Sacrifices Restored

¹By the seventh month, the Israelites had settled in their towns, and the people assembled as one man in Jerusalem.

²Then Jeshua son of Jozadakand his fellow priests, along with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his associates, began to build the altar of the God of Israel to sacrifice burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of God.

³They set up the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the LORD—both the morning and evening burnt offerings—even though they feared the people of the land.

⁴They also celebrated the Feast of Tabernaclesin accordance with what is written, and they offered burnt offerings daily based on the number prescribed for each day.

⁵After that, they presented the regular burnt offerings and those for New Moons and for all the appointed sacred feasts of the LORD, as well as all the freewill offerings brought to the LORD.

⁶On the first day of the seventh month, the Israelites began to offer burnt offerings to the LORD, although the foundation of the temple of the LORD had not been laid.

⁷They gave money to the masons and carpenters, and food and drink and oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre to bring cedar logs from Lebanon to Joppa by sea, as authorized by Cyrus king of Persia.

Temple Restoration Begins

⁸In the second month of the second year after they had arrived at the house of God in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Jeshua son of Jozadak, and the rest of their associates including the priests, the Levites, and all who had returned to Jerusalem from the captivity, began the work. They appointed Levites twenty years of age or older to supervise the construction of the house of the LORD.

⁹So Jeshua and his sons and brothers, Kadmiel and his sons (descendants of Yehudah),and the sons of Henadad and their sons and brothers—all Levites—joined together to supervise those working on the house of God.

¹⁰When the builders had laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with cymbals, took their positions to praise the LORD, as David king of Israel had prescribed.

¹¹And they sang responsively with praise and thanksgiving to the LORD:“For He is good;for His loving devotionto Israel endures forever.”Then all the people gave a great shout of praise to the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD had been laid.

¹²But many of the older priests, Levites, and family heads who had seen the first temple wept loudly when they saw the foundation of this temple. Still, many others shouted joyfully.

¹³The people could not distinguish the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people were making so much noise. And the sound was heard from afar.

Hagar and Ishmael

¹Now Abram’s wife Sarai had borne him no children, but she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar.

²So Sarai said to Abram, “Look now, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Please go to my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family by her.”And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.

³So after he had lived in Canaan for ten years, his wife Sarai took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and gave her to Abram to be his wife.

⁴And he slept with Hagar, and she conceived. But when Hagar realized that she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress.

⁵Then Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done to me be upon you! I delivered my servant into your arms, and ever since she saw that she was pregnant, she has treated me with contempt. May the LORD judge between you and me.”

⁶“Here,” said Abram, “your servant is in your hands. Do whatever you want with her.” Then Sarai treated Hagar so harshly that she fled from her.

⁷Now the angelof the LORD found Hagar by a spring of water in the desert—the spring along the road to Shur.

⁸“Hagar, servant of Sarai,” he said, “where have you come from, and where are you going?”“I am running away from my mistress Sarai,” she replied.

⁹So the angel of the LORD told her, “Return to your mistress and submit to her authority.”

¹⁰Then the angel added, “I will greatly multiply your offspring so that they will be too numerous to count.”

¹¹The angel of the LORD proceeded:“Behold, you have conceived and will bear a son.And you shall name him Ishmael,for the LORD has heard your cry of affliction.

¹²He will be a wild donkey of a man,and his hand will be against everyone,and everyone’s hand against him;he will live in hostilitytoward all his brothers.”

¹³So Hagar gave this name to the LORD who had spoken to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “Here I have seen the One who sees me!”

¹⁴Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi.It is located between Kadesh and Bered.

¹⁵And Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne.

¹⁶Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to him.

How Lonely Lies the City!

¹Howlonely lies the city,once so full of people!She who was great among the nationshas become a widow.The princess of the provinceshas become a slave.

²She weeps aloud in the night,with tears upon her cheeks.Among all her loversthere is no one to comfort her.All her friends have betrayed her;they have become her enemies.

³Judah has gone into exileunder affliction and harsh slavery;she dwells among the nationsbut finds no place to rest.All her pursuers have overtaken herin the midst of her distress.

⁴The roads to Zion mourn,because no one comes to her appointed feasts.All her gates are deserted;her priests groan,her maidens grieve,and she herself is bitter with anguish.

⁵Her foes have become her masters;her enemies are at ease.For the LORD has brought her griefbecause of her many transgressions.Her children have gone awayas captives before the enemy.

⁶All the splendor has departedfrom the Daughter of Zion.Her princes are like deerthat find no pasture;they lack the strength to fleein the face of the hunter.

⁷In the days of her affliction and wanderingJerusalem remembers all the treasuresthat were hers in days of old.When her people fell into enemy handsshe received no help.Her enemies looked upon her,laughing at her downfall.

⁸Jerusalem has sinned greatly;therefore she has become an object of scorn.All who honored her now despise her,for they have seen her nakedness;she herself groans and turns away.

⁹Her uncleanness stains her skirts;she did not consider her end.Her downfall was astounding;there was no one to comfort her.Look, O LORD, on my affliction,for the enemy has triumphed!

¹⁰The adversary has seizedall her treasures.For she has seen the nationsenter her sanctuary—those You had forbiddento enter Your assembly.

¹¹All her people groanas they search for bread.They have traded their treasures for foodto keep themselves alive.Look, O LORD, and consider,for I have become despised.

¹²Is this nothing to you, all you who pass by?Look around and see!Is there any sorrow like mine,which was inflicted on me,which the LORD made me sufferon the day of His fierce anger?

¹³He sent fire from on high,and it overpowered my bones.He spread a net for my feetand turned me back.He made me desolate,faint all the day long.

¹⁴My transgressions are bound into a yoke,knit together by His hand;they are draped over my neck,and the Lord has broken my strength.He has delivered me into the handsof those I cannot withstand.

¹⁵The Lord has rejectedall the mighty men in my midst;He has summoned an army against meto crush my young warriors.Like grapes in a winepress,the Lord has trampled the Virgin Daughter of Judah.

¹⁶For these things I weep;my eyes flow with tears.For there is no one nearby to comfort me,no one to revive my soul.My children are destitutebecause the enemy has prevailed.

¹⁷Zion stretches out her hands,but there is no one to comfort her.The LORD has decreed against Jacobthat his neighbors become his foes.Jerusalem has becomean unclean thing among them.

¹⁸The LORD is righteous,yet I rebelled against His command.Listen, all you people;look upon my suffering.My young men and maidenshave gone into captivity.

¹⁹I called out to my lovers,but they have betrayed me.My priests and eldersperished in the citywhile they searched for foodto keep themselves alive.

²⁰See, O LORD, how distressed I am!I am churning within;my heart is pounding within me,for I have been most rebellious.Outside, the sword bereaves;inside, there is death.

²¹People have heard my groaning,but there is no one to comfort me.All my enemies have heard of my trouble;they are glad that You have caused it.May You bring the day You have announced,so that they may become like me.

²²Let all their wickedness come before You,and deal with themas You have dealt with mebecause of all my transgressions.For my groans are many,and my heart is faint.

Do Not Rebuke Me in Your Anger

¹O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your angeror discipline me in Your wrath.

²For Your arrows have pierced me deeply,and Your hand has pressed down on me.

³There is no soundness in my bodybecause of Your anger;there is no rest in my bonesbecause of my sin.

⁴For my iniquities have overwhelmed me;they are a burden too heavy to bear.

⁵My wounds are foul and festeringbecause of my sinful folly.

⁶I am bent and brought low;all day long I go about mourning.

⁷For my loins are full of burning pain,and no soundness remains in my body.

⁸I am numb and badly crushed;I groan in anguish of heart.

⁹O Lord, my every desire is before You;my groaning is not hidden from You.

¹⁰My heart pounds, my strength fails,and even the light of my eyes has faded.

¹¹My beloved and friends shun my disease,and my kinsmen stand at a distance.

¹²Those who seek my life lay snares;those who wish me harm speak destruction,plotting deceit all day long.

¹³But like a deaf man, I do not hear;and like a mute man, I do not open my mouth.

¹⁴I am like a man who cannot hear,whose mouth offers no reply.

¹⁵I wait for You, O LORD;You will answer, O Lord my God.

¹⁶For I said, “Let them not gloat over me—those who taunt me when my foot slips.”

¹⁷For I am ready to fall,and my pain is ever with me.

¹⁸Yes, I confess my iniquity;I am troubled by my sin.

¹⁹Many are my enemies without cause,and many hate me without reason.

²⁰Those who repay my good with evilattack me for pursuing the good.

²¹Do not forsake me, O LORD;be not far from me, O my God.

²²Come quickly to help me,O Lord my Savior.