Ezra 3
[Image by Ariely - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4533576 ]
Israel sacrifices to God
When the seventh month came and Israel’s descendants were in their towns, they gathered together in Jerusalem. Jeshua (Jozadak’s son), his fellow priests, Zerubbabel (Shealtiel’s son), and Zerubbabel’s relatives all built an altar for Israel’s God so they could offer burnt offerings on it like Moses’s Law describes. Scared of the other countries, they set the altar in its place and offered burnt offerings to the Existing One on it morning and evening. They kept the Feast of Booths and offered the daily burnt offerings like they were supposed to. After that, they offered the normal burnt offerings for the new moon and all of the Existing One’s other appointed feasts. Additionally, some also offered freewill offerings to the Existing One. They started offering these sacrifices to the Existing One on the first day of the seventh month. But the foundation for the Existing One’s temple hadn’t been laid yet, so they hired the masons and carpenters and paid the Sidonians in food, drink, and oil to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to Joppa on the sea just like Persia’s King Cyrus had granted.
Foundation is laid for second temple
In the second month of the second year after their return to Jerusalem, Zerubbabel (Shealtiel’s son) and Jeshua (Jozadak’s son) started something new with their relatives, the priests, Levites, and everyone else who returned from captivity. They appointed the Levites who were 20 years old and older to supervise the construction of the Existing One’s house. Jeshua with his relatives, Kadmiel with his family, and Judah’s descendants all supervised the builders of God’s house. Henadad’s sons and the Levites with their relatives also helped.
After the builders had laid the foundation for the Existing One’s temple, the priests wore their garments and brought trumpets while the Levites and Asaph’s descendants brought cymbals to praise the Existing One like Israel’s former King David had instructed. They sang enthusiastically, praising and thanking the Existing One,
“He is good, and his steady love for Israel never ends.”
Everyone gave a loud shout when they praised the Existing One, because the foundation of his house had finally been laid. Many of the priests, Levites, and patriarchs who were old enough to remember the first house cried loudly when they saw the foundation being laid. Many also gave happy shouts to cover up the sound of the weeping. All the shouting was so loud that everyone around could hear it.