The First Offering on the New Altar
1 During the seventh month of the year, the Israelites who had settled in their towns went to Jerusalem. 2 The priest Joshua son of Jozadak, together with the other priests, and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his relatives rebuilt the altar of Israel's God. Then they were able to offer sacrifices there by following the instructions God had given to Moses, the man of God. 3 And they built the altar where it had stood before, even though they were afraid of the people who were already living around there. Then every morning and evening they burned sacrifices and offerings to the Lord.
4 The people followed the rules for celebrating the Festival of Shelters and offered the proper sacrifices each day. 5 They offered sacrifices to please the Lord, sacrifices at each New Moon Festival, and sacrifices at the rest of the Lord's festivals. Every offering the people had brought voluntarily was also presented to the Lord.
6 Although work on the temple itself had not yet begun, the people started offering sacrifices on the Lord's altar on the first day of the seventh month of that year.
The Rebuilding of the Temple Begins
7 King Cyrus of Persia had said the Israelites could have cedar trees brought from Lebanon to Joppa by sea. So they sent grain, wine, and olive oil to the cities of Tyre and Sidon as payment for these trees, and they gave money to the stoneworkers and carpenters.
8 During the second month of the second year after the people had returned from Babylonia, they started rebuilding the Lord's temple. Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jozadak, the priests, the Levites, and everyone else who had returned started working. Every Levite over 20 years of age was put in charge of some part of the work. 9 The Levites in charge of the whole project were Joshua and his sons and relatives and Kadmiel and his sons from the family of Hodaviah. The family of Henadad worked along with them.
10 When the builders had finished laying the foundation of the temple, the priests put on their robes and blew trumpets in honor of the Lord, while the Levites from the family of Asaph praised God with cymbals. All of them followed the instructions given years before by King David. 11 They praised the Lord and gave thanks as they took turns singing:
“The Lord is good!
His faithful love for Israel
will last forever.”
Everyone started shouting and praising the Lord because work on the foundation of the temple had begun. 12 Many of the older priests and Levites and the heads of families wept bitterly because they remembered seeing the first temple years before. But others were so happy that they celebrated with joyful shouts. 13 Their shouting and crying were so noisy that it all sounded alike and could be heard a long way off.
Omerikotameneno maye utwa rukwao
1 Momueze outjahambombari Ovaisrael avehe tjandje va tura movirongo vyawo. Avehe otji va woronganena mOjerusalem, 2 nu Jesua, omuzandu wa Josadak, novapristeri ovakwao na Serubabel, omuzandu wa Sealtiel, puna ovazamumwe ve va tungurura otjipunguhiro tja Ndjambi wa Israel okupunguhira ko ozombunguhiro ozoningiririsiwa otja komaraerero nga tjangwa mEmbo rOmatwako ra Moses, ingwi omurumendu ngwa toororwa i Ndjambi. 3 Imba ovahuurwa, mba kotokere, nangarire kutja aave tira ovandu mba turire mehi, owo va tungurura otjipunguhiro poṋa pu tja ri rukuru. Tjazumba otji va uta okuningiririsira ko ozombunguhiro zomuhuka nozongurova. 4 Owo va yandera Omukandi wOviranda vyOmaso komuhingo womazikamisiro; eyuva arihe ave punguha ozombunguhiro nḓaa ze heperwa po eyuva ndo; 5 nu kombunda yanao aave punguha ozombunguhiro ozoningiririsiwa zeyuva arihe peke, na inḓa zOmukandi wOmatendameno wOmueze, na pOmikandi mbya zikamisirwa Muhona, na wina ozombunguhiro azehe nḓaa ve punguhire Muhona otja kouharupu wawo oveni. 6 Ovandu ngunda ave hiya uta okutungurura ondjuwo ya Muhona va yaruka okupunguhira Muhona ozombunguhiro ozoningiririsiwa meyuva etenga romueze outjahambombari.
Omatungururiro wondjuwo ya Muhona maye utwa
7 Ovandu va yandja ovimariva okusuta na vyo ovahonge womawe novomiti, nave hindi ovikurya nomanuwa nomaze womiṋinga kovihuro Tirus na kOsidon, okukapimbasana notupapa twa Libanon, kokutja tu etwe kOjopa mokuvare. Avihe mbi vya tjitwa nousemba wa Kirus, ombara ya Persie. 8 Momueze outjavari wombura oitjavari tji va za nokukotoka kondjuwo ya Muhona mOjerusalem, otji va uta oviungura. Serubabel na Jesua novakwao, okutja ovapristeri nOvalevi, novahuurwa avehe mba kotokere kOjerusalem, va ungura pamwe. Ovalevi avehe, mba ri nozombura omirongo vivari nokomurungu, va tuwa mokutjevera oviungura vyokutungurura ondjuwo ya Muhona. 9 Omulevi Jesua, novazandu ve novazamumwe ve, na Kadmiel novazandu ve, nonganda ya Hodawija ve rikuta kumwe okutungurura ondjuwo ya Muhona. Owo va vaterwa i Ovalevi vonganda ya Henadad.
10 Imba ovatunge tji va uta okutunga omazikameno wondjuwo ya Muhona, ovapristeri mba hwikikire ozombanda zawo otji va kurama potuveze twawo ave nozohiva momake, nOvalevi vonganda ya Asaf wina va kurama novihumba vyovitenda. Owo va tanga Muhona otja komaraerero nga yandjerwe okuza koruveze rwombara David. 11 Owo va imburira Muhona ozondangero amave yaruka po rukwao amave tja:
“Muhona eye omuwa
norusuvero rwe ku Israel orukarerere.”
Otjiwaṋa atjihe tja ravaera neraka enene ama tji tanga Muhona, oviungura vyomazikameno wondjuwo ya Muhona tjinga avya utwa. 12 Ovapristeri ovengi nOvalevi noviuru vyozonganda ovakururume va munine indji ondjuwo ya Muhona ondenga, nowo tji va muna inga omazikameno wondjuwo ya Muhona ombe otji va ura nave riri. Nungwari ovengi vawo mba ri mbo va ravaera nondjoroka. 13 Kape na umwe ngwaa pangura pokati kondavaerero yondjoroka noyokurira, orondu ondokohero ndjaave tjiti ya ri onene nga tjiyai zuvakere kokure akuhe.
