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Ezra 3
New English Translation

The Altar is Rebuilt

3 When the seventh month arrived and the Israelites[a] were living[b] in their[c] towns, the people assembled[d] in[e] Jerusalem. 2 Then Jeshua the son of Jozadak[f] and his priestly colleagues[g] and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his colleagues[h] started to build[i] the altar of the God of Israel so they could offer burnt offerings on it as required by[j] the law of Moses the man of God. 3 They established the altar on its foundations, even though they were in terror of the local peoples,[k] and they offered burnt offerings on it to the Lord, both the morning and the evening offerings. 4 They observed the Feast of Shelters[l] as required[m] and offered the proper number of[n] daily burnt offerings according to the requirement for each day. 5 Afterward they offered the continual burnt offerings and those for the new moons and those for all the holy assemblies of the Lord and all those that were being voluntarily offered to the Lord. 6 From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord. However, the Lord’s temple was not at that time established.[o]

Preparations for Rebuilding the Temple

7 So they provided money[p] for the masons and carpenters, and food, beverages, and olive oil for the people of Sidon and Tyre, so that they would bring cedar timber from Lebanon to the seaport[q] at Joppa, in accord with the edict of King Cyrus of Persia. 8 In the second year after they had come to the temple of God in Jerusalem, in the second month, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak initiated the work,[r] along with the rest of their associates,[s] the priests and the Levites, and all those who were coming to Jerusalem from the exile. They appointed[t] the Levites who were at least twenty years old[u] to take charge of the work on the Lord’s temple. 9 So Jeshua appointed both his sons and his relatives,[v] Kadmiel and his sons (the sons of Yehudah[w]), to take charge of the workers in the temple of God, along with the sons of Henadad, their sons, and their relatives[x] the Levites. 10 When the builders established the Lord’s temple, the priests, ceremonially attired and with their clarions,[y] and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with their cymbals, stood to praise the Lord according to the instructions left by[z] King David of Israel.[aa] 11 With antiphonal response they sang,[ab] praising and glorifying the Lord:

“For he is good;
his loyal love toward Israel is forever.”

All the people gave a loud[ac] shout as they praised the Lord when the temple of the Lord was established. 12 Many of the priests, the Levites, and the leaders[ad]—older people who had seen with their own eyes the former temple while it was still established[ae]—were weeping loudly,[af] and many others raised their voice in a joyous shout. 13 People were unable to tell the difference between the sound of joyous shouting and the sound of the people’s weeping, for the people were shouting so loudly[ag] that the sound was heard a long way off.

Footnotes

  1. Ezra 3:1 tn Heb “the sons of Israel.”
  2. Ezra 3:1 tn The word “living” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied. Some translations supply “settled” (cf. NAB, NIV, NLT).
  3. Ezra 3:1 tc The translation reads with some medieval Hebrew mss and ancient versions בְּעָרֵיהֶם (beʿarehem, “in their towns”), rather than the reading בֶּעָרִים (beʿarim, “in the towns”) found in the MT. Cf. Neh 7:72 HT [7:73 ET].
  4. Ezra 3:1 tn The Hebrew text adds the phrase “like one man.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  5. Ezra 3:1 tn Heb “to.”
  6. Ezra 3:2 sn Jozadak (also in 3:8) is a variant spelling of Jehozadak.
  7. Ezra 3:2 tn Heb “his brothers the priests.”
  8. Ezra 3:2 tn Heb “his brothers.”
  9. Ezra 3:2 tn Heb “arose and built.”
  10. Ezra 3:2 tn Heb “written in.” Cf. v. 4.
  11. Ezra 3:3 tn Heb “the peoples of the lands.”
  12. Ezra 3:4 tn The Hebrew phrase אֶת חַג־הַסֻּכּוֹת (ʾet khag hassukot, “Feast of Shelters” [or “Huts”]) is traditionally known as the Feast of Tabernacles. The rendering “booths” (cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV) is probably better than the traditional “tabernacles” in light of the meaning of the term סֻכָּה (sukkah, “hut; booth”), but “booths” are frequently associated with trade shows and craft fairs in contemporary American English. The nature of the celebration during this feast as a commemoration of the wanderings of the Israelites after they left Egypt suggests that a translation like “shelters” is more appropriate.
  13. Ezra 3:4 tn Heb “according to what is written.”
  14. Ezra 3:4 tn Heb “by number.”
  15. Ezra 3:6 tn Or “the foundation of the Lord’s temple was not yet laid.”
  16. Ezra 3:7 tn Heb “silver.”
  17. Ezra 3:7 tn Heb “to the sea”
  18. Ezra 3:8 tn Heb “began”; the phrase “the work” is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.
  19. Ezra 3:8 tn Heb “their brothers.”
  20. Ezra 3:8 tn Heb “stood.”
  21. Ezra 3:8 tn Heb “from twenty years and upward.”
  22. Ezra 3:9 tn Heb “brothers.”
  23. Ezra 3:9 sn The name יְהוּדָה (Yehudah; cf. KJV, ASV, NASB “Judah”) is probably a variant of Hodaviah (see Ezra 2:40; cf. NIV, NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT).
  24. Ezra 3:9 tn Heb “brothers.”
  25. Ezra 3:10 sn This was a long, straight, metallic instrument used for signal calls, rather than the traditional ram’s horn (both instruments are typically translated “trumpet” by English versions).
  26. Ezra 3:10 tn Heb “according to the hands of.”
  27. Ezra 3:10 sn See Pss 107:1; 118:1, 29; 136:1. Cf. 2 Chr 5:13; 7:3; 20:21.
  28. Ezra 3:11 tn Heb “they answered.”
  29. Ezra 3:11 tn Heb “great.”
  30. Ezra 3:12 tn Heb “the heads of the fathers.”
  31. Ezra 3:12 sn The temple had been destroyed some fifty years earlier by the Babylonians in 586 b.c.
  32. Ezra 3:12 tn Heb “with a great voice.”
  33. Ezra 3:13 tn Heb “a great shout.”
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Ezra 3
New American Standard Bible

Altar and Sacrifices Restored

3 Now when the seventh month came, and (A)the sons of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered together as one person to Jerusalem. 2 Then (B)Jeshua the son of Jozadak and his brothers the priests, and (C)Zerubbabel the son (D)of Shealtiel and his brothers, rose up and (E)built the altar of the God of Israel to offer burnt offerings on it, (F)as it is written in the Law of Moses, the man of God. 3 So they set up the altar on its foundation, because [a](G)they were terrified of the peoples of the lands; and they (H)offered burnt offerings on it to the Lord, burnt offerings morning and evening. 4 They also celebrated the (I)Feast of [b]Booths, (J)as it is written, and offered [c]the prescribed number of burnt offerings daily, (K)according to the ordinance, [d]as each day required; 5 and afterward there was a (L)continual burnt offering, also (M)for the new moons and (N)for all the appointed festivals of the Lord that were consecrated, and from everyone who offered a [e]voluntary offering to the Lord. 6 From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord, but the foundation of the temple of the Lord had not been laid. 7 Then they gave money to the masons and carpenters, and (O)food, drink, and oil to the Sidonians and the Tyrians (P)to bring cedar wood from Lebanon to the sea at (Q)Joppa, according to the permission they had [f]from (R)Cyrus king of Persia.

Temple Restoration Begun

8 Now in the second year of their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, (S)Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, 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 (T)appointed the Levites who were twenty years old and upward to oversee the work of the house of the Lord. 9 Then (U)Jeshua with his sons and brothers stood united with Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of [g]Judah and the sons of Henadad with their sons and brothers the Levites, to oversee the workmen in the temple of God.

10 Now when the builders had (V)laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, [h]the priests stood in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the Lord (W)according to the [i]directions of King David of Israel. 11 And (X)they sang, praising and giving thanks to the Lord, saying, “(Y)For He is good, for His favor is upon Israel forever.” And all the people shouted with a great shout of joy when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. 12 Yet many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ households, (Z)the old men who had seen the first [j]temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, while many shouted aloud for joy, 13 so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the shout of joy from the sound of the weeping of the people, because the people were shouting with a loud shout, and the sound was heard far away.

Footnotes

  1. Ezra 3:3 Lit terror was upon them from
  2. Ezra 3:4 Or Tabernacles
  3. Ezra 3:4 Lit by number
  4. Ezra 3:4 Lit a day’s word on its day
  5. Ezra 3:5 Or freewill offering
  6. Ezra 3:7 Lit of
  7. Ezra 3:9 In Ezra 2:40, Hodaviah; in Neh 7:43, Hodevah
  8. Ezra 3:10 As in LXX and some mss; MT they set the priests
  9. Ezra 3:10 Lit hands
  10. Ezra 3:12 Lit house
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