Nehemia 7:73--8:7

7:73 The priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the temple servants, and all the rest of Israel lived in their cities.

The People Respond to the Reading of the Law

When the seventh month arrived and the Israelites ¹  were settled in their cities, ²  8:1 all the people gathered together ³  in the plaza which was in front of the Water Gate. They asked ⁴  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 ⁵  before the men and women and those children who could understand. ⁶  All the people were eager to hear ⁷  the book of the law.

8:4 Ezra the scribe stood on a towering wooden platform ⁸  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 ⁹  of all the people, for he was elevated above all the people. When he opened the book, ¹⁰  all the people stood up. 8:6 Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and all the people replied “Amen! Amen!” as they lifted their hands. Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.

8:7 Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah – all of whom were Levites ¹¹  – were teaching the people the law, as the people remained standing.

[7:73]  ¹ tn Heb “the sons of Israel.” So also in vv. 14, 17; 9:1.

[7:73]  ² tn The traditional understanding of the chapter and verse division here is probably incorrect. The final part of v. 73 is best understood as belonging with 8:1.

[8:1]  ³ tn Heb “like one man.”

[8:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “said [to].”

[8:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “from the light till the noon of the day.”

[8:3]  ⁶ 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).

[8:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “the ears of all the people were toward.”

[8:4]  ⁸ tn Heb “a tower of wood.”

[8:5]  ⁹ tn Heb “to the eyes.”

[8:5]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “it”; the referent (the book) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:7]  ¹¹ tc The MT reads “and the Levites.” The conjunction (“and”) should be deleted, following the LXX, Aquila, and the Vulgate. That the vav (ו) of the MT is the vav explicativum (“even the Levites”) is unlikely here.