< عَزْرَا 3 >

وَلَمَّا ٱسْتُهِلَّ ٱلشَّهْرُ ٱلسَّابِعُ وَبَنُو إِسْرَائِيلَ فِي مُدُنِهِمُ، ٱجْتَمَعَ ٱلشَّعْبُ كَرَجُلٍ وَاحِدٍ إِلَى أُورُشَلِيمَ. ١ 1
After the Israeli people [returned to Israel, and] had begun to live in their towns, (in the autumn of/after the hot season ended in) that year, they all gathered together in Jerusalem.
وَقَامَ يَشُوعُ بْنُ يُوصَادَاقَ وَإِخْوَتُهُ ٱلْكَهَنَةُ، وَزَرُبَّابِلُ بْنُ شَأَلْتِئِيلَ وَإِخْوَتُهُ، وَبَنَوْا مَذْبَحَ إِلَهِ إِسْرَائِيلَ لِيُصْعِدُوا عَلَيْهِ مُحْرَقَاتٍ كَمَا هُوَ مَكْتُوبٌ فِي شَرِيعَةِ مُوسَى رَجُلِ ٱللهِ. ٢ 2
Then Jeshua, the son of Jehozadak, and his fellow priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and his friends, all began to rebuild the altar of God, the one whom the Israeli people [worshiped]. They did that in order that they could sacrifice burned offerings on it, according to what the prophet Moses had written in the laws [that God gave to him].
وَأَقَامُوا ٱلْمَذْبَحَ فِي مَكَانِهِ، لِأَنَّهُ كَانَ عَلَيْهِمْ رُعْبٌ مِنْ شُعُوبِ ٱلْأَرَاضِي، وَأَصْعَدُوا عَلَيْهِ مُحْرَقَاتٍ لِلرَّبِّ، مُحْرَقَاتِ ٱلصَّبَاحِ وَٱلْمَسَاءِ. ٣ 3
Even though they were afraid of the people who were already living in that area, they rebuilt the altar at the same place [where the previous altar had been]. Before they started to lay the foundation of Yahweh’s temple, [the priests] started to burn sacrifices to Yahweh [on the altar]. They offered sacrifices every morning and every evening. Fifteen days after [they started to offer these sacrifices], the people celebrated the Festival of [Living in Temporary] Shelters, as [Moses] had commanded them to do in the laws [that God gave to him]. Each day the priests offered the sacrifices [that were required] for that day. In addition, they presented the regular burned offerings and the offerings [that were required] for the New Moon Festivals and the other festivals that they celebrated each year to [honor] Yahweh. They also brought other offerings only because they desired to bring them, [not because they were required to bring them].
وَحَفِظُوا عِيدَ ٱلْمَظَالِّ كَمَا هُوَ مَكْتُوبٌ، وَمُحْرَقَةَ يَوْمٍ فَيَوْمٍ بِٱلْعَدَدِ كَٱلْمَرْسُومِ، أَمْرَ ٱلْيَوْمِ بِيَوْمِهِ. ٤ 4
وَبَعْدَ ذَلِكَ ٱلْمُحْرَقَةُ ٱلدَّائِمَةُ، وَلِلْأَهِلَّةِ وَلِجَمِيعِ مَوَاسِمِ ٱلرّبِّ ٱلْمُقَدَّسَةِ، وَلِكُلِّ مَن تبرَّعَ بِمُتَبَرَّعٍ لِلرَّبِّ. ٥ 5
ٱبْتَدَأُوا مِنَ ٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْأَوَّلِ مِنَ ٱلشَّهْرِ ٱلسَّابِعِ يُصْعِدُونَ مُحْرَقَاتٍ لِلرَّبِّ، وَهَيْكَلُ ٱلرَّبِّ لَمْ يَكُنْ قَدْ تَأَسَّسَ. ٦ 6
وَأَعْطَوْا فِضَّةً لِلنَّحَّاتِينَ وَٱلنَّجَّارِينَ، وَمَأْكَلًا وَمَشْرَبًا وَزَيْتًا لِلصِّيدُونِيِّينَ وَٱلصُّورِيِّينَ لِيَأْتُوا بِخَشَبِ أَرْزٍ مِنْ لُبْنَانَ إِلَى بَحْرِ يَافَا، حَسَبَ إِذْنِ كُورَشَ مَلِكِ فَارِسَ لَهُمْ. ٧ 7
Then the Israelis hired masons and carpenters, and they bought [logs from] cedar trees from the people of Tyre and Sidon [cities], and they gave those people food and wine and olive oil for the logs. They brought the logs down from [the mountains in] Lebanon [to the Mediterranean seacoast and then floated them along the coast of the Sea, ] to Joppa. King Cyrus permitted them to do that. [Then the logs were brought from Joppa inland up to Jerusalem].
وَفِي ٱلسَّنَةِ ٱلثَّانِيَةِ مِنْ مَجِيئِهِمْ إِلَى بَيْتِ ٱللهِ إِلَى أُورُشَلِيمَ، فِي ٱلشَّهْرِ ٱلثَّانِي، شَرَعَ زَرُبَّابِلُ بْنُ شَأَلْتِئِيلَ وَيَشُوعُ بْنُ يُوصَادَاقَ وَبَقِيَّةُ إِخْوَتِهِمِ ٱلْكَهَنَةِ وَٱللَّاوِيِّينَ وَجَمِيعُ ٱلْقَادِمِينَ مِنَ ٱلسَّبْيِ إِلَى أُورُشَلِيمَ، وَأَقَامُوا ٱللَّاوِيِّينَ مِنِ ٱبْنِ عِشْرِينَ سَنَةً فَمَا فَوْقُ لِلْمُنَاظَرَةِ عَلَى عَمَلِ بَيْتِ ٱلرَّبِّ. ٨ 8
The Israelis started to rebuild the temple in the (spring/time before the hot season) of the second year after they returned to Jerusalem. Zerubbabel and Jeshua and all the people who had returned to Jerusalem worked on the building. All the (Levites/men who did work in the temple) supervised this work.
وَوَقَفَ يَشُوعُ مَعَ بَنِيهِ وَإِخْوَتِهِ، قَدْمِيئِيلَ وَبَنِيهِ بَنِي يَهُوذَا مَعًا لِلْمُنَاظَرَةِ عَلَى عَامِلِي ٱلشُّغْلِ فِي بَيْتِ ٱللهِ، وَبَنِي حِينَادَادَ مَعَ بَنِيهِمْ وَإِخْوَتِهِمِ ٱللَّاوِيِّينَ. ٩ 9
Jeshua and his sons and his other relatives, and Kadmiel and his sons, who were descendants of Hodaviah, also helped to supervise the work. The family of Henadad, who were also all Levites, joined with them in supervising this work.
وَلَمَّا أَسَّسَ ٱلْبَانُونَ هَيْكَلَ ٱلرَّبِّ، أَقَامُوا ٱلْكَهَنَةَ بِمَلَابِسِهِمْ بِأَبْوَاقٍ، وَٱللَّاوِيِّينَ بَنِي آسَافَ بِٱلصُّنُوجِ، لِتَسْبِيحِ ٱلرَّبِّ عَلَى تَرْتِيبِ دَاوُدَ مَلِكِ إِسْرَائِيلَ. ١٠ 10
When the builders finished laying the foundation of the temple, the priests put on their robes and stood in their places, blowing their trumpets. Then the Levites, who were descendants of Asaph, clashed/banged their cymbals to praise Yahweh, just as King David had [many years previously] told [Asaph and the other musicians] to do.
وَغَنَّوْا بِٱلتَّسْبِيحِ وَٱلْحَمْدِ لِلرَّبِّ، لِأَنَّهُ صَالِحٌ لِأَنَّ إِلَى ٱلْأَبَدِ رَحْمَتَهُ عَلَى إِسْرَائِيلَ. وَكُلُّ ٱلشَّعْبِ هَتَفُوا هُتَافًا عَظِيمًا بِٱلتَّسْبِيحِ لِلرَّبِّ لِأَجْلِ تَأْسِيسِ بَيْتِ ٱلرَّبِّ. ١١ 11
They praised Yahweh and thanked him, and they sang this song about him: “He is very good [to us]! He faithfully loves us Israeli people, and he will love us forever.” Then all the people shouted loudly, praising Yahweh because they had finished laying the foundation of Yahweh’s temple.
وَكَثِيرُونَ مِنَ ٱلْكَهَنَةِ وَٱللَّاوِيِّينَ وَرُؤُوسِ ٱلْآبَاءِ ٱلشُّيُوخِ، ٱلَّذِينَ رَأَوْا ٱلْبَيْتَ ٱلْأَوَّلَ، بَكَوْا بِصَوْتٍ عَظِيمٍ عِنْدَ تَأْسِيسِ هَذَا ٱلْبَيْتِ أَمَامَ أَعْيُنِهِمْ. وَكَثِيرُونَ كَانُوا يَرْفَعُونَ أَصْوَاتَهُمْ بِٱلْهُتَافِ بِفَرَحٍ. ١٢ 12
Many of the [old] priests, Levites, and leaders of families remembered [what] the first temple [was like], and they cried aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid [because they knew that the new temple would not be as beautiful as the first temple]. But the other people shouted joyfully.
وَلَمْ يَكُنِ ٱلشَّعْبُ يُمَيِّزُ هُتَافَ ٱلْفَرَحِ مِنْ صَوْتِ بُكَاءِ ٱلشَّعْبِ، لِأَنَّ ٱلشَّعْبَ كَانَ يَهْتِفُ هُتَافًا عَظِيمًا حَتَّى أَنَّ ٱلصَّوْتَ سُمِعَ مِنْ بُعْدٍ. ١٣ 13
The shouting and the crying was very loud; [even people] far away could hear it.

< عَزْرَا 3 >