Ezra 6:16
Then the people of Israel — the priests, the Levites, and the rest of the exiles — celebrated the dedication of the house of God with joy.
What it says
The people of Israel, including priests, Levites, and the rest of the exiles, celebrate the dedication of God's house with joy.
What it is doing
It opens the dedication with a shared act of rejoicing.
In context
16Then the people of Israel — the priests, the Levites, and the rest of the exiles — celebrated the dedication of the house of God with joy. 17For the dedication of the house of God they offered a hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and a sin offering for all Israel of twelve male goats, one for each tribe of Israel. 18They also appointed the priests by their divisions and the Levites by their groups to the service of God in Jerusalem, according to what is written in the Book of Moses.