4. Ezra the scribe stood on a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam.
5. Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people (for he was above all the people), and when he opened it, all the people stood up.
6. Then Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God.All the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” with the lifting up of their hands. They bowed their heads, and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
7. Also Yeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law; and the people stayed in their place.
8. They read in the book, in the law of God, distinctly; and they gave the sense, so that they understood the reading.
9. Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people, said to all the people, “Today is holy to the Lord your God. Don’t mourn, nor weep.” For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law.
10. Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to him for whom nothing is prepared, for today is holy to our Lord. Don’t be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
11. So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Hold your peace, for the day is holy. Don’t be grieved.”
12. All the people went their way to eat, to drink, to send portions, and to celebrate, because they had understood the words that were declared to them.
13. On the second day, the heads of fathers’ households of all the people, the priests, and the Levites were gathered together to Ezra the scribe, to study the words of the law.