Ezra Read di Law

Thousands of people full one city square as day dey break. For top one tall wooden platform, one old scribe open one scroll. Di moment e open am, di whole crowd stand up. And then, silence.

Jerusalem walls dey stand again, dem build am inside only fifty-two days under Nehemiah. Dem don hang di gates. Families don move back to di towns. Now na di seventh month of di year, month wey full with holy days for God law. And di people gather as one, men and women and every child wey don old reach to understand, for di open square for di front of di Water Gate. Dem ask for one thing. Ezra, bring out di book of di law of Moses.

Ezra na priest and scribe, man wey don give im life to study God law and to teach am. Dem don build one wooden platform for dis day, and Ezra climb am, with thirteen leaders wey dey stand for im side. E open di scroll for di eyes of all di people, and all of dem stand up. Ezra bless Di Lord, di great God. And di crowd answer with dem hands wey dem raise high. Amen. Amen. Then dem bow dem head and worship with dem face for ground.

Then di reading start. Ezra read from early morning reach afternoon, and di people listen well, for hours, dey stand for open air. But to hear no be di same as to understand. So one group of Levites dey move among di people, dey help dem. Dem read from di law clear, and dem explain di meaning, so dat everybody go understand wetin dem dey read. Picture am. One child pull person cloth and ask wetin one word mean. One teacher bend down and explain. All over di square, small small groups dey lean close, dey listen, dey ask.

And as di people dey understand, something happen. Dem begin cry. Maybe dem hear how far dem don waka comot from wetin God ask. Maybe dem dey think about di years of exile. All over di square, people dey cry. But Nehemiah di governor, Ezra and di Levites stop dem. Dis day holy to Di Lord una God. No mourn. No cry. Go house and celebrate. Eat rich food and drink sweet drink, and send some give anybody wey no prepare anything. No dey sad, because di joy of Di Lord na una strength. So di people go and celebrate with big joy, because dem don understand di words wey dem read give dem.

Di next day, di family leaders come back meet Ezra to study more. And dem find something wey dem write for di law. For dis seventh month, God people suppose live inside shelters wey dem make with branches, to remember how dem ancestors live for di wilderness. So di people go di hills and bring back branches of olive, myrtle and palm. Dem build shelters everywhere. For top dem roof, for dem compound, for di courts of di temple, for di city squares. Since di days of Joshua, di Bible talk, dem never keep di feast like dis. For seven days Ezra read from di book of di law, and di joy big well well.

Why di people need help to understand? By dis time, plenty Jews don grow up dey speak Aramaic, di everyday language of di Persian Empire, but na Hebrew dem write di law. Nehemiah imself complain later say some children no fit speak di language of Judah. Old Jewish tradition, wey dem record for di Talmud, understand say di explaining wey di Levites do here include translation, di root of di Aramaic paraphrases wey come later, wey dem dey call Targums. Other scholars read am as just explanation.

Ezra Read di Law. You go find am for di book of Nehemiah, chapter eight. Di people listen, dem understand, and di understanding first bring tears, and then joy. God word no suppose stay lock inside scroll. Na to explain am, understand am and live am. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. When you hear God word, who dey help you understand am, and who you fit help?