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.
Gwaka Kĩgongona Rĩngĩ
13:1 Neh 7:73; Alaw 23:24Na rĩrĩ, mweri wa mũgwanja wakinya, andũ a Isiraeli magĩkorwo matũũrĩte matũũra-inĩ mao, andũ makĩũngana Jerusalemu marĩ ta mũndũ ũmwe. 23:2 Zek 6:11; Gũcook 12:5-6Nake Jeshua mũrũ wa Jozadaku hamwe na athĩnjĩri-Ngai arĩa angĩ, o na Zerubabeli mũrũ wa Shealitieli na athiritũ ake makĩambĩrĩria gwaka kĩgongona kĩa Ngai wa Isiraeli gĩa kũrutagĩra magongona ma njino kũringana na ũrĩa kwandĩkĩtwo Watho-inĩ wa Musa mũndũ wa Ngai. 33:3 Ezar 4:4; Ndar 28:1-8O na gũtuĩka maarĩ na guoya wa andũ arĩa maamathiũrũrũkĩirie, nĩmakire kĩgongona mũthingi-inĩ wakĩo, na makĩrutĩra Jehova magongona ma njino ho, magongona ma rũciinĩ na ma hwaĩ-inĩ. 43:4 Thaam 23:16; Zek 14:16-19Ningĩ kũringana na ũrĩa kwandĩkĩtwo, nĩmakũngũĩire Gĩathĩ gĩa Ithũnũ na mũigana wa maruta ma njino marĩa maatuĩtwo ma o mũthenya. 53:5 Ndar 28:14; Alaw 23:1-44Thuutha ũcio makĩruta maruta ma njino ma ndũire, na magongona ma Karũgamo ka Mweri, na magongona ma ciathĩ ciothe iria ciamũrĩirwo Jehova, o hamwe na maruta ma kwĩyendera marĩa maarehagĩrwo Jehova. 6Mũthenya wa mbere wa mweri wa mũgwanja makĩambĩrĩria kũrutĩra Jehova maruta ma njino, o na gũtuĩka mũthingi wa hekarũ ya Jehova ndwarĩ mwake.
Gwaka Hekarũ Rĩngĩ
73:7 1Maũ 22:15; Isa 35:2Ningĩ makĩhe aaki a mahiga na mabundi ma mbaũ mbeeca, na makĩhe andũ a Sidoni na andũ a Turo irio, na gĩa kũnyua, na maguta nĩgeetha mamarehithĩrie mĩgogo ya mĩtarakwa kuuma Lebanoni ĩgereire iria-inĩ nginya Jopa, o ta ũrĩa gwaathanĩtwo nĩ Mũthamaki Kurusu wa Perisia.
8Mweri wa keerĩ wa mwaka wa keerĩ thuutha wa gũkinya nyũmba-inĩ ya Jehova kũu Jerusalemu, Zerubabeli mũrũ wa Shealitieli, na Jeshua mũrũ wa Jozadaku na ariũ a ithe wao arĩa angĩ (nĩo athĩnjĩri-Ngai, na Alawii, na arĩa othe maacookete Jerusalemu kuuma ithaamĩrio-inĩ) makĩambĩrĩria wĩra, magĩthuura Alawii a mĩaka mĩrongo ĩĩrĩ na makĩria nĩguo marũgamĩrĩre mwako wa nyũmba ya Jehova. 93:9 Ezar 2:40Jeshua na ariũ ake, na ariũ a ithe, na Kadimieli na ariũ ake (njiaro cia Hodavia), na ariũ a Henadadi na ariũ ao na ariũ a ithe wao, nĩo Alawii othe, makĩnyiitanĩra wĩra wa kũrũgamĩrĩra arĩa maakaga nyũmba ya Ngai.
103:10 Hag 2:15; Neh 12:35; 1Maũ 25:1Rĩrĩa aaki maarĩkirie gwaka mũthingi wa Hekarũ ya Jehova, athĩnjĩri-Ngai mehumbĩte nguo ciao na marĩ na tũrumbeta, na Alawii (ariũ a Asafu) marĩ na thaani iria ihũũrithanagio ikagamba, makĩĩhaarĩria kũgooca Jehova, o ta ũrĩa gwathanĩtwo nĩ Daudi mũthamaki wa Isiraeli. 113:11 1Maũ 16:34Makĩinĩra Jehova, makĩmũgoocaga magĩcookagia ngaatho, makiugaga atĩrĩ:
“Jehova nĩ mwega
wendo wake harĩ Isiraeli ũtũũraga tene na tene.”
Nao andũ othe makĩgooca manĩrĩire mũno tondũ mũthingi wa nyũmba ya Jehova nĩwaakĩtwo. 123:12 Hag 2:3, 9No athĩnjĩri-Ngai aingĩ arĩa maarĩ akũrũ, na Alawii, na atongoria a nyũmba, arĩa moonete hekarũ ya mbere makĩrĩra manĩrĩire rĩrĩa moonire mũthingi wa hekarũ ĩyo ya keerĩ ũgĩakwo, o rĩrĩa andũ angĩ aingĩ maanagĩrĩra nĩ gũkena. 133:13 Isa 16:9; Jer 48:33Gũtirĩ mũndũ ũngĩahotire gũkũũrana kwanĩrĩra gwa gĩkeno na gwa kĩrĩro, tondũ andũ maanagĩrĩra na mũgambo mũnene. Naguo mũgambo ũcio ũkĩiguuo kũndũ kũraya.
