Ezra 3
1 But, when the seventh month was come, and the sons of Israel were in cities, then did the people gather themselves together as one man, unto Jerusalem.
By the time of the seventh month, the Israelites had settled in their towns, and the people gathered together as one in Jerusalem.
2 Then arose—Jeshua son of Jozadak and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his brethren, and built the altar of the God of Israel, —to offer thereon ascending-sacrifices, as it was written in the law of Moses, the man of God.
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 So they settled the altar upon its stands, for, dread, was upon them, because of the peoples of the countries, —therefore caused they to go up thereon, ascending-sacrifices unto Yahweh, ascending-sacrifices for the morning and for the evening.
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 And they kept the festival of booths, as it was written, —and the ascending-offering of each day upon its own day, by number, according to regulation, the matter of a day upon its day;
They observed the Festival of Shelters as the Law required, sacrificing the specified number of burnt offerings each day.
5 and, afterwards, the continual ascending-sacrifice, and, on the new moons, and on all the appointed seasons of Yahweh, the hallowed things, —also for every one that volunteered a voluntary offering unto Yahweh.
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 From the first day of the seventh month, began they to offer up ascending-sacrifices unto Yahweh, —but, the temple of Yahweh, had not had its foundation laid.
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 And they gave silver, unto the masons and carpenters, —and food and drink and oil, unto them of Zidon and unto them of Tyre, to bring in cedar-trees out of the Lebanon, unto the sea of Joppa, according to the grant of Cyrus king of Persia unto them.
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 Now, in the second year of their coming in unto the house of God, to Jerusalem, in the second month, began Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak and the rest of their brethren—the priests and the Levites, and all that were come out of the captivity to Jerusalem, and stationed the Levites, of twenty years old and upwards, to preside over the work of the house of Yahweh.
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 So they took their station—even Jeshua, his sons and his brethren, Kadmiel and his sons, sons of Judah, as one man to preside over the doer of the work in the house of God, the sons of Henadad, their sons and their brethren, the Levites.
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 And, when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of Yahweh, then the priests, enrobed, took their stand with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to offer praise unto Yahweh, after the instructions of David king of Israel.
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 And, when they made responses in offering praise and in giving thanks unto Yahweh—For he is good, for, age-abiding, is his lovingkindness, upon Israel, then, all the people, shouted with a great shout, in offering praise unto Yahweh, over the laying of the foundation of the house of Yahweh.
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 But, many of the priests and the Levites and the ancestral chiefs, who were old men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, were weeping with a loud voice, —many, however, shouting and rejoicing, with voice raised on high;
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 so that the people could not distinguish the noise of the shout of joy, from the noise of the weeping of the people, —for, the people, did shout with a great shout, and, the noise, was heard afar off.
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.
