Ezra 3
1 By the seventh month, the Israelites had settled in their towns, and the people assembled as one man in Jerusalem.
Isifikile inyanga yesikhombisa, labantwana bakoIsrayeli sebesemizini, abantu babuthana njengamuntu munye eJerusalema.
2 Then Jeshua son of Jozadak and his fellow priests, along with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his associates, began to build the altar of the God of Israel to sacrifice burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of God.
Kwasekusukuma uJeshuwa indodana kaJozadaki labafowabo abapristi, loZerubhabheli indodana kaSalatiyeli labafowabo, bakha ilathi likaNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli ukuze banikele iminikelo yokutshiswa phezu kwalo, njengokubhaliweyo emlayweni kaMozisi umuntu kaNkulunkulu.
3 They set up the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the LORD—both the morning and evening burnt offerings—even though they feared the people of the land.
Basebemisa ilathi ezisekelweni zalo, ngoba ukwesaba kwakuphezu kwabo ngenxa yabantu belizwe, basebenikela eNkosini iminikelo yokutshiswa phezu kwalo, iminikelo yokutshiswa ekuseni lantambama.
4 They also celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles in accordance with what is written, and they offered burnt offerings daily based on the number prescribed for each day.
Basebesenza umkhosi wamadumba njengokubhaliweyo, banikela iminikelo yokutshiswa insuku ngensuku ngenani, njengomkhuba, udaba losuku ngosuku lwalo.
5 After that, they presented the regular burnt offerings and those for New Moons and for all the appointed sacred feasts of the LORD, as well as all the freewill offerings brought to the LORD.
Langemva kwalokho umnikelo wokutshiswa njalonjalo, lowekuthwaseni kwezinyanga, lowemikhosi yonke emisiweyo yeNkosi eyayingcwelisiwe, lowakhe wonke owanikela ngesihle umnikelo wesihle eNkosini.
6 On the first day of the seventh month, the Israelites began to offer burnt offerings to the LORD, although the foundation of the temple of the LORD had not been laid.
Ngosuku lokuqala lwenyanga yesikhombisa baqalisa ukunikela iminikelo yokutshiswa eNkosini, kodwa isisekelo sethempeli leNkosi sasingakabekwa.
7 They gave money to the masons and carpenters, and food and drink and oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre to bring cedar logs from Lebanon to Joppa by sea, as authorized by Cyrus king of Persia.
Basebenika imali kubabazi bamatshe lakubabazi bezigodo, lokudla lokunathwayo lamafutha kumaSidoni lakumaTire ukuze balethe izigodo zemisedari zivela eLebhanoni bezisa elwandle eJopha, ngokwemvumo kaKoresi inkosi yePerisiya kubo.
8 In the second month of the second year after they had arrived at the house of God in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Jeshua son of Jozadak, and the rest of their associates including the priests, the Levites, and all who had returned to Jerusalem from the captivity, began the work. They appointed Levites twenty years of age or older to supervise the construction of the house of the LORD.
Langomnyaka wesibili wokufika kwabo endlini kaNkulunkulu eJerusalema, ngenyanga yesibili, baqalisa oZerubhabheli indodana kaSalatiyeli loJeshuwa indodana kaJozadaki, lensali yabafowabo, abapristi lamaLevi, labo bonke ababebuyile eJerusalema bevela ekuthunjweni; basebemisa amaLevi kusukela koleminyaka engamatshumi amabili kusiya phezulu ukongamela umsebenzi wendlu yeNkosi.
9 So Jeshua and his sons and brothers, Kadmiel and his sons (descendants of Yehudah), and the sons of Henadad and their sons and brothers—all Levites—joined together to supervise those working on the house of God.
Kwasekusukuma oJeshuwa, amadodana akhe, labafowabo, uKadimiyeli lamadodana akhe, abantwana bakoJuda, njengomuntu munye ukongamela abenzi bomsebenzi endlini kaNkulunkulu, amadodana kaHenadadi, amadodana abo labafowabo amaLevi.
10 When the builders had laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with cymbals, took their positions to praise the LORD, as David king of Israel had prescribed.
Abakhi sebebekile isisekelo sethempeli leNkosi, bamisa abapristi begqokile belezimpondo, lamaLevi, amadodana kaAsafi, elensimbi ezincencethayo, ukudumisa iNkosi, njengokwezandla zikaDavida inkosi yakoIsrayeli.
11 And they sang responsively with praise and thanksgiving to the LORD: “For He is good; for His loving devotion to Israel endures forever.” Then all the people gave a great shout of praise to the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD had been laid.
Baphendulana ngokuhlabela bedumisa bebonga iNkosi, ngoba ilungile, ngoba umusa wayo umi kuze kube nininini kuIsrayeli. Bonke abantu basebememeza ngokumemeza okukhulu ekuyidumiseni iNkosi, ngoba isisekelo sendlu yeNkosi sasesibekiwe.
12 But many of the older priests, Levites, and family heads who had seen the first temple wept loudly when they saw the foundation of this temple. Still, many others shouted joyfully.
Kodwa abanengi babapristi lamaLevi lenhloko zaboyise, abadala ababeyibonile indlu yokuqala, isisekelo salindlu sesibekiwe emehlweni abo, bakhala inyembezi ngelizwi elikhulu; kodwa abanengi baphakamisa ilizwi ngokumemeza ngentokozo.
13 The people could not distinguish the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people were making so much noise. And the sound was heard from afar.
Ngokunjalo abantu kabehlukanisanga umsindo wokumemeza kwentokozo lomsindo wokukhala kwabantu, ngoba abantu baklabalala ngokuklabalala okukhulu, umsindo waze wezwakala khatshana.
