以斯拉記 3
1 到了七月，時住在各城裏的以色列子民，全都一起聚集在耶路撒冷。
By the time of the seventh month, the Israelites had settled in their towns, and the people gathered together as one in Jerusalem.
2 約匝達克的兒子耶叔亞，和他的兄弟司祭們，以及沙耳提耳的兒子則魯巴貝耳，和他的兄弟們，於是下手修建以色列天主的祭壇，要按天主的人梅瑟在法律上所寫的，在上面奉獻全燔祭。
Then Jeshua, son of Jozadak, and the priests with him, together with Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, and his relatives, started to build the altar of the God of Israel in order to sacrifice burnt offerings on it, as instructed by the Law of Moses, the man of God.
3 不論本地人民恐嚇，他們仍在原重建了祭壇，向上主獻了全燔祭，即每日早晚的全燔祭；
Even though they were afraid of the local people, they set up the altar on its original foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the Lord, both morning and evening burnt offerings.
4 按照規定舉行了帳棚節，每天依照法定 數目奉獻全燔祭；
They observed the Festival of Shelters as the Law required, sacrificing the specified number of burnt offerings each day.
5 以後，獻了恆常祭，並在月朔、安息日和一切祝聖於上主的慶日，獻了全燔祭，和各人自願向上主獻的自願祭。
After that also presented the daily burnt offerings and the new moon offerings, as well as those for all the yearly festivals of the lord and for those who brought voluntary offerings to the Lord.
6 從七月一日起，已開始向上主奉獻全燔祭，雖然上主的殿宇當時尚未奠基，
So from the first day of the seventh month, the Israelites began to present burnt offerings to the Lord, even though the foundation of the Lord's Temple had not been laid.
7 卻將銀錢交給鑿匠和木匠，將食物飲料和酒，供給那些從黎巴嫩由海中將香柏木運到約培來的漆東人和提洛人，全照波斯王居魯左所准許的。
They paid masons and carpenters, and provided food and drink and olive oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre for them to bring cedar logs from Lebanon to Joppa by sea, as King Cyrus of Persia had authorized.
8 他們來到耶路撒冷天主聖宇後的第二年二月，沙耳提耳的兒子則魯巴貝耳，約匝達克的兒子耶叔亞，和其餘的弟兄司祭及肋未人，以及所有由充軍回到耶路撒冷的人，動了工，派定二十歲和二十歲以上的肋未人，監督建築上主聖宇的工程。
In the second month of the second year after arriving at God's Temple in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, Jeshua, son of Jozadak, and those with them—the priests, the Levites, and everyone who had come back to Jerusalem from captivity—began the work. They put Levites twenty years and older to in charge of building the Lord's Temple.
9 耶叔亞和他的兒子們，以及他的兄弟們，卡德米耳和他的兒子們，以及曷達委雅的後裔，同心協力，監督那建築天主聖宇的工人；還有赫納達的兒子們，以及他們的兒子和弟兄肋未人。
Jeshua and his sons and relatives, Kadmiel and his sons, the descendants of Yehudah, the sons of Henadad and their sons and relatives, all of them Levites, supervised those working on God's Temple.
10 丌人們安放上主聖宇基礎時，司祭身穿禮服，拿著號筒，阿撒夫的後裔肋未人拿著鐃鈸，各自站在自己的地方，按以色列王達味制定的儀式，讚美上主，
When the builders laid the foundation of the Lord's Temple, the priests dressed in their special clothes and carrying trumpets, and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) carrying cymbals, all took their places to praise the Lord, following the instructions given by King David of Israel.
11 彼此輪流唱歌讚美和感謝上主的詩歌：「因為衪是聖善的，因為衪對以色列的仁慈永遠常存」。同時全體人民都大歡呼，讚美上主，因為上主的聖宇已經奠基。
They sang with praise and thanks to the Lord: “God is good; for his trustworthy love for Israel lasts forever.” Then everyone there gave a tremendous shout of praise to the Lord, because the foundation of the Lord's Temple had been laid.
12 許多曾在這地基上，親眼見過先前的聖殿的老司祭、老肋未人和老族長，面對這座聖殿，不禁放大哭，卻也有許多人歡喜高呼，
But many of the older priests, Levites, and family leaders who remembered the first Temple wept loudly when they saw the foundation of this Temple, though many others shouted for joy.
13 以致分不清是歡呼聲或是哀哭聲，因為民眾都高聲喊叫，這聲音連遠處都可以聽到。
However, nobody could tell the shouts of joy from the cries of weeping, because everyone was making so much noise—so much so it could be heard a long way away.
