UEzra Uwulesa Umthetho Ngokuvakalayo
Abantu bazicelela ngokwabo uMthetho kaBawo wethu, beme lo gama uEzra efunda kususela ekuseni kuse emini enkulu, abaLevi becacisa intsingiselo. Bayalila ngoko bakuvayo, baze baxelelwe endaweni yoko ukuba batye itheko, babelane ngokudla, bavuye, bandule bagcine umthendeleko kwiminquba yamasebe.
8 1Yakufika inyanga yesixhenxe, bonke abantu bahlanganisana njenganoda-nye endaweni evulekileyo ephambi kweSango laManzi, bacela uEzra umbhali ukuba azise iNcwadi yoMthetho kaMoses, awayiwisela amaSirayeli uBawo wethu. 2Ngomhla wokuqala wenyanga yesixhenxe, uEzra umbingeleli wazisa uMthetho phambi kwebandla lamadoda, nabafazi, nabo bonke ababenokuqonda beva. 3Wawulesa, ebhekisa kuloo ndawo ivulekileyo ephambi kweSango laManzi, ethabathela ekuseni kwada kwesa emini enkulu, kumadoda, nabafazi, nabo bonke ababenokuqonda. Bonke abantu babeyibekele indlebe iNcwadi yoMthetho. 4UEzra umbhali wema phezu kweqonga eliphakamileyo lomthi elalenzelwe le njongo. Ngasekunene kwakhe kwema uMatitiya, noShema, noAnaya, no-Uriya, noHilekiya, noMahaseya; ngasekhohlo kwakhe kwema uPedaya, noMishaheli, noMalekiya, noHashum, noHashebhadana, noZekariya, noMeshulam. 5UEzra wayivula incwadi emehlweni abo bonke abantu, kuba wayemi ngaphezu kwabo bonke abantu; wathi akuyivula, basuka bema bonke. 6UEzra wambonga uBawo wethu, uThixo omkhulu, baza bonke abantu baphakamisa izandla zabo, baphendula, bathi: “Amen! Amen!” Bandula bathoba, ngobuso emhlabeni, baqubuda kuBawo wethu.
7AbaLevi—uYeshuwa, noBhani, noSherebhiya, noYamin, noAkubhi, noShabhetayi, noHodiya, noMahaseya, noKelita, noAzariya, noYozabhadi, noHanan, noPelaya—bawucacisela abantu uMthetho ngexa abantu babemi ezindaweni zabo. 8Bayilesa incwadi, uMthetho kaBawo wethu, ngokucacileyo, bewunika intsingiselo, ukuze abantu bakuqonde oko kuleswayo.
9Waza uNehemiya irhuluneli, noEzra umbingeleli nombhali, nabaLevi ababefundisa abantu, bathi kubo bonke: “Lo mhla ungcwele kuBawo wenu. Musani ukukhedama nokulila.” Kuba bonke abantu balila beva amazwi oMthetho. 10Wathi uNehemiya kubo: “Hambani niye kudla ukutya okutyebileyo, nisele into emnandi, nithumele izabelo kwabo bangenanto ilungisiweyo, kuba lo mhla ungcwele kwiNkosi uBawo wethu. Musani ukuba buhlungu; uvuyo lukaBawo wethu lingamandla enu.”
11AbaLevi babadambisa bonke abantu, besithi: “Thulani, kuba lo mhla ungcwele. Musani ukuba buhlungu.”
12Baza bemka bonke abantu besiya kudla, nokusela, nokwabelana ngezabelo, nokwenza imihlali enkulu, ngokuba babewaqonda amazwi ababewaziswe wona.
Ukugcina uMthendeleko weMinquba
13Ngomhla wesibini, iintloko zezindlu zooyise bazo bonke abantu, kunye nababingeleli nabaLevi, bahlanganisana kuEzra umbhali ukuba bafunde amazwi oMthetho. 14Bafumana kubhaliwe eMthethweni ukuba uBawo wethu wayiwisela ngoMoses: amaSirayeli ayemelwe kukuhlala eminqubeni ngexesha lomthendeleko wenyanga yesixhenxe. 15Ayemelwe kukuvakalisa nokusasaza eli lizwi kuyo yonke imizi yawo naseYerusalem, esithi: “Yiyani ezintabeni, nize namasebe omnquma, nomnquma wasendle, nomtiyile, nesundu, neminye imithi enamagqabi, ukwenza iminquba, njengokuba kubhaliwe.”
16Baphuma abantu, bazisa amasebe, bakha iminquba—elowo phezu kwendlu yakhe, nasezintendelezweni, nasezintendelezweni zendlu kaBawo wethu, nasezindaweni ezivulekileyo zeSango laManzi neSango lakwaEfrayim. 17Lonke ibandla labemi ababuyileyo ekuthinjweni lakha iminquba, bahlala kuyo; amaSirayeli ayengakenzi njalo kususela kwemihla kaYoshuwa unyana kaNun kwada kwayiloo mini, uvuyo lwawo lwaba lukhulu kakhulu. 18Imini nemini, kususela kumhla wokuqala kwada kwawokugqibela, uEzra wayeyilesa iNcwadi yoMthetho kaBawo wethu. Bawenza umthendeleko iintsuku ezisixhenxe, baza ngomhla wesibhozo benza ingqungquthela, njengoko wawufuna uMthetho.
