Ezra 3

Rebuilding the altar

1When the seventh month#3.1 September–October, Tishrei came and the Israelites were in their towns, the people gathered together as one in Jerusalem. 2Then Jeshua, Jozadak’s son along with his fellow priests, and Zerubbabel, Shealtiel’s son along with his kin, started to rebuild the altar of Israel’s God so that they might offer entirely burned offerings upon it as prescribed in the Instruction from Moses the man of God. 3They set up the altar on its foundations,#3.3 A technical word meaning pedestals because they were afraid of the neighboring peoples,#3.3 Or peoples of the lands and they offered entirely burned offerings upon it to the LORD, both the morning and the evening offerings.

4They celebrated the Festival of Booths, as prescribed. Every day they presented the number of entirely burned offerings required by ordinance for that day. 5After this, they presented the continual burned offerings, the offerings at the new moons, and at all the sacred feasts of the LORD, and the offerings of everyone who brought a spontaneous gift to the LORD. 6From the first day of the seventh month, they began to present entirely burned offerings to the LORD.

However, the foundation of the LORD’s temple had not yet been laid. 7So they gave money to the masons and carpenters; and food, drink, and oil to the Sidonians and the Tyrians to bring cedarwood by sea from Lebanon to Joppa, according to the authorization given them by Persia’s King Cyrus.

Laying the foundations of God’s house

8In the second month of the second year after their arrival at God’s house in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel, Shealtiel’s son, and Jeshua, Jozadak’s son, and the rest of their kin—the priests and the Levites and all who had come from the captivity to Jerusalem—made a beginning. They appointed Levites 20 years old and above to oversee the work on the LORD’s house. 9Then Jeshua with his sons and his kin, Kadmiel and his sons, Binnui and his sons, the sons of Judah, along with the sons of Henadad, the Levites, and their sons and kin, collaborated to supervise the workers in God’s house.

10When the builders laid the foundation of the LORD’s temple, the priests clothed in their vests and carrying their trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, arose to praise the LORD according to the directions of Israel’s King David. 11They praised and gave thanks to the LORD, singing responsively, “He is good, his graciousness for Israel lasts forever.”

All of the people shouted with praise to the LORD because the foundation of the LORD’s house had been laid. 12But many of the older priests and Levites and heads of families, who had seen the first house, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this house, although many others shouted loudly with joy. 13No one could distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people’s weeping, because the people rejoiced very loudly. The sound was heard at a great distance.

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Ezra 3: CEB

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