U-Ezra 3
1 Kwathi sekufika inyanga yesikhombisa, lapho abako-Israyeli sebehlezi emizini yakibo, abantu babuthana njengomuntu munye eJerusalema.
And when the seventh month had come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered themselves together as one man at 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.
Then stood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brethren, and built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the law of Moses the man 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 upon its bases; for fear was upon them because of the people of those countries: and they offered burnt offerings on it to the LORD, even burnt offerings morning and evening.
4 Kwathi njalo belandela okulotshiweyo bawugubha uMkhosi weziHonqo besenza inani elifaneleyo leminikelo yokutshiswa elungiselwe lelo lalelo ilanga.
They kept also the feast of tabernacles, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number, according to the custom, as the duty of every day required;
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 afterward offered the continual burnt offering, both of the new moons, and of all the set feasts of the LORD that were consecrated, and of every one that willingly offered a freewill offering 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 burnt offerings to the LORD. But the foundation of the temple of the LORD was not yet laid.
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.
They gave money also to the masons, and to the carpenters; and food, and drink, and oil, to them of Zidon, and to them of Tyre, to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea of Joppa, according to the grant that they had of Cyrus king of Persia.
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.
Now in the second year of their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, began Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the remnant of their brethren the priests and the Levites, and all they that had come out of the captivity to Jerusalem; and appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to set forward the work of the house 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 stood Jeshua with his sons and his brethren, Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together, to set forward the workmen in the house of God: the sons of Henadad, with 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 builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the LORD, after the ordinance 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 sang together by course in praising and giving thanks to the LORD; because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was 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 Levites and heads of the fathers’ houses, old men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy:
13 Kakho owayengawehlukanisa umsindo wokumemeza kokuthokoza lomsindo wokukhala ngoba abantu benza umsindo omangalisayo. Njalo umsindo lowo wezwakala kude.
So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of the joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.
