< U-Ezra 3 >
1 Kwathi sekufika inyanga yesikhombisa, lapho abako-Israyeli sebehlezi emizini yakibo, abantu babuthana njengomuntu munye eJerusalema.
And now the seventh month was come, and the children of Israel were in their cities: and the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem.
2 Kwasekusithi uJeshuwa indodana kaJozadaki labaphristi ayesebenza labo kanye loZerubhabheli indodana kaSheyalithiyeli labakhula bakhe baqalisa ukwakha i-alithari likaNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli ukwenza umhlatshelo womnikelo wokutshiswa kulo, mayelana lalokho okulotshiweyo eMthethweni kaMosi umuntu kaNkulunkulu.
And Josue the son of Josedec rose up, and his brethren the priests, and Zorobabel the son of Salathiel, and his brethren, and they built the altar of the God of Israel that they might offer holocausts upon it, as it is written in the law of Moses the mall of God.
3 Lokuba babesesaba abantu bendawo, balakha i-alithari esisekelweni salo benza iminikelo yokutshiswa kuThixo kulo, yomibili imihlatshelo yokusa lowokuhlwa.
And they set the altar of God upon its bases, while the people of the lands round about put them in fear, and they offered upon it a holocaust to the Lord morning and evening.
4 Kwathi njalo belandela okulotshiweyo bawugubha uMkhosi weziHonqo besenza inani elifaneleyo leminikelo yokutshiswa elungiselwe lelo lalelo ilanga.
And they kept the feast of tabernacles, as it is written, and offered the holocaust every day orderly according to the commandment, the duty of the day in its day.
5 Emva kwalokho baletha iminikelo yenjayelo eyokutshiswa, iminikelo yokuThwasa kweNyanga leminikelo yayo yonke imikhosi kaThixo emisiweyo engcwele, kanye laleyo eyayilethwa njengeminikelo yokuzithandela eyalethwa kuThixo.
And afterwards the continual holocaust, both on the new moons, and on all the solemnities of the Lord, that were consecrated, and on all in which a free-will offering was made to the Lord.
6 Ngelanga lokuqala lenyanga yesikhombisa baqalisa ukuletha iminikelo yokutshiswa kuThixo, lokuba isisekelo sethempeli likaThixo sasingakabekwa.
From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer holocausts to the Lord: but the temple of God was not yet founded.
7 Basebesipha ababazi bamatshe lababazi nje imali, bapha ukudla lokunathwayo lamafutha ebantwini baseThire leSidoni, ukuze balethe izigodo zemisedari ngendlela yolwandle kusuka eLebhanoni kusiya eJopha njengoba kwakuvunyelwe nguKhurosi inkosi yasePhezhiya.
And they gave money to hewers of stones and to masons: and meat and drink, and oil to the Sidonians and Tyrians, to bring cedar trees from Libanus to the sea of Joppe, according to the orders which Cyrus king of the Persians had given them.
8 Ngenyanga yesibili ngomnyaka wesibili bebuyile endlini kaNkulunkulu eJerusalema, uZerubhabheli indodana kaSheyalithiyeli, loJeshuwa indodana kaJozadaki labo bonke abafowabo (abaphristi labaLevi labo bonke ababuyayo eJerusalema bevela ebugqilini) bawuqalisa umsebenzi, bakhetha abaLevi abaleminyaka engamatshumi amabili kusiya phezulu ukuthi baphathe umsebenzi wokwakha indlu kaThixo.
And in the second year of their coming to the temple of God in Jerusalem, the second month, Zorobabel the son of Salathiel, and Josue the son of Josedec, and the rest of their brethren the priests, and the Levites, and all that were come from the captivity to Jerusalem began, and they appointed Levites from twenty years old and upward, to hasten forward the work of the Lord.
9 UJeshuwa lamadodana akhe labafowabo loKhadimiyeli lamadodana akhe (abazukulu bakaHodaviya) lamadodana kaHenadadi kanye lamadodana abo labafowabo, bonke bengabaLevi, bahlangana ndawonye ukukhangela labo ababesebenza endlini kaNkulunkulu.
Then Josue and his sons and his brethren, Cedmihel, and his sons, and the children of Juda, as one man, stood to hasten them that did the work in the temple of God: the sons of Henadad, and their sons, and their brethren the Levites.
10 Kwathi abakhi sebesibekile isisekelo sethempeli likaThixo abaphristi bagqoka izembatho zabo, baphatha amachacho, kanye labaLevi (amadodana ka-Asafi) bephethe izigubhu, bonke bema ezindaweni zabo ukudumisa uThixo njengokwamiswa nguDavida inkosi yako-Israyeli.
And when the masons laid the foundations of the temple of the Lord, the priests stood in their ornaments with trumpets: and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise God by the hands of David king of Israel.
11 Badumisa bebonga, bahlabelela uThixo bathi: “Ulungile; uthando lwakhe ku-Israyeli lumi laphakade.” Bonke abantu bamemeza bedumisa uThixo ngoba isisekelo sendlu kaThixo sasesibekiwe.
And they sung together hymns, and praise to the Lord: because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever towards Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, praising the Lord, because the foundations of the temple of the Lord were laid.
12 Kodwa abanengi babaphristi abadala labaLevi kanye lezikhulu zezimuli ababelibonile ithempeli lakuqala, bakhala kakhulu bebona isisekelo saleli ithempeli sibekwa, ikanti abanye babo bamemeza ngokuthaba.
But many of the priests and the Levites, and the chief of the fathers and the ancients that had seen the former temple; when they had the foundation of this temple before their eyes, wept with a loud voice: and many shouting for joy, lifted up their voice.
13 Kakho owayengawehlukanisa umsindo wokumemeza kokuthokoza lomsindo wokukhala ngoba abantu benza umsindo omangalisayo. Njalo umsindo lowo wezwakala kude.
So that one could not distinguish the voice of the shout of joy, from the noise of the weeping of the people: for one with another the people shouted with a loud shout, and the voice was heard afar off.