Ezra 3 (NET)

The Altar is Rebuilt

1 When the seventh month arrived and the Israelites1 were living2 in their3 towns, the people assembled4 in5 Jerusalem.6 2 Then Jeshua the son of Jozadak7 and his priestly colleagues8 and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his colleagues9 started to build10 the altar of the God of Israel so they could offer burnt offerings on it as required by11 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,12 and they offered burnt offerings on it to the Lord, both the morning and the evening offerings. 4 They observed the Festival of Temporary Shelters13 as required14 and offered the proper number of15 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.16

Preparations for Rebuilding the Temple

7 So they provided money17 for the masons and carpenters, and food, beverages, and olive oil for the people of Sidon18 and Tyre,19 so that they would bring cedar timber from Lebanon to the seaport20 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,21 in the second month, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak initiated the work,22 along with the rest of their associates,23 the priests and the Levites, and all those who were coming to Jerusalem from the exile. They appointed24 the Levites who were at least twenty years old25 to take charge of the work on the Lord’s temple. 9 So Jeshua appointed both his sons and his relatives,26 Kadmiel and his sons (the sons of Yehudah27), to take charge of the workers in the temple of God, along with the sons of Henadad, their sons, and their relatives28 the Levites. 10 When the builders established the Lord’s temple, the priests, ceremonially attired and with their clarions,29 and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with their cymbals, stood to praise the Lord according to the instructions left by30 King David of Israel.31 11 With antiphonal response they sang,32 praising and glorifying the Lord:

“For he is good;

his loyal love toward Israel is forever.”

All the people gave a loud33 shout as they praised the Lord when the temple of the Lord was established. 12 Many of the priests, the Levites, and the leaders34 – older people who had seen with their own eyes the former temple while it was still established35 – were weeping loudly,36 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 loudly37 that the sound was heard a long way off.

13:1tn Heb “the sons of Israel.” 23:1tn The word “living” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied. Some translations supply “settled” (cf. NAB, NIV, NLT). 33:1tc 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]. 43:1tn The Hebrew text adds the phrase “like one man.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons. 53:1tn Heb “to.” 63:1map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4. 73:2sn Jozadak (also in 3:8) is a variant spelling of Jehozadak. 83:2tn Heb “his brothers the priests.” 93:2tn Heb “his brothers.” 103:2tn Heb “arose and built.” 113:2tn Heb “written in.” Cf. v. 4. 123:3tn Heb “the peoples of the lands.” 133:4tn 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. 143:4tn Heb “according to what is written.” 153:4tn Heb “by number.” 163:6tn Or “the foundation of the LORD’s temple was not yet laid. 173:7tn Heb “silver.” 183:7map For location see Map1-A1; JP3-F3; JP4-F3. 193:7map For location see Map1-A2; Map2-G2; Map4-A1; JP3-F3; JP4-F3. 203:7tn Heb “to the sea” 213:8map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4. 223:8tn Heb “began”; the phrase “the work” is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity. 233:8tn Heb “their brothers.” 243:8tn Heb “stood.” 253:8tn Heb “from twenty years and upward.” 263:9tn Heb “brothers.” 273:9sn 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). 283:9tn Heb “brothers.” 293:10sn 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). 303:10tn Heb “according to the hands of.” 313:10sn See Ps 107:1; 118:1, 29; 136:1. Cf. 2 Chr 5:13; 7:3; 20:21. 323:11tn Heb “they answered.” 333:11tn Heb “great.” 343:12tn Heb “the heads of the fathers.” 353:12sn The temple had been destroyed some fifty years earlier by the Babylonians in 586 b.c. 363:12tn Heb “with a great voice.” 373:13tn Heb “a great shout.”