以斯拉記 3

¹到了七月，以色列人住在各城；那時他們如同一人，聚集在耶路撒冷。By the seventh month, the Israelites had settled in their towns, and the people assembled as one man in Jerusalem.

²約薩達的兒子耶書亞和他的弟兄眾祭司，並撒拉鐵的兒子所羅巴伯與他的弟兄，都起來建築以色列　神的壇，要照神人摩西律法書上所寫的，在壇上獻燔祭。Then Jeshua son of Jozadak and his fellow priests, along with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his associates, began to build the altar of the God of Israel to sacrifice burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of God.

³他們在原有的根基上築壇，因懼怕鄰國的民，又在其上向耶和華早晚獻燔祭，They set up the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the LORD—both the morning and evening burnt offerings—even though they feared the people of the land.

⁴又照律法書上所寫的守住棚節，按數照例獻每日所當獻的燔祭；They also celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles in accordance with what is written, and they offered burnt offerings daily based on the number prescribed for each day.

⁵其後獻常獻的燔祭，並在月朔與耶和華的一切聖節獻祭，又向耶和華獻各人的甘心祭。After that, they presented the regular burnt offerings and those for New Moons and for all the appointed sacred feasts of the LORD, as well as all the freewill offerings brought to the LORD.

⁶從七月初一日起，他們就向耶和華獻燔祭。但耶和華殿的根基尚未立定。On the first day of the seventh month, the Israelites began to offer burnt offerings to the LORD, although the foundation of the temple of the LORD had not been laid.

⁷他們又將銀子給石匠、木匠，把糧食、酒、油給西頓人、泰爾人，使他們將香柏樹從黎巴嫩運到海裡，浮海運到約帕，是照波斯王塞魯士所允准的。They gave money to the masons and carpenters, and food and drink and oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre to bring cedar logs from Lebanon to Joppa by sea, as authorized by Cyrus king of Persia.

⁸百姓到了耶路撒冷　神殿的地方。第二年二月，撒拉鐵的兒子所羅巴伯，約薩達的兒子耶書亞和其餘的弟兄，就是祭司、利未人，並一切被擄歸回耶路撒冷的人，都興工建造；又派利未人，從二十歲以外的，督理建造耶和華殿的工作。In the second month of the second year after they had arrived at the house of God in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Jeshua son of Jozadak, and the rest of their associates including the priests, the Levites, and all who had returned to Jerusalem from the captivity, began the work. They appointed Levites twenty years of age or older to supervise the construction of the house of the LORD.

⁹於是猶大（在二章四十節作何達威雅）的後裔，就是耶書亞和他的子孫與弟兄，甲篾和他的子孫，利未人希拿達的子孫與弟兄，都一同起來，督理那在　神殿做工的人。So Jeshua and his sons and brothers, Kadmiel and his sons (descendants of Yehudah), and the sons of Henadad and their sons and brothers—all Levites—joined together to supervise those working on the house of God.

¹⁰匠人立耶和華殿根基的時候，祭司皆穿禮服吹號，亞薩的子孫利未人敲鈸，照以色列王大衛所定的例，都站著讚美耶和華。When the builders had laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with cymbals, took their positions to praise the LORD, as David king of Israel had prescribed.

¹¹他們彼此唱和，讚美稱謝耶和華說：他本為善，他向以色列人永發慈愛。他們讚美耶和華的時候，眾民大聲呼喊，因耶和華殿的根基已經立定。And they sang responsively with praise and thanksgiving to the LORD: “For He is good; for His loving devotion 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然而有許多祭司、利未人、族長，就是見過舊殿的老年人，現在親眼看見立這殿的根基，便大聲哭號，也有許多人大聲歡呼，But many of the older priests, Levites, and family heads who had seen the first temple wept loudly when they saw the foundation of this temple. Still, many others shouted joyfully.

¹³甚至百姓不能分辨歡呼的聲音和哭號的聲音；因為眾人大聲呼喊，聲音聽到遠處。The people could not distinguish the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people were making so much noise. And the sound was heard from afar.