1And in the seventh month, and when the Israelites had settled in their towns, they gathered as one in Jerusalem. 2Then Jeshua, son of Jozadak, and his fellow priests, and Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, and his associates, began to build the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the law of Moses, the man of God. 3And despite their fear of the people of the countries around them, they set the altar upon its foundation, and they sacrificed burnt offerings unto the LORD, morning, and evening, on that alter. 4They also kept the Feast of Tabernacles (booths), as prescribed in the Law, and sacrificed the required number of daily burnt offerings; 5And after that, they presented the continual burnt offerings, of the new moons, and of all the set feasts of the LORD that were consecrated, as well as every freewill offering made unto the LORD. 6From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings unto the LORD. But the foundation for the Temple of the LORD was not yet laid.

7They also gave money to the masons, and the carpenters; and gave food, drink, and oil, to those of Sidon, and of Tyre, to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the seaport of Joppa, according to the grant that they had from Cyrus, king of Persia. 8Now in the second year of their return to the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua, son of Jozadak, and the rest of their brethren, the priests and the Levites, and all those who had come from captivity to Jerusalem; appointed the Levites, twenty years old and older, and began the work of the Temple of the LORD. 9Then Jeshua with his sons and his brothers, Kadmiel and his sons, (descendants of Hodaviah) and the sons of Henadad, with their sons and their brothers – all Levites - oversaw the working on the house of God.

10And when the builders laid the foundation of the Temple of the LORD, with the priests in their robes with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the LORD, as prescribed by David, king of Israel. 11And they sang together by course (responsively) in praising and giving thanks unto the LORD: “He is good, for His mercy toward Israel endures forever.” And all the people shouted with a great shout of praise for the LORD, because the foundation of the Temple of the LORD was laid. 12But many of the older priests, Levites and heads of the fathers, who had seen the first Temple, when this foundation was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy, 13So that the people could not distinguish the sound of shouts of joy from the sound of the people weeping; for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.