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But many of the cohanim, L'vi'im and heads of fathers' clans, the old men who had seen the first house standing on its foundation, wept out loud when they saw this house; while others shouted out loud for joy —

so that the people couldn't distinguish the noise of the joyful shouting from the noise of the people's weeping; for the people were shouting so loudly that the noise could be heard at a great distance.

they approached Z'rubavel and the heads of fathers' clans and said to them, "Let us build along with you; for we seek your God, just as you do; and we have been sacrificing to him since the time of Esar-Hadon king of Ashur, who brought us here."

But Z'rubavel, Yeshua and the rest of the heads of fathers' clans in Isra'el answered them, "You and we have nothing in common that you should join us in building a house for our God. We will build by ourselves for Adonai the God of Isra'el, as Koresh king of Persia ordered us to do."

Now, because we eat the king's salt, and it is not right for us to see the king dishonored, we therefore are sending to inform the king,

"The letter you sent us has now been translated for me.

Whatever they need — young bulls, rams and lambs — for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine and olive oil, according to what the cohanim in Yerushalayim say, is to be given them daily without fail;

so that they can offer sacrifices with a fragrant aroma to the God of heaven and pray for the life of the king and his sons.

At the dedication of this house of God they offered 100 young bulls, 200 rams, 400 lambs, and, as a sin offering for all Isra'el, twelve male goats, corresponding to the number of the tribes of Isra'el.

Then they installed the cohanim in their divisions and the L'vi'im in their orders for the service of God in Yerushalayim, as written in the book of Moshe.

For the cohanim and L'vi'im had purified themselves together; all of them were pure. So they slaughtered the Pesach lambs for all the people from the exile and for their kinsmen the cohanim and for themselves.

and joyfully kept the feast of matzah for seven days; for Adonai had filled them with joy by turning the heart of the king of Ashur toward them, so that he assisted them in the work of the house of God, the God of Isra'el.

this ‘Ezra went up from Bavel. He was a scribe, expert in the Torah of Moshe, which Adonai the God of Isra'el had given; and the king granted him everything he asked for, since the hand of Adonai his God was on him.

For ‘Ezra had set his heart on studying and practicing the Torah of Adonai and teaching Isra'el the laws and rulings.

Here is the letter that King Artach'shashta gave ‘Ezra the cohen and Torah-teacher, the student of matters relating to Adonai 's mitzvot and his laws for Isra'el:

together with all the silver and gold you receive throughout the province of Bavel and the voluntary offerings of the people and the cohanim that have been offered willingly for the house of their God in Yerushalayim.

"The articles given to you for the service of the house of your God, deliver to the God of Yerushalayim.

"Whatever else may be needed for the house of your God that you have to supply, you may supply from the royal treasury.

Whatever is ordered by the God of heaven is to be performed exactly for the house of the God of heaven; for why should wrath come against the realm of the king and his sons?

So I sent for Eli‘ezer, Ari'el, Sh'ma‘yah, Elnatan, Yariv, Elnatan, Natan, Z'kharyah and Meshulam, who were leaders, and also for Yoyariv and Elnatan, who were men of discernment.