8 all the people gathered togetheri at the square in front of the Water Gate.j They asked the scribe Ezrak to bring the book of the law of Mosesl that the Lord had given Israel. 2 On the first day of the seventh month,m the priest Ezran brought the lawo before the assembly of men, women, and all who could listen with understanding. 3 While he was facing the square in front of the Water Gate,p he read out of it from daybreak until noon before the men, the women, and those who could understand. All the people listened attentivelyD to the book of the law.q