭司文士，和教导百姓的利未人对众百姓说：“今日是耶和华—你们上帝的圣日，不要悲哀，也不要哭泣。”这是因为众百姓听见律法书上的话都哭了。

尼希米省长、以斯拉祭司文士，和教导百姓的利未人对众百姓说：“今日是耶和华—你们神的圣日，不要悲哀，也不要哭泣。”这是因为众百姓听见律法书上的话都哭了。

全体民众听到律法书上的话都哭了。尼希米省长、律法教师以斯拉祭司和教导民众的利未人对他们说：“今天是你们上帝耶和华的圣日，不要悲哀、哭泣。”

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。

省長尼希米和作祭司的文士以斯拉，並教訓百姓的利未人，對眾民說：「今日是耶和華－你們神的聖日，不要悲哀哭泣。」這是因為眾民聽見律法書上的話都哭了；

尼希米省長、以斯拉祭司文士，和教導百姓的利未人對眾百姓說：「今日是耶和華－你們上帝的聖日，不要悲哀，也不要哭泣。」這是因為眾百姓聽見律法書上的話都哭了。

尼希米省長、以斯拉祭司文士，和教導百姓的利未人對眾百姓說：「今日是耶和華－你們神的聖日，不要悲哀，也不要哭泣。」這是因為眾百姓聽見律法書上的話都哭了。

全體民眾聽到律法書上的話都哭了。尼希米省長、律法教師以斯拉祭司和教導民眾的利未人對他們說：「今天是你們上帝耶和華的聖日，不要悲哀、哭泣。」

省長尼希米和祭司兼經學家以斯拉，以及教導人民明白律法的利未人對眾民說：“今天是耶和華你們的神的聖日，你們不要悲哀哭泣。”因為眾人聽見律法書上的話，都哭了。

做省長的尼希米、和做祭司的經學士以斯拉、跟教導人民的利未人、對眾民說：『今天是永恆主你們的上帝的聖日；你們不要悲哀哭泣』；這是因為眾民聽見律法書上的話、都哭了。

民聞律詞、咸哭、方伯尼希米、文士祭司以斯拉、與訓民之利未人、告之曰、今乃爾上帝耶和華之聖日、毋悲毋哭、

民聞書所云、咸哭、方伯尼希米、選士祭司以士喇、與訓民之利未人、告眾曰、今乃聖日、奉事爾之上帝耶和華、毋哀哭。

民聞律法之言咸哭、方伯尼希米、為祭司之文士以斯拉、與訓民之利未人、告民曰、今乃主爾天主之聖日、勿悲哀哭泣、

Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher of the Law, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all,“ This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.

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.

And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people,“ This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law.

Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to all of them,“ This day is holy to the LORD your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the law.

Then Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people,“ This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people were weeping when they heard the words of the Law.

And Nehemiah, who was the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people,“ This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn nor weep.” For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law.

And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto Jehovah your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law.

Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to all of them,“ This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the law.

And Nehemiah, which[ is] the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day[ is] holy unto the LORD your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law.

Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priestly scribe, and the Levites who were imparting understanding to the people said to all of them,“ This day is holy to the LORD your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people had been weeping when they heard the words of the law.

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

Some of the family leaders gave gifts for the work. The governor gave to the treasury 1,000 gold coins, 50 gold basins, and 530 robes for the priests.

The governor told them not to eat the priests’ share of food from the sacrifices until a priest could consult the Lord about the matter by using the Urim and Thummim— the sacred lots.

So on October 8 Ezra the priest brought the Book of the Law before the assembly, which included the men and women and all the children old enough to understand.

There you and your families will feast in the presence of the Lord your God, and you will rejoice in all you have accomplished because the Lord your God has blessed you.

“ You must celebrate there in the presence of the Lord your God with your sons and daughters and all your servants. And remember to include the Levites who live in your towns, for they will receive no allotment of land among you.

A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance.

The document was ratified and sealed with the following names: The governor: Nehemiah son of Hacaliah, and also Zedekiah.

This festival will be a happy time of celebrating with your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows from your towns.For seven days you must celebrate this festival to honor the Lord your God at the place he chooses, for it is he who blesses you with bountiful harvests and gives you success in all your work. This festival will be a time of great joy for all.

“ Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. On the first day of the appointed month in early autumn, you are to observe a day of complete rest. It will be an official day for holy assembly, a day commemorated with loud blasts of a trumpet.

This is a time to celebrate before the Lord your God at the designated place of worship he will choose for his name to be honored. Celebrate with your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, the Levites from your towns, and the foreigners, orphans, and widows who live among you.

The governor told them not to eat the priests’ share of food from the sacrifices until a priest could consult the Lord about the matter by using the Urim and Thummim— the sacred lots.

“ Celebrate the Festival of Trumpets each year on the first day of the appointed month in early autumn. You must call an official day for holy assembly, and you may do no ordinary work.On that day you must present a burnt offering as a pleasing aroma to the Lord. It will consist of one young bull, one ram, and seven one year old male lambs, all with no defects.These must be accompanied by grain offerings of choice flour moistened with olive oil— six quarts with the bull, four quarts with the ram,and two quarts with each of the seven lambs.In addition, you must sacrifice a male goat as a sin offering to purify yourselves and make yourselves right with the Lord.These special sacrifices are in addition to your regular monthly and daily burnt offerings, and they must be given with their prescribed grain offerings and liquid offerings. These offerings are given as a special gift to the Lord, a pleasing aroma to him.

At one time I lived without understanding the law. But when I learned the command not to covet, for instance, the power of sin came to life,

King Artaxerxes had given a copy of the following letter to Ezra, the priest and scribe who studied and taught the commands and decrees of the Lord to Israel:

To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory.

I have not eaten any of it while in mourning; I have not handled it while I was ceremonially unclean; and I have not offered any of it to the dead. I have obeyed the Lord my God and have done everything you commanded me.

He issued this order to the Levites, who were to teach all Israel and who had been set apart to serve the Lord:“ Put the holy Ark in the Temple that was built by Solomon son of David, the king of Israel. You no longer need to carry it back and forth on your shoulders. Now spend your time serving the Lord your God and his people Israel.

The Levites— Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah— then instructed the people in the Law while everyone remained in their places.They read from the Book of the Law of God and clearly explained the meaning of what was being read, helping the people understand each passage.

Hezekiah encouraged all the Levites regarding the skill they displayed as they served the Lord. The celebration continued for seven days. Peace offerings were sacrificed, and the people gave thanks to the Lord, the God of their ancestors.

You were sorry and humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I said against this city and its people— that this land would be cursed and become desolate. You tore your clothing in despair and wept before me in repentance. And I have indeed heard you, says the Lord.

Now I am glad I sent it, not because it hurt you, but because the pain caused you to repent and change your ways. It was the kind of sorrow God wants his people to have, so you were not harmed by us in any way.For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.Just see what this godly sorrow produced in you! Such earnestness, such concern to clear yourselves, such indignation, such alarm, such longing to see me, such zeal, and such a readiness to punish wrong. You showed that you have done everything necessary to make things right.

My people are being destroyed because they don’t know me. Since you priests refuse to know me, I refuse to recognize you as my priests. Since you have forgotten the laws of your God, I will forget to bless your children.

These all served in the days of Joiakim son of Jeshua, son of Jehozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor and of Ezra the priest and scribe.

When the king heard what was written in the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes in despair.

For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.

For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach them, and without the Law to instruct them.

Here is another thing you do. You cover the Lord’s altar with tears, weeping and groaning because he pays no attention to your offerings and doesn’t accept them with pleasure.

When the king heard what was written in the Law, he tore his clothes in despair.

“ Go to the Temple and speak to the Lord for me and for all the remnant of Israel and Judah. Inquire about the words written in the scroll that has been found. For the Lord’s great anger has been poured out on us because our ancestors have not obeyed the word of the Lord. We have not been doing everything this scroll says we must do.”