Sacrifices Restored
Once the people are settled, they assemble in Jerusalem, and Jeshua and Zerubbabel rebuild the altar for burnt offerings. They begin despite fear of the surrounding peoples, placing worship at the center of their return.
B1y the seventh month, the Israelites had settled in their towns, and the people assembled as one man in Jerusalem. 2Then Jeshua son of Jozadak and his fellow priests, along with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his associates, began to build the altar of the God of Israel to sacrifice burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of God. 3They set up the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the LORD — both the morning and evening burnt offerings — even though they feared the people of the land.
The restored altar leads into the restored calendar: Tabernacles, daily offerings, New Moons, sacred feasts, and freewill gifts. Burnt offerings begin from the first day of the seventh month, even though the temple foundation is still absent.
4They also celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles in accordance with what is written, and they offered burnt offerings daily based on the number prescribed for each day. 5After that, they presented the regular burnt offerings and those for New Moons and for all the appointed sacred feasts of the LORD, as well as all the freewill offerings brought to the LORD. 6On the first day of the seventh month, the Israelites began to offer burnt offerings to the LORD, although the foundation of the temple of the LORD had not been laid.
The people fund masons and carpenters and arrange for cedar from Lebanon through Sidon, Tyre, and Joppa under Cyrus's authorization. The practical work of rebuilding now begins to take form.
7They gave money to the masons and carpenters, and food and drink and oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre to bring cedar logs from Lebanon to Joppa by sea, as authorized by Cyrus king of Persia.