Ezr 3 | LSB | STEP | Then the seventh month came, and the sons of Israel were in the cities. And the people gathered together as one man to Jerusalem.

‏ Ezra 3

The Altar Is Built and Daily Offerings Begin

1 Then the seventh month came, and the sons of Israel were in the cities. And the people gathered together as one man to Jerusalem. 2 Then Jeshua the son of Jozadak and his brothers the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and his brothers arose 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 So they set up the altar on its foundation, for ^{▼▼Lit terror was upon them}they were terrified because of the peoples of the lands; and they offered burnt offerings on it to Yahweh, burnt offerings morning and evening. 4 They celebrated the Feast of ^{▼▼Or Tabernacles}Booths, as it is written, and offered ^{▼▼Lit by number}the fixed number of burnt offerings daily, according to the legal judgment, as each day required; 5 and afterward there was a continual burnt offering, also for the new moons and for all the appointed times of Yahweh that were set apart as holy, and from everyone who offered a freewill offering to Yahweh. 6 From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to Yahweh, but the foundation of the temple of Yahweh had not been laid. 7 Then they gave money to the masons and ^{▼▼Or craftsmen of wood, cf. 2 Sam 5:11}carpenters, and food, drink, and oil to the Sidonians and to the Tyrians, to bring cedar wood from Lebanon to the sea at Joppa, according to the permission they had ^{▼▼Lit of}from Cyrus king of Persia.

The Foundation of the Temple of Yahweh

8 Now in the second year of their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem in the second month, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak and the rest of their brothers the priests and the Levites, and all who came from the captivity to Jerusalem, began the work and appointed the Levites from twenty years and older to direct the work of the house of Yahweh. 9 Then Jeshua with his sons and brothers stood united with Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of ^{▼▼In Ezra 2:40, Hodaviah}Judah and the sons of Henadad with their sons and brothers the Levites, to direct those who do the work in the house of God.

10 So the builders laid the foundation of the temple of Yahweh. Then ^{▼▼As in Gr and some mss; M.T. they set the priests}the priests stood in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise Yahweh according to the ^{▼▼Lit hands}directions of King David of Israel. 11 And they sang, praising and giving thanks to Yahweh, saying, “For He is good, for His lovingkindness endures forever upon Israel.” And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised Yahweh because the foundation of the house of Yahweh was laid. 12 Yet many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ households, the old men who had seen the first house of Yahweh, were weeping with a loud voice when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, while many in loud shouts with gladness were raising their voice, 13 so that the people could not distinguish the ^{▼▼Lit voice}voices of the shouting of gladness from the ^{▼▼Lit voice}voices of the weeping of the people, for the people were shouting with a loud shout, and those ^{▼▼Lit voice}voices were heard far away.