Sacrifice Restored

3 When the seventh month arrived,^(A) and the Israelites were in their towns, the people gathered as one in Jerusalem.^{(B) 2} Jeshua son of Jozadak and his brothers the priests along with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel^(C) and his brothers began to build the altar of Israel’s God in order to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the law of Moses, the man of God.^{(D) 3} They set up the altar on its foundation and offered burnt offerings for the morning and evening on it to the Lord even though they feared the surrounding peoples.^{(E) 4} They celebrated the Festival of Shelters as prescribed, and offered burnt offerings each day, based on the number specified by ordinance for each festival day.^{(F) 5} After that, they offered the regular burnt offering and the offerings for the beginning of each month^[a](G) and for all the Lord’s appointed holy occasions, as well as the freewill offerings brought to^[b] the Lord.

⁶ On the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord,^(H) even though the foundation of the Lord’s temple had not yet been laid. ⁷ They gave money to the stonecutters and artisans, and gave food, drink, and oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre, so they would bring cedar wood from Lebanon to Joppa by sea,^(I) according to the authorization given them by King Cyrus of Persia.^(J)

Rebuilding the Temple

⁸ In the second month of the second year after they arrived at God’s house in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Jeshua son of Jozadak,^(K) and the rest of their brothers, including the priests, the Levites, and all who had returned to Jerusalem from the captivity, began to build. They appointed the Levites who were twenty years old or more to supervise the work on the Lord’s house.^{(L) 9} Jeshua with his sons and brothers, Kadmiel with his sons, and the sons of Judah^[c] and of Henadad, with their sons and brothers, the Levites,^(M) joined together to supervise those working on the house of God.

Temple Foundation Completed

¹⁰ When the builders had laid the foundation of the Lord’s temple, the priests, dressed in their robes and holding trumpets, and the Levites descended from Asaph,^(N) holding cymbals, took their positions to praise the Lord, as King David of Israel had instructed.^{(O) 11} They sang with praise and thanksgiving to the Lord: “For he is good; his faithful love to Israel endures forever.”^(P) Then all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord because the foundation of the Lord’s house had been laid.^(Q)

¹² But many of the older priests, Levites, and family heads, who had seen the first temple, wept loudly when they saw the foundation of this temple,^(R) but many others shouted joyfully. ¹³ The people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shouting from that of the^[d] weeping,^(S) because the people were shouting so loudly. And the sound was heard far away.

Opposition to Rebuilding the Temple

4 When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin^(T) heard that the returned exiles^[e](U) were building a temple for the Lord, the God of Israel, ² they approached Zerubbabel and the family heads and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we also worship your God and have been sacrificing to him^[f] since the time King Esar-haddon of Assyria brought us here.”^(V)

³ But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the other heads of Israel’s families answered them, “You may have no part with us in building a house for our God,^(W) since we alone will build it for the Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia has commanded us.”^{(X) 4} Then the people who were already in the land^[g] discouraged^[h] the people of Judah and made them afraid^(Y) to build. ⁵ They also bribed officials to act against them to frustrate their plans^(Z) throughout the reign of King Cyrus of Persia and until the reign of King Darius of Persia.^(AA)

Opposition to Rebuilding the City

⁶ At the beginning of the reign of Ahasuerus,^(AB) the people who were already in the land^(AC) wrote an accusation against the residents of Judah and Jerusalem. ⁷ During the time of King Artaxerxes of Persia,^(AD) Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel and the rest of his colleagues wrote to King Artaxerxes. The letter was written in Aramaic^(AE) and translated.^[i]

⁸ Rehum the chief deputy and Shimshai the scribe^(AF) wrote a letter to King Artaxerxes concerning Jerusalem as follows:

⁹ From Rehum^[j] the chief deputy, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their colleagues—the judges and magistrates^[k] from Tripolis, Persia, Erech, Babylon, Susa^(AG) (that is, the people of Elam),^{[l] 10} and the rest of the peoples whom the great and illustrious Ashurbanipal^[m] deported and settled in the cities of Samaria^(AH) and the region west of the Euphrates River.^(AI)

¹¹ This is the text of the letter they sent to him:

To King Artaxerxes from your servants, the men from the region west of the Euphrates River:

¹² Let it be known to the king that the Jews who came from you have returned to us at Jerusalem. They are rebuilding that rebellious and evil city, finishing its walls, and repairing its foundations. ¹³ Let it now be known to the king that if that city is rebuilt and its walls are finished,^(AJ) they will not pay tribute, duty, or land tax,^(AK) and the royal revenue^[n] will suffer. ¹⁴ Since we have taken an oath of loyalty to the king,^[o] and it is not right for us to witness his dishonor, we have sent to inform the king ¹⁵ that a search should be made in your predecessors’ record books.^(AL) In these record books you will discover and verify that the city is a rebellious city, harmful to kings and provinces. There have been revolts in it since ancient times. That is why this city was destroyed. ¹⁶ We advise the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are finished, you will not have any possession west of the Euphrates.

Artaxerxes’s Reply

¹⁷ The king sent a reply to his chief deputy Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their colleagues living in Samaria and elsewhere in the region west of the Euphrates River:

Greetings.

¹⁸ The letter you sent us has been translated and read^[p](AM) in my presence. ¹⁹ I issued a decree and a search was conducted. It was discovered that this city has had uprisings against kings since ancient times, and there have been rebellions and revolts in it. ²⁰ Powerful kings have also ruled over Jerusalem and exercised authority over the whole region west of the Euphrates River, and tribute, duty, and land tax were paid to them. ²¹ Therefore, issue an order for these men to stop, so that this city will not be rebuilt until a further decree has been pronounced by me.^{(AN) 22} See that you not neglect this matter. Otherwise, the damage will increase and the royal interests^[q] will suffer.

²³ As soon as the text of King Artaxerxes’s letter was read to Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their colleagues,^(AO) they immediately went to the Jews in Jerusalem and forcibly stopped them.

Rebuilding of the Temple Resumed

²⁴ Now the construction of God’s house in Jerusalem had stopped and remained at a standstill until the second year of the reign of King Darius of Persia.^(AP)

Gentile Salvation Defended

11 The apostles and the brothers and sisters who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God. ² When Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him,^{(A) 3} saying, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.”^(B)

⁴ Peter began to explain to them step by step, ⁵ “I^(C) was in the town of Joppa praying, and I saw, in a trance, an object that resembled a large sheet coming down, being lowered by its four corners from heaven, and it came to me. ⁶ When I looked closely and considered it, I saw the four-footed animals of the earth, the wild beasts, the reptiles, and the birds of the sky. ⁷ I also heard a voice telling me, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat.’

⁸ “‘No, Lord!’ I said. ‘For nothing impure or ritually unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ ⁹ But a voice answered from heaven a second time, ‘What God has made clean, you must not call impure.’

¹⁰ “Now this happened three times, and everything was drawn up again into heaven. ¹¹ At that very moment, three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea arrived at the house where we were. ¹² The Spirit told me to accompany them with no doubts at all. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we went into the man’s house.^{(D) 13} He reported to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa, and call for Simon, who is also named Peter. ¹⁴ He will speak a message to you by which you and all your household^(E) will be saved.’

¹⁵ “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came down on them, just as on us at the beginning.^{(F) 16} I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’^{(G) 17} If, then, God gave them the same gift that he also gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, how could I possibly hinder God?” ^(H)

¹⁸ When they heard this they became silent. And they glorified God, saying, “So then, God has given repentance resulting in life even to the Gentiles.”^(I)

The Church in Antioch

¹⁹ Now those who had been scattered as a result of the persecution that started because of Stephen made their way as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch,^(J) speaking the word to no one except Jews. ²⁰ But there were some of them, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch and began speaking to the Greeks^[a] also, proclaiming the good news about the Lord Jesus.^{(K) 21} The Lord’s hand was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord.^{(L) 22} News about them reached^[b] the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to travel^[c] as far as Antioch. ²³ When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged all of them to remain true to the Lord with devoted hearts,^{(M) 24} for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit^(N) and of faith. And large numbers of people were added^(O) to the Lord.

²⁵ Then he went to Tarsus to search for Saul, ²⁶ and when he found him he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught large numbers. The disciples^(P) were first called Christians at Antioch.^(Q)

Famine Relief

²⁷ In those days some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch.^{(R) 28} One of them, named Agabus, stood up and predicted by the Spirit that there would be a severe famine throughout the Roman world.^[d] This took place during the reign of Claudius.^{(S) 29} Each of the disciples, according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brothers and sisters who lived in Judea.^{(T) 30} They did this, sending it to the elders^(U) by means of Barnabas and Saul.

Psalm 81

A Call to Obedience

For the choir director: on the Gittith. Of Asaph.^(A)