Ezra 3

Altar and Sacrifices Restored

1Now when the seventh month came, and 1the sons of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered together as one man to Jerusalem. 2Then 2Jeshua the son of Jozadak and his brothers the priests, and 3Zerubbabel the son 4of Shealtiel and his brothers arose and 5built the altar of the God of Israel to offer burnt offerings on it, 6as it is written in the law of Moses, the man of God. 3So they set up the altar on its foundation, for 78they were terrified because of the peoples of the lands; and they 9offered burnt offerings on it to the Lord, burnt offerings morning and evening. 4They celebrated the 10Feast of 11Booths, 12as it is written, and offered 13the fixed number of burnt offerings daily, 14according to the ordinance, as each day required; 5and afterward there was a 15continual burnt offering, also 16for the new moons and 17for all the fixed festivals of the Lord that were consecrated, and from everyone who offered a freewill offering to the Lord. 6From 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 had not been laid. 7Then they gave money to the masons and carpenters, and 18food, drink and oil to the Sidonians and to the Tyrians, 19to bring cedar wood from Lebanon to the sea at 20Joppa, according to the permission they had 21from 22Cyrus king of Persia.

Temple Restoration Begun

8Now in the second year of their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem in the second month, 23Zerubbabel 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 24appointed the Levites from twenty years and older to oversee the work of the house of the Lord. 9Then 25Jeshua with his sons and brothers stood united with Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of 26Judah and the sons of Henadad with their sons and brothers the Levites, to oversee the workmen in the temple of God.

10Now when the builders had 27laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, 28the priests stood in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the Lord 29according to the 30directions of King David of Israel. 1131They sang, praising and giving thanks to the Lord, saying, “32For He is good, for His lovingkindness is upon Israel forever.” 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. 12Yet many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ households, 33the old men who had seen the first 34temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, while many shouted aloud for joy, 13so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the shout of joy from the sound of the weeping of the people, for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the sound was heard far away.