Temple Restoration Begins

In the second month of the second year, Zerubbabel, Jeshua, the priests, Levites, and the returned exiles begin the work and appoint Levites to oversee it. Specific Levite families join together to supervise those building the house of God.

I⁸n the second month of the second year after they had arrived at the house of God in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Jeshua son of Jozadak, and the rest of their associates including the priests, the Levites, and all who had returned to Jerusalem from the captivity, began the work. They appointed Levites twenty years of age or older to supervise the construction of the house of the LORD. ⁹So Jeshua and his sons and brothers, Kadmiel and his sons (descendants of Yehudah), and the sons of Henadad and their sons and brothers — all Levites — joined together to supervise those working on the house of God.

When the foundation is laid, priests with trumpets and Levites with cymbals take their places and praise the LORD according to David's pattern. Their song answers back and forth, giving thanks that the LORD is good and his steadfast love toward Israel endures.

¹⁰When the builders had laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with cymbals, took their positions to praise the LORD, as David king of Israel had prescribed. ¹¹And they sang responsively with praise and thanksgiving to the LORD:

Older priests, Levites, and family heads who saw the first temple weep loudly, while many others shout for joy. The sounds blend so completely that no one can separate rejoicing from grief, and the noise carries far away.

¹²But many of the older priests, Levites, and family heads who had seen the first temple wept loudly when they saw the foundation of this temple. Still, many others shouted joyfully. ¹³The people could not distinguish the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people were making so much noise. And the sound was heard from afar.