Beginning
1 Now in the first year [539 B.C.E.] of Koresh Melech Paras (Persia), that the Devar Hashem by the mouth of Yirmeyah might be fulfilled, Hashem stirred up the ruach of Koresh Melech Paras (Persia), so that he made a proclamation throughout all his Malchut, and put it also in writing, saying,
2 Thus saith Koresh Melech Paras (Persia), Hashem Elohei HaShomayim hath given me all the kingdoms of ha’aretz; and he hath charged me to build him Beis [Hamikdash] at Yerushalayim, which is in Yehudah.
3 Who is there among you of all His people, Elohav be with him, let him go up to Yerushalayim, which is in Yehudah, and build the Beis Hashem Elohei Yisroel, (He is HaElohim) which is in Yerushalayim.
4 And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with kesef, and with zahav, and with goods, and with livestock, beside the nedavah (freewill offering) for the Beis HaElohim that is in Yerushalayim.
5 Then rose up the chief of the avot of Yehudah and Binyamin, and the kohanim, and the Levi’im, with all them whose ruach HaElohim had stirred up, to go up to build the Beis Hashem which is in Yerushalayim.
6 And all they that were about them did strengthen their hands with vessels of kesef, with zahav, with goods, and with livestock, and with precious things, in addition to all their nedavot (freewill offerings).
7 Also HaMelech Koresh brought forth the vessels of the Beis Hashem, which Nevuchadnetzar had carried off out of Yerushalayim, and had put them in the bais (temple) of his g-ds;
8 Even those did Koresh Melech Paras (Persia) bring forth by the hand of Mitredat the treasurer, and counted them unto Sheshbatzar, the Nasi of Yehudah.
9 And this is the number of them; thirty basins of zahav, a thousand basins of kesef, nine and twenty knives,
10 Thirty bowls of zahav, kesef basins of a second kind four hundred and ten, and other vessels one thousand.
11 All the vessels of zahav and of kesef were five thousand and four hundred. All these did Sheshbatzar bring up with them of the Golus that were brought up from Bavel unto Yerushalayim.
2 Now these are the people of the province that went up out of the captivity, of those of the Golus, whom Nevuchadnetzar Melech Bavel had carried away unto Babylon, and returned unto Yerushalayim and Yehudah, every one unto his town;
2 Which came with Zerubavel; Yeshua, Nechemyah, Serayah, Re’elyah, Mordechai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rechum, Ba’anah. The number of the men of the Am Yisroel;
3 The Bnei Parosh, 2,172.
4 The Bnei Shephatyah, 372.
5 The Bnei Arach, 775.
6 The Bnei Pachat-Moav, of the Bnei Yeshua and Yoav, 2,812.
7 The Bnei Elam, 1,254.
8 The Bnei Zattu, 945.
9 The Bnei Zaccai, 760.
10 The Bnei Bani, 642.
11 The Bnei Bevai, 623.
12 The Bnei Azgad, 1,222.
13 The Bnei Adonikam, 666.
14 The Bnei Bigvai, 2,056.
15 The Bnei Adin, 454.
16 The Bnei Ater of Yechizkiyah, 98.
17 The Bnei Betzai, 323.
18 The Bnei Yorah, 112.
19 The Bnei Chashum, 223.
20 The Bnei Gibbar, 95.
21 The Bnei Beit-Lechem, 123.
22 The men of Netophah, 56.
23 The men of Anatot, 128.
24 The Bnei Azmavet, 42.
25 The Bnei Kiryat-Arim, Kephirah, and Be’erot, 743.
26 The Bnei Ramah and Geva, 621.
27 The men of Michmas, 122.
28 The men of Beit-El and Ai, 223.
29 The Bnei Nevo, 52.
30 The Bnei Magbish, 156.
31 The children of the other Elam, 1,254.
32 The Bnei Charim, 320.
33 The Bnei Lod, Chadid and Ono, 725.
34 The Bnei Yericho, 345.
35 The Bnei Senaah, 3,630.
36 The kohanim; the Bnei Yedayah, of the Bais Yeshua, 973.
37 The Bnei Immer, 1,052.
38 The Bnei Pashchur, 1,247.
39 The Bnei Charim, 1,017.
40 The Levi’im; the Bnei Yeshua and Kadmiel, of the Bnei Hodavyah, 74.
41 The singers; the Bnei Asaph, 128.
42 The children of the gatekeepers; the Bnei Shallum, the Bnei Ater, the Bnei Talmon, the Bnei Akuv, the Bnei Chatita, the Bnei Shovai; in all 139.
43 The Netinim; the Bnei Tzicha, the Bnei Chasupha, the Bnei Tabbaot,
44 The Bnei Keros, the Bnei Siaha, the Bnei Padon,
45 The Bnei Levanah, the Bnei Chagavah, the children of Akuv,
46 The Bnei Chagav, the Bnei Shalmai, the Bnei Chanan,
47 The Bnei Giddel, the Bnei Gachar, the Bnei Reayah,
48 The Bnei Retzin, the Bnei Nekoda, the Bnei Gazzam,
49 The Bnei Uzza, the Bnei Paseach, the Bnei Besai,
50 The Bnei Asnah, the Bnei Meunim, the Bnei Nephusim,
51 The Bnei Bakbuk, the Bnei Chakupha, the Bnei Chachur,
52 The Bnei Batzlut, the Bnei Mechida, the Bnei Charsha,
53 The Bnei Barkos, the Bnei Sisra, the Bnei Temach,
54 The Bnei Netziach, the Bnei Chatipha.
55 The Bnei Avdei Sh’lomo; the Bnei Sotai, the Bnei Hasopheret, the Bnei Peruda,
56 The Bnei Ya’alah, the Bnei Darkon, the Bnei Giddel,
57 The Bnei Shephatyah, the Bnei Chattil, the Bnei Pocheret-Hatzvayim, the Bnei Ami.
58 All the Netinim, and the Bnei Avdei Sh’lomo, were three hundred ninety and two.
59 And these were they which went up from Telmelach, Telcharsa, Keruv, Addan, and Immer; but they could not show their Bais Avot, and their zera, whether they were of Yisroel;
60 The Bnei Delaiah, the Bnei Toviyah, the Bnei Nekoda, six hundred fifty and two.
61 And of the Bnei HaKohanim; the Bnei Chaviyah, the Bnei Hakotz, the Bnei Barzillai; which took a wife of the banot of Barzillai the Gileadi, and was named after their shem.
62 These sought their register among those that were reckoned by genealogy, but they were not found; therefore were they, as polluted, put from the kehunah.
63 And the Tirshata (Governor) said unto them, that they should not eat of kodesh hakodashim, until there stood up a kohen with Urim and with Tummim.
64 The Kol HaKahal together was forty and two thousand three hundred and threescore.
65 This was in addition to their avadim (man servants) and their amahot (female servants) of whom there were seven thousand three hundred thirty and seven; and there were among them two hundred singing men and singing women.
66 Their susim were seven hundred thirty and six; their mules, two hundred forty and five;
67 Their camels, four hundred thirty and five; their donkeys, six thousand seven hundred and twenty.
68 And some of the chief of the avot, when they came to the Beis Hashem which is at Yerushalayim, offered nedavot for the Beis HaElohim to rebuild it in its place.
69 They gave according to their ability unto the Otzar for the work threescore and one thousand drachmas of zahav, and five thousand minas of kesef, and one hundred ketanot for the kohanim.
70 So the kohanim, and the Levi’im, and some of the people, and the singers, and the gatekeepers, and the Netinim (servants of the Beis Hamikdash), dwelt in their towns, and kol Yisroel in their towns.
3 And when the seventh month was come, and the Bnei Yisroel were in the towns, the people gathered themselves together as one man to Yerushalayim.
2 Then stood up Yeshua ben Yehotzadak [T.N. This man is the prophetic namesake of the coming Moshiach—see Zech 6:11-12], and his brethren the kohanim, and Zerubavel ben Sh’altiel, and his brethren, and built the Mizbe’ach Elohei Yisroel, to offer olot (burnt offerings) thereon, as it is written in the Torat Moshe Ish HaElohim.
3 And they set the Mizbe’ach upon its bases; despite their fear upon them because of the people of those lands, they offered olot (burnt offerings) thereon unto Hashem, even olot boker and erev.
4 They kept also the Chag HaSukkot, as it is written, and offered the daily olah by number, according to the mishpat, as the duty of every yom required;
5 And afterward offered the olat tamid, both of the chodeshim, and of all the Mo’adim of Hashem that were set apart as kodesh, and of every one that willingly offered a nedavah (freewill offering) unto Hashem.
6 From the first day of the seventh month began they to offer olot (burnt offerings) unto Hashem. But the Yesod (Foundation) of the Heikhal Hashem was not yet laid.
7 They gave kesef also unto the chotzvim (masons, stonecutters), and to the charashim (craftsmen, carpenters); and food, and mishteh (drink), and shemen (oil), unto them of Tzidon, and to them of Tzor, to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea and on to Yafo, according to the rishyon (authorization, grant) that they had of Koresh Melech Paras (Persia).
8 Now in the second year of their coming unto the Beis HaElohim at Yerushalayim, in the second month, began Zerubavel ben Sh’altiel, and Yeshua ben Yehotzadak, and the she’ar (remnant) of their brethren the kohanim and the Levi’im, and all they that were come out of the captivity unto Yerushalayim; and appointed the Levi’im, from twenty years old and upward, to set forward the melechet Beis Hashem (work of the construction of the Beis Hamikdash).
9 Then stood Yeshua with his banim and his brethren, Kadmiel and his banim, the Bnei Yehudah, together, to set forward the workmen in the Beis HaElohim; the Bnei Chenadad, with their banim and their brethren the Levi’im.
10 And when the Bonim (Builders) laid the foundation of the Heikhal Hashem, they set the kohanim in their robes with trumpets, and the Levi’im the Bnei Asaph with cymbals, to praise Hashem according to the instructions of Dovid Melech Yisroel.
11 And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto Hashem because He is good, for His chesed endureth forever toward Yisroel. And kol haAm shouted with a great shout, when they praised Hashem, because the foundation of the Beis Hashem was laid.
12 But many of the kohanim and Levi’im and chief of the avot, who were zekenim (ancient men), that had seen the Beis HaRishon (Beis HaMikdash of Shlomo), when the foundation of this Beis [Hamikdash] was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice, and many shouted aloud for simchah;
13 So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of simchah from the noise of the weeping of the people; for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.
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