¹Zvino vanhu vose vakaungana nomoyo mumwe padare rakanga riri pamberi pesuwo remvura; vakaudza Ezira munyori kuti auye nebhuku yomurayiro waMozisi, wakange warairwa vaIsiraeri naJehovha.

¹And all the people are gathered as one man unto the broad place that [is] before the water-gate, and they say to Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, that Jehovah commanded Israel.

²Ezira mupristi ndokuuya nomurayiro pamberi peungano yavarume navakadzi, navose vakanga vachigona kunzwisisa, nezuva rokutanga romwedzi wechinomwe.

²And Ezra the priest bringeth the law before the assembly, both of men and women, and every one intelligent to hear, on the first day of the seventh month,

³Akaravamo padare rakanga riri pamberi pesuwo remvura, kubva mangwanani kusvikira masikati, pamberi pavarume navakadzi navose vakanga vachigona kunzwisisa; nzeve dzavanhu vose dzikateerera mashoko ebhuku yomurayiro.

³and he readeth in it before the broad place that [is] before the water-gate, from the light till the middle of the day, over-against the men, and the women, and those intelligent, and the ears of all the people [are] unto the book of the law.

⁴Ezira munyori akamira pakakwirira pakanga pakavakirwa izvozvo namatanda; uye Matitia, naShema, naAnaya, naUriya, naHirikia naMaaseya vakamira kurutivi rwake rworudyi, naPedhaya, naMishaeri, naMarikiya, naHashumi, naHashibhadhana, naZekariya, naMeshurami vakamira kuruboshwe rwake.

⁴And Ezra the scribe standeth on a tower of wood that they made for the purpose, and Mattithiah standeth near him, and Shema, and Anaiah, and Urijah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right; and on his left Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchijah, and Hashum, and Hashbaddana, Zechariah, Meshullam.

⁵Ezira akazarura bhuku pamberi pavanhu vose; (nokuti akanga amire kumusoro kwavanhu vose;) zvino akati achizarura vanhu vose ndokusimuka.

⁵And Ezra openeth the book before the eyes of all the people — for above all the people he hath been — and at his opening [it] all the people have stood up,

⁶Ipapo Ezira akavonga Jehovha, Mwari mukuru. Vanhu vose vakapindura, vachiti, Ameni, Ameni, vachisimudza maoko avo; ipapo vakakotamisa misoro yavo, vakanamata kuna Jehovha zviso zvavo zvakatarira pasi.

⁶and Ezra blesseth Jehovah, the great God, and all the people answer, `Amen, Amen,` with lifting up of their hands, and they bow and do obeisance to Jehovah — faces to the earth.

⁷Jeshua, naBhani, naSherebhia, naJamini, naAkubhi, naShabhetai, naHodhia, naMaaseya, naKerita, naAzaria, naJozabhadhi, naHanani, naPeraya, navaRevhi vakadudzira vanhu mirairo; vanhu vakaramba vamire panzvimbo yavo.

⁷And Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, giving the people understanding in the law, and the people, [are] on their station,

⁸Vakarava zvichinzwika kwazvo mubhuku yomurayiro waMwari; vakazvidudzira, ,vakanzwisisa zvinorahwa.

⁸and they read in the book, in the law of God, explaining — so as to give the meaning, and they give understanding to the convocation.

⁹Ipapo mubati Nehemiya, nomupristi Ezira munyori, navaRevhi vakadzidzisa vanhu, vakati kuvanhu vose, Zuva rino idzvene kuna Jehovha Mwari wenyu; musaungudza nokuchema; nekuti vanhu vose vakachema vachinzwa mashoko omurayiro.

⁹And Nehemiah — he [is] the Tirshatha — saith (and Ezra the priest, the scribe, and the Levites who are instructing the people) to all the people, `To-day is holy to Jehovah your God, do not mourn, nor weep:` for all the people are weeping at their hearing the words of the law.

¹⁰Ipapo akati kwavari, Endai henyu, mudye zvakakora, nokumwa zvinozipa, mugotumirawo migove kuna vasina kugadzirirwa chinhu nekuti zuva rino idzvene kuna She wedu; musava neshungu, nekuti mufaro waJehovha isimba renyu.

¹⁰And he saith to them, `Go, eat fat things, and drink sweet things, and sent portions to him for whom nothing is prepared, for to-day [is] holy to our Lord, and be not grieved, for the joy of Jehovah is your strength.`

¹¹Naizvozvo vaRevhi vakanyaradza vanhu vose, vachiti, Nyararai henyu, nekuti izuva dzvene; musava neshungu.

¹¹And the Levites are keeping all the people silent, saying, `Be silent, for to-day [is] holy, and be not grieved.`

¹²Ipapo vanhu vose vakaenda kundodya nokumwa, nokutumira vamwe migove, nokufara kwazvo; nekuti vakanga vanzwisisa mashoko avakaparidzirwa.

¹²And all the people go to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great joy, because they have understood concerning the words that they made known to them.

¹³Zvino pazuva rechipiri vakuru vedzimba dzamadzibaba avanhu vose, navapristi, navaRevhi, vakaunganira kuna Ezira munyori, kuzoteerera mashoko omurayiro.

¹³And on the second day have been gathered heads of the fathers of all the people, the priests, and the Levites, unto Ezra the scribe, even to act wisely concerning the words of the law.

¹⁴Vakawana pakanyorwa mumurayiro, kuti Jehovha akaraira Mozisi, kuti vana vaIsiraeri vanofanira kugara pamatumba pamutambo womwedzi wechinomwe;

¹⁴And they find written in the law that Jehovah commanded by the hand of Moses, that the sons of Israel dwell in booths in the feast, in the seventh month,

¹⁵uye kuti vanofanira kuzivisa nokuparidza shoko iro pamaguta avo ose, napaJerusaremu, vachiti, Budirai kugomo, mundotora matavi emiorivhi, namatavi emiorivhi yomusango, namatavi emimirite, namatavi emichindwe, namatavi emiti mikobvu, kuti muite matumba sezvakanyorwa.

¹⁵and that they proclaim and cause to pass over all their cities, (and in Jerusalem,) saying, `Go ye out to the mount, and bring leaves of the olive, and leaves of the oil tree, and leaves of the myrtle, and leaves of the palms, and leaves of thick trees, to make booths as it is written.`

¹⁶Naizvozvo vanhu vakabuda, vakauya nawo, vakazviitira matumba, mumwe nomumwe pamusoro pedenga reimba yake, napavazhe dzavo, napavazhe dzeimba yaMwari, napadare resuwo remvura, napadare resuwo raEfuremu.

¹⁶And the people go out, and bring in, and make for themselves booths, each on his roof, and in their courts, and in the courts of the house of God, and in the broad place of the water-gate, and in the broad place of the gate of Ephraim.

¹⁷Ungano yose yavakanga vakadzoka pakutapwa vakaita matumba, vakagara pamatumba; nekuti kubva pamazuva aJeshua mwanakomana waNuni kusvikira pazuva iro, vana vaIsiraeri vakanga vasina kuita izvozvo. Pakava nomufaro mukuru.

¹⁷And they make — all the assembly of the captives of the captivity — booths, and they sit in booths; for the sons of Israel had not done, from the days of Jeshua son of Nun, so unto that day, and there is very great joy.

¹⁸Uye zuva rimwe nerimwe, kubva pazuva rokutanga kusvikira pazuva rokupedzisira, akarava pabhuku yomurayiro waMwari. Vakaita mutambo mazuva manomwe; pazuva rorusere vakaita ungano yokupedzisira, sezvakanga zvatemwa.

¹⁸And he readeth in the book of the law of God day by day, from the first day till the last day, and they make a feast seven days, and on the eighth day a restraint, according to the ordinance.