1 And when the seventh month was come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem.

2 Then stood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brethren, and builded the altar of the G-d of Israel, to offer burnt-offerings thereon, as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of G-d.

3 And they set the altar upon its bases; for fear was upon them because of the people of the countries, and they offered burnt-offerings thereon unto HaShem, even burnt-offerings morning and evening.

4 And they kept the feast of tabernacles, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt-offerings by number, according to the ordinance, as the duty of every day required;

5 and afterward the continual burnt-offering, and the offerings of the new moons, and of all the appointed seasons of HaShem that were hallowed, and of every one that willingly offered a freewill-offering unto HaShem.

6 From the first day of the seventh month began they to offer burnt-offerings unto HaShem; but the foundation of the temple of HaShem was not yet laid.

7 They gave money also unto the hewers, and to the carpenters; and food, and drink, and oil, unto them of Zidon, and to them of Tyre, to bring cedar-trees from Lebanon to the sea, unto Joppa, according to the grant that they had of Cyrus king of Persia.

8 Now in the second year of their coming unto the house of G-d at Jerusalem, in the second month, began Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the rest of their brethren the priests and the Levites, and all they that were come out of the captivity unto Jerusalem; and appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to have the oversight of the work of the house of HaShem.

9 Then stood Jeshua with his sons and his brethren, and Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together, to have the oversight of the workmen in the house of G-d; the sons of Henadad also, with their sons and their brethren the Levites.

10 And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of HaShem, they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise HaShem, according to the direction of David king of Israel.

11 And they sang one to another in praising and giving thanks unto HaShem: 'for He is good, for His mercy endureth for ever toward Israel.' And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised HaShem, because the foundation of the house of HaShem was laid.

12 But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers' houses, the old men that had seen the first house standing on its foundation, wept with a loud voice, when this house was before their eyes; and many shouted aloud for joy;

13 so that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people; for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.

Sources: Portions copyright © 1997 by Benyamin Pilant, All Rights Reserved
JPS Electronic Edition Copyright © 1998 by Larry Nelson, All Rights Reserved
Jewish Bible

The Book of Ezra: Chapter 3