Read the Modern Pastor’s Version

When the seventh month arrived, the Israelites settled in their cities. They gathered together as one man to Jerusalem to start rebuilding. Jeshua, son of Jozadak, and his fellow priests stood up along with Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, and his relatives to build the altar of the God of Israel.

They set the altar on its base, but fear gripped them because of the people living in those countries. They offered burnt offerings on the altar morning and evening, as instructed by Moses' law. The priests kept the feast of tabernacles, offering daily burnt offerings according to a specific count that met each day's requirements.

As they continued their worship, they observed the regular burnt offerings: those for new moons and all the Lord's appointed feasts, which had been consecrated long ago. They also included the freewill offerings people made willingly to the Lord. From the first day of the seventh month on, they began offering these sacrifices, though the foundation of God's temple was still unbuilt.

To gather the necessary materials for this grand project, Zerubbabel and Jeshua sent money to the masons and carpenters, along with provisions – food, drink, and oil – to the people of Sidon and Tyre. Their task was to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to Joppa, according to a grant they had received from Cyrus king of Persia.

In the second year of their return to Jerusalem, in the second month, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak led the effort to rebuild the house of the Lord. They called upon the remaining priests and Levites who had returned from exile to join them in this endeavor. The elderly Levites, aged twenty or more, were appointed to oversee the construction.

Jeshua stood alongside his sons and brothers – Kadmiel and his sons – along with their fellow Levites from Judah's family line to supervise God's workers, including the sons of Henadad and their families. When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, they donned their priestly vestments and sounded their trumpets, while the Levites, sons of Asaph, played cymbals in praise according to David king of Israel's instructions.

The priests and Levites sang together by course, offering thanks and praise to the Lord: "For he is good; his loving kindness endures forever toward Israel." The people erupted into a great shout as they celebrated the foundation of God's house being laid. However, many of the elderly priests and Levites wept loudly with grief when they saw the new foundation laid before their eyes, remembering the first temple. Yet, others shouted aloud for joy at this momentous occasion.