Wɔsan Si Afɔremuka No
1Ɔsram a ɛto so ason mfiase a Israelfo abɔ atenase wɔ wɔn nkurow mu no, nnipa no nyinaa hyiaa sɛ nnipa koro wɔ Yerusalem. 2Na Yosadak babarima Yesua ne ne mfɛfo asɔfo ne Sealtiel babarima Serubabel ne nʼabusuafo fii ase siesiee Israel Nyankopɔn afɔremuka no, sɛnea wobetumi abɔ ɔhyew afɔre wɔ so, sɛnea wɔahyɛ wɔ Mose a ɔyɛ Onyankopɔn nipa no mmara mu no. 3Ɛwɔ mu sɛ na nkurɔfo no suro amannifo a wɔtete hɔ no de, nanso wɔsan sii afɔremuka no wɔ ne dedaw mu hɔ. Ɛhɔ ara na wofii ase bɔɔ ɔhyew afɔre maa Awurade. Wɔyɛɛ saa anɔpa ne anwummere biara. 4Wodii Asese Afahyɛ no sɛnea wɔakyerɛ wɔ Mose mmara nhoma no mu no, na wɔbɔɔ ɔhyew afɔre, sɛnea afahyɛ da biara de te no. 5Ɛno akyi no, wɔbɔɔ daa ɔhyew afɔre no ne afɔre a ɛsɛ sɛ wɔbɔ ma Ɔsram Foforo Afahyɛ no ne mfe ahorow afahyɛ de maa Awurade. Na nnipa no bɔɔ ɔpɛ pa mu afɔre nso de maa Awurade. 6Aka nnaawɔtwe abien na Guankɔbea Afahyɛ no adu so no, asɔfo no fii ase bɔɔ ɔhyew afɔre maa Awurade. Wofii eyi nso ase ansa na wɔreto Awurade asɔredan no fapem.
7Na wɔbɔɔ adansifo ne nnuadwumfo paa na wɔtɔɔ sida nnua fi Tirofo ne Sidonfo nkyɛn, na wɔde nnuan, nsa ne ngo tuaa wɔn ka. Wɔde nnua no fi Lebanon mmepɔw so guu po ani baa Yopa, a na ɔhene Kores ama ho kwan.
8Wofii Onyankopɔn asɔredan no si ase wɔ ɔsram a ɛto so abien mu afe a ɛto so abien fi bere a wokoduu Yerusalem no. Wɔn a wofi asutwa mu bae no nyinaa yɛɛ ho adwumayɛfo a Sealtiel babarima Serubabel, Yosadak babarima Yesua ne ne mfɛfo asɔfo ne Lewifo nyinaa nso ka ho. Lewifo a na wɔadi mfe aduonu ne wɔn a wɔboro saa no na wɔde Awurade asɔredan no asiesie hyɛɛ wɔn nsa. 9Yesua ne ne mmabarima ne nʼabusuafo ne Kadmiel ne ne mmabarima ne Hodawia asefo nyinaa na wɔde Onyankopɔn asɔredan ho adwumayɛfo hyɛɛ wɔn nsa sɛ wɔnhwɛ wɔn so. Henadad abusuafo Lewifo na wɔboaa hwɛɛ saa dwumadi yi so.
10Bere a adansifo no wiee Awurade asɔredan no fapem no, asɔfo no hyɛɛ wɔn asɔfotade, kɔtenaa wɔn tenabea, hyɛn wɔn ntorobɛnto. Na Asaf asefo Lewifo no bɔɔ wɔn kyɛnkyɛn, de kamfoo Awurade sɛnea na ɔhene Dawid ahyɛ no pɛpɛɛpɛ. 11Wɔde nkamfo ne aseda too saa dwom yi maa Awurade se:
“Oye,
Na nʼadɔe wɔ hɔ daa ma Israel afebɔɔ!”
Na ɔmanfo no nyinaa teɛɛ mu ahoɔden so, de kamfoo Awurade, efisɛ Awurade asɔredan fapem no, wɔato. 12Asɔfo mpanyimfo no bebree, Lewifo ne ntuanofo no kaee asɔredan a edi kan no, sui bere a wohuu asɔredan foforo no fapem a wɔato no. Na afoforo nso teɛteɛɛ mu anigye so. 13Anigye nteɛteɛmu ne osu a adi afra no ano yɛɛ den, na nnipa tee wɔ akyirikyiri.
The People Rebuild the Altar
1The Israelites had made their homes in their towns. In the seventh month all of them gathered together in Jerusalem. 2Then Joshua began to build the altar for burnt offerings to honor the God of Israel. Joshua was the son of Jozadak. The other priests helped Joshua. So did Zerubbabel and his men. They built the altar according to what is written in the Law of Moses. Moses was a man of God. Zerubbabel was the son of Shealtiel. 3The people who built the altar were afraid of the nations around them. But they built it anyway. They set it up where it had stood before. They sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the Lord. They offered the morning and evening sacrifices on it. 4Then they celebrated the Feast of Booths. They did it according to what is written in the Law. They sacrificed the number of burnt offerings required for each day. 5After they celebrated the Feast of Booths, they sacrificed the regular burnt offerings. They offered the New Moon sacrifices. They also offered the sacrifices for all the appointed sacred feasts of the Lord. And they sacrificed the offerings the people chose to give him. 6On the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord. They did it even though the foundation of the Lord’s temple hadn’t been laid yet.
The People Begin to Rebuild the Temple
7The people gave money to those who worked with stone and those who worked with wood. They gave food and drink and olive oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre. Then those people brought cedar logs down from Lebanon to the Mediterranean Sea. They floated them down to Joppa. Cyrus, the king of Persia, authorized them to do it.
8It was the second month of the second year after they had arrived at the house of God in Jerusalem. Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, began the work. Joshua, the son of Jozadak, helped him. So did everyone else. That included the priests and Levites. It also included the rest of those who had returned to Jerusalem. They had been prisoners in the land of Babylon. Levites who were 20 years old or more were appointed to be in charge of building the Lord’s house. 9Those who joined together to direct the work included Joshua and his sons and brothers. They also included Kadmiel and his sons. And they included the sons of Henadad and their sons and brothers. All those men were Levites. Kadmiel and his sons were members of the family line of Hodaviah.
10The builders laid the foundation of the Lord’s temple. Then the priests came. They were wearing their special clothes. They brought their trumpets with them. The Levites who belonged to the family line of Asaph also came. They brought their cymbals with them. The priests and Levites took their places to praise the Lord. They did everything just as King David had required them to. 11They sang to the Lord. They praised him. They gave thanks to him. They said,
“The Lord is good.
His faithful love to Israel continues forever.”
All the people gave a loud shout. They praised the Lord. They were glad because the foundation of the Lord’s temple had been laid. 12But many of the older priests and Levites and family leaders wept out loud. They had seen the first temple. So when they saw the foundation of the second temple being laid, they wept. Others shouted with joy. 13No one could tell the difference between the shouts of joy and the sounds of weeping. That’s because the people made so much noise. The sound was heard far away.
