1 When the seventh month had come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem. 2 Then Jeshua the son of Jozadak stood up with his brothers the priests and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and his relatives, and built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God. 3 In spite of their fear because of the peoples of the surrounding lands, they set the altar on its base; and they offered burnt offerings on it to Yahweh, even burnt offerings morning and evening. 4 They kept the feast of booths, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number, according to the ordinance, as the duty of every day required; 5 and afterward the continual burnt offering, the offerings of the new moons, of all the set feasts of Yahweh that were consecrated, and of everyone who willingly offered a free will offering to Yahweh. 6 From the first day of the seventh month, they began to offer burnt offerings to Yahweh; but the foundation of Yahweh’s temple was not yet laid. 7 They also gave money to the masons and to the carpenters. They also gave food, drink, and oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea, to Joppa, according to the grant that they had from Cyrus King of Persia.

8 Now in the second year of their coming to God’s house at Jerusalem, in the second month, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the rest of their brothers the priests and the Levites, and all those who had come out of the captivity to Jerusalem, began the work and appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to have the oversight of the work of Yahweh’s house. 9 Then Jeshua stood with his sons and his brothers, Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together to have the oversight of the workmen in God’s house: the sons of Henadad, with their sons and their brothers the Levites.

10 When the builders laid the foundation of Yahweh’s temple, they set the priests in their vestments with trumpets, with the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise Yahweh, according to the directions of David king of Israel. 11 They sang to one another in praising and giving thanks to Yahweh, "For he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever toward Israel." All the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised Yahweh, because the foundation of Yahweh’s house had been laid.

12 But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ households, the old men who had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice. Many also shouted aloud for joy, 13 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 far away.

1 到了七月， 各城里的以色列人， 如同一人， 都在耶路撒冷聚集。

2 约萨达的儿子耶书亚和作祭司的亲族， 撒拉铁的儿子所罗巴伯和他的兄弟都起来， 建筑以色列 神的祭坛， 为要照着神人摩西律法书上所写的， 在祭坛上献燔祭。

3 因为他们惧怕当地的居民， 就在殿的原有根基上建立祭坛， 在祭坛上向耶和华献燔祭， 就是早晚的燔祭。

4 他们又按照律法上所记载的守住棚节， 每天照着规定的数目献上当天的燔祭。

5 另外， 又献常献的燔祭、月朔献的燔祭和一切耶和华的圣节所献的燔祭， 以及甘心乐意的人向耶和华所献的甘心祭。

6 从七月一日起， 他们就开始向耶和华献燔祭， 但是那时耶和华的殿还没有立定根基，

7 他们把银子给石匠和木匠， 把食物、饮料和油给西顿人和推罗人， 叫他们照着波斯王古列所允许的， 把香柏木从黎巴嫩经海运送到约帕。

8 众人来到耶路撒冷 神的殿以后， 第二年二月， 撒拉铁的儿子所罗巴伯、约萨达的儿子耶书亚和他们其余的兄弟， 就是祭司、利未人和所有从被掳之地回到耶路撒冷的人， 就开始动工建造； 又委派二十岁以上的利未人， 监督耶和华殿的工程。

9 耶书亚和他的儿子及兄弟， 甲篾和他的儿子， 就是何达威雅的子孙（"何达威雅的子孙"或译： "犹大人"）， 同心协力监督建造 神殿的工人， 有利未人希拿达的儿子和兄弟协助他们。

10 建筑工人奠立耶和华殿根基的时候， 祭司都穿上礼服， 拿着号筒， 亚萨子孙的利未人， 都拿着响钹， 站在自己的位置， 按照以色列王大卫所定的仪式赞美耶和华。

11 他们赞美和称谢， 向耶和华歌唱， 说： "耶和华是至善的， 他向以色列人所施的慈爱永远长存。"他们赞美耶和华的时候， 众人都大声呼喊， 因为耶和华殿的根基已经奠定。

12 很多年老的祭司、利未人和族长， 曾经见过先前的殿， 眼见这殿的根基再次奠立， 就放声大哭， 但也有许多人高声欢呼，

13 以致分不清到底是欢呼声或哭声。因为众人都大声呼喊， 这声音在很远的地方也可以听见。