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.
Kutembezela kotangisa kakale
1 Kwakati mu mwedzi we kutendeka ugala bathu be Iziraela bakabe batjigadzikana mu mizi yabo, bakanokubunganila ku Jerusalema bali tjithu tjing'ompela. 2 Kudwapo kukamilika Jeshuwa nkololo wa Jozadaki, ana bapirisiti naye na Zerubhabeli nkololo wa Shealitiyele ne makamu awe bakabaka tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo tje Ndzimu we Iziraela, kuti ndizo bapisile zwibhayilo mutjili sekwa kwakakwagwa mu Nlayo wa Mushe, nlume we Ndzimu. 3 Bakabaka tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo pa thiwa dzatjo dzakale, nenguba bakabe betja bathu be mizi yakabapoteleka nabo, kudwapo bakapisila Yahwe zwibhayilo, mangwanana ne madekwana. 4 Bakazana Nzano we Mishasha sekwa kwakakwagwa, zhuba ne zhuba bakabe beyisa zwibhayilo zwe palo yakabe ishakiwa mu zhuba ilelo. 5 Shule kwa ikoko bakayisa zwibhayilo zwe misi yose, ne zwipo zwinoyisiwa pa Nzano we Mwedzi ugala ne zwe mizano yakabigwa yose ya Yahwe ne zwipo zwe mmwe ne mmwe zwe moyo ntjena zwidusigwa Yahwe. 6 Kudwa mu zhuba le kutanga le mwedzi we kutendeka bakatangisa kudusa zwibhayilo zwinopisiwa kuna Yahwe, nenguba muna itjetjo tjibaka thiwa dze Ng'umba ya Yahwe dzakabe dzisathu dzikateyiwa.
Kumusiwa kwe Ng'umba ye Ndzimu
7 Kakale bakapa babezhi be mabgwe ne be hwuni mari ne zojiwa ne zwinong'wiwa ne mafuta kuti zwitumiligwe ku bathu be Tire ne Sidoni, kuti ndizo bazhise mapango e miti ye misida nge gungwa kudwa ku Lebanoni beayisa ku Jopa, sekwa bakabe bapiwa ndetjedzelo ndi Sirasi mambo we Pheshiya. 8 Mu mwedzi we bubili we gole le bubili, basinoswika ku Ng'umba ye Ndzimu ku Jerusalema, Zerubhabeli nkololo wa Shealitiyele na Jeshuwa nkololo wa Jozadaki bakatangisa kubaka, bakabe bakashangana ne bathu bose babo, bapirisiti, ne Balevi na ibabo bose bakabe bazha mu Jerusalema bedwa ku busungwa. Balevi bose bakabe bana makole ali makumi mabili ne kupinda ipapo bakabe bakatungamila nshingo we kumusa Ng'umba ya Yahwe. 9 Jeshuwa ne bakololo babe ne makamu awe na Kadimiyele ne bakololo babe ne bakololo ba Juda wakabe edang'wa Hodaviya ne bakololo ba Henadadi ne bakololo babobo ne Balevi bakama nge makumbo bali batungamili be bashingi be Ng'umba ye Ndzimu.
10 Kwakati babaki betangisa kuteya thiwa dze Ng'umba ya Yahwe, bapirisiti bakabe bakaambala zwiambalo zwabo bakabhata dziporompita mu maboko abo, Balevi be nsha wa Asafa bakabe bali mile bakabhata dzisimbali. Bakabe bekudza Ndzimu bakasala shule ndaulo sekwa dzakapiwa ndi Dafite mambo we Iziraela. 11 Bakamba bedabidzana, bekudza kakale beboka Yahwe, bebakudza beti,
“Yahwe bakanaka,
mahwilo ngoni abo mu Baiziraela nge asingapele.”
Bathu bose bakabe bepululudza dumbu bekudza Yahwe, ngobe thiwa dze Ng'umba ya Yahwe dzakabe dzatjitangisiwa. 12 Koga bunji gwe bapirisiti ne Balevi bahwola ne misholo ye misha bakabe babona Ng'umba ye Ndzimu ye kutanga, bakalila kwazo kwazo ha bebona thiwa dze Ng'umba ye Ndzimu dziteyiwa, ngono bunji gwe bathu gwakabe gupululudza gwakashatha. 13 Ndizo bathu bakabe basingake bakathubukanya zhoba ye shatho mu zhoba ye tjililo tje bathu, ngobe zhoba yakabe ili njisa kwazo ihwika kulekule.