¹⁶ And the people of Israel, the priests and the Levites, and the rest of the returned exiles, celebrated the ^(A)dedication of this house of God with joy.

⁵ King Solomon offered as a sacrifice 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all the people dedicated the house of God.

⁶³ Solomon offered as peace offerings to the Lord 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all the people of Israel dedicated the house of the Lord.

^4 (A)Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.

I and the Father Are One

²² At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter,

Let Us Go to the House of the Lord

A Song of ^(A)Ascents. Of David.

⁷³ So the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the temple servants, and all Israel, lived in their towns.

^(A)And when the seventh month had come, the people of Israel were in their towns.

²² And they kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread ^(A)seven days with joy, for the Lord had made them joyful ^(B)and had turned the heart of ^(C)the king of Assyria to them, so that he aided them in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.

Adversaries Oppose the Rebuilding

4 Now when ^(A)the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple to the Lord, the God of Israel,

¹¹ And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord,

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 heads of fathers' houses, ^(B)old men who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid, though many shouted aloud for joy,