³⁹ “‘So beginning with the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the festival^(A) to the Lord for seven days;^(B) the first day is a day of sabbath rest, and the eighth day also is a day of sabbath rest. ⁴⁰ On the first day you are to take branches^(C) from luxuriant trees—from palms, willows and other leafy trees^(D)—and rejoice^(E) before the Lord your God for seven days. ⁴¹ Celebrate this as a festival to the Lord for seven days each year. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come; celebrate it in the seventh month. ⁴² Live in temporary shelters^(F) for seven days: All native-born Israelites are to live in such shelters ⁴³ so your descendants will know^(G) that I had the Israelites live in temporary shelters when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’”

¹⁴ They found written in the Law, which the Lord had commanded through Moses, that the Israelites were to live in temporary shelters^(A) during the festival of the seventh month ¹⁵ and that they should proclaim this word and spread it throughout their towns and in Jerusalem: “Go out into the hill country and bring back branches from olive and wild olive trees, and from myrtles, palms and shade trees, to make temporary shelters”—as it is written.^[a]

¹⁶ So the people went out and brought back branches and built themselves temporary shelters on their own roofs, in their courtyards, in the courts of the house of God and in the square by the Water Gate^(B) and the one by the Gate of Ephraim.^{(C) 17} The whole company that had returned from exile built temporary shelters and lived in them.^(D) From the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day, the Israelites had not celebrated^(E) it like this. And their joy was very great.

¹⁸ Day after day, from the first day to the last, Ezra read^(F) from the Book of the Law^(G) of God. They celebrated the festival for seven days, and on the eighth day, in accordance with the regulation,^(H) there was an assembly.^(I)