Temple Restoration Begun

⁸ Now in the second year of their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem in the second month, ^(A)Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak and the rest of their brothers the priests and the Levites, and all who came from the captivity to Jerusalem, began the work and ^(B)appointed the Levites from twenty years and older to oversee the work of the house of the Lord.

¹⁰ Now when the builders had ^(A)laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, ^[a]the priests stood in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the Lord ^(B)according to the ^[b]directions of King David of Israel.

The Restoration of Israel

⁶ Then he ^[a]said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to ^(A)Zerubbabel saying, ‘^(B)Not by might nor by power, but by My ^(C)Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts. ⁷ ‘What are you, O great ^(D)mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain; and he will bring forth the top stone with ^(E)shouts of “Grace, grace to it!”’”

⁸ Also the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ⁹ “The hands of Zerubbabel have ^(F)laid the foundation of this house, and his hands will ^(G)finish it. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to ^[b]you.