Ezra 3
1 Mwezi wa saba ulipowadia baada ya Waisraeli kukaa katika miji yao, watu wote walikusanyika huko Yerusalemu kama mtu mmoja.
And now the seventh month had arrived, and the sons of Israel were in their cities. Then, the people were gathered together, like one man, in Jerusalem.
2 Yeshua mwana wa Yosadaki na makuhani wenzake, Zerubabeli mwana wa Shealtieli pamoja na wenzake walianza kujenga madhabahu ya Mungu wa Israeli ili kumtolea dhabihu za sadaka za kuteketezwa kwa moto juu yake, kulingana na ilivyoandikwa katika Sheria ya Mose mtu wa Mungu.
And Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, rose up with his brothers, the priests. And Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, rose up with his brothers. And they built the altar of the God of Israel, so that they might offer holocausts upon it, just as it was written in the law of Moses, the man of God.
3 Ingawa waliwaogopa watu waliowazunguka, walijenga madhabahu juu ya ule msingi wake, wakamtolea Bwana dhabihu za sadaka za kuteketezwa kwa moto juu yake za asubuhi na za jioni.
Now they set the altar of God upon its bases, while keeping the people of all the surrounding lands away from it. And they offered upon it a holocaust to the Lord, morning and evening.
4 Kisha kulingana na kile kilichoandikwa, wakaiadhimisha Sikukuu ya Vibanda wakitoa idadi ya sadaka za kuteketezwa kama ilivyohitajika kila siku sawasawa na ilivyoagizwa.
And they kept the solemnity of tabernacles, just as it was written, and the holocaust of each day in order, according to the precept, the work of each day in its time.
5 Baada ya hayo, walitoa sadaka za kuteketezwa za kawaida, sadaka za Mwezi Mwandamo na dhabihu zote za sikukuu takatifu za Bwana zilizoamriwa, pamoja na zile sadaka za hiari zilizotolewa kwa Bwana.
And after these, they offered the continual holocaust, as much on the new moons as on all the solemnities of the Lord that were consecrated, and on all those when a voluntary gift was offered to the Lord.
6 Ingawa bado msingi wa Hekalu la Bwana ulikuwa haujawekwa, watu walianza kutoa sadaka za kuteketezwa kwa moto kwa Bwana tangu siku ya kwanza ya mwezi wa saba.
From the first day of the seventh month, they began to offer holocausts to the Lord. But the temple of God had not yet been founded.
7 Kisha watu wakawapa mafundi wa uashi na useremala fedha, wakawapa watu wa Sidoni na Tiro vyakula, vinywaji na mafuta ili waweze kuleta magogo ya mierezi kwa njia ya bahari kutoka Lebanoni hadi Yafa, kama alivyoagiza Koreshi mfalme wa Uajemi.
And so they gave money to those who cut and laid stones. Similarly, they gave food, and drink, and oil to the Sidonians and the Tyrians, so that they would bring cedar wood, from Lebanon to the sea at Joppa, in accord with what had been commanded of them by Cyrus, the king of the Persians.
8 Katika mwezi wa pili wa mwaka wa pili baada ya Waisraeli kufika kwenye nyumba ya Mungu huko Yerusalemu, Zerubabeli mwana wa Shealtieli, Yeshua mwana wa Yosadaki na ndugu zao wengine (makuhani, Walawi na wote waliorejea Yerusalemu kutoka uhamishoni) walianza kazi, wakiteua Walawi wenye umri kuanzia miaka ishirini au zaidi kusimamia ujenzi wa nyumba ya Bwana.
Then, in the second year of their advent to the temple of God in Jerusalem, in the second month, Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and the remainder of their brothers, the priests, and the Levites, and all who had arrived from the captivity to Jerusalem, began, and they appointed Levites, from twenty years and over, to hasten the work of the Lord.
9 Yeshua na wanawe, pamoja na ndugu zake, Kadmieli na wanawe (wazao wa Hodavia), wana wa Henadadi na wana wao na ndugu zao, Walawi wote walijiunga pamoja kusimamia wale waliofanya kazi katika nyumba ya Mungu.
And Jeshua and his sons and his brothers, Kadmiel and his sons, and the sons of Judah, like one man, stood so that they might have charge over those who did the work in the temple of God: the sons of Henadad, and their sons, and their brothers, the Levites.
10 Wajenzi walipoweka msingi wa Hekalu la Bwana, makuhani wakiwa wamevalia mavazi yao wakiwa na tarumbeta na Walawi (wana wa Asafu) wakiwa na matoazi, walishika nafasi zao za kumtukuza Bwana, kama ilivyoagizwa na Daudi mfalme wa Israeli.
And when the builders had founded the temple of the Lord, the priests stood in their adornment with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, stood with cymbals, so that they might praise God by the hand of David, the king of Israel.
11 Waliimba nyimbo za sifa na za shukrani kwa Bwana hivi: “Yeye ni mwema; upendo wake kwa Israeli wadumu milele.” Watu wote wakapaza sauti kubwa za sifa kwa Bwana, kwa sababu msingi wa nyumba ya Bwana ulikuwa umewekwa.
And they sung together with hymns and confession to the Lord: “For he is good. For his mercy is over Israel unto eternity.” And likewise, all the people shouted with a great clamor in praise to the Lord, because the temple of the Lord had been founded.
12 Lakini wengi wa makuhani wazee, Walawi na viongozi wa jamaa waliokuwa wameona Hekalu la mwanzoni, walilia kwa sauti walipoona msingi wa Hekalu hili ukiwekwa, huku wengine wengi wakipiga kelele kwa furaha.
And many of the priests and the Levites, and the leaders of the fathers and of the elders, who had seen the former temple, when now this temple was founded and was before their eyes, wept with a great voice. And many of them, shouting for joy, lifted up their voice.
13 Hakuna mtu ambaye angeweza kutofautisha sauti hizo za furaha na za kilio, kwa sababu watu walipiga kelele sana. Nayo hiyo sauti ikasikika mbali.
Neither could anyone distinguish between the voice of clamor of joy, and a voice of weeping of the people. For the shouting of the people mixed into a great clamor, and the voice was heard from far away.
