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。
When the seventh month had come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered themselves together as one man to 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 the son of Jozadak stood up with his brothers the priests and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and his relatives, and built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in 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；
In spite of their fear because of the peoples of the surrounding lands, they set the altar on its base; and they offered burnt offerings on it to the LORD, even burnt offerings morning and evening.
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 kept the feast of booths, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number, according to the ordinance, as the duty of every day required;
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。
and afterward the continual burnt offering, the offerings of the new moons, of all the set feasts of the LORD that were consecrated, and of everyone who willingly offered a free will offering 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，
From the first day of the seventh month, they began to offer burnt offerings to the LORD; but the foundation of the LORD’s temple was not yet 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 also gave money to the masons and to the carpenters. They also gave food, drink, and oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea, to Joppa, according to the grant that they had from Cyrus King of Persia.
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。
Now in the second year of their coming to God’s house at Jerusalem, in the second month, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the rest of their brothers the priests and the Levites, and all those who had come out of the captivity to Jerusalem, began the work and appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to have the oversight of the work of the LORD’s house.
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。
Then Jeshua stood with his sons and his brothers, Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together to have the oversight of the workmen in God’s house: the sons of Henadad, with their sons and their brothers the Levites.
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, they set the priests in their vestments with trumpets, with the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the LORD, according to the directions of David king 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 to one another in praising and giving thanks to the LORD, “For he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever towards Israel.” All the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the LORD’s house 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 priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ households, the old men who had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice. Many also shouted aloud 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。
so that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people; for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard far away.
