Nehemiah 10:29
They clave to their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse, and into an oath, to walk in God’s law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord, and his judgments and his statutes;
The pledge belongs to the gathering of the covenant people at Jerusalem during the Feast of Trumpets, a public assembly for worship and instruction gathered around the Book of the Law. It followed the distinct reading of the law by priests and Levites, who explained its meaning so the people could understand it, made necessary because their Hebrew had become corrupted through intermarriage. After hearing the history of Israel's ingratitude for God's goodness, the people acknowledged the justice of God's dealings with them in the punishment they had suffered for their sins.
Then the whole congregation joined with their brethren and nobles in a solemn curse and oath to walk in God's law given by Moses the servant of God and to observe and do all the commandments of the Lord, with His judgments and His statutes. To make it a sure covenant preserved in permanent form as a memorial of obligation, a reminder of duty, and a barrier against temptation, it was written out and signed by the priests, Levites, and princes. The oath included a promise not to intermarry with the people of the land.