U-Ezra Ufunda uMthetho Ngezwi Elikhulu
Abantu ngokwabo bacela uMthetho kaBaba wethu futhi bame ngenkathi u-Ezra efunda kusukela ekuseni kuze kube semini, amaLevi echaza umqondo. Bayakhala ngalokho abakuzwayo, kodwa kunalokho batshelwa ukuba benze idili, babelane ngokudla, futhi bajabule, bese begcina umkhosi emadokodweni amagatsha.
8 1Kwathi lapho sekufika inyanga yesikhombisa, bonke abantu babuthana njengamuntu munye esigcawini esiphambi kweSango laManzi, bacela u-Ezra umbhali ukuba alethe iNcwadi yoMthetho kaMose, uBaba wethu awuyalela u-Israyeli. 2Ngosuku lokuqala lwenyanga yesikhombisa, u-Ezra umpristi waletha uMthetho phambi kwebandla lamadoda, abesifazane, nabo bonke ababengaqonda lokho abakuzwayo. 3Wawufunda, ebhekene nesigcawu esiphambi kweSango laManzi, kusukela emadabukakusa kuze kube semini enkulu, emadodeni, kwabesifazane, nakubo bonke ababengaqonda. Bonke abantu bayilalelisisa iNcwadi yoMthetho. 4U-Ezra umbhali wema phezu kwenkundla ephakeme yokhuni eyayenzelwe le njongo. Eceleni kwakhe ngakwesokunene kwema oMathithiya, uShema, u-Anaya, u-Uriya, uHilikiya, noMahaseya; kwathi ngakwesokhohlo kwema uPhedaya, uMishayeli, uMalikiya, uHashumi, uHashibadana, uZakariya, noMeshulamu. 5U-Ezra wayivula incwadi phambi kwamehlo abo bonke abantu, ngokuba wayemi ngaphezu kwabo bonke abantu; wathi eseyivula, bonke basukuma bema. 6U-Ezra wadumisa uBaba wethu, uNkulunkulu omkhulu, bonke abantu baphakamisa izandla zabo baphendula bathi: “Amen! Amen!” Base bekhothama, ubuso babo bubheke phansi, bekhonza uBaba wethu.
7AbaLevi—uJeshuwa, uBani, uSherebiya, uJamini, u-Akubi, uShabethayi, uHodiya, uMahaseya, uKelitha, u-Azariya, uJozabadi, uHanani, noPhelaya—bachaza uMthetho ebantwini, abantu bemi ezindaweni zabo. 8Bayifunda incwadi, uMthetho kaBaba wethu, ngokucacile, benikeza incazelo ukuze abantu bakuqonde lokho okwakufundwa.
9UNehemiya umbusi, u-Ezra umpristi nombhali, kanye nabaLevi ababefundisa abantu, batshela bonke bathi: “Lolu suku lungcwele kuBaba wenu. Ningalili ningakhali.” Ngokuba bonke abantu babekhala lapho bezwa amazwi oMthetho. 10UNehemiya wabatshela wathi: “Hambani niyodla ukudla okunonile, niphuze okumnandi, nithumele izabelo kulabo abangenalutho olulungisiwe, ngokuba lolu suku lungcwele kuBaba wethu oyiNkosi. Ningadabuki; injabulo kaBaba wethu ingamandla enu.”
11AbaLevi babathulisa bonke abantu bethi: “Thulani, ngokuba lolu suku lungcwele. Ningadabuki.”
12Bonke abantu bahamba beyodla, bephuza, babelana ngezabelo, benza umkhosi ngenjabulo enkulu, ngokuba bebeqonda amazwi ababewaziswe wona.
Ukugcina uMkhosi wamaDokodo
13Ngosuku lwesibili, izinhloko zemindeni yabo bonke abantu, kanye nabapristi nabaLevi, babuthana ku-Ezra umbhali ukuze bafunde amazwi oMthetho. 14Bathola kubhaliwe eMthethweni uBaba wethu awuyala ngoMose: abantwana bakwa-Israyeli kwakufanele bahlale emadokodweni phakathi nomkhosi wenyanga yesikhombisa. 15Kwakufanele bamemezele basakaze lelizwi kuwo wonke amadolobha abo naseJerusalema bathi: “Yanini ezintabeni niyolanda amagatsha omnqumo, nawomnqumo wasendle, newemithi yemisi, newesundu, nawezinye izihlahla ezinamahlamvu, ukwenza amadokodo, njengokuba kubhaliwe.”
16Abantu baphuma, balanda amagatsha, bakha amadokodo—ngamunye ophahleni lwakhe, emagcekeni, emagcekeni endlu kaBaba wethu, nasezigcawini zeSango laManzi neseSango lakwa-Efrayimi. 17Lonke ibandla labathunjiweyo ababebuyile lakha amadokodo, bahlala kuwo; abantwana bakwa-Israyeli babengakaze bakwenze lokhu kusukela ezinsukwini zikaJoshuwa indodana kaNuni kuze kube yilolo suku, nenjabulo yabo yayinkulu kakhulu. 18Usuku ngalunye, kusukela osukwini lokuqala kuze kube ngolokugcina, u-Ezra wayifunda iNcwadi yoMthetho kaBaba wethu. Bawugcina umkhosi izinsuku eziyisikhombisa, kwathi ngosuku lwesishiyagalombili baba nombuthano omkhulu, njengokulaya koMthetho.
