Discovery BoxEzra 3:8-13 
Context3:8 In the second year after they had come to the temple of God in Jerusalem, 1 in the second month, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak initiated the work, 2 along with the rest of their associates, 3 the priests and the Levites, and all those who were coming to Jerusalem from the exile. They appointed 4 the Levites who were at least twenty years old 5 to take charge of the work on the Lord’s temple. 3:9 So Jeshua appointed both his sons and his relatives, 6 Kadmiel and his sons (the sons of Yehudah 7 ), to take charge of the workers in the temple of God, along with the sons of Henadad, their sons, and their relatives 8 the Levites. 3:10 When the builders established the Lord’s temple, the priests, ceremonially attired and with their clarions, 9 and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with their cymbals, stood to praise the Lord according to the instructions left by 10 King David of Israel. 11 3:11 With antiphonal response they sang, 12 praising and glorifying the Lord:
“For he is good;
his loyal love toward Israel is forever.”
All the people gave a loud 13 shout as they praised the Lord when the temple of the Lord was established. 3:12 Many of the priests, the Levites, and the leaders 14 – older people who had seen with their own eyes the former temple while it was still established 15 – were weeping loudly, 16 and many others raised their voice in a joyous shout. 3:13 People were unable to tell the difference between the sound of joyous shouting and the sound of the people’s weeping, for the people were shouting so loudly 17 that the sound was heard a long way off.
1 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
2 tn Heb “began”; the phrase “the work” is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.
3 tn Heb “their brothers.”
4 tn Heb “stood.”
5 tn Heb “from twenty years and upward.”
6 tn Heb “brothers.”
7 sn The name יְהוּדָה (Yehudah; cf. KJV, ASV, NASB “Judah”) is probably a variant of Hodaviah (see Ezra 2:40; cf. NIV, NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT).
8 tn Heb “brothers.”
9 sn This was a long, straight, metallic instrument used for signal calls, rather than the traditional ram’s horn (both instruments are typically translated “trumpet” by English versions).
10 tn Heb “according to the hands of.”
11 sn See Ps 107:1; 118:1, 29; 136:1. Cf. 2 Chr 5:13; 7:3; 20:21.
12 tn Heb “they answered.”
13 tn Heb “great.”
14 tn Heb “the heads of the fathers.”
15 sn The temple had been destroyed some fifty years earlier by the Babylonians in 586
16 tn Heb “with a great voice.”
17 tn Heb “a great shout.”
