The First Offering on the New Altar
1 During the seventh month of the year, the Israelites who had settled in their towns went to Jerusalem. 2 The priest Joshua son of Jozadak, together with the other priests, and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his relatives rebuilt the altar of Israel's God. Then they were able to offer sacrifices there by following the instructions God had given to Moses, the man of God. 3 And they built the altar where it had stood before, even though they were afraid of the people who were already living around there. Then every morning and evening they burned sacrifices and offerings to the Lord.
4 The people followed the rules for celebrating the Festival of Shelters and offered the proper sacrifices each day. 5 They offered sacrifices to please the Lord, sacrifices at each New Moon Festival, and sacrifices at the rest of the Lord's festivals. Every offering the people had brought voluntarily was also presented to the Lord.
6 Although work on the temple itself had not yet begun, the people started offering sacrifices on the Lord's altar on the first day of the seventh month of that year.
The Rebuilding of the Temple Begins
7 King Cyrus of Persia had said the Israelites could have cedar trees brought from Lebanon to Joppa by sea. So they sent grain, wine, and olive oil to the cities of Tyre and Sidon as payment for these trees, and they gave money to the stoneworkers and carpenters.
8 During the second month of the second year after the people had returned from Babylonia, they started rebuilding the Lord's temple. Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jozadak, the priests, the Levites, and everyone else who had returned started working. Every Levite over 20 years of age was put in charge of some part of the work. 9 The Levites in charge of the whole project were Joshua and his sons and relatives and Kadmiel and his sons from the family of Hodaviah. The family of Henadad worked along with them.
10 When the builders had finished laying the foundation of the temple, the priests put on their robes and blew trumpets in honor of the Lord, while the Levites from the family of Asaph praised God with cymbals. All of them followed the instructions given years before by King David. 11 They praised the Lord and gave thanks as they took turns singing:
“The Lord is good!
His faithful love for Israel
will last forever.”
Everyone started shouting and praising the Lord because work on the foundation of the temple had begun. 12 Many of the older priests and Levites and the heads of families wept bitterly because they remembered seeing the first temple years before. But others were so happy that they celebrated with joyful shouts. 13 Their shouting and crying were so noisy that it all sounded alike and could be heard a long way off.
استئناف العبادة
1 ولمَّا جاءَ الشَّهرُ السَّابِـعُ كانَ بَنو إِسرائيلَ استَقَرُّوا في مُدُنِهِم فاجتَمَعوا بِقلبٍ واحدٍ وجاؤوا إلى أورُشليمَ. 2 فقامَ يَشوعُ بنُ يوصادَقَ وإخوَتُهُ الكهَنةُ، وزَرُبابِلُ بنُ شألْتِئيلَ وإخوَتُه وبَنَوا مذبَحَ إلهِ إِسرائيلَ ليُصعِدوا علَيهِ مُحرقاتٍ كما كُتِبَ في شريعةِ موسى رَجُلِ اللهِ. 3 وأقاموا المذبحَ على قَواعِدِهِ نَفْسِها، معَ أنَّهُم كانوا خائِفينَ مِنَ الشُّعوبِ المُجاوِرةِ، وأصعَدوا علَيهِ مُحرقاتٍ للرّبِّ في الصَّباحِ والمَساءِ. 4 وعَيَّدوا عيدَ المَظالِّ كما كُتِبَ في الشَّريعةِ، وقَدَّمُوا للرّبِّ المُحرقاتِ اليوميَّةَ على حسَبِ ما هوَ مَرسُومٌ كُلَّ يَومٍ في يَومِهِ، 5 وفَضلا عَنْ هذِهِ المُحرقاتِ قدَّمُوا بَعدَ ذلِكَ مُحرقاتِ رُؤُوسِ الشُّهورِ وجميعِ أعيادِ الرّبِّ المُقَدَّسَةِ، وكُلَّ ما تبَرَّعَ النَّاسُ بهِ لِلرّبِّ مِنْ قرابـينَ. 6 مِنَ اليومِ الأوَّلِ مِنَ الشَّهرِ السَّابِـعِ ابتَدَأوا يُقَدِّمونَ مُحرقاتٍ للرّبِّ، معَ أنَّ هَيكلَ الرّبِّ لم يكُنْ أُسِّسَ بَعدُ.
البدء بإعادة البناء
7 وأعطَوا فِضَّةً لِلنَّحَّاتينَ والنَّجَّارينَ، وطَعاما وشَرابا وزَيتا للصَّيدُونيِّينَ والصُّوريِّينَ ليأتُوا بِـخَشَبِ الأرزِ مِنْ لبنانَ إلى يافا بِطريقِ البحرِ، بعدَ أنْ أذِنَ كُورَشُ مَلِكُ الفُرسِ لهُم. 8 وفي الشَّهرِ الثَّاني مِنَ السَّنةِ الثَّانيةِ مِنْ مَجيئِهِم إلى هَيكلِ اللهِ في أورُشليمَ، بَدَأَ زَرُبَّابِلُ بنُ شألتِئيلَ بالعَمَلِ ومعَهُ يَشوعُ بنُ يُوصادَقَ وبَقيَّةُ أنسِبائِهِمِ الكهَنةِ واللاَّويِّينَ وكُلُّ مَنْ رجَعَ مِنَ السَّبْـي إلى أورُشليمَ. وأُوكِلَ إلى اللاَّويِّينَ مِنِ ابنِ عِشرينَ سَنةً فما فَوقُ على مُراقَبَةِ العَمَلِ في بِناءِ هَيكلِ الرّبِّ. 9 فتَوَلَّى ذلِكَ يَشوعُ وبَنوهُ وإخوَتُهُ، وقَدْميئيلُ وبَنوهُ، وبَنو يَهوذا، يُعاوِنُهُم بَنو حينَدادَ وبَنوهُم وأنسِباؤُهُمُ اللاَّويُّونَ.
10 ولمَّا أسَّسَ البَنَّاؤونَ هَيكلَ الرّبِّ قامَ الكهَنةُ في مَلابِسِهِم بالأبواقِ، واللاَّويُّونَ بَنو آسافَ بالصُّنوجِ، ليُهَلِّلوا للرّبِّ على حسَبِ تَرتيـبِ داوُدَ مَلِكِ إِسرائيلَ. 11 ورَنَّمُوا بالتَّهليلِ والحَمدِ للرّبِّ لأنَّهُ صالِـحٌ، لأنَّ رَحمتَهُ إلى الأبدِ على إِسرائيلَ، وهتَفَ جميعُ الشَّعبِ هُتافا عظيما، وهَلَّلوا ابْتِهاجا بِتأسيسِ هَيكلِ الرّبِّ. 12 وكانَ كثيرونَ مِنَ الكهَنةِ واللاَّويِّينَ والشُّيوخِ مِنْ رُؤساءِ العَشائِرِ رَأَوا الهَيكلَ الأوَّلَ فَبكَوا بِصَوتٍ عظيمٍ عِندَما وُضِعَ أساسُ هذا الهَيكلِ أمامَ عُيونِهِم. ولكِنَّ الآخرينَ هَتَفوا بالفَرَحِ رافِعينَ أصواتَهُم، 13 حتّى إنَّ أحدا لم يَقدِرْ أنْ يُمَيِّزَ صوتَ هُتافِ الفَرَحِ مِنْ صوتِ البُكاءِ، لأنَّ الشَّعبَ كانوا يَهتِفونَ هُتافا عظيما حتّى كانَ الصَّوتُ يُسمَعُ مِنْ بَعيدٍ.
