Ezra 3 – NIV & CCBT

New International Version

Ezra 3:1-13

Rebuilding the Altar

1When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns, the people assembled together as one in Jerusalem. 2Then Joshua son of Jozadak and his fellow priests and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his associates began to build the altar of the God of Israel to sacrifice burnt offerings on it, in accordance with what is written in the Law of Moses the man of God. 3Despite their fear of the peoples around them, they built the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the Lord, both the morning and evening sacrifices. 4Then in accordance with what is written, they celebrated the Festival of Tabernacles with the required number of burnt offerings prescribed for each day. 5After that, they presented the regular burnt offerings, the New Moon sacrifices and the sacrifices for all the appointed sacred festivals of the Lord, as well as those brought as freewill offerings to the Lord. 6On the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord, though the foundation of the Lord’s temple had not yet been laid.

Rebuilding the Temple

7Then they gave money to the masons and carpenters, and gave food and drink and olive oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre, so that they would bring cedar logs by sea from Lebanon to Joppa, as authorized by Cyrus king of Persia.

8In the second month of the second year after their arrival at the house of God in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jozadak and the rest of the people (the priests and the Levites and all who had returned from the captivity to Jerusalem) began the work. They appointed Levites twenty years old and older to supervise the building of the house of the Lord. 9Joshua and his sons and brothers and Kadmiel and his sons (descendants of Hodaviah3:9 Hebrew Yehudah, a variant of Hodaviah) and the sons of Henadad and their sons and brothers—all Levites—joined together in supervising those working on the house of God.

10When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests in their vestments and with trumpets, and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with cymbals, took their places to praise the Lord, as prescribed by David king of Israel. 11With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord:

“He is good;

his love toward Israel endures forever.”

And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. 12But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy. 13No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise. And the sound was heard far away.

Chinese Contemporary Bible (Traditional)

以斯拉記 3:1-13

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,利未亞薩的子孫拿著鈸各就各位,照以色列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。