Ἔσδρας Αʹ 3
1 Και ότε έφθασεν ο έβδομος μην και οι υιοί Ισραήλ ήσαν εν ταις πόλεσι, συνηθροίσθη ο λαός ως εις άνθρωπος εις Ιερουσαλήμ.
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.
2 Και εσηκώθη Ιησούς, ο υιός του Ιωσεδέκ, και οι αδελφοί αυτού οι ιερείς, και Ζοροβάβελ ο υιός του Σαλαθιήλ και οι αδελφοί αυτού, και ωκοδόμησαν το θυσιαστήριον του Θεού του Ισραήλ, διά να προσφέρωσιν ολοκαυτώματα επ' αυτού, κατά το γεγραμμένον εν τω νόμω Μωϋσέως του ανθρώπου του Θεού·
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].
3 και έστησαν το θυσιαστήριον εν τω τόπω αυτού, καίτοι επαπειλούμενοι υπό του λαού των τόπων εκείνων· και προσέφεραν επ' αυτού ολοκαυτώματα προς τον Κύριον, ολοκαυτώματα πρωΐ και εσπέρας.
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].
4 Και έκαμον την εορτήν των σκηνών, κατά το γεγραμμένον, και τας καθημερινάς ολοκαυτώσεις κατά αριθμόν, ως ήτο διατεταγμένον κατά το καθήκον εκάστης ημέρας.
5 Και μετά ταύτα προσέφεραν τα παντοτεινά ολοκαυτώματα, και των νεομηνιών και πασών των καθηγιασμένων εορτών του Κυρίου και παντός προσφέροντος αυτοπροαίρετον προσφοράν εις τον Κύριον.
6 Από της πρώτης ημέρας του εβδόμου μηνός ήρχισαν να προσφέρωσιν ολοκαυτώματα προς τον Κύριον· πλην τα θεμέλια του ναού του Κυρίου δεν είχον τεθή έτι.
7 Και έδωκαν αργύριον εις τους λιθοτόμους και εις τους τέκτονας· και τροφάς και ποτά και έλαιον, εις τους Σιδωνίους και εις τους Τυρίους, διά να φέρωσι ξύλα κέδρινα από του Λιβάνου εις την θάλασσαν της Ιόππης, κατά την εις αυτούς δοθείσαν άδειαν Κύρου του βασιλέως της Περσίας.
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].
8 Και εν τω δευτέρω έτει της επιστροφής αυτών προς τον οίκον του Θεού εν Ιερουσαλήμ, εν μηνί τω δευτέρω, ήρχισαν Ζοροβάβελ ο υιός του Σαλαθιήλ και Ιησούς ο υιός του Ιωσεδέκ και οι λοιποί των αδελφών αυτών, ιερείς και Λευΐται, και πάντες οι ελθόντες από της αιχμαλωσίας εις Ιερουσαλήμ· και κατέστησαν τους Λευΐτας, από είκοσι ετών ηλικίας και επάνω, διά να επισπεύδωσι το έργον του οίκου του Κυρίου.
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.
9 Και παρεστάθη ο Ιησούς, οι υιοί αυτού και οι αδελφοί αυτού, ο Καδμιήλ και οι υιοί αυτού, υιοί Ιούδα, ως εις άνθρωπος, διά να κατεπείγωσι τους εργαζομένους εν τω οίκω του Θεού· οι υιοί του Ηναδάδ, οι υιοί αυτών και οι αδελφοί αυτών οι Λευΐται.
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.
10 Και ότε έθεσαν οι οικοδόμοι τα θεμέλια του ναού του Κυρίου, εστάθησαν οι ιερείς ενδεδυμένοι, μετά σαλπίγγων, και οι Λευΐται οι υιοί του Ασάφ μετά κυμβάλων, διά να υμνώσι τον Κύριον, κατά την διαταγήν Δαβίδ του βασιλέως του Ισραήλ·
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.
11 και έψαλλον αμοιβαίως υμνούντες και ευχαριστούντες τον Κύριον, Ότι αγαθός, ότι εις τον αιώνα το έλεος αυτού επί τον Ισραήλ. Και πας ο λαός ηλάλαξαν αλαλαγμόν μέγαν, υμνούντες τον Κύριον διά την θεμελίωσιν του οίκου του Κυρίου.
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.
12 Και πολλοί εκ των ιερέων και Λευϊτών και των αρχηγών των πατριών, γέροντες, οίτινες είχον ιδεί τον πρότερον οίκον, ενώ ο οίκος ούτος εθεμελιούτο ενώπιον των οφθαλμών αυτών, έκλαιον μετά φωνής μεγάλης· πολλοί δε ηλάλαξαν εν φωνή μεγάλη μετ' ευφροσύνης.
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.
13 Και δεν διέκρινεν ο λαός την φωνήν του αλαλαγμού της ευφροσύνης από της φωνής του κλαυθμού του λαού· διότι ο λαός ηλάλαζεν αλαλαγμόν μέγαν, και η βοή ηκούετο έως από μακρόθεν.
The shouting and the crying was very loud; [even people] far away could hear it.
