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.
Etungo loaltari yexwikiloyambo noshivilo shomatwali
1 Nohani onhiheyali eshi ye uya ko novana vaIsrael eshi va li moilando yavo, ovanhu va ongala ngaashi omunhu umwe muJerusalem. 2 Ndele Josua yaJosadak novamwaina ovapristeli naSerubbabel yaSalatiel pamwe novamwaina va fikama, ndele va tunga oaltari yaKalunga kaIsrael, va yambele ko omaxwikiloyambo ngaashi pa shangwa momhango yaMoses, omulumenhu waKalunga. 3 Ndele va tunga oaltari ponhele yayo, osheshi va hangika kehaluko omolwoiwana yedu. Ndele va yambela ko Omwene omaxwikiloyambo, omaxwikiloyambo ongula nonguloshi. 4 Ndele va dana oshivilo shomatwali ngaashi pa shangwa, ndele va yamba omaxwikiloyambo efiku nefiku pamuvalo wa ufwa, efiku keshe omaxwikiloyambo alo. 5 Ndele konima va yamba exwikiloyambo lefiku keshe naalo lohani ipe naaeshe aa omoivilo iyapuki yOmwene naa omunhu keshe ou a etela Omwene eeshali dehalo liwa. 6 Okudja kefiku lotete mohani onhiheyali va hovela okweetela Omwene omaxwikiloyambo, nande ekanghameno lotembeli inali tungwa natango. 7 Ndelenee va yandja oimaliwa kovahongi vomamanya novoipilangi. Ndele kOvasidoni nokOvatirus va yandja ko eendja noikunwa nomaadi, va kufe omiti domisederi muLibanon, ndele ve di ete kefuta kuJoppa pashipango shaKores, ohamba yaPersia, ye shi va pa.
Ekanghameno lotembeli tali tungwa
8 Ndele momudo omutivali eshi va fika kongulu yaKalunga muJerusalem, mohani onhivali, Serubbabel yaSalatiel naJosua yaJosadak novamwaina vamwe ovapristeli nOvalevi naaveshe va dja moukwatwa ndele ve uya kuJerusalem, ova hovela okutunga, ndele va tula Ovalevi ava ve nomido omilongo mbali ile ve di koya, va pashukile oshilonga shongulu yOmwene. 9 Ndele Josua novana vaye novamwaina ovalumenhu naKadmiel novanhu vaye, oludalo laJuda, va fikama ngaashi omunhu umwe okupashukila ava hava longo oshilonga shongulu yaKalunga, pamwe novana vaHenadad, novana vavo novamwaina, Ovalevi.
10 Ovatungi eshi va hovela okutunga ekanghameno lotembeli yOmwene, ovapristeli va tulwa po va djala oikutu yavo youpristeli ve nomanghuma oshikushu, nOvalevi, ovana vaAsaf, ve nomanghuma eembinga, va hambelele Omwene pashipango shaDavid, ohamba yaIsrael. 11 Ndele va hovela okuhambelela nokupandula Omwene:
“Shaashi Ye omuwa,
nouwanghenda waye tau kalelele kOvaisraeli fiyo alushe.”
Novanhu va hafa nokunyakukwa unene, vo eshi va hambelela Omwene, shaashi ekanghameno longulu yOmwene la tungwa. 12 Ndelenee ovapristeli vahapu nOvalevi novakulunhu vomapata, novaxungu, ovo va mona ongulu yotete, ova lila pombada, eshi ve wete ekanghameno longulu ei ya tungwa moipafi yavo, fimbo vakwao va yelula ondaka yavo nokuhafa nokunyakukwa. 13 Novanhu va nyengwa okutongola ondaka yehafo mondaka yelilaano lovanhu, osheshi ovanhu va kuwilila pombada nondaka ya udika kokule.
