Ezra 3
3
The Altar is Rebuilt
1 When the seventh month arrived and the Israelites#tn Heb “the sons of Israel.” were living#tn The word “living” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied. Some translations supply “settled” (cf. NAB, NIV, NLT). in their#tc The translation reads with some medieval Hebrew MSS and ancient versions בְּעָרֵיהֶם (be’arehem, “in their towns”), rather than the reading בֶּעָרִים (be’arim, “in the towns”) found in the MT. Cf. Neh 7:72 HT [7:73 ET]. towns, the people assembled#tn The Hebrew text adds the phrase “like one man.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons. in#tn Heb “to.” Jerusalem.#map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4. 2 Then Jeshua the son of Jozadak#sn Jozadak (also in 3:8) is a variant spelling of Jehozadak. and his priestly colleagues#tn Heb “his brothers the priests.” and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his colleagues#tn Heb “his brothers.” started to build#tn Heb “arose and built.” the altar of the God of Israel so they could offer burnt offerings on it as required by#tn Heb “written in.” Cf. v. 4. the law of Moses the man of God. 3 They established the altar on its foundations, even though they were in terror of the local peoples,#tn Heb “the peoples of the lands.” and they offered burnt offerings on it to the Lord, both the morning and the evening offerings. 4 They observed the Festival of Temporary Shelters#tn The Hebrew phrase אֶת חַג־הַסֻּכּוֹת (’et khag-hassukot, “festival of huts” [or “shelters”]) is traditionally known as the Feast of Tabernacles. The rendering “booths” (cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV) is probably better than the traditional “tabernacles” in light of the meaning of the term סֻכָּה (sukkah, “hut; booth”), but “booths” are frequently associated with trade shows and craft fairs in contemporary American English. The nature of the celebration during this feast as a commemoration of the wanderings of the Israelites after they left Egypt suggests that a translation like “temporary shelters” is more appropriate. as required#tn Heb “according to what is written.” and offered the proper number of#tn Heb “by number.” daily burnt offerings according to the requirement for each day. 5 Afterward they offered the continual burnt offerings and those for the new moons and those for all the holy assemblies of the Lord and all those that were being voluntarily offered to the Lord. 6 From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord. However, the Lord’s temple was not at that time established.#tn Or “the foundation of the Lord’s temple was not yet laid.
Preparations for Rebuilding the Temple
7 So they provided money#tn Heb “silver.” for the masons and carpenters, and food, beverages, and olive oil for the people of Sidon#map For location see Map1-A1; JP3-F3; JP4-F3. and Tyre,#map For location see Map1-A2; Map2-G2; Map4-A1; JP3-F3; JP4-F3. so that they would bring cedar timber from Lebanon to the seaport#tn Heb “to the sea” at Joppa, in accord with the edict of King Cyrus of Persia. 8 In the second year after they had come to the temple of God in Jerusalem,#map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4. in the second month, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak initiated the work,#tn Heb “began”; the phrase “the work” is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity. along with the rest of their associates,#tn Heb “their brothers.” the priests and the Levites, and all those who were coming to Jerusalem from the exile. They appointed#tn Heb “stood.” the Levites who were at least twenty years old#tn Heb “from twenty years and upward.” to take charge of the work on the Lord’s temple. 9 So Jeshua appointed both his sons and his relatives,#tn Heb “brothers.” Kadmiel and his sons (the sons of Yehudah#sn The name יְהוּדָה (Yehudah; cf. KJV, ASV, NASB “Judah”) is probably a variant of Hodaviah (see Ezra 2:40; cf. NIV, NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT).), to take charge of the workers in the temple of God, along with the sons of Henadad, their sons, and their relatives#tn Heb “brothers.” the Levites. 10 When the builders established the Lord’s temple, the priests, ceremonially attired and with their clarions,#sn This was a long, straight, metallic instrument used for signal calls, rather than the traditional ram’s horn (both instruments are typically translated “trumpet” by English versions). and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with their cymbals, stood to praise the Lord according to the instructions left by#tn Heb “according to the hands of.” King David of Israel.#sn See Ps 107:1; 118:1, 29; 136:1. Cf. 2 Chr 5:13; 7:3; 20:21. 11 With antiphonal response they sang,#tn Heb “they answered.” praising and glorifying the Lord:
“For he is good;
his loyal love toward Israel is forever.”
All the people gave a loud#tn Heb “great.” shout as they praised the Lord when the temple of the Lord was established. 12 Many of the priests, the Levites, and the leaders#tn Heb “the heads of the fathers.” – older people who had seen with their own eyes the former temple while it was still established#sn The temple had been destroyed some fifty years earlier by the Babylonians in 586 b.c. – were weeping loudly,#tn Heb “with a great voice.” and many others raised their voice in a joyous shout. 13 People were unable to tell the difference between the sound of joyous shouting and the sound of the people’s weeping, for the people were shouting so loudly#tn Heb “a great shout.” that the sound was heard a long way off.
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Ezra 3
3
1And when the seuenth moneth was come, and the children of Israel were in their cities, the people assembled themselues as one man vnto Ierusalem. 2Then stoode vp Ieshua rhe sonne of Iozadak, and his brethren the Priests, and Zerubbabel the sonne of Shealtiel, and his brethren, and builded the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings thereon, as it is written in ye Lawe of Moses the man of God, 3And they set the altar vpon his bases (for feare was among them, because of the people of those countreis) therefore they offered burnt offrings thereon vnto the Lord, euen burnt offrings in the morning, and at euen. 4They kept also the feast of the Tabernacles, as it is written, and the burnt offring dayly, by nomber according to the custome day by day, 5And afterwarde the continuall bnrnt offring, both in the newe moneths and in all the feast dayes that were consecrate vnto the Lord, and in all the oblations willingly offered vnto the Lord. 6From the first day of the seuenth moneth began they to offer burnt offrings vnto the Lord: but the foundation of the Temple of the Lord was not layed. 7They gaue money also vnto the masons, and to the workemen, and meat and drinke, and oyle vnto them of Zidon and of Tyrus, to bring them cedar wood from Lebanon to the sea vnto Iapho, according to the graunt that they had of Cyrus King of Persia. 8And in the seconde yeere of their comming vnto the house of God in Ierusalem in the second moneth began Zerubbabel the sonne of Shealtiel, and Ieshua the sonne of Iozadak, and the remnant of their brethren the Priests and the Leuites, and all they that were come out of the captiuitie vnto Ierusalem, and appointed the Leuites from twentie yeere olde and aboue, to set forwarde the worke of the house of the Lord. 9And Ieshua stood with his sonnes, and his brethren, and Kadmiel with his sonnes, and the sonnes of Iudah together to set forward ye workemen in the house of God, and the sonnes of Henadad with their sonnes, and their brethren the Leuites. 10And when the builders layed the foundation of the Temple of the Lord, they appoynted the Priestes in their apparel with trumpets, and the Leuites the sonnes of Asaph with cymbales, to prayse the Lord, after the ordinance of Dauid King of Israel. 11Thus they sang when they gaue prayse, and when they gaue thankes vnto the Lord, For he is good, for his mercie endureth for euer toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shoute, when they praysed the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was layed. 12Many also of the Priests and the Leuites and the chiefe of the fathers, ancient men which had seene the first house, (when the foundation of this house was layed before their eyes) wept with a loud voyce, and many shouted aloud for ioy, 13So that the people coulde not discerne the sound of the shoute for ioy, from the noyse of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loude crie, and the noyse was heard farre off.
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