Ezra 3

Rebuilding the Altar

1 And when the a seventh month had come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered together as one man to Jerusalem. 2 Then 1 Jeshua the son of b Jozadak 2 and his brethren the priests, c and Zerubbabel the son of d Shealtiel and his brethren, arose and built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is e written in the Law of Moses the man of God. 3 Though fear had come upon them because of the people of those countries, they set the altar on its 3 bases; and they offered f burnt offerings on it to the LORD, both the morning and evening burnt offerings. 4 g They also kept the Feast of Tabernacles, h as it is written, and i offered the daily burnt offerings in the number required by ordinance for each day. 5 Afterwards they offered the j regular burnt offering, and those for New Moons and for all the appointed feasts of the LORD that were consecrated, and those of everyone who willingly offered a freewill offering to the LORD. 6 From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the LORD, although the foundation of the temple of the LORD had not been laid. 7 They also gave money to the masons and the carpenters, and k food, drink, and oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre to bring cedar logs from Lebanon to the sea, to l Joppa, m according to the permission which they had from Cyrus king of Persia.

Rebuilding the Temple

8 Now in the second month of the second year of their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem, n Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, Jeshua the son of 4 Jozadak, and the rest of their brethren the priests and the Levites, and all those who had come out of the captivity to Jerusalem, began work o and appointed the Levites from twenty years old and above to oversee the work of the house of the LORD. 9 Then Jeshua with his sons and brothers, Kadmiel with his sons, and the sons of 5 Judah, arose as one to oversee those working on the house of God: the sons of Henadad with their sons and their brethren the Levites.

10 When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, p the 6 priests stood in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the LORD, according to the q ordinance 7 of David king of Israel.

11 r And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the LORD:
s "For He is good,
t For His mercy endures forever toward Israel." 8
Then all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. 12 But many of the priests and Levites and u heads of the fathers' houses, old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this temple was laid before their eyes. Yet many shouted aloud for joy, 13 so that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people, for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the sound was heard afar off.

  1. Cross References
    Nehemiah 7:73
    So the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the Nethinim, and all Israel dwelt in their cities. When the seventh month came, the children of Israel were in their cities.
    Nehemiah 8:1
    Now all the people gathered together as one man in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate; and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded Israel.
    Nehemiah 8:2
    So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly of men and women and all who could hear with understanding on the first day of the seventh month.
  2. Cross References
    1 Chronicles 6:14
    Azariah begot Seraiah, and Seraiah begot Jehoza...
    1 Chronicles 6:15
    Jehozadak went into captivity when the LORD car...
    Ezra 4:3
    But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the h...
    Nehemiah 12:1
    Now these are the priests and the Levites who c...
    Nehemiah 12:8
    Moreover the Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmi...
    Haggai 1:1
    In the second year of King Darius, in the sixth...
    Haggai 2:2
    Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, g...
  3. Cross References
    Ezra 2:2
    Those who came with Zerubbabel were Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah. The number of the men of the people of Israel:
    Ezra 4:2
    They came to Zerubbabel and the heads of the fathers' houses, and said to them, "Let us build with you, for we seek your God as you do; and we have sacrificed to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.
    Ezra 4:3
    But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of the fathers' houses of Israel said to them, "You may do nothing with us to build a house for our God; but we alone will build to the LORD God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.
    Ezra 5:2
    So Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak rose up and began to build the house of God which is in Jerusalem; and the prophets of God were with them, helping them.
  4. Cross References
    1 Chronicles 3:17
    And the sons of Jeconiah were Assir, Shealtiel his son.
  5. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 12:5
    But you shall seek the place where the LORD your God chooses, out of all your tribes, to put His name for His dwelling place; and there you shall go.
    Deuteronomy 12:6
    There you shall take your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the heave offerings of your hand, your vowed offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks.
  6. Cross References
    Numbers 28:3
    And you shall say to them, 'This is the offering made by fire which you shall offer to the LORD: two male lambs in their first year without blemish, day by day, as a regular burnt offering.
  7. Cross References
    Leviticus 23:33 - 43
    Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying.
    Nehemiah 8:14 - 18
    And they found written in the Law, which the LORD had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths during the feast of the seventh month.
    Zechariah 14:16
    And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.
  8. Cross References
    Exodus 23:16
    And the Feast of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors which you have sown in the field; and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you have gathered in the fruit of your labors from the field.
  9. Cross References
    Numbers 29:12
    On the fifteenth day of the seventh month you shall have a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work, and you shall keep a feast to the LORD seven days.
    Numbers 29:13
    You shall present a burnt offering, an offering made by fire as a sweet aroma to the LORD: thirteen young bulls, two rams, and fourteen lambs in their first year. They shall be without blemish.
  10. Cross References
    Exodus 29:38
    Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: ...
    Numbers 28:3
    And you shall say to them, 'This is the offerin...
    Numbers 28:11
    At the beginnings of your months you shall pres...
    Numbers 28:19
    And you shall present an offering made by fire ...
    Numbers 28:26
    Also on the day of the firstfruits, when you br...
    Ezra 1:4
    And whoever is left in any place where he dwell...
    Ezra 2:68
    Some of the heads of the fathers' houses, when ...
    Ezra 7:15
    And whereas you are to carry the silver and gol...
    Ezra 7:16
    And whereas all the silver and gold that you ma...
    Ezra 8:28
    And I said to them, "You are holy to the LORD; ...
  11. Cross References
    1 Kings 5:6
    Now therefore, command that they cut down cedars for me from Lebanon; and my servants will be with your servants, and I will pay you wages for your servants according to whatever you say. For you know there is none among us who has skill to cut timber like the Sidonians.
    1 Kings 5:9
    My servants shall bring them down from Lebanon to the sea; I will float them in rafts by sea to the place you indicate to me, and will have them broken apart there; then you can take them away. And you shall fulfill my desire by giving food for my household.
    2 Chronicles 2:10
    And indeed I will give to your servants, the woodsmen who cut timber, twenty thousand kors of ground wheat, twenty thousand kors of barley, twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil.
    Acts 12:20
    Now Herod had been very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon; but they came to him with one accord, and having made Blastus the king's personal aide their friend, they asked for peace, because their country was supplied with food by the king's country.
  12. Cross References
    2 Chronicles 2:16
    And we will cut wood from Lebanon, as much as you need; we will bring it to you in rafts by sea to Joppa, and you will carry it up to Jerusalem.
    Acts 9:36
    At Joppa there was a certain disciple named Tabitha, which is translated Dorcas. This woman was full of good works and charitable deeds which she did.
  13. Cross References
    Ezra 1:2
    Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the LORD God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah.
    Ezra 6:3
    In the first year of King Cyrus, King Cyrus issued a decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem: "Let the house be rebuilt, the place where they offered sacrifices; and let the foundations of it be firmly laid, its height sixty cubits and its width sixty cubits.
  14. Cross References
    Ezra 3:2
    Then Jeshua the son of Jozadak and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and his brethren, arose and built 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.
    Ezra 4:3
    But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of the fathers' houses of Israel said to them, "You may do nothing with us to build a house for our God; but we alone will build to the LORD God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.
  15. Cross References
    1 Chronicles 23:4
    Of these, twenty-four thousand were to look after the work of the house of the LORD, six thousand were officers and judges.
    1 Chronicles 23:24
    These were the sons of Levi by their fathers' houses - the heads of the fathers' houses as they were counted individually by the number of their names, who did the work for the service of the house of the LORD, from the age of twenty years and above.
  16. Cross References
    1 Chronicles 16:5
    Asaph the chief, and next to him Zechariah, then Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, and ObedE'dom: Jeiel with stringed instruments and harps, but Asaph made music with cymbals.
    1 Chronicles 16:6
    Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests regularly blew the trumpets before the ark of the covenant of God.
  17. Cross References
    1 Chronicles 6:31
    Now these are the men whom David appointed over the service of song in the house of the LORD, after the ark came to rest.
    1 Chronicles 16:4
    And he appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of the LORD, to commemorate, to thank, and to praise the LORD God of Israel:
    1 Chronicles 25:1
    Moreover David and the captains of the army separated for the service some of the sons of Asaph, of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who should prophesy with harps, stringed instruments, and cymbals. And the number of the skilled men performing their service was:
  18. Cross References
    Exodus 15:21
    And Miriam answered them: "Sing to the LORD, For He has triumphed gloriously! The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea!
    2 Chronicles 7:3
    When all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the LORD on the temple, they bowed their faces to the ground on the pavement, and worshiped and praised the LORD, saying: "For He is good, For His mercy endures forever.
    Nehemiah 12:24
    And the heads of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua the son of Kadmiel, with their brothers across from them, to praise and give thanks, group alternating with group, according to the command of David the man of God.
  19. Cross References
    1 Chronicles 16:34
    Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
    Psalms 136:1
    Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
  20. Cross References
    1 Chronicles 16:41
    And with them Heman and Jeduthun and the rest who were chosen, who were designated by name, to give thanks to the LORD, because His mercy endures forever.
    Jeremiah 33:11
    The voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who will say: "Praise the LORD of hosts, For the LORD is good, For His mercy endures forever" - and of those who will bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the LORD. For I will cause the captives of the land to return as at the first,' says the LORD.
  21. Cross References
    Ezra 2:68
    Some of the heads of the fathers' houses, when they came to the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem, offered freely for the house of God, to erect it in its place:
New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
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