< Ezra 3 >

1 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.
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。
2 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].
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。
3 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].
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;
4
按照規定舉行了帳棚節,每天依照法定 數目奉獻全燔祭;
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。
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,
7 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].
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。
8 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.
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。
9 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.
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。
10 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.
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,
11 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.
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。
12 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.
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,
13 The shouting and the crying was very loud; [even people] far away could hear it.
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。

< Ezra 3 >