1 W hen the seventh month came and the Israelites were in the towns, the people gathered together as one man to Jerusalem.

وَفِي أوَّلِ الشَّهرِ السّابِعِ، حِينَ كانَ بَنُو إسْرائِيلَ مُستَقِرِّينَ فِي مُدُنِهِمْ، اجتَمَعَ الشَّعبُ كُلُّهُ بِنَفسٍ واحِدَةٍ فِي مَدينَةِ القُدْسِ.

2 T hen stood up Jeshua son of Jozadak, and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and his brethren, and they built the altar of the God of Israel to offer burnt offerings upon it, as it is written in the instructions of Moses the man of God.

وَبَدَأ يَشُوعُ بْنُ يُوصاداقَ وَرُفَقاؤُهُ الكَهَنَةُ وَزَرُبّابِلُ بْنُ شَألتِئِيلَ وَأقرِباؤُهُ بِإعادَةِ بِناءِ مَذبَحِ إلَهِ إسْرائِيلَ لِكَي يُقَدِّمُوا عَلَيهِ ذَبائِحَ، كَما هُوَ مَكتُوبٌ فِي شَرِيعَةِ مُوسَى، رَجُلِ اللهِ.

3 A nd they set the altar upon its base, for fear was upon them because of the peoples of the countries; and they offered burnt offerings on it to the Lord morning and evening.

وَأقامُوا المَذبَحَ عَلَى قَواعِدِهِ الأصلِيَّةِ خَوفاً مِنَ الشُّعُوبِ المُحِيطَةِ بِهِمْ، وَقَدَّمُوا عَلَيهِ الذَّبائِحَ للهِ صَباحاً وَمَساءً.

4 T hey kept also the Feast of Tabernacles, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number according to the ordinances, as each day’s duty required,

وَاحتَفَلُوا بِعِيدُ السَّقائِفِ كَما تَنُصُّ الشَّرِيعَةُ، وَقَدَّمُوا العَدَدَ المَطلُوبَ مِنَ الذَّبائِحِ لِكُلِّ يَومٍ مِنْ أيّامِ الاحتِفالِ.

5 A nd after that, the continual burnt offering, the offering at the New Moon, and at all the appointed feasts of the Lord, and the offerings of everyone who made a freewill offering to the Lord.

وَبَعدَ ذَلِكَ قَدَّمُوا الذَّبائِحَ المُعْتادَةَ وَذَبائِحَ أوائِلِ الشُّهُورِ وَكُلِّ أعيادِ اللهِ المُقَدَّسَةِ، وَكُلِّ شَخصٍ تَبَرَّعَ بِشَئٍ للهِ.

6 F rom the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord, but the foundation of the temple of the Lord was not yet laid.

وَبَدَأُوا يُقَدِّمُونَ الذَّبائِحَ للهِ اعتِباراً مِنَ اليَومِ الأوَّلِ مِنَ الشَّهرِ السّابِعِ، مَعَ أنَّهُمْ لَمْ يَكُونُوا قَد وَضَعُوا أساساتِ هَيكَلِ اللهِ بَعْدُ. إعادةُ بناء الهيكَل

7 T hey gave money also to the masons and to the carpenters, and gave food, drink, and oil to the Sidonians and the Tyrians, to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the seaport of Joppa, according to the grant they had from Cyrus king of Persia.

وَأعطُوا مالاً للبَنائِينَ وَالنَّجّارِينَ، وَقَدَّمُو الطَّعامَ وَالشَّرابَ وَزَيتَ الزَّيتُونِ إلَى أهالِي صِيدا وَصُورَ لِقاءَ نَقلِهِمْ خَشَبَ الأرْزِ إلَيْهِمْ مِنْ لُبنانَ إلَى يافا عَن طَرِيقِ البَحرِ، فَقَد سَمَحَ لَهُمْ بِذَلِكَ كُورُشُ مَلِكُ فارِسَ.

8 I n the second year of their coming to God’s house at Jerusalem, in the second month, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak made a beginning, with the rest of their brethren—the priests and Levites and all who had come to Jerusalem out of the captivity. They appointed the Levites from twenty years old and upward to oversee the work of the Lord’s house.

وَفِي الشَّهرِ الثّانِي مِنَ السَّنَةِ الثّانِيَةِ مِنْ وُصُولِهِمْ إلَى بَيتِ اللهِ فِي مَدينَةِ القُدْسِ، بَدَأ زَرُبّابِلُ بْنُ شَألتِئِيلَ وَيَشُوعُ بْنُ يُوصاداقَ العَمَلَ إلَى جانِبِ إخْوَتِهِمِ الكَهَنَةِ وَاللّاوِيِّينَ وَجَمِيعِ الَّذِينَ عادُوا إلَى مَدينَةِ القُدْسِ مِنْ سَبيِ بابِلَ. وَعَيَّنُوا اللّاوِيِّينَ مِنْ سِنِّ عِشرِينَ سَنَةً فَصاعِداً مُشرِفِينَ عَلَى بِناءِ بَيتِ اللهِ.

9 T hen Jeshua with his sons and his kinsmen, Kadmiel and his sons, sons of Judah, together took the oversight of the workmen in the house of God—the sons of Henadad, with their sons and Levite kinsmen.

وَقامَ يَشُوعُ وَأبناؤُهُ وَإخوَتُهُ قَدْمِيئِيلَ وَبَنُوهُ بَنُو يَهُوذا مَعَ بَنِي حِينادادَ وَبَنِيهِمْ وَإخوَتِهِمِ اللّاوِيِّينَ بِنَفسٍ واحِدَةٍ لِلإشرافِ عَلَى العُمّالِ الَّذِينَ كانُوا يَبنُونَ بَيتَ اللهِ.

10 A nd when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests stood in their vestments with trumpets, and the Levite sons of Asaph with their cymbals, to praise the Lord, after the order of David king of Israel.

وَلَمّا وَضَعَ البَنّاؤُونَ أساساتِ هَيكَلِ اللهِ ، أخَذَ الكَهَنَةُ أماكِنَهُمُ المُخَصَّصَةَ، وَهُمْ يَرتَدُونَ أثوابَهُمُ الكَهَنُوتِيَّةَ وَيَحمِلُونَ الأبواقَ. وَكانَ اللّاوِيُّونَ بَنُو آسافَ يُسَبِّحُونَ اللهَ وَهُمْ يَحمِلُونَ الصُّنُوجَ، كَما رَتَّبَ داوُدُ مَلِكُ بَنِي إسْرائِيلَ.

11 T hey sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord, saying, For He is good, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid!

وَرَنَّمُوا بِالتَّناوُبِ مُسَبِّحِينَ وَشاكِرِينَ اللهَ: «سَبِّحُوا اللهَ لِأنَّهُ صالِحٌ، لأنَّ رَحمَتَهُ إلَى الأبَدِ.» وَهَتَفَ كُلُّ الشَّعبِ هُتافاً عَظِيماً تَسبِيحاً للهِ ، لأنَّ أساساتِ بَيتِ اللهِ قَد وُضِعَتْ.

12 B ut many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ houses, old men who had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice, though many shouted aloud for joy.

وَكَثِيرُونَ مِنَ الكَهَنَةِ وَاللّاوِيِّينَ وَرُؤَساءِ العَشائِرِ الَّذِينَ سَبَقَ لَهُمْ أن رَأَوْا الهَيكَلَ السّابِقَ، بَكُوا بِصَوتٍ مُرتَفِعٍ لَمّا رَأَوْا أساساتِ الهَيكَلِ الجَّدِيدِ تُوضَعُ أمامَ عُيُونِهِمْ. بَينَما كانَ كَثِيرُونَ غَيرُهُمْ يَصرُخُونَ مِنَ الفَرَحِ،

13 S o the people could not distinguish the shout of joy from the sound of the weeping of the people, for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the sound was heard far off.

فَلَمْ يَكُن بِاستِطاعَةِ أحَدٍ أن يُمَيِّزَ صَوتَ الفَرَحِ مِنْ صَوتِ البُكاءِ! لأنَّ الشَّعبَ كُلَّهُ كانَ يَهتِفُ بِصَوتٍ مُرتَفِعٍ جِداً، حَتَّى إنَّ صَوتَهُمْ كانَ يُسمَعُ مِنْ بَعِيدٍ.