Nehemiah 8:9-12

8:9 Then Nehemiah the governor, ¹  Ezra the priestly scribe, ²  and the Levites who were imparting understanding to the people said to all of them, ³  “This day is holy to the LORD your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people had been weeping when they heard the words of the law. 8:10 He said to them, “Go and eat delicacies and drink sweet drinks and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared. For this day is holy to our Lord. ⁴  Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

8:11 Then the Levites quieted all the people saying, “Be quiet, for this day is holy. Do not grieve.” 8:12 So all the people departed to eat and drink and to share their food ⁵  with others ⁶  and to enjoy tremendous joy, ⁷  for they had gained insight in the matters that had been made known to them.

[8:9]  ¹ tc The unexpected reference to Nehemiah here has led some scholars to suspect that the phrase “Nehemiah the governor” is a later addition to the text and not original.

[8:9]  ² tn Heb “the priest, the scribe.”

[8:9]  ³ tn Heb “the people.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy.

[8:10]  ⁴ tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[8:12]  ⁵ tn Heb “to send portions.”

[8:12]  ⁶ tn The Hebrew text does not include the phrase “with others” but it has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[8:12]  ⁷ tn Heb “to make great joy.”