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.
And the seventh month came on, and the children of Israel [were] in their cities, and the people assembled as one man at Jerusalem.
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].
Then stood up Jesus the [son] of Josedec, and his brethren the priests, and Zorobabel the [son] of Salathiel, and his brethren, and they built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer upon it whole burnt offerings, according to the things that were written in the law of Moses the man of God.
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].
And they set up the altar on its place, for there was a terror upon them because of the people of the lands: and the whole burnt offerings was offered up upon it to the Lord morning and evening.
And they kept the feast of tabernacles, according to that which was written, and [offered] whole burnt offerings daily in number according to the ordinance, the exact daily rate.
And after this the perpetual whole burnt offering, and [offering] for the season of new moon, and for all the hallowed feasts to the Lord, and for every one that offered a free will offering to the Lord.
On the first day of the seventh month they began to offer whole burnt offerings to the Lord: but the foundation of the house of the Lord was not laid.
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].
And they gave money to the stone-hewers and carpenters, and meat and drink, and oil, to the Sidonians, and Tyrians, to bring cedar trees from Libanus to the sea of Joppa, according to the grant of Cyrus king of the Persians to them.
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.
And in the second year of their coming to the house of God in Jerusalem, in the second month, began Zorobabel the [son] of Salathiel, and Jesus the [son] of Josedec, and the rest of their brethren the priests and the Levites, and all who came from the captivity to Jerusalem, and they appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, over the workmen in the house of the Lord.
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.
And Jesus and his sons and his brethren stood, Cadmiel and his sons the sons of Juda, over them that wrought the works in the house of God: the sons of Enadad, their sons and their brethren the Levites.
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.
And they laid a foundation for building the house of the Lord: and the priests in their robes stood with trumpets and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the Lord, according to the order of David king of Israel.
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.
And they answered [each other] with praise and thanksgiving to the Lord, [saying], For [it is] good, for his mercy to Israel [endures] for ever. And all the people shouted with a loud voice to praise the Lord at the laying the foundation of the house of the Lord.
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.
But many of the priests and the Levites, and the elder men, heads of families, who had seen the former house on its foundation, and [who saw] this house with their eyes, wept with a loud voice: but the multitude shouted with joy to raise a song.
13 The shouting and the crying was very loud; [even people] far away could hear it.
And the people did not distinguish the voice of the glad shout from the voice of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loud voice, and the voice was heard even from afar off.
