<p class="bodytext">The sons of Pedaiah:p> <p class="bodytext">Zerubbabel and Shimei.p> <p class="bodytext">The sons of Zerubbabel:p> <p class="bodytext">Meshullam and Hananiah. Shelomith was their sister.p>

Tell Zerubbabel governor of Judah: &#8216;I am ready<n id="1" /> to shake the sky<n id="2" /> and the earth.

They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah.p> <p class="bodytext">The number of Israelites<n id="1" /> was as follows:<n id="2" />p>

They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah.p> <p class="bodytext">The number of Israelite men<n id="1" /> was as follows:p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">These are the priests and Levites who returned<n id="1" /> with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,

&#8220;Ask the following questions to<n id="1" /> Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak,<n id="2" /> and the remnant of the people:

<t /><p class="bodytext">&#8220;What are you, you great mountain?<n id="1" /> Because of Zerubbabel you will become a level plain! And he will bring forth the temple<n id="2" /> capstone with shoutings of &#8216;Grace! Grace!&#8217;<n id="3" /> because of this.&#8221;

&#8220;The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundations of this temple,<n id="1" /> and his hands will complete it.&#8221; Then you will know that the <sc>Lordsc> who rules over all has sent me to you.

Then Jeshua the son of Jozadak<n id="1" /> and his priestly colleagues<n id="2" /> and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his colleagues<n id="3" /> started to build<n id="4" /> the altar of the God of Israel so they could offer burnt offerings on it as required by<n id="5" /> the law of Moses the man of God.

they came to Zerubbabel and the leaders<n id="1" /> and said to them, &#8220;Let us help you build,<n id="2" /> for like you we seek your God and we have been sacrificing to him<n id="3" /> from the time<n id="4" /> of King Esarhaddon<n id="5" /> of Assyria, who brought us here.&#8221;<n id="6" />

But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the leaders of Israel said to them, &#8220;You have no right<n id="1" /> to help us build the temple of our God. We will build it by ourselves for the <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel, just as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, has commanded us.&#8221;

So in the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of Nehemiah, all Israel was contributing the portions for the singers and gatekeepers, according to the daily need.<n id="1" /> They also set aside<n id="2" /> the portion for the Levites, and the Levites set aside the portion for the descendants of Aaron.p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">On the first day of the sixth month<n id="1" /> of King Darius&#8217;<n id="2" /> second year, the <sc>Lordsc> spoke this message through the prophet Haggai<n id="3" /> to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak:<n id="4" />p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak,<n id="1" /> along with the whole remnant of the people,<n id="2" /> obeyed<n id="3" /> the <sc>Lordsc> their God. They responded favorably to the message of the prophet Haggai, who spoke just as the <sc>Lordsc> their God had instructed him,<n id="4" /> and the people began to respect the <sc>Lordsc>.<n id="5" />

So the <sc>Lordsc> energized and encouraged<n id="1" /> Zerubbabel<n id="2" /> son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak,<n id="3" /> and the whole remnant of the people.<n id="4" /> They came and worked on the temple of their God, the <sc>Lordsc> who rules over all.

Even so, take heart, Zerubbabel,&#8217; says the <sc>Lordsc>. &#8216;Take heart, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and<n id="1" /> all you citizens of the land,&#8217;<n id="2" /> says the <sc>Lordsc>, &#8216;and begin to work. For I am with you,&#8217; says the <sc>Lordsc> who rules over all.

On that day,&#8217;<n id="1" /> says the <sc>Lordsc> who rules over all, &#8216;I will take you, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, my servant,&#8217;<n id="2" /> says the <sc>Lordsc>, &#8216;and I will make you like a signet ring,<n id="3" /> for I have chosen you,&#8217; says the <sc>Lordsc> who rules over all.&#8221;<n id="4" />p>

Therefore he told me, &#8220;These signify the word of the <sc>Lordsc> to Zerubbabel: &#8216;Not by strength and not by power, but by my Spirit,&#8217;<n id="1" /> says the <sc>Lordsc> who rules over all.&#8221;p>

For who dares make light of small beginnings? These seven eyes<n id="1" /> will joyfully look on the tin tablet<n id="2" /> in Zerubbabel&#8217;s hand. (These are the eyes of the <sc>Lordsc>, which constantly range across the whole earth.)p>

In the second year after they had come to the temple of God in Jerusalem,<n id="1" /> in the second month, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak initiated the work,<n id="2" /> along with the rest of their associates,<n id="3" /> the priests and the Levites, and all those who were coming to Jerusalem from the exile. They appointed<n id="4" /> the Levites who were at least twenty years old<n id="5" /> to take charge of the work on the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s temple.