Chapter 3

And when the seventh month was come,⁴ and the children of Israel [were] in the cities, the people gathered¹¹ themselves together as one man to Jerusalem.

Then stood up⁴ Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brethren, and builded⁴ the altar of the God of Israel, to offer⁵³ burnt offerings thereon, as [it is] written⁷ in the law of Moses the man of God.

And they set⁵⁵ the altar upon his bases; for fear [was] upon them because of the people of those countries: and they offered⁵⁵ burnt offerings thereon unto the LORD, [even] burnt offerings morning and evening.

They kept⁴ also the feast of tabernacles, as [it is] written,⁷ and [offered] the daily ³¹¹⁷ burnt offerings by number, according to the custom, as the duty of every day ³¹¹⁷ required;

And afterward [offered] the continual burnt offering, both of the new moons, and of all the set feasts of the LORD that were consecrated,³⁰ and of every one that willingly offered¹⁰² a freewill offering unto the LORD.

From the first day of the seventh month began⁵² they to offer⁵³ burnt offerings unto the LORD. But the foundation of the temple of the LORD was not [yet] laid.²⁷

They gave⁴ money also unto the masons,⁶ and to the carpenters; and meat, and drink, and oil, unto them of Zidon, and to them of Tyre, to bring⁵³ cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea of Joppa, according to the grant that they had of Cyrus king of Persia.

Now in the second year of their coming² unto the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, began⁵² 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 come⁶ out of the captivity unto Jerusalem; and appointed⁵⁵ the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to set forward¹⁵ the work of the house of the LORD.

Then stood⁴ Jeshua [with] his sons and his brethren, Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together, to set forward¹⁵ the workmen^{6 4399} in the house of God: the sons of Henadad, [with] their sons and their brethren the Levites.

And when the builders⁶ laid the foundation¹⁴ of the temple of the LORD, they set⁵⁵ the priests in their apparel³⁰ with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise¹⁵ the LORD, after the ordinance of David king of Israel.

And they sang⁴ together by course in praising¹⁵ and giving thanks⁵³ unto the LORD; because [he is] good, for his mercy [endureth] for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted⁵² with a great shout, when they praised¹⁵ the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.⁹⁰

But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, [who were] ancient men, that had seen¹ the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid² before their eyes, wept⁶ with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud⁵³ for joy:

So that the people could not discern⁵⁶ the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted⁵⁶ with a loud shout, and the noise was heard⁸ afar off.