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.
Elongelokalunga tali tameke ishewe
1 Momwedhi omutiheyali Aaisraeli ayehe oya li ya tula momikunda dhawo. Nena ayehe oya gongala muJerusalem. 2 Josua yaJehosadak, aayambi ooyakwawo naSerubbabel yaShealtiel pamwe nezimo lye oya tungulula oshiyambelo shaKalunga kaIsrael, opo ya wape okulungunithila ko omafikilondjambo pamalombwelo ga nyolwa mompango yaMoses, omumati gwaKalunga. 3 Nonando aapongekwa ya galuka, oya tila mboka ya li moshilongo, oya tungulula oshiyambelo mpoka sha li nale. Nena oya tameke okulungunithila ko omafikilondjambo ongula nongulohi kehe. 4 Oya dhana Oshituthi shiihwa iitalala pamisindilo; esiku kehe oya yamba omafikilondjambo gu uthilwa esiku ndyoka; 5 oya yamba wo omidhidhindjambo nomayambo gOshituthi shomwedhi omupe naangoka giituthi ayihe yilwe moka Omuwa ta simanekelwa, osho wo omayambo gomagano. 6 Aantu nando oya li inaa tameka okutunga otempeli, oya tameke mesiku lyotango lyomwedhi omutiheyali okulungunithila Omuwa omafikilondjambo.
Etungululo lyotempeli
7 Aantu oyu umbu ongalo yiimaliwa, opo ya fute aahongi yomamanya naanashihongelo. Oya gandja iikulya, iinuwa nomagadhi gooholivi kAatiro nAasidoni, opo ye ya etele omisendeli dhokuLibanon tadhi pitile kefuta kuJoppa. Ayihe mbika oya ningwa pazimino lyaKores, omupangeli gwaPersia. 8 Momwedhi omutiyali gwomumvo omutiyali, sho ya galuka ye ya kehala lyotempeli muJerusalem, iilonga oya tameke. Serubbabel yaShealtiel, Josua yaJehosadak nooyakwawo, aayambi nAalevi, ayehe mboka ya zi muupika noye ya kuJerusalem, oyi itula miilonga. Aalevi ayehe yomimvo omilongo mbali nenge ye vule po oya tulwa metonatelo lyetungululo lyotempeli. 9 Omulevi Jeshua, oyana naakwawo, naKadmiel noyana (oludhi lwaHodavia) oyi itula kumwe, ya tonatele etungululo lyotempeli. (Oya kwathwa kAalevi yoludhi lwaHenadad.)
10 Aantu sho ya tameke okutula po omakankameno gotempeli, aayambi oya hiki omankuma ya zala oondjatha dhawo, nAalevi yoludhi lwaAsaf oya li ye na iikwelengi. Oya hambelele Omuwa pamalombwelo ye ga pelwe muuyuni womukwaniilwa David. 11 Oyi imbi taa hambelele Omuwa ye endulula taa ti:
“Omuwa oye omwaanawa;
esilohenda lye hali kala aluheluhe.”
Aantu ayehe oyi igidha ya mana mo taa hambelele Omuwa molwaashoka omakankameno gotempeli ga tulwa po. 12 Aayambi oyendji aakulupe, Aalevi naakuluntu yomaludhi mboka ya monene otempeli yotango, oya lili nokulililila, sho ya tala etulopo lyekankameno lyotempeli ndjika. Ihe yalwe mboka ya li ko, oya kaluluka kenyanyu. 13 Kapwa li ngoka ta vulu okuyoolola ekaluluko lyenyanyu noondila, oshoka aantu oya kaluluka mokule noyu uvika kokulekule.
