Nehemiah 8:2-3

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 1  before the men and women and those children who could understand. 2  All the people were eager to hear 3  the book of the law.

Nehemiah 8:12-14

8:12 So all the people departed to eat and drink and to share their food 4  with others 5  and to enjoy tremendous joy, 6  for they had gained insight in the matters that had been made known to them.

8:13 On the second day of the month the family leaders 7  met with 8  Ezra the scribe, together with all the people, the priests, and the Levites, to consider the words of the law. 8:14 They discovered written in the law that the LORD had commanded through 9  Moses that the Israelites should live in temporary shelters during the festival of the seventh month,

Nehemiah 8:18

8:18 Ezra 10  read in the book of the law of God day by day, from the first day to the last. 11  They observed the festival for seven days, and on the eighth day they held an assembly 12  as was required. 13 

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

2 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).

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

1 tn Heb “to send portions.”

2 tn The Hebrew text does not include the phrase “with others” but it has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

3 tn Heb “to make great joy.”

1 tn Heb “the heads of the fathers.”

2 tn Heb “were gathered to”; NAB, NIV “gathered around”; NRSV “came together to.”

1 tn Heb “by the hand of.”

1 tn Heb “He”; the referent (Ezra) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

2 tn Heb “the last day.”

3 tn Heb “on the eighth day an assembly.” The words “they held” have been supplied in the translation for clarity.

4 tn Heb “according to the judgment.”