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NOTE
This file was generated by Descript 

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Emily: welcome to immerse: the
daily bible reading experience.

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Day 300 and 53

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Sand Baat, Tobiah, Geshe, the Arab and
the rest of our enemies found out that

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I had finished rebuilding the wall and
that no gaps remained, though we had

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not yet set up the doors in the gates.

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So sand baat and Gsem sent a message
asking me to meet them at one of the

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villages in the plain of Ono, but I
realized they were plotting to harm me.

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So I replied by sending
this message to them.

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I'm engaged in a great
work, so I can't come.

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Why should I stop working to come
and meet with you four times?

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They sent the same message and
each time I gave the same reply.

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The fifth time sand ballads servant
came with an open letter in his

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hand, and this is what it said.

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There is a rumor among the surrounding
nations, and Geshe tells me it

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is true that you and the Jews are
planning to rebel, and that is

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why you are building the wall.

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According to his reports,
you plan to be their king.

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He also reports that you
have appointed prophets in

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Jerusalem to proclaim about you.

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Look, there is a king in Judah.

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You can be very sure that this
report will get back to the King.

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I, so I suggest that you come
and talk it over with me.

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I replied, there is no truth
in any part of your story.

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You are making up the whole thing.

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They were just trying to intimidate
us, imagining that they could

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discourage us and stop the work.

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So I continued the work with
even greater determination.

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Later, I went to visit Shama son
of tle and grandson of Mabel,

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who was confined to his home.

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He said, let us meet together inside the
temple of God, and both the doors shut.

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Your enemies are coming
to kill you tonight.

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But I replied, should someone
in my position run from danger?

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Should someone in my position
enter the temple to save his life?

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No, I won't do it.

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I realized that God had not spoken
to him, but that he had uttered

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this prophecy against me because
Tobiah and San Ballad had hired him.

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They were hoping to
intimidate me and make me sin.

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Then they would be able to
accuse and discredit me.

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Remember, oh my God.

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All the evil things that Tobiah
and San Ballot have done.

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And remember, Noah Diah, the prophet
and all the prophets like her

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who have tried to intimidate me.

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So on October 2nd, the wall was finished
just 52 days after we had begun.

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When our enemies and the surrounding
nations heard about it, they

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were frightened and humiliated.

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They realized this work had been
done with the help of our God.

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During those 52 days, many letters
went back and forth between

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Tobiah and the Nobles of Judah.

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For many in Judah had sworn allegiance
to him because his father-in-law was

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Shanaya, son of Ara and his son Jijo.

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Hanan, was married to the daughter of Ms.

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Shula, son of Barak, Kaya.

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They kept telling me about Tobiah's
good deeds, and then they told him

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everything I said, and Tobiah kept sending
threatening letters to intimidate me.

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After the wall was finished and
I had set up the doors in the

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gates, the gatekeepers, singers
and Levites were appointed.

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I gave the responsibility of governing
Jerusalem to my brother HeNe nai.

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Along with Hananiah, the commander of
the fortress, for he was a faithful

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man who feared God more than most.

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I said to them, do not leave the gates
open during the hottest part of the day.

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And even while the gatekeepers are on
duty, have them shut and bar the doors.

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Appoint the residents of
Jerusalem to act as guards.

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Everyone on a regular watch.

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Some will serve at century posts and
some in front of their own homes.

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At that time, the city was large and
spacious, but the population was small

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and none of the houses had been rebuilt.

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So my God gave me the idea to
call together all the nobles and

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leaders of the city, along with the
ordinary citizens for registration.

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I had found the genealogical record of
those who had first returned to Judah.

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This is what was written there.

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Here is the list of the Jewish
exiles of the provinces who

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returned from their captivity.

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King Nebuchadnezzar had deported them
to Babylon, but now they returned

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to Jerusalem and the other towns in
Judah where they originally lived,

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their leaders were Sable Je Nehemiah
Serayah, AYA Ne Mordecai, bill Han, Ms.

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Par, big vii.

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Re.

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This is the number of the men of Israel
who returned from exile, the family

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of PRA 2,172, the family of Chef Atta
372, the family of ARA 652, the family

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of payoff, Moab, descendants of JE and
Joab 2,818, the family of Elam 1,254.

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The family of Ztu 845, the family
of Zac High 760, the family of BE

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NAI 648, the family of Beba 628.

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The family of as GAD 2,322, the family
of Nycu 667, the family of Big VI 2067.

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The family of Aiden 655.

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The family of aor, descendants of
Hezekiah 98, the family of Hasham 328,

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the family of Beza 324, the family of
Jora 112, the family of Gibbard 95, the

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people of Bethlehem and Na Tofa 188.

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The people of Anth 128, the people
of Beth Asthma, Beth 42, the people

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of Keath, JIRA, Keira and Biro.

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743, the people of RMA and GIBA
621, the people of Mik Mash 122,

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the people of Bethel and ai 123.

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The people of West Nebo 52, the citizens
of West Elam 1,254, the citizens of

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Harem 320, the citizens of Jericho
345, the citizens of lad, hayed and

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Ono 721, the citizens of Aya 3,930.

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These are the priests
who returned from exile.

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The family of Judea through the
line of JE 973, the family of Immer

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1052, the family of Pash, her 1,247,
the family of Haram, the 1017.

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These are the Levites who returned
from exile, the families of JE

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and cao, descendants of HO DVA 74.

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The singers of the family of Asaf 148,
the gatekeepers of the families of Shalom,

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AER Talman, ACA Hatta, and Chaba 138.

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The descendants of the following temple
servants returned from Exile Zha hafa.

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Tab Kiro Payden, Lena Haba.

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Hanan.

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Gidel Gahar,

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Kota

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Za

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hafa ba meida harsha barass
cura Tema niah and hat.

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The descendants of these servants
of King Solomon returned from exile.

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Sota has Pera Jayla, Dahan, Gidel,
Sheta hat, hazeem, and Amai in all the

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temple servants and the descendants
of Solomon servants numbered 392.

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Another group returned at this
time from the towns of Tila, tell

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Harsha, Krab, Adden, and Immer.

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However, they could not prove that they or
their families were descendants of Israel.

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This group included the families
of Deleah, Tobiah, and Nakota.

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A total of 642 people, three
families of priests, HOA, Haas,

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and Barzilai also returned.

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This Barzilai had married a woman who
was a descendant of Barzilai of Gilead,

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and he had taken her family name.

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They searched for their names
in the genealogical records, but

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they were not found so they were
disqualified from serving as priests.

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The governor told them not to eat
the priest's share of food from the

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sacrifices until a priest could consult
the Lord about the matter by using

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the rum and th him the sacred lots.

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So a total of 42,360 people returned
to Judah in addition to 7,337 servants

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and 245 singers, both men and women.

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They took with them 736 horses, 245
mules, 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.

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Some of the family leaders
gave gifts for the work.

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The governor gave to the treasury
1000 gold coins, 50 gold basins,

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and 530 robes for the priests the
other leaders gave to the treasury.

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A total of 20,000 gold coins and some
2,750 pounds of silver for the work.

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The rest of the people gave 20,000
gold coins, about 2,500 pounds of

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silver and 67 robes for the priests.

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So the priests, the Levites, the
gatekeepers, the singers, the temple

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servants, and some of the common
people settled near Jerusalem.

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The rest of the people returned to
their own towns throughout Israel.

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In October when the Israelites had
settled in their towns, all the people

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assembled with a unified purpose at
the square, just inside the Watergate.

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They asked Ezra, the scribe to bring
out the book of the law of Moses, which

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the Lord had given for Israel to obey.

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So on October 8th, Ezra, the
priest brought the book of the law

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before the assembly, which included
the men and women and all the

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children old enough to understand.

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He faced the square just inside
the Watergate from early morning

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until noon and read aloud to
everyone who could understand.

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All the people listened
closely to the book of the law.

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Ezra the scribe, stood on a high
wooden platform that had been

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made for the occasion to his right
stood Matia Shima, Anaya, Uriah,

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and Meia to his left stood pad.

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Michel Malka Haitham, hash Batina.

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Zacharia, and Ms.

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Ezra stood on the platform in
full view of all the people.

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When they saw him open the book,
they all rose to their feet.

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Then Ezra praised the Lord the great
God, and all the people chanted.

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Amen.

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Amen.

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As they lifted their hands, then
they bowed down and worshiped the

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Lord with their faces to the ground.

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The Levites Joshua, be Nai Shi.

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Jamon, ACA, Saathi, Hoda meia, kata,
azariah, Zeba, Hanan, and paella.

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Then instructed the people in the law
while everyone remained in their places.

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They read from the book of the Law of
God and clearly explained the meaning

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of what was being read, helping
the people understand each passage.

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Then Nehemiah the governor.

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Ezra, the priest and scribe and
the Levites who were interpreting

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for the people, said to them, don't
mourn or weep on such a day as this.

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For today is a sacred day before the
Lord your God, for the people had all

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been weeping as they listened to the
words of the law, and Nehemiah continued.

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Go and celebrate with a feast
of rich foods and sweet drinks,

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and share gifts of food with
people who have nothing prepared.

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This is a sacred day before our Lord.

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Don't be dejected and sad for the
joy of the Lord is your strength.

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And the Levites too quieted the
people telling them, hush, don't

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weep for this is a sacred day.

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So the people went away to eat and
drink at a festive meal, to share

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gifts of food and to celebrate with
great joy because they had heard

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God's words and understood them.

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On October 9th, the family leaders of
all the people together with the priests

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and Levites met with Ezra, the scribe,
to go over the law in greater detail.

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As they studied the law, they discovered
that the Lord had commanded through Moses.

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That the Israelites should
live in shelters during the

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festival to be held that month.

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He had said that a proclamation
should be made throughout their

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towns and in Jerusalem, telling the
people to go to the hills to get

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branches from olive, wild olive,
myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees.

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They were to use these branches to make
shelters in which they would live during

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the festival as prescribed in the law.

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So the people went out and cut branches.

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And use them to build shelters on
the roofs of their houses in their

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courtyards, in the courtyards of God's
temple, or in the squares just inside

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the Watergate and the Raim gate.

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So everyone who had returned from
captivity lived in these shelters

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during the festival, and they
were all filled with great joy.

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The Israelites had not celebrated like
this since the days of Joshua son of none.

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Ezra read from the book of the Law of God
on each of the seven days of the festival.

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Then on the eighth day, they held a
solemn assembly as was required by law.