^3 (A)And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.

⁸ They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly,^[a] and they gave the meaning, so that the people understood the reading.

This Day Is Holy

⁹ And Nehemiah, who was ^(A)the governor, and Ezra ^(B)the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, ^(C)“This day is holy to the Lord your God; ^(D)do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law.

¹⁸ And day by day, from the first day to the last day, ^(A)he read from the Book of the Law of God. They kept the feast seven days, and ^(B)on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly, according to the rule.

^3 (A)And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a quarter of the day; for another quarter of it they made confession and worshipped the Lord their God.

¹¹ when all Israel comes ^(A)to appear before the Lord your God at the place that he will choose, ^(B)you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing. ^12 (C)Assemble the people, men, women, and little ones, and the sojourner within your towns, that they may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God, and be careful to do all the words of this law,

² And the king went up to the house of the Lord, and with him all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the priests and the prophets, all the people, both small and great. And ^(A)he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant ^(B)that had been found in the house of the Lord.