1. And when the seventh month was come, and the children of
Israel were in the cities, the people gathered themselves
together as one man to Jerusalem.
2. Then stood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren
the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his
brethren, and builded 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.
3. And they set the altar upon his bases; for fear was upon
them because of the people of those countries: and they
offered burnt offerings thereon unto the LORD, even burnt
offerings morning and evening.
4. They kept also the feast of tabernacles, as it is written,
and offered the daily burnt offerings by number, according
to the custom, as the duty of every day required;
5. And afterward offered the continual burnt offering, both of
the new moons, and of all the set feasts of the LORD that
were consecrated, and of every one that willingly offered a
freewill offering unto the LORD.
6. 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 yet laid.
7. They gave money also unto the masons, and to the carpenters;
and meat, and drink, and oil, unto them of Zidon, and to
them of Tyre, to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea
of Joppa, according to the grant that they had of Cyrus king
of Persia.
8. Now in the second year of their coming unto the house of God
at Jerusalem, in the 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 upward, to
set forward the work of the house of the LORD.
9. Then stood Jeshua with his sons and his brethren, Kadmiel
and his sons, the sons of Judah, together, to set forward
the workmen in the house of God: 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 set the priests in their apparel with
trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to
praise the LORD, after the ordinance of David king of
Israel.
11. And they sang together by course in praising and giving
thanks unto the LORD; because he is good, for his mercy
endureth for ever 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. But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the
fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first
house, when the foundation of this house was laid before
their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud
for joy:
13. So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout
of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: for the
people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard
afar off.
