Worship Begins Again
1 By the seventh month the people of Israel were all settled in their towns. Then they all assembled in Jerusalem, 2 and Joshua son of Jehozadak, his fellow priests, and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, together with his relatives, rebuilt the altar of the God of Israel, so that they could burn sacrifices on it according to the instructions written in the Law of Moses, the man of God. 3 Even though the returning exiles were afraid of the people who were living in the land, they rebuilt the altar where it had stood before. Then they began once again to burn on it the regular morning and evening sacrifices. 4 They celebrated the Festival of Shelters according to the regulations; each day they offered the sacrifices required for that day; 5 and in addition they offered the regular sacrifices to be burned whole and those to be offered at the New Moon Festival and at all the other regular assemblies at which the Lord is worshiped, as well as all the offerings that were given to the Lord voluntarily. 6 Although the people had not yet started to rebuild the Temple, they began on the first day of the seventh month to burn sacrifices to the Lord.
The Rebuilding of the Temple Begins
7 The people gave money to pay the stonemasons and the carpenters and gave food, drink, and olive oil to be sent to the cities of Tyre and Sidon in exchange for cedar trees from Lebanon, which were to be brought by sea to Joppa. All this was done with the permission of Emperor Cyrus of Persia. 8 So in the second month of the year after they came back to the site of the Temple in Jerusalem, they began work. Zerubbabel, Joshua, and the rest of their people, the priests, and the Levites, in fact all the exiles who had come back to Jerusalem, joined in the work. All the Levites twenty years of age or older were put in charge of the work of rebuilding the Temple. 9 The Levite Jeshua and his sons and relatives, and Kadmiel and his sons (the clan of Hodaviah ) joined together in taking charge of the rebuilding of the Temple. (They were helped by the Levites of the clan of Henadad.)
10 When the builders started to lay the foundation of the Temple, the priests in their robes took their places with trumpets in their hands, and the Levites of the clan of Asaph stood there with cymbals. They praised the Lord according to the instructions handed down from the time of King David. 11 They sang the Lord's praises, repeating the refrain:
“The Lord is good, and his love for Israel is eternal.”
Everyone shouted with all their might, praising the Lord, because the work on the foundation of the Temple had been started. 12 Many of the older priests, Levites, and heads of clans had seen the first Temple, and as they watched the foundation of this Temple being laid, they cried and wailed. But the others who were there shouted for joy. 13 No one could distinguish between the joyful shouts and the crying, because the noise they made was so loud that it could be heard for miles.
Dievkalpošanas atjaunošana Jeruzāleme
1 Kad pienāca septītais mēnesis, Israēla dēli no savām pilsētām visi kā viens tika sapulcināti Jeruzālemē.
2 Tad cēlās Jozua, Jehocādāka dēls, ar saviem brāļiem priesteriem un Zerubābels, Šaltiēla dēls, ar saviem brāļiem un uzcēla altāri Israēla Dievam, lai upurētu sadedzināmo upuri, kā rakstīts Dieva vīra Mozus bauslībā. 3 Viņi uzcēla altāri vecajā vietā, jo baidījās no apkārtējo zemju tautām, un upurēja Kungam sadedzināmo upuri gan no rīta, gan vakarā. 4 Viņi svinēja Būdiņu svētkus, kā bija noteikts, un dienu no dienas pienesa sadedzināmo upuri, kā katrai dienai bija noteikts. 5 Arī pēc tam turpināja pienest sadedzināmo upuri – jaunajos mēnešos un visos svētkos, kurus svētīja Kungam, un pienesa arī labprātīgos upurus Kungam. 6 Sadedzināmos upurus Kungam sāka pienest no septītā mēneša pirmās dienas, lai gan Kunga tempļa pamati vēl nebija likti. 7 Viņi deva naudu akmeņkaļiem un amatniekiem, ēdienu, dzērienu un eļļu sidoniešiem un tīriešiem, lai tie pa jūru uz Jafu vestu ciedru kokus, kā Persijas ķēniņš Kīrs bija pavēlējis.
Tempļa pamatu likšana
8 Otrajā gadā, kopš tie bija atgriezušies pie Dieva nama Jeruzālemē, gada otrajā mēnesī to sāka atjaunot Zerubābels, Šaltiēla dēls, un Jozua, Jehocādāka dēls, un arī viņu pārējie brāļi – priesteri, levīti un visi, kas no gūsta bija atgriezušies Jeruzālemē. Levītus, kuriem bija divdesmit gadu un vairāk, viņi iecēla par Kunga nama darbu uzraugiem. 9 Jūdas dēli bija kā viens vīrs – Jozua ar saviem dēliem un brāļiem, un Kadmiēls ar saviem dēliem – viņi uzraudzīja Kunga nama darbu veicējus, un to darīja arī levīti, Hēnādāda dēli, viņa dēli un brāļi. 10 Kad celtnieki lika Kunga nama pamatus, priesteri savos tērpos un ar taurēm, un levīti, Āsāfa dēli, ar cimbolēm, nostājās slavēt Kungu, kā bija norādījis Israēla ķēniņš Dāvids. 11 Viņi dziedāja, slavēdami un pateikdamies Kungam, ka viņš ir labs un viņa žēlastība pār Israēlu ir mūžīga, un visa tauta varen gavilēja – slavēja Kungu, ka Kunga namam likts pamats. 12 Daudzi veci vīri: priesteri, levīti un tēvu namu galvenie, kas bija redzējuši pirmo templi, lēja asaras un skaļi raudāja, kad lika pamatu šim templim, bet daudzi gavilēja priecīgās balsīs. 13 Ļaudis neatšķīra gaviles no asarām, tauta gavilēja tik vareni, ka bija dzirdams jo tālu!
