1And 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 . 2Then stood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak , 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. 3And they set the altar upon its base ; for fear was upon them because of the peoples of the countries: and they offered burnt-offerings thereon unto Jehovah , even burnt-offerings morning and evening .
The Foundation of the Temple
4And they kept the feast of tabernacles , as it is written , and offered the daily burnt-offerings by number , according to the ordinance , as the duty of every day required ; 5and afterward the continual burnt-offering, and the offerings of the new moons , and of all the set feasts of Jehovah that were consecrated , and of every one that willingly offered a freewill-offering unto Jehovah . 6From the first day of the seventh month began they to offer burnt-offerings unto Jehovah : but the foundation of the temple of Jehovah was not yet laid . 7They gave money also unto the masons , and to the carpenters ; and food , and drink , and oil , unto them of Sidon, and to them of Tyre , to bring cedar-trees from Lebanon to the sea , unto Joppa , according to the grant that they had of Cyrus king of Persia .
Worship and Celebration
8Now 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 Jozadak , and the rest of their brethren the priests and the Levites , and all they that were come out of the captivity unto Jerusalem , and appointed the Levites , from twenty years old and upward , to have the oversight of the work of the house of Jehovah . 9Then stood Jeshua with his sons and his brethren, Kadmiel and his sons , the sons of Judah , together , to have the oversight of the workmen in the house of God: the sons of Henadad , with their sons and their brethren the Levites . 10And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of Jehovah , they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets , and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals , to praise Jehovah , after the order of David king of Israel .
Mixed Reactions
11And they sang one to another in praising and giving thanks unto Jehovah , saying , For he is good , for his lovingkindness endureth for ever toward Israel . And all the people shouted with a great shout , when they praised Jehovah , because the foundation of the house of Jehovah was laid . 12But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ houses , the old 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 : 13so 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 .