Ezra 3:2-13 ▼

2 And Jeshua son of Jozadak arose, and his brothers the priests, and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and his brothers, and they built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer on it burnt offerings, as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of God.

3 And they set the altar on its bases despite the dread upon them of the people of the lands, and they offered burnt offerings on it to YHWH, burnt offerings at the morning and at the evening.

4 And they kept the Feast of Booths, as it is written, and the burnt offering day by day by number according to the ordinance, the matter of a day in its day,

5 and afterward the continual burnt offering, and for New Moons, and for all the appointed feasts of YHWH that were consecrated, and for everyone who freely offered a freewill offering to YHWH.

6 From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to YHWH, and the temple of YHWH had not been founded.

7 And they gave silver to the masons and to the carpenters, and food and drink and oil to the Sidonians and to the Tyrians, to bring cedar logs from Lebanon to the sea of Joppa, by permission of Cyrus king of Persia concerning them.

8 In the second year of their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem, and in the second month, began Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua son of Jozadak, and the rest of their brothers the priests and the Levites, and all those coming out of the captivity to Jerusalem. And they appointed the Levites, from a son of twenty years and above, to oversee upon the work of the house of YHWH.

9 And Jeshua arose, and his sons and brothers, and Kadmiel and his sons (the sons of Judah), as one, to oversee upon those doing the work in the house of God—the sons of Henadad, and their sons and their brothers the Levites.

10 And the builders of the temple of YHWH laid the foundation, and they stood—the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph with cymbals—to praise YHWH according to the ordinance of David king of Israel.

11 And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to YHWH: “For He is good, even to forever His loving devotion is over Israel.” And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised YHWH, because the house of YHWH had been founded.

12 And many of the priests, and the Levites, and the heads of the fathers, the aged who had seen the first temple, when this temple had been founded before their eyes, wept in a loud voice. And many shouted for joy, lifting up the voice.

13 And the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people, for the people shouted in a loud shout, and the sound was heard even to afar off.