Chapter 3 And when the seventh month was come, and the children of Israel were in
the cities, the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem.
Then stood up Jeshua the son of Josedach, and his brethren the priests, and
Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brethren, and builded the altar of
the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings thereon, as it is written in the
law of Moses, the man of God.
And they set the altar upon his bases, for fear was upon them because of the
people of those countries.
And they offered burnt offerings thereon unto the Lord, even burnt offerings
morning and evening.
They kept also the feast of tabernacles, as it is written, and offered the daily
burnt offerings by number, according to the custom, as the duty of every day
required.
And afterward offered the continual burnt offering, both of the new moons,
and of all the set feasts of the Lord that were consecrated, and of every one that
willingly offered a freewill offering unto the Lord.
From the first day of the seventh month began they to offer burnt offerings unto
the Lord, but the foundation of the temple of the Lord was not yet laid.
They gave money also unto the masons, and to the carpenters, and meat,
and drink, and oil, unto them of Zidon, and to them of Tyre, to bring cedar trees
from Lebanon to the sea of Joppa, according to the grant that they had of
Cyrus king of Persia.
Now in the second year of their coming unto the house of God at Jerusalem,
in the second month began Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of
Josedach, and the remnant of their brethren the priests and the Levites,
and all they that will come out of the captivity unto Jerusalem, and appointed
the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to set forward the work of the
house of the Lord.
Then stood Jeshua with his sons and his brethren, Cadmiel and his sons,
the sons of Judah, together, to set forward the workmen in the house of God,
the sons of Henedad with their sons and their brethren the Levites.
And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, they set the
priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with
cymbals, to praise the Lord after the ordinance of David king of Israel.
And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the Lord.
Because he is good, for his mercy endureth forever toward Israel.
And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord,
because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.
But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men
that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid
before their eyes, wept with a loud voice.
And many shouted aloud for joy, so that the people could not discern the
noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people.
For the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.