וַיִּגַּע הַחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִי וּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בֶּעָרִים וַיֵּאָסְפוּ הָעָם כְּאִישׁ אֶחָד אֶל־יְרוּשָׁלִָם

The immigrants likely arrived in the Land of Israel in the summer, when such long journeys are feasible. The seventh Hebrew month, Tishrei, arrived with the children of Israel settled in the cities; the people assembled, as one man, to Jerusalem.

וַיָּקָם יֵשׁוּעַ בֶּן־יוֹצָדָק וְאֶחָיו הַכֹּהֲנִים וּזְרֻבָּבֶל בֶּן־שְׁאַלְתִּיאֵל וְאֶחָיו וַיִּבְנוּ אֶת־מִזְבַּח אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לְהַעֲלוֹת עָלָיו עֹלוֹת כַּכָּתוּב בְּתוֹרַת מֹשֶׁה אִישׁ־הָאֱלֹהִים

Yeshua son of Yotzadak, the High Priest, and his brethren the priests, and Zerubavel son of She’altiel, the leader of royal lineage, a descendant of King Yehoyakhin, and his brethren stood and built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer up burnt offerings upon it, as it is written in the Torah of Moses, the man of God.

וַיָּכִינוּ הַמִּזְבֵּחַ עַל־מְכוֹנֹתָו כִּי בְּאֵימָה עֲלֵיהֶם מֵעַמֵּי הָאֲרָצוֹת וַיַּעֲל עָלָיו עֹלוֹת לַה' עֹלוֹת לַבֹּקֶר וְלָעָרֶב

They established the altar on its original foundations, for they were fearful of the peoples of the land. They were apprehensive with regard to the nations of the area, and were too afraid to rebuild Jerusalem completely. Therefore, they merely reestablished the altar on its foundations, avoiding any steps that might appear threatening or overly conspicuous. And they offered up burnt offerings to the Lord upon it, the two burnt offerings that constitute the daily offerings, which are brought morning and evening.

וַיַּעֲשׂוּ אֶת־חַג הַסֻּכּוֹת כַּכָּתוּב וְעֹלַת יוֹם בְּיוֹם בְּמִסְפָּר כְּמִשְׁפַּט דְּבַר־יוֹם בְּיוֹמוֹ

They observed the Festival of the Tabernacles, as it is written in the Torah, with daily burnt offerings by the specific number, in accordance with the ordinance, each day’s quantity on its day. Each day of the festival they would bring a different number of burnt offerings, as required by the Torah,

וְאַחֲרֵי כֵן עֹלַת תָּמִיד ול חֳדָשִׁים וּלְכָל־מוֹעֲדֵי ה' הַמְקֻדָּשִׁים וּלְכֹל מִתְנַדֵּב נְדָבָה לַה'

and thereafter they continued even in the following days, when the festival had ended, to bring the daily continual burnt offering, and for the new moons, and for all the sacred appointed times of the Lord, and for everyone who proffered a gift offering to the Lord.

מִיּוֹם אֶחָד לַחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִי הֵחֵלּוּ לְהַעֲלוֹת עֹלוֹת לַה' וְהֵיכַל ה' לֹא יֻסָּד

From the first day of the seventh month, Rosh HaShana, they began to offer up burnt offerings to the Lord; but the foundation of the Sanctuary of the Lord was not laid. The altar alone was built, but nevertheless offerings could be burnt upon it.

וַיִּתְּנוּ כֶסֶף לַחֹצְבִים וְלֶחָרָשִׁים וּמַאֲכָל וּמִשְׁתֶּה וָשֶׁמֶן לַצִּדֹנִים וְלַצֹּרִים לְהָבִיא עֲצֵי אֲרָזִים מִן־הַלְּבָנוֹן אֶל־יָם יָפוֹא כְּרִשְׁיוֹן כּוֹרֶשׁ מֶלֶךְ־פָּרַס עֲלֵיהֶם

Meanwhile, they gave silver to the masons of stone, and to the craftsmen who worked with hard materials; and they gave food, drink, and oil to the Sidonians and to the Tyrians, in order to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea, to Yafo,Jaffa, in accordance with their license that they had received from Cyrus king of Persia to rebuild the Temple.

וּבַשָּׁנָה הַשֵּׁנִית לְבוֹאָם אֶל־בֵּית הָאֱלֹהִים לִירוּשָׁלִַם בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַשֵּׁנִי הֵחֵלּוּ זְרֻבָּבֶל בֶן־שְׁאַלְתִּיאֵל וְיֵשׁוּעַ בֶּן־יוֹצָדָק וּשְׁאָר אֲחֵיהֶם הַכֹּהֲנִים וְהַלְוִיִּם וְכָל־הַבָּאִים מֵהַשְּׁבִי יְרוּשָׁלִַם וַיַּעֲמִידוּ אֶת־הַלְוִיִּם מִבֶּן עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וָמַעְלָה לְנַצֵּחַ עַל־מְלֶאכֶת בֵּית־ה'

In the second year after their arrival at the House of God in Jerusalem, in the second month, Iyar, Zerubavel son of She’altiel, the governor, and Yeshua son of Yotzadak, the High Priest, and the rest of their brethren, the priests and the Levites, and everyone who came from the captivity, from the exile, to Jerusalem, commenced work on this sacred project. To this end they appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and above, to supervise the labor of rebuilding the House of the Lord.

וַיַּעֲמֹד יֵשׁוּעַ בָּנָיו וְאֶחָיו קַדְמִיאֵל וּבָנָיו בְנֵי־יְהוּדָה כְּאֶחָד לְנַצֵּחַ עַל־עֹשֵׂה הַמְּלָאכָה בְּבֵית הָאֱלֹהִים בְּנֵי חֵנָדָד בְּנֵיהֶם וַאֲחֵיהֶם הַלְוִיִּם

Yeshua, his sons and his brethren, Kadmiel and his sons, of the children of Judah, all of them stood together to supervise the craftsmen in the House of God; the children of Henadad also accompanied them, with their sons, and their brethren the Levites.

וְיִסְּדוּ הַבֹּנִים אֶת־הֵיכַל ה'וַיַּעֲמִידוּ הַכֹּהֲנִים מְלֻבָּשִׁים בַּחֲצֹצְרוֹת וְהַלְוִיִּם בְּנֵי־אָסָף בַּמְצִלְתַּיִם לְהַלֵּל אֶת־ה' עַל־יְדֵי דָּוִיד מֶלֶךְ־יִשְׂרָאֵל

The builders laid the foundation,and perhaps had begun to build the walls of the Sanctuary of the Lord, and they set up the attired priests, who blew with trumpets, and the Levites, children of Asaf, the chief singers in the time of King David, played music with cymbals, to praise the Lord, by means of the psalms of praise of David king of Israel.

וַיַּעֲנוּ בְּהַלֵּל וּבְהוֹדֹת לַה' כִּי טוֹב כִּי־לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵל וְכָל־הָעָם הֵרִיעוּ תְרוּעָה גְדוֹלָה בְהַלֵּל לַה' עַל הוּסַד בֵּית־ה'

They called out with praise and thanksgiving to the Lord: For He is good, for His mercy endures forever over Israel. This was likely a familiar refrain of praise that featured in various songs. All the people cheered a great cheer of joy, in praise to the Lord on the laying of the foundation of the House of the Lord.

וְרַבִּים מֵהַכֹּהֲנִים וְהַלְוִיִּם וְרָאשֵׁי הָאָבוֹת הַזְּקֵנִים אֲשֶׁר רָאוּ אֶת־הַבַּיִת הָרִאשׁוֹן בְּיָסְדוֹ זֶה הַבַּיִת בְּעֵינֵיהֶם בֹּכִים בְּקוֹל גָּדוֹל ורַבִּים בִּתְרוּעָה בְשִׂמְחָה לְהָרִים קוֹל

But many of the priests and Levites and heads of patrilineal families, the elders, who had seen the first House when it was still standing on its foundation, wept in a loud voice when this partly rebuilt House was presented before their eyes. Roughly seventy years had passed since Nebuchadnezzar captured Yehoyakhin, but the great exile in the days of Tzidkiya and destruction of the Temple occurred many years later, and thus there were people some seventy years old who could still remember the appearance of the First Temple. They viewed this new Temple as a shadow of the glory of the magnificent Temple of Solomon. The difference was most conspicuous in the early stages of the rebuilding project. Even if the building would be enlarged, it would still be less impressive than the First Temple. And yet in contrast to them, many others, younger individuals, cheered with joy, raising voices.

וְאֵין הָעָם מַכִּירִים קוֹל תְּרוּעַת הַשִּׂמְחָה לְקוֹל בְּכִי הָעָם כִּי הָעָם מְרִיעִים תְּרוּעָה גְדוֹלָה וְהַקּוֹל נִשְׁמַע עַד־לְמֵרָחוֹק

The people could not distinguish the sound of the cheer of joy from the sound of the weeping of the people. The sounds of weeping and joy blended together, for the people were cheering a great cheer, and the sound was heard from afar.