Ezra 3

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 When the seventh month came after the Israelites had been resettled in their towns, the peoplegathered as one person in Jerusalem.	1 Now when the seventh month came, after the Israelites had settled in their cities, the people gathered at Jerusalem as one man.
2 Then Jeshua son of Jozadak, with his brother priests, and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, with his brothers,set about rebuilding the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it as prescribed in the Law of Mosesman of God.	2 Then Jeshua, son of Jozadak, together with his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, together with his brethren, set about rebuilding the altar of the God of Israel in order to offer on it the holocausts prescribed in the law of Moses, the man of God.
3 They erected the altar on its old site, despite their fear of the people of the country, and on it theypresented burnt offerings to Yahweh, burnt offerings morning and evening;	3 Despite their fear of the peoples of the land, they replaced the altar on its foundations and offered holocausts to the LORD on it, both morning and evening.
4 they celebrated the feast of Shelters as prescribed, offering daily the number of burnt offerings requiredfrom day to day,	4 They also kept the feast of Booths in the manner prescribed, and they offered the daily holocausts in the proper number required for each day.
5 and in addition presented the continual burnt offerings prescribed for the Sabbaths, for the New Moonsand for al the festivals sacred to Yahweh, as well as those voluntary offerings made by individuals to Yahweh.	5 Thereafter they offered the established holocaust, the sacrifices prescribed for the new moons and all the festivals sacred to the LORD, and those which anyone might offer as a free-will gift to the LORD.
6 From the first day of the seventh month they began presenting burnt offerings to Yahweh, though thefoundations of the Temple of Yahweh had not yet been laid.	6 From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer holocausts to the LORD, though the foundation of the temple of the LORD had not yet been laid.
7 They also contributed money for the masons and carpenters, and food, drink and oil for the Sidoniansand Tyrians for bringing cedar wood from Lebanon by sea to Jaffa, for which Cyrus king of Persia had givenpermission.	7 Then they hired stonecutters and carpenters, and sent food and drink and oil to the Sidonians and Tyrians that they might ship cedar trees from the Lebanon to the port of Joppa, as Cyrus, king of Persia, had authorized.
8 It was in the second month of the second year after their arrival at the Temple of God in Jerusalem thatZerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak, with the rest of their brothers, the priests, the Levitesand all the people who had returned to Jerusalem from captivity, began the work by appointing some of theLevites who were twenty years old or more to superintend the work on the Temple of Yahweh.	8 In the year after their coming to the house of God in Jerusalem, in the second month, Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua, son of Jozadak, together with the rest of their brethren, the priests and Levites and all who had come from the captivity to Jerusalem, began by appointing the Levites twenty years of age and over to supervise the work on the house of the LORD.
9 The Levites, Jeshua, his sons and his brothers, with Kadmiel, Binnui and his sons, the sons ofHodaviah, agreed to superintend the men working on the Temple of God.	9 Jeshua and his sons and brethren, with Kadmiel and Binnui, son of Henadad, and their sons and their brethren, the Levites, stood as one man to supervise those who were engaged in the work on the house of God.
10 When the builders had laid the foundations of the Temple of Yahweh, the priests in their robes stoodforward with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise Yahweh according to theordinances of David king of Israel.	10 When the builders had laid the foundation of the LORD'S temple, the vested priests with the trumpets and the Levites, sons of Asaph, were stationed there with the cymbals to praise the LORD in the manner laid down by David, king of Israel.
11 They chanted praise and thanksgiving to Yahweh because for Israel, they said, 'he is good, andeverlasting in his faithful love.' Then al the people raised a mighty shout of praise to Yahweh, since thefoundations of the Temple of Yahweh had now been laid.	11 They alternated in songs of praise and thanksgiving to the LORD, "for he is good, for his kindness to Israel endures forever"; and all the people raised a great shout of joy, praising the LORD because the foundation of the LORD'S house had been laid.
12 Many of the older priests, Levites and heads of families, who had seen the first temple, wept veryloudly when the foundations of this one were laid before their eyes, but many others shouted aloud for joy,	12 Many of the priests, Levites, and family heads, the old men who had seen the former house, cried out in sorrow as they watched the foundation of the present house being laid. Many others, however, lifted up their voices in shouts of joy,
13 so that nobody could distinguish the noise of the joyful shout from the noise of the people's weeping;for the people shouted so loudly that the noise could be heard far away.	13 and no one could distinguish the sound of the joyful shouting from the sound of those who were weeping; for the people raised a mighty clamor which was heard afar off.