1 W hen the seventh month came, and the sons of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered together as one man in Jerusalem.

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

2 T hen Jozadak’s son Jeshua and his brothers the religious leaders, and Shealtiel’s son Zerubbabel and his brothers, built the altar of the God of Israel, to give burnt gifts on it. They did this as it is written in the Law 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 S o they set up the altar in its place, for they were afraid because of the peoples of the lands. On it they gave burnt gifts in worship 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 the Special Supper of Tents, as it is written. They gave the right number of burnt gifts every day by the Law, as was needed for each day.

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

5 A fter that they gave the gifts to be burned day and night and for the new moons, and for all the special times of the Lord, and the gifts from every one who brought a free-will gift 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 give burnt gifts to the Lord. But the house of the Lord had not begun to be built.

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 S o they gave money to the men who worked with stone and wood. They gave food, drink and oil to the Sidonians and Tyrians so the cedar wood could be brought from Lebanon to the sea at Joppa, as King Cyrus of Persia had allowed them. Work on the House of God Begins

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 month of the second year of their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the rest of their brothers the religious leaders and Levites, and all who returned from Babylon to Jerusalem, began the work. And they chose the Levites from twenty years old and older to watch over 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 brothers, Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, and the sons of Henadad with their sons and brothers the Levites, together watched over the workmen in the house of God.

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 W hen the builders had begun building the house of the Lord, the religious leaders stood in their religious clothing blowing horns. The Levites, the sons of Asaph, stood with brass noise-makers. And they praised the Lord, as they had been told by King David 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, praising and giving thanks to the Lord, saying, “For He is good, for His loving-kindness is upon Israel forever.” All the people called out with a loud voice when they praised the Lord because the work on the house of the Lord had begun.

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 religious leaders and Levites and heads of the family groups were old men who had seen the first house of the Lord. And they cried with a loud voice when the work of this house was begun in front of their eyes. But many called out for joy in a loud voice.

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 T he people could not tell the difference between the sound of joy and the sound of crying. For the people called out with a loud voice, and the sound was heard far away.

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.