Rebuilding the Altar

1 ^kWhen the seventh month came, and the children of Israel were in the towns, the people gathered as one man to Jerusalem. 2 Then arose Jeshua the son of Jozadak, with his fellow priests, and ^lZerubbabel the son of ^mShealtiel with his kinsmen, and they built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, ⁿas it is written in the Law of Moses the ^oman of God. 3 They set the altar in its place, ^pfor fear was on them because of the peoples of the lands, and ^qthey offered burnt offerings on it to the Lord, burnt offerings morning and evening. 4 ^rAnd they kept the Feast of Booths, ^sas it is written, ^tand offered the daily burnt offerings by number according to the rule, as each day required, 5 and after that the regular burnt ^uofferings, the offerings at the new moon ^vand at all the appointed feasts of the Lord, and the offerings of everyone who made a freewill offering to the Lord. 6 From 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. 7 So they gave money to the masons and the carpenters, ^wand food, drink, and oil to the Sidonians and the Tyrians ^xto bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea, to Joppa, ^yaccording to the grant that they had from Cyrus king of Persia.

Rebuilding the Temple

8 Now in the second year after their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, ^zZerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and ^zJeshua the son of Jozadak made a beginning, together with the rest of their kinsmen, the priests and the Levites and all who had come to Jerusalem from the captivity. They ^aappointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to ^bsupervise the work of the house of the Lord. 9 And ^zJeshua with his sons and his brothers, and Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together ^bsupervised the workmen in the house of God, along with the ^csons of Henadad and the Levites, their sons and brothers.

10 And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests in their vestments came forward with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the Lord, ^daccording to the directions of David king of Israel. 11 And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord,

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. 12 But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ houses, ^fold men who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid, though many shouted aloud for joy, 13 so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people’s weeping, for the people shouted with a great shout, and the sound was heard far away.

Adversaries Oppose the Rebuilding

1 Now when ^gthe adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple to the Lord, the God of Israel, 2 they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers’ houses and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we worship your God as you do, and we have been sacrificing to him ever ^hsince the days of ⁱEsarhaddon king of Assyria ^jwho brought us here.” 3 But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers’ houses in Israel said to them, ^k“You have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God; but we alone will build to the Lord, the God of Israel, ^las King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.”

4 Then ^mthe people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build 5 and bribed counselors against them to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.

6 And in the reign of ⁿAhasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.

The Letter to King Artaxerxes

7 In the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam and ^oMithredath and Tabeel and the rest of their associates wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia. The letter was written ^pin Aramaic and translated.¹ 8 Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows: 9 Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates, the ^qjudges, the ^rgovernors, the officials, the Persians, the men of Erech, the Babylonians, the men of Susa, that is, the ^sElamites, 10 and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble ^tOsnappar deported and settled in the cities of Samaria and in the rest of the province Beyond the River. 11 (This is a copy of the letter that they sent.) “To Artaxerxes the king: Your servants, the men of the province Beyond the River, send greeting. And now 12 be it known to the king that the Jews who came up from you to us have gone to Jerusalem. They are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city. They are ^vfinishing the walls and repairing the foundations. 13 Now be it known to the king that if this city is rebuilt and the walls finished, they will not pay ^wtribute, custom, or toll, and the royal revenue will be impaired. 14 Now because we eat the salt of the palace² and it is not fitting for us to witness the king’s dishonor, therefore we send and inform the king, 15 in order that search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers. You will find in the book of the records and learn that this city is a rebellious city, hurtful to kings and provinces, and that sedition was stirred up in it from of old. That was why this city was laid waste. 16 We make known to the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls finished, you will then have no possession in the province Beyond the River.”

The King Orders the Work to Cease

17 The king sent an answer: “To Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe and the rest of their associates who live in Samaria and in the rest of the province Beyond the River, greeting. And now 18 the letter that you sent to us has been ^xplainly read before me. 19 And I made a decree, and search has been made, and it has been found that this city from of old has risen against kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been made in it. 20 And mighty kings have been over Jerusalem, ^ywho ruled over the whole province Beyond the River, to whom ^ztribute, custom, and toll were paid. 21 Therefore make a decree that these men be made to cease, and that this city be not rebuilt, until a decree is made by me. 22 And take care not to be slack in this matter. Why should damage grow to the hurt of the king?”

23 Then, when the copy of King Artaxerxes’ letter was read before Rehum and Shimshai the scribe and their associates, they went in haste to the Jews at Jerusalem and by force and power made them cease. 24 Then the work on the house of God that is in Jerusalem stopped, and it ceased until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

Rebuilding Begins Anew

1 Now the prophets, ^aHaggai and ^bZechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel who was over them. 2 ^cThen Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and ^dJeshua the son of Jozadak arose and began to rebuild the house of God that is in Jerusalem, and the prophets of God were ^ewith them, supporting them.

3 At the same time ^fTattenai the governor of the province Beyond the River and Shethar-bozenai and their associates came to them and spoke to them thus: ^g“Who gave you a decree to build this house and to finish this structure?” 4 They also asked them this:³ “What are the names of the men who are building this building?” 5 But ^hthe eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, and they did not stop them until the report should reach Darius and then an answer be returned by letter concerning it.

Tattenai’s Letter to King Darius

6 This is a copy of the letter that ^fTattenai the governor of the province Beyond the River and Shethar-bozenai and his associates, the ⁱgovernors who were in the province Beyond the River, sent to Darius the king. 7 They sent him a report, in which was written as follows: “To Darius the king, all peace. 8 Be it known to the king that we went to the province of Judah, to the house of the great God. It is being built with huge stones, and timber is laid in the walls. This work goes on diligently and prospers in their hands. 9 Then we asked those elders and spoke to them thus: ^g‘Who gave you a decree to build this house and to finish this structure?’ 10 We also asked them their names, for your information, that we might write down the names of their leaders.⁴ 11 And this was their reply to us: ‘We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the house that was built many years ago, ^jwhich a great king of Israel built and ^kfinished. 12 ^lBut because our fathers had angered the God of heaven, he ^mgave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this house and carried away the people to Babylonia. 13 ⁿHowever, in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, Cyrus the king made a decree that this house of God should be rebuilt. 14 ^oAnd the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple that was in Jerusalem and brought into the temple of Babylon, these Cyrus the king took out of the temple of Babylon, and they were delivered to one whose name was ^pSheshbazzar, whom he had made governor; 15 and he said to him, “Take these vessels, go and put them in the temple that is in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt on its site.” 16 Then this ^pSheshbazzar came and ^qlaid the foundations of the house of God that is in Jerusalem, and from that time until now it has been in building, and it is ^rnot yet finished.’ 17 Therefore, if it seems good to the king, ^slet search be made in the royal archives there in Babylon, to see whether a decree was issued by Cyrus the king for the rebuilding of this house of God in Jerusalem. And let the king send us his pleasure in this matter.”

Joy Comes with the Morning

A Psalm of David. A song at the dedication of ^rthe temple.

1 And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not ^ltaste death ^muntil they see the kingdom of God after it has come ⁿwith power.”

The Transfiguration

2 ^oAnd after six days Jesus took with him ^pPeter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was ^qtransfigured before them, 3 and ^rhis clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one¹ on earth could bleach them. 4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. 5 And Peter said to Jesus, ^s“Rabbi,² it is good that we are here. Let us make three ^ttents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 For ^uhe did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7 And ^va cloud overshadowed them, and ^va voice came out of the cloud, ^w“This is my beloved Son;^{3 x}listen to him.” 8 And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.

9 ^yAnd as they were coming down the mountain, ^zhe charged them to tell no one what they had seen, ^auntil the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 ^bSo they kept the matter to themselves, ^cquestioning what this rising from the dead might mean. 11 And they asked him, “Why do the scribes say ^dthat first Elijah must come?” 12 And he said to them, “Elijah does come first ^eto restore all things. And ^fhow is it written of the Son of Man that he should ^gsuffer many things and ^hbe treated with contempt? 13 But I tell you that Elijah has come, and ⁱthey did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him.”

Jesus Heals a Boy with an Unclean Spirit

14 ^jAnd when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. 15 And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, ^kwere greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him. 16 And he asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” 17 And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has ^la spirit that makes him mute. 18 And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and ^mthey were not able.” 19 And he answered them, “O ⁿfaithless generation, ⁿhow long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” 20 And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it ^oconvulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. 21 And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22 And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But ^pif you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 23 And Jesus said to him, ^p“‘If you can’! ^qAll things are possible for one who believes.” 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out⁴ and said, “I believe; ^rhelp my unbelief!” 25 And when Jesus saw that ^sa crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, ^t“You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” 26 And after crying out and ^oconvulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” 27 But Jesus ^utook him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. 28 And when he had ^ventered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” 29 And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”⁵

Jesus Again Foretells Death, Resurrection

30 ^wThey went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he did not want anyone to know, 31 for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, ^xafter three days he will rise.” 32 ^yBut they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him.

Who Is the Greatest?

33 And ^zthey came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house ^ahe asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” 34 But they kept silent, for on the way ^bthey had argued with one another about who was the greatest. 35 And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, ^c“If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” 36 And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and ^dtaking him in his arms, he said to them, 37 ^e“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and ^ewhoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.”

Anyone Not Against Us Is for Us

38 ^fJohn said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone ^gcasting out demons in your name,⁶ and ^hwe tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” 39 But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. 40 ⁱFor the one who is not against us is for us. 41 For truly, I say to you, ^jwhoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.

Temptations to Sin

42 ^k“Whoever causes one of ^lthese little ones who believe in me to sin,^{7 m}it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. 43 ⁿAnd if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to ^ohell,⁸ to ^pthe unquenchable fire.⁹ 45 ^qAnd if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into ^ohell. 47 ^rAnd if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into ^shell, 48 ‘where ^ttheir worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’ 49 For everyone will be salted with fire.¹⁰ 50 ^vSalt is good, ^wbut if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? ^xHave salt in yourselves, and ^ybe at peace with one another.”