Ezra
3:1 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.
3:2 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.
3:3 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.
3:4 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;
3:5 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.
3:6 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.
3:7 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.
3:8 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.
3:9 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.
3:10 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.
3:11 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.
3:12 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:
3:13 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.
