重建祭壇
1到了七月，以色列人已安居各城，他們萬眾一心地聚集在耶路撒冷。 2約薩達的兒子耶書亞及其他祭司、撒拉鐵的兒子所羅巴伯及其親屬，一起重新築造以色列上帝的祭壇，為要照上帝的僕人摩西在律法書上的記載在壇上獻燔祭。 3他們雖然懼怕當地的居民，還是在原來的根基上重建祭壇，並早晚在上面向耶和華獻燔祭。 4他們照律法書的記載守住棚節，每天按規定的數目獻上燔祭。 5之後，他們獻上日常的燔祭，並在朔日3·5 「朔日」即每月初一。和耶和華所定的一切節期獻祭，又向耶和華獻上自願獻的祭。 6儘管耶和華殿的根基還沒有立好，從七月一日起，他們就開始向耶和華獻燔祭。 7他們付給石匠和木匠銀子，並經波斯王塞魯士批准，供給泰爾人和西頓人食物、酒和油，換取他們把香柏木從黎巴嫩經海路運到約帕。
開始重建聖殿
8在回到耶路撒冷上帝殿的第二年二月，撒拉鐵的兒子所羅巴伯、約薩達的兒子耶書亞及其祭司和利未親族，以及所有從流亡之地回到耶路撒冷的人，開始重建耶和華的殿，並派二十歲以上的利未人做督工。 9何達威雅3·9 「何達威雅」希伯來文是「猶大」，參考2·40。的後裔，即耶書亞及其子孫和弟兄、甲篾及其子孫，與利未人希拿達的子孫及其弟兄同心協力地監督在上帝殿裡做工的人。
10工人立耶和華殿的根基時，祭司身穿禮服拿著號角，利未人亞薩的子孫拿著鈸各就各位，照以色列王大衛所定的規矩讚美耶和華。 11他們彼此唱和，讚美、稱謝耶和華，說：
「祂是美善的，
因為祂向以色列人永施慈愛！」
所有人都高聲歡呼讚美耶和華，因為耶和華殿的根基已經立好。 12許多曾見過舊殿的年長的祭司、利未人和族長看見這殿的根基，不禁放聲大哭，也有很多人高聲歡呼。 13人們無法分辨是痛哭聲還是歡呼聲，因為眾人都大聲呼喊，聲音傳到遠處。
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.
