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the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their cities, the people gathered together as one man in Jerusalem. 2 Then Jeshua son of Jozadak and his brothers the priests, along with Zerubbabel son of Sheatiel and his brothers began to build the altar of the God of Israel to offer burnt offerings on it, in accordance with what is written in the Law of Moses, the man of God. 3 Despite their fear of the surrounding peoples, they set up the altar on its foundation and offered burnt offerings to the Lord—both the morning and evening sacrifices. 4 They also celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles in accordance with what is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number according to the ordinance, as required for each day. 5 After that, they presented the regular burnt offerings, the New Moon sacrifices, and the offerings for the appointed consecrated feasts of the Lord, as well as the freewill offerings brought to the Lord. 6 From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord, although the foundation of the Temple of the Lord had not been laid.
7 Then they gave money to the masons and carpenters, and food, drink, and oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre, so they could bring cedar wood from Lebanon to Joppa by sea, as they were authorized to do by Cyrus king of Persia.
8 In the second month of the second year after their arrival at the house of God in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Jeshua son of Jozadak, and the rest of their brothers—the priests and the Levites and all who had returned from the captivity to Jerusalem—began the work. They appointed the Levites who were twenty years of age or more to supervise the work on the House of the Lord. 9 Jeshua with his sons and brothers, Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, and the sons of Henadad with their sons and brothers the Levites, joined together to supervise those working on the house of God.
10 When the builders laid the foundation of the Temple of the Lord, the priests, dressed in their robes and with trumpets, and the Levites from the sons of Asaph with cymbals, took their places to praise the Lord, as prescribed by David king of Israel. 11 They sang with praise and thanksgiving to the Lord:
“For He is good;
His faithful love to Israel endures forever.”
Then all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord because the foundation of the House of the Lord had been laid. 12 But many of the older priests and Levites and family leaders, who had seen the first temple, wept loudly when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many shouted aloud for joy. 13 The people could not distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of the people weeping, because the people were shouting so loudly. And the sound was heard far away.