Nehemiah 8:8 - Prayer Tents



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Nehemiah 8
The Message Help

Ezra and The Revelation

8By the time the seventh month arrived, the People of Israel were settled in their towns. Then all the people gathered as one person in the town square in front of the Water Gate and asked the scholar Ezra to bring the Book of The Revelation of Moses that GOD had commanded for Israel.H5971H622H259H376H7339H6440H4325H8179H559H5830H5608H935H5612H8451H4872H3068H6680H3478 2So Ezra the priest brought The Revelation to the congregation, which was made up of both men and women—everyone capable of understanding. It was the first day of the seventh month.H5830H3548H935H8451H6440H6951H376H802H8085H995H259H3117H7637H2320 3He read it facing the town square at the Water Gate from early dawn until noon in the hearing of the men and women, all who could understand it. And all the people listened—they were all ears—to the Book of The Revelation.H7121H6440H7339H6440H4325H8179H216H4276H3117H582H802H995H241H5971H5612H8451 4The scholar Ezra stood on a wooden platform constructed for the occasion. He was flanked on the right by Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, and on the left by Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam.H5830H5608H5975H4026H6086H6213H1697H681H5975H4993H8087H6043H223H2518H4641H3225H8040H6305H4332H4441H2828H2806H2148H4918 5Ezra opened the book. Every eye was on him (he was standing on the raised platform) and as he opened the book everyone stood.H5830H6605H5612H5869H5971H5971H6605H5971H5975 6Then Ezra praised GOD, the great God, and all the people responded, "Oh Yes! Yes!" with hands raised high. And then they fell to their knees in worship of GOD, their faces to the ground.H5830H1288H3068H1419H430H5971H6030H543H543H4607H3027H6915H7812H3068H639H776 7Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah, all Levites, explained The Revelation while people stood, listening respectfully.H3442H1137H8274H3226H6126H7678H1941H4641H7042H5838H3107H2605H6411H3881H5971H995H8451H5971H5977 8They translated the Book of The Revelation of God so the people could understand it and then explained the reading.H7121H5612H8451H430H6567H7760H7922H995H4744 9Nehemiah the governor, along with Ezra the priest and scholar and the Levites who were teaching the people, said to all the people, "This day is holy to GOD, your God. Don't weep and carry on." They said this because all the people were weeping as they heard the words of The Revelation.H5166H8660H5830H3548H5608H3881H995H5971H559H5971H3117H6918H3068H430H56H1058H5971H1058H8085H1697H8451 10He continued, "Go home and prepare a feast, holiday food and drink; and share it with those who don't have anything: This day is holy to God. Don't feel bad. The joy of GOD is your strength!"H559H3212H398H4924H8354H4477H7971H4490H3559H3117H6918H113H6087H2304H3068H4581 11The Levites calmed the people, "Quiet now. This is a holy day. Don't be upset."H3881H2814H5971H559H2013H3117H6918H6087 12So the people went off to feast, eating and drinking and including the poor in a great celebration. Now they got it; they understood the reading that had been given to them.H5971H3212H398H8354H7971H4490H6213H1419H8057H995H1697H3045 13On the second day of the month the family heads of all the people, the priests, and the Levites gathered around Ezra the scholar to get a deeper understanding of the words of The Revelation.H8145H3117H622H7218H1H5971H3548H3881H5830H5608H7919H1697H8451 14They found written in The Revelation that GOD commanded through Moses that the People of Israel are to live in booths during the festival of the seventh month.H4672H3789H8451H3068H6680H3027H4872H1121H3478H3427H5521H2282H7637H2320 15So they published this decree and had it posted in all their cities and in Jerusalem: "Go into the hills and collect olive branches, pine branches, myrtle branches, palm branches, and any other leafy branches to make booths, as it is written."H8085H5674H6963H5892H3389H559H3318H2022H935H2132H5929H8081H6086H5929H1918H5929H8558H5929H5929H5687H6086H6213H5521H3789 16So the people went out, brought in branches, and made themselves booths on their roofs, courtyards, the courtyards of The Temple of God, the Water Gate plaza, and the Ephraim Gate plaza.H5971H3318H935H6213H5521H376H1406H2691H2691H1004H430H7339H4325H8179H7339H8179H669 17The entire congregation that had come back from exile made booths and lived in them. The People of Israel hadn't done this from the time of Joshua son of Nun until that very day—a terrific day! Great joy!H6951H7725H7628H6213H5521H3427H5521H3117H3442H1121H5126H3117H1121H3478H6213H3966H1419H8057 18Ezra read from the Book of The Revelation of God each day, from the first to the last day—they celebrated the feast for seven days. On the eighth day they held a solemn assembly in accordance with the decree.H3117H3117H7223H3117H314H3117H7121H5612H8451H430H6213H2282H7651H3117H8066H3117H6116H4941


The Message (MSG). All Scripture quotations are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries. More details.
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