Rebuilding the Altar

3 When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns,^(A) the people assembled^(B) together as one in Jerusalem. ² Then Joshua^(C) son of Jozadak^(D) and his fellow priests and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel^(E) and his associates began to build the altar of the God of Israel to sacrifice burnt offerings on it, in accordance with what is written in the Law of Moses^(F) the man of God. ³ Despite their fear^(G) of the peoples around them, they built the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the Lord, both the morning and evening sacrifices.^{(H) 4} Then in accordance with what is written, they celebrated the Festival of Tabernacles^(I) with the required number of burnt offerings prescribed for each day. ⁵ After that, they presented the regular burnt offerings, the New Moon^(J) sacrifices and the sacrifices for all the appointed sacred festivals of the Lord,^(K) as well as those brought as freewill offerings to the Lord. ⁶ On the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord, though the foundation of the Lord’s temple had not yet been laid.

Rebuilding the Temple

⁷ Then they gave money to the masons and carpenters,^(L) and gave food and drink and olive oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre, so that they would bring cedar logs^(M) by sea from Lebanon^(N) to Joppa, as authorized by Cyrus^(O) king of Persia.

⁸ In the second month^(P) of the second year after their arrival at the house of God in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel^(Q) son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jozadak and the rest of the people (the priests and the Levites and all who had returned from the captivity to Jerusalem) began the work. They appointed Levites twenty^(R) years old and older to supervise the building of the house of the Lord. ⁹ Joshua^(S) and his sons and brothers and Kadmiel and his sons (descendants of Hodaviah^[a]) and the sons of Henadad and their sons and brothers—all Levites—joined together in supervising those working on the house of God.

¹⁰ When the builders laid^(T) the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests in their vestments and with trumpets,^(U) and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with cymbals, took their places to praise^(V) the Lord, as prescribed by David^(W) king of Israel.^{(X) 11} With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord:

And all the people gave a great shout^(Z) of praise to the Lord, because the foundation^(AA) of the house of the Lord was laid. ¹² But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple,^(AB) wept^(AC) aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy. ¹³ No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy^(AD) from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise. And the sound was heard far away.

Opposition to the Rebuilding

4 When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building^(A) a temple for the Lord, the God of Israel, ² they came to Zerubbabel and to the heads of the families and said, “Let us help you build because, like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to him since the time of Esarhaddon^(B) king of Assyria, who brought us here.”^(C)

³ But Zerubbabel, Joshua and the rest of the heads of the families of Israel answered, “You have no part with us in building a temple to our God. We alone will build it for the Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, commanded us.”^(D)

⁴ Then the peoples around them set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to go on building.^{[a](E) 5} They bribed officials to work against them and frustrate their plans during the entire reign of Cyrus king of Persia and down to the reign of Darius king of Persia.

Later Opposition Under Xerxes and Artaxerxes

⁶ At the beginning of the reign of Xerxes,^[b](F) they lodged an accusation against the people of Judah and Jerusalem.^(G)

⁷ And in the days of Artaxerxes^(H) king of Persia, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel and the rest of his associates wrote a letter to Artaxerxes. The letter was written in Aramaic script and in the Aramaic^(I) language.^[c][d]

⁸ Rehum the commanding officer and Shimshai the secretary wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows:

¹¹ (This is a copy of the letter they sent him.)

¹⁷ The king sent this reply:

²³ As soon as the copy of the letter of King Artaxerxes was read to Rehum and Shimshai the secretary and their associates,^(W) they went immediately to the Jews in Jerusalem and compelled them by force to stop.

²⁴ Thus the work on the house of God in Jerusalem came to a standstill until the second year of the reign of Darius^(X) king of Persia.

Psalm 130

A song of ascents.

1 Simon Peter, a servant^(A) and apostle of Jesus Christ,^(B)

To those who through the righteousness^(C) of our God and Savior Jesus Christ^(D) have received a faith as precious as ours:

² Grace and peace be yours in abundance^(E) through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.^(F)

Confirming One’s Calling and Election

³ His divine power^(G) has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him^(H) who called us^(I) by his own glory and goodness. ⁴ Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises,^(J) so that through them you may participate in the divine nature,^(K) having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.^(L)

⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;^{(M) 6} and to knowledge, self-control;^(N) and to self-control, perseverance;^(O) and to perseverance, godliness;^{(P) 7} and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.^{(Q) 8} For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive^(R) in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.^{(S) 9} But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind,^(T) forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.^(U)

¹⁰ Therefore, my brothers and sisters,^[a] make every effort to confirm your calling^(V) and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble,^{(W) 11} and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom^(X) of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.^(Y)

Prophecy of Scripture

¹² So I will always remind you of these things,^(Z) even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth^(AA) you now have. ¹³ I think it is right to refresh your memory^(AB) as long as I live in the tent of this body,^{(AC) 14} because I know that I will soon put it aside,^(AD) as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me.^{(AE) 15} And I will make every effort to see that after my departure^(AF) you will always be able to remember these things.

¹⁶ For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power,^(AG) but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.^{(AH) 17} He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”^{[b](AI) 18} We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.^(AJ)

¹⁹ We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable,^(AK) and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light^(AL) shining in a dark place, until the day dawns^(AM) and the morning star^(AN) rises in your hearts.^{(AO) 20} Above all, you must understand^(AP) that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. ²¹ For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God^(AQ) as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.^(AR)

False Teachers and Their Destruction

2 But there were also false prophets^(AS) among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you.^(AT) They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord^(AU) who bought them^(AV)—bringing swift destruction on themselves. ² Many will follow their depraved conduct^(AW) and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. ³ In their greed^(AX) these teachers will exploit you^(AY) with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.

⁴ For if God did not spare angels when they sinned,^(AZ) but sent them to hell,^[c] putting them in chains of darkness^[d] to be held for judgment;^{(BA) 5} if he did not spare the ancient world^(BB) when he brought the flood on its ungodly people,^(BC) but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others;^{(BD) 6} if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes,^(BE) and made them an example^(BF) of what is going to happen to the ungodly;^{(BG) 7} and if he rescued Lot,^(BH) a righteous man, who was distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless^{(BI) 8} (for that righteous man,^(BJ) living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)— ⁹ if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials^(BK) and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment.^{(BL) 10} This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire^(BM) of the flesh^[e] and despise authority.

Bold and arrogant, they are not afraid to heap abuse on celestial beings;^{(BN) 11} yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not heap abuse on such beings when bringing judgment on them from^[f] the Lord.^{(BO) 12} But these people blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like unreasoning animals, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like animals they too will perish.^(BP)

¹³ They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight.^(BQ) They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you.^{[g](BR) 14} With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce^(BS) the unstable;^(BT) they are experts in greed^(BU)—an accursed brood!^{(BV) 15} They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam^(BW) son of Bezer,^[h] who loved the wages of wickedness. ¹⁶ But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey—an animal without speech—who spoke with a human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.^(BX)

¹⁷ These people are springs without water^(BY) and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them.^{(BZ) 18} For they mouth empty, boastful words^(CA) and, by appealing to the lustful desires of the flesh, they entice people who are just escaping^(CB) from those who live in error. ¹⁹ They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for “people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.”^{(CC) 20} If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing^(CD) our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ^(CE) and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning.^{(CF) 21} It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them.^{(CG) 22} Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,”^[i](CH) and, “A sow that is washed returns to her wallowing in the mud.”

The Day of the Lord

3 Dear friends,^(CI) this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders^(CJ) to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. ² I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets^(CK) and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.^(CL)

³ Above all, you must understand that in the last days^(CM) scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.^{(CN) 4} They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised?^(CO) Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.”^{(CP) 5} But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word^(CQ) the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water.^{(CR) 6} By these waters also the world of that time^(CS) was deluged and destroyed.^{(CT) 7} By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire,^(CU) being kept for the day of judgment^(CV) and destruction of the ungodly.

⁸ But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.^{(CW) 9} The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise,^(CX) as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient^(CY) with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.^(CZ)

¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come like a thief.^(DA) The heavens will disappear with a roar;^(DB) the elements will be destroyed by fire,^(DC) and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.^[j](DD)

¹¹ Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives ¹² as you look forward^(DE) to the day of God and speed its coming.^[k](DF) That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.^{(DG) 13} But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth,^(DH) where righteousness dwells.

¹⁴ So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless^(DI) and at peace with him. ¹⁵ Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience^(DJ) means salvation,^(DK) just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.^{(DL) 16} He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable^(DM) people distort,^(DN) as they do the other Scriptures,^(DO) to their own destruction.

¹⁷ Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard^(DP) so that you may not be carried away by the error^(DQ) of the lawless^(DR) and fall from your secure position.^{(DS) 18} But grow in the grace^(DT) and knowledge^(DU) of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.^(DV) To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.^(DW)