Ezra 6:13-18

Expanded Bible

Completion of the Temple

¹³ So, Tattenai, the governor of Trans-Euphrates [^Cprovinces west of the Euphrates River], Shethar-Bozenai, and their ·fellow workers [colleagues] carried out King Darius’ ·order [decree] ·quickly and carefully [with all diligence]. ¹⁴ The Jewish elders continued to build and ·were successful [prospered] because of the ·preaching [prophesying] of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah, a ·descendant [son; 5:1] of Iddo [^Csee the biblical books named for them]. They finished building the ·Temple [^Lhouse] as the God of Israel had commanded and as kings Cyrus [^Cruled 559–529 bc, though 539 bc was the first year of his reign over the empire that included Babylon], Darius [^Cruled 522–486 bc], and Artaxerxes of Persia [^Cruled 485–465 bc] had ·ordered [decreed]. ¹⁵ The ·Temple [^Lhouse] was finished on the third day of the month of Adar [^CMarch 12] in the sixth year Darius was king.

¹⁶ Then the people of Israel celebrated and ·gave [dedicated] the ·Temple [^Lhouse] to God to honor him. Everybody was happy: the priests, the Levites, and the rest of the ·Jews who had returned from captivity [exiles; ^Lsons/people of the exile]. ¹⁷ They ·gave [dedicated] the ·Temple [^Lhouse] to God by offering a hundred bulls, two hundred ·male sheep [rams], and four hundred lambs as sacrifices. And as an ·offering to forgive the sins of [sin offering for or purification offering for; Lev. 4:3] all Israel, they offered twelve male goats, ·one goat for each tribe in [corresponding to the number of tribes of] Israel. ¹⁸ Then they ·put [installed; divided; appointed] the priests and the Levites into their ·separate groups [various divisions] to serve God at Jerusalem, as it is written in the Book of Moses.