2 They build the Altar of God. 6 They offer to the Lord. 7 They prepare for the Temple,  11 And sing unto the Lord.

And when the [a]seventh month was come, and the children of Israel were in their cities, the people assembled themselves as one man unto Jerusalem.

Then stood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren the Priests, and Zerubbabel the [b]son of Shealtiel, and his brethren, and built the Altar of the God of Israel to offer burnt offerings thereon, as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of God,

And they set the Altar upon [c]his bases (for fear was among them, because of the people of those countries) therefore they offered burnt offerings thereon unto the Lord, even burnt offerings in the morning, and at even.

They kept also the feast of the Tabernacles, as it is written, and they burnt offering (A)daily, by number according to the custom day by day,

And afterward [d]the continual burnt offering, both in the new months and in all the feast days that were consecrated unto the Lord, and in all the oblations willingly offered unto the Lord.

From the first day of the seventh month began they to offer burnt offerings unto the Lord: but the foundation of the Temple of the Lord was not laid.

They gave money also unto the masons, and to the workmen, and meat and drink, and oil unto them of Zidon and of Tyre, to bring them cedar wood from Lebanon to the sea unto [e]Japho, according to the grant that they had of Cyrus king of Persia.

¶ And in the second year of their coming unto the house of God in Jerusalem, in the [f]second month began Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the remnant of their brethren the Priests, and the Levites, and all they that were come out of the captivity unto Jerusalem, and appointed the Levites from twenty years old and above, to set forward the work of the house of the Lord.

And Jeshua [g]stood with his sons, and his brethren, and Kadmiel with his sons, and the sons of Judah together, to set forward the workmen in the house of God, and the sons of Henadad with their sons, and their brethren the Levites.

10 And when the builders laid the foundation of the Temple of the Lord, they appointed the Priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the Lord, (B)after the ordinance of David king of Israel.

11 Thus they sang when they gave praise, and when they gave thanks unto the Lord, For he is good, for his mercy endureth forever toward Israel. 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.

12 Many also of the Priests and the Levites and the chief of the fathers, ancient men which had seen the first house, (when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes) [h]wept with a loud voice, and many shouted aloud for joy,

13 So that the people could not discern the sound of the shout for joy, from the noise of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loud cry, and the noise was heard far off.

Footnotes

  1. Ezra 3:1 Called Tishri which answereth to part of September and part of October.
  2. Ezra 3:2 Meaning, nephew: for he was the son of Pedaiah, read 1 Chron. 3:19.
  3. Ezra 3:3 In the place where Solomon had placed it.
  4. Ezra 3:5 That is, after the feast of Tabernacles.
  5. Ezra 3:7 Or, Joppa.
  6. Ezra 3:8 Which month contained part of April and part of May: for in the mean season they had provided for things necessary for the work.
  7. Ezra 3:9 They gave them exhortations, and encouraged every man forward in the work.
  8. Ezra 3:12 Because they saw that it was nothing so glorious as that Temple, which Solomon had built, notwithstanding Aggeus comforteth them, and prophesieth that it shall be more beautiful than the first: meaning the spiritual Temple, which are the members of Christ’s body.

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