Nehemiah 8:1-5

8:1 all the people gathered together ¹  in the plaza which was in front of the Water Gate. They asked ²  Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses which the LORD had commanded Israel. 8:2 So Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly which included men and women and all those able to understand what they heard. (This happened on the first day of the seventh month.) 8:3 So he read it before the plaza in front of the Water Gate from dawn till noon ³  before the men and women and those children who could understand. ⁴  All the people were eager to hear ⁵  the book of the law.

8:4 Ezra the scribe stood on a towering wooden platform ⁶  constructed for this purpose. Standing near him on his right were Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Masseiah. On his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam. 8:5 Ezra opened the book in plain view ⁷  of all the people, for he was elevated above all the people. When he opened the book, ⁸  all the people stood up.

¹ tn Heb “like one man.”

² tn Heb “said [to].”

³ tn Heb “from the light till the noon of the day.”

⁴ tn Heb “all who could hear with understanding.” The word “children” is understood to be implied here by a number of English versions (e.g., NAB, TEV, NLT).

⁵ tn Heb “the ears of all the people were toward.”

⁶ tn Heb “a tower of wood.”

⁷ tn Heb “to the eyes.”

⁸ tn Heb “it”; the referent (the book) has been specified in the translation for clarity.