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.
After the Israeli people [returned to Israel, and] had begun to live in their towns, (in the autumn of/after the hot season ended in) that year, they all gathered together 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, the son of Jehozadak, and his fellow priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and his friends, all began to rebuild the altar of God, the one whom the Israeli people [worshiped]. They did that in order that they could sacrifice burned offerings on it, according to what the prophet Moses had written in the laws [that God gave to him].
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 people who were already living in that area, they rebuilt the altar at the same place [where the previous altar had been]. Before they started to lay the foundation of Yahweh’s temple, [the priests] started to burn sacrifices to Yahweh [on the altar]. They offered sacrifices every morning and every evening. Fifteen days after [they started to offer these sacrifices], the people celebrated the Festival of [Living in Temporary] Shelters, as [Moses] had commanded them to do in the laws [that God gave to him]. Each day the priests offered the sacrifices [that were required] for that day. In addition, they presented the regular burned offerings and the offerings [that were required] for the New Moon Festivals and the other festivals that they celebrated each year to [honor] Yahweh. They also brought other offerings only because they desired to bring them, [not because they were required to bring them].
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;
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.
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.
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.
Then the Israelis hired masons and carpenters, and they bought [logs from] cedar trees from the people of Tyre and Sidon [cities], and they gave those people food and wine and olive oil for the logs. They brought the logs down from [the mountains in] Lebanon [to the Mediterranean seacoast and then floated them along the coast of the Sea, ] to Joppa. King Cyrus permitted them to do that. [Then the logs were brought from Joppa inland up to Jerusalem].
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.
The Israelis started to rebuild the temple in the (spring/time before the hot season) of the second year after they returned to Jerusalem. Zerubbabel and Jeshua and all the people who had returned to Jerusalem worked on the building. All the (Levites/men who did work in the temple) supervised this work.
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 his other relatives, and Kadmiel and his sons, who were descendants of Hodaviah, also helped to supervise the work. The family of Henadad, who were also all Levites, joined with them in supervising this work.
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 finished laying the foundation of the temple, the priests put on their robes and stood in their places, blowing their trumpets. Then the Levites, who were descendants of Asaph, clashed/banged their cymbals to praise Yahweh, just as King David had [many years previously] told [Asaph and the other musicians] to do.
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 praised Yahweh and thanked him, and they sang this song about him: “He is very good [to us]! He faithfully loves us Israeli people, and he will love us forever.” Then all the people shouted loudly, praising Yahweh because they had finished laying the foundation of Yahweh’s temple.
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;
Many of the [old] priests, Levites, and leaders of families remembered [what] the first temple [was like], and they cried aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid [because they knew that the new temple would not be as beautiful as the first temple]. But the other people shouted joyfully.
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.
The shouting and the crying was very loud; [even people] far away could hear it.
