Esdræ 3
1 Iamque venerat mensis septimus, et erant filii Israel in civitatibus suis: congregatus est ergo populus quasi vir unus in Ierusalem.
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 Et surrexit Iosue filius Iosedec, et fratres eius sacerdotes, et Zorobabel filius Salathiel, et fratres eius, et aedificaverunt altare Dei Israel ut offerrent in eo holocaustomata, sicut scriptum est in lege Moysi viri Dei:
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 Collocaverunt autem altare Dei super bases suas deterrentibus eos per circuitum populis terrarum, et obtulerunt super illud holocaustum Domino mane et vespere:
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 Feceruntque sollemnitatem tabernaculorum, sicut scriptum est, et holocaustum diebus singulis per ordinem secundum praeceptum opus diei in die suo.
5 Et post haec holocaustum iuge, tam in Calendis quam in universis sollemnitatibus Domini, quae erant consecratae, et in omnibus in quibus ultro offerebatur munus Domino.
6 A primo die mensis septimi coeperunt offerre holocaustum Domino: porro templum Dei nondum fundatum erat.
7 Dederunt autem pecunias latomis et caementariis: cibum quoque, et potum, et oleum Sidoniis, Tyriisque ut deferrent ligna cedrina de Libano ad mare Ioppes, iuxta quod praeceperat Cyrus rex Persarum eis.
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 Anno autem secundo adventus eorum ad templum Dei in Ierusalem mense secundo, coeperunt Zorobabel filius Salathiel, et Iosue filius Iosedec, et reliqui de fratribus eorum Sacerdotes, et Levitae, et omnes qui venerant de captivitate in Ierusalem, et constituerunt Levitas a viginti annis et supra, ut urgerent opus Domini.
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 Stetitque Iosue et filii eius, et fratres eius, Cedmihel, et filii eius, et filii Iuda, quasi vir unus, ut instarent super eos qui faciebant opus in templo Dei: filii Henadad, et filii eorum, et fratres eorum Levitae.
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 Fundato igitur a caementariis templo Domini, steterunt sacerdotes in ornatu suo cum tubis: et Levitae filii Asaph in cymbalis, ut laudarent Deum per manus David regis 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 Et concinebant in hymnis, et confessione Domino: Quoniam bonus, quoniam in aeternum misericordia eius super Israel. Omnis quoque populus vociferabatur clamore magno in laudando Dominum, eo quod fundatum esset templum Domini.
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 plurimi etiam de Sacerdotibus et Levitis, et principes patrum, et seniores, qui viderant templum prius cum fundatum esset, et hoc templum in oculis eorum, flebant voce magna: et multi vociferantes in laetitia, elevabant vocem.
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 Nec poterat quisquam agnoscere vocem clamoris laetantium, et vocem fletus populi: commixtim enim populus vociferabatur clamore magno, et vox audiebatur procul.
The shouting and the crying was very loud; [even people] far away could hear it.
