Then I said to them, &#8220;You are holy to the <sc>Lordsc>, just as these vessels are holy. The silver and the gold are a voluntary offering to the <sc>Lordsc>, the God of your fathers.

Afterward they offered the continual burnt offerings and those for the new moons and those for all the holy assemblies of the <sc>Lordsc> and all those that were being voluntarily offered to the <sc>Lordsc>.

From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the <sc>Lordsc>. However, the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s temple was not at that time established.<n id="1" />p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin learned that the former exiles<n id="1" /> were building a temple for the <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel,

With antiphonal response they sang,<n id="1" /> praising and glorifying the <sc>Lordsc>:p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;For he is good;p> <p class="poetry">his loyal love toward Israel is forever.&#8221;p> <p class="bodytext">All the people gave a loud<n id="2" /> shout as they praised the <sc>Lordsc> when the temple of the <sc>Lordsc> was established.

They established the altar on its foundations, even though they were in terror of the local peoples,<n id="1" /> and they offered burnt offerings on it to the <sc>Lordsc>, both the morning and the evening offerings.

The Israelites who were returning from the exile ate it, along with all those who had joined them<n id="1" /> in separating themselves from the uncleanness of the nations of the land to seek the <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel.

Now give praise to the <sc>Lordsc> God of your fathers, and do his will. Separate yourselves from the local residents<n id="1" /> and from these foreign wives.&#8221;p>

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;

<p class="bodytext">The exiles who were returning from the captivity offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel &#8211; twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven male lambs, along with twelve male goats as a sin offering. All this was a burnt offering to the <sc>Lordsc>.