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Ezra 3
Legacy Standard Bible

The Altar Is Built and Daily Offerings Begin

3 Then the seventh month came, and (A)the sons of Israel were in the cities. And the people gathered together as one man 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 arose 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, for [a](G)they were terrified because of the peoples of the lands; and they (H)offered burnt offerings on it to Yahweh, burnt offerings morning and evening. 4 They celebrated the (I)Feast of [b]Booths, (J)as it is written, and offered [c]the fixed number of burnt offerings daily, (K)according to the legal judgment, 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 times of Yahweh that were set apart as holy, and from everyone who offered a freewill offering to Yahweh. 6 From 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. 7 Then they gave money to the masons and [d]carpenters, and (O)food, drink, and oil to the Sidonians and to the Tyrians, (P)to bring cedar wood from Lebanon to the sea at (Q)Joppa, according to the permission they had [e]from (R)Cyrus king of Persia.

The Foundation of the Temple of Yahweh

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 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 (T)appointed the Levites from twenty years and older to direct the work of the house of Yahweh. 9 Then (U)Jeshua with his sons and brothers stood united with Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of [f]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.

10 So the builders (V)laid the foundation of the temple of Yahweh. Then [g]the priests stood in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise Yahweh (W)according to the [h]directions of King David of Israel. 11 (X)And they sang, praising and giving thanks to Yahweh, saying, “(Y)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. 12 Yet many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ households, (Z)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, 13 so that the people could not distinguish the [i]voices of the shouting of gladness from the [j]voices of the weeping of the people, for the people were shouting with a loud shout, and those [k]voices were heard far away.

Footnotes

  1. Ezra 3:3 Lit terror was upon them
  2. Ezra 3:4 Or Tabernacles
  3. Ezra 3:4 Lit by number
  4. Ezra 3:7 Or craftsmen of wood, cf. 2 Sam 5:11
  5. Ezra 3:7 Lit of
  6. Ezra 3:9 In Ezra 2:40, Hodaviah
  7. Ezra 3:10 As in Gr and some mss; M.T. they set the priests
  8. Ezra 3:10 Lit hands
  9. Ezra 3:13 Lit voice
  10. Ezra 3:13 Lit voice
  11. Ezra 3:13 Lit voice
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Ezra 3
EasyEnglish Bible

They build the altar

3 When all the people were now living in their towns, they went to meet together in Jerusalem. It was the seventh month of the year. 2 Jozadak's son, Jeshua, and some of the other priests in his family began to build the altar of Israel's God. Shealtiel's son, Zerubbabel, and some of his family also began to build it. They wanted to make burnt offerings on it. God's servant, Moses, had written about this in the law. 3 The people who already lived near there made them afraid. But they built the altar on its foundation. Then they made burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar. They offered sacrifices on it every day, in the morning and in the evening. 4 Then they had the Feast of Huts, as the law said they should do.[a] On each day of the feast they made the right number of burnt offerings. 5 After that, they made burnt offerings every day, and also at the time of each new moon. They made the right sacrifices for the special festivals, when people met together to worship the Lord. They also offered special gifts that people had chosen to give to the Lord. 6 They began to offer those burnt offerings on the first day of the seventh month. That was before they had started to build the temple.

They prepare to build the temple

7 The leaders gave money to men who could work with stone and wood. They sent food, drink and olive oil to the people in Tyre and Sidon. This was to pay for beams of wood from cedar trees. They would bring the wood from Lebanon on ships that came to Joppa. Cyrus, king of Persia, had commanded them to do this.

8 The Israelites began to build the Lord's temple two years after they arrived in Jerusalem. In the second month of the year, Shealtiel's son, Zerubbabel, and Jozadak's son, Jeshua, began the work. All the priests and the Levites who worked with them in Jerusalem joined them. All the people who had returned to Jerusalem from Babylon helped in the work. The leaders chose Levites who were 20 years old, or older, to have authority over the work.

9 These are their names:

Jeshua, his sons and his brothers.

Kadmiel and his sons. (They were descendants of Hodaviah.)

Henadad's sons, with their sons and brothers, who were Levites.

10 The men who were building the Lord's temple finished the foundations. Then the priests put on their special clothes. They made a noise with their trumpets. The Levites (sons of Asaph) made a noise with their cymbals.[b] They all stood to praise the Lord, in the way that Israel's King David had told them many years before. 11 They sang together to praise the Lord. Group by group, they sang these words:

‘He is good.
His love for Israel will continue for ever.’

Then all the people shouted loudly to praise the Lord. They praised him because they had finished work on the temple's foundation.

12 But many of the older priests, Levites and leaders wept aloud. They were sad because they had seen the temple as it had been before. They remembered how beautiful it had been. At the same time, many other people shouted because they were happy. 13 The happy shouts and the noise of people who were weeping were both very loud. People far away could hear the noise. The different sounds mixed together, so nobody could say which was which.

Footnotes

  1. 3:4 See Leviticus 23:34.
  2. 3:10 Cymbals and trumpets are musical instruments.
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Ezra 3
New International Version

Rebuilding the Altar

3 When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns,(A) the people assembled(B) together as one in Jerusalem. 2 Then Joshua(C) son of Jozadak(D) and his fellow priests and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel(E) and his associates began to build the altar of the God of Israel to sacrifice burnt offerings on it, in accordance with what is written in the Law of Moses(F) the man of God. 3 Despite their fear(G) of the peoples around them, they built the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the Lord, both the morning and evening sacrifices.(H) 4 Then in accordance with what is written, they celebrated the Festival of Tabernacles(I) with the required number of burnt offerings prescribed for each day. 5 After that, they presented the regular burnt offerings, the New Moon(J) sacrifices and the sacrifices for all the appointed sacred festivals of the Lord,(K) as well as those brought as freewill offerings to the Lord. 6 On the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord, though the foundation of the Lord’s temple had not yet been laid.

Rebuilding the Temple

7 Then they gave money to the masons and carpenters,(L) and gave food and drink and olive oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre, so that they would bring cedar logs(M) by sea from Lebanon(N) to Joppa, as authorized by Cyrus(O) king of Persia.

8 In the second month(P) of the second year after their arrival at the house of God in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel(Q) son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jozadak and the rest of the people (the priests and the Levites and all who had returned from the captivity to Jerusalem) began the work. They appointed Levites twenty(R) years old and older to supervise the building of the house of the Lord. 9 Joshua(S) and his sons and brothers and Kadmiel and his sons (descendants of Hodaviah[a]) and the sons of Henadad and their sons and brothers—all Levites—joined together in supervising those working on the house of God.

10 When the builders laid(T) the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests in their vestments and with trumpets,(U) and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with cymbals, took their places to praise(V) the Lord, as prescribed by David(W) king of Israel.(X) 11 With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord:

“He is good;
    his love toward Israel endures forever.”(Y)

And all the people gave a great shout(Z) of praise to the Lord, because the foundation(AA) of the house of the Lord was laid. 12 But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple,(AB) wept(AC) aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy. 13 No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy(AD) from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise. And the sound was heard far away.

Footnotes

  1. Ezra 3:9 Hebrew Yehudah, a variant of Hodaviah
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Ezra 3
Expanded Bible

Rebuilding the Altar

3 In the seventh month, after the Israelites were settled in their hometowns, they ·met together [assembled in unity/with one accord; L as one man] in Jerusalem. 2 Then Jeshua son of Jozadak [Zech. 3:1–9] and his ·fellow [L brothers the] priests joined Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel [and his brothers/colleagues; v. 8; 4:2–3; 5:2; Neh. 7:7; Hag. 1:1, 12, 14; 2:2, 4, 21, 23; Zech. 4:6–10; Matt. 1:12–13; Luke 3:27] and began to build the altar of the God of Israel where they could offer burnt offerings, just as ·it is written [instructed; required] in the ·Teachings [Law; L Torah] of Moses, the man of God. 3 ·Even though [or Because] they were afraid of the people living around them, they ·built [set up; established] the altar where it had been before. And they ·offered [sacrificed] burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17] on it to the Lord morning and evening. 4 Then, to obey what was ·written [instructed; required], they celebrated the Feast of ·Shelters [Booths; Tabernacles; Ex. 23:16; Lev. 23:33–36]. They offered the ·right [specified; proper; fixed] number of sacrifices ·for [according to the ordinance/requirement for] each day. 5 After the Feast of Shelters, they had ·regular [continual] ·sacrifices [burnt offerings; Lev. 1:1–17], as well as sacrifices for the New Moon and all the festivals ·commanded by [of] the Lord. Also there were ·special [freewill; voluntary] offerings to the Lord. 6 On the first day of the seventh month [C fifteen days before the beginning of the festival] they began to ·bring [offer; sacrifice] burnt offerings to the Lord, ·but [though] the foundation of the Lord’s ·Temple [L house] had not yet been laid.

Rebuilding the Temple

7 Then they gave money to the ·bricklayers [masons] and carpenters. They also gave food, ·wine [drink], and olive oil to the cities of Sidon and Tyre so they would ·float [bring] cedar logs from Lebanon to the seacoast town of Joppa. Cyrus king of Persia had given permission for this.

8 In the second month [C midspring] of the second year after their arrival at the ·Temple [L house] of God in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel [v. 2], Jeshua son of Jozadak, their fellow priests and Levites, and all who had returned from ·captivity [exile] to Jerusalem began to work. They ·chose [appointed] Levites twenty years old and older to ·be in charge of [supervise] the building of the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord. 9 The workers building the ·Temple [L house] of God were supervised by Jeshua and his sons and brothers [3:2], together with Kadmiel and his sons who were the descendants of Hodaviah, and the sons of Henadad and their sons and brothers. They were all Levites.

10 The builders finished laying the foundation of the Temple of the Lord. Then the priests, dressed in their ·robes [vestments], stood with their ·trumpets [clarions; C a long, metallic instrument, not a ram’s horn], and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, stood with their cymbals. They all took their places and praised the Lord just as David king of Israel had ·said to do [instructed; prescribed]. 11 With praise and thanksgiving, they ·sang [L answered; C sang antiphonally] to the Lord:

“He is good;
    his ·love [loyalty] for Israel ·continues [endures; lasts; is] forever.”

And then all the people shouted loudly, “Praise the Lord! The foundation of his ·Temple [L house] has been laid.” 12 But many of the older priests, Levites, and ·family leaders [L heads of fathers] who had seen the first ·Temple [L house] cried loudly when they saw the foundation of this Temple. ·Most of the other people [Many others] were shouting with joy. 13 The people made so much noise it could be heard far away, and no one could tell the difference between the joyful shouting and the sad crying.

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