The Altar is Built and Daily Offerings Begin

1Then the seventh month came, and the sons of Israel were in the cities. And the people gathered together as one man to Jerusalem. 2Then 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. 3So they set up the altar on its foundation, for [†]they were terrified because of the peoples of the lands; and they offered burnt offerings on it to Yahweh, burnt offerings morning and evening. 4They celebrated the Feast of [†]Booths, as it is written, and offered [†]the fixed number of burnt offerings daily, according to the legal judgment, as each day required; 5and 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. 6From 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. 7Then they gave money to the masons and [†]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 [†]from Cyrus king of Persia.

The Foundation of the Temple of Yahweh

8Now 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. 9Then Jeshua with his sons and brothers stood united with Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of [†]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.

10So the builders laid the foundation of the temple of Yahweh. Then [†]the priests stood in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise Yahweh according to the [†]directions of King David of Israel. 11And 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. 12Yet 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, 13so that the people could not distinguish the [†]voices of the shouting of gladness from the [†]voices of the weeping of the people, for the people were shouting with a loud shout, and those [†]voices were heard far away.