Nehemiah 8:4
And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and Anaiah, and Urijah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchiah, and Hashum, and Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam.
The time was the Feast of Trumpets, after the wall of Jerusalem had been rebuilt and the gates set up. A large part of the city was still in ruins, with roughly built and partly ruined buildings standing on every hand. Those ruins were sad reminders of Judah's departed glory surrounding the wooden pulpit that stood on a platform erected for the purpose in one of the broadest streets.
The children of the covenant had assembled at Jerusalem from all the surrounding country after the return from captivity. They formed a sea of heads, a large and attentive assembly of men gathered in organized order before the readers. They had come at their own request for the public reading, following their repentance.
Ezra the scribe was now an aged man, standing on the raised wooden pulpit and holding open the Book of the Law of Moses, which includes the Ten Commandments. Beside him on his right hand and on his left stood his brother Levites and other named leaders and influential men. Their place with him on the platform gave dignity to the occasion.
He read the Scriptures publicly from morning until midday. Because intermarriage with other nations had corrupted the Hebrew language, priests and Levites helped explain the law in the people's own language. In this way the reading was made understandable to the listeners.
The hearing of God's requirements brought the people to recognize their sins and their turning from God. That turning had separated them from Him and led Him to permit heathen nations to rule over them. Yet the public reading was a privilege meant for joy in God's mercy rather than gloom, so their sorrow over sin was to give way to rejoicing.