So Ezra the priest brought the Law before those people that had met together. This was on the first day of the month. {\cf2\super [43]} It was the seventh month of the year. At that meeting were men and women, and anyone old enough to listen and understand.
Because of all of these things,\par we are making an agreement\par that can’t be changed.\par We are putting this agreement in writing.\par Our leaders, Levites, and priests\par are signing their names\par on this agreement\par
Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God at Mount Horeb (Sinai). The Lord said to me, ‘Gather the people together to listen to the things I say. Then they will learn to respect me as long as they live on earth. And they will teach these things to their children.’
All the people of Israel were gathered together there. All the women and children and all the foreigners that lived with the people of Israel were there. And Joshua read every command that Moses had given.
So let them live. But they will be our servants. They will cut wood for us and carry water for all of our people.” So the leaders did not break their promise of peace to those people.
And I saw the people that had died, great and small, standing before the throne. And the book of life was opened. There were also other books opened. These dead people were judged by the things they had done. These things are written in the books.
Then all the people hid in caves and behind the rocks on the mountains. There were the kings of the world, the rulers, the army commanders, the rich people and the powerful people. Every person, slave and free, hid himself.