2. and gave careful supervision to the work of the Temple, helping the Jewish leaders and Temple officials.
3. The workers made good progress with the building of the Temple, encouraged by the prophets Haggai and Zechariah.
4. The Jews completed the building according to the command of the Lord, the God of Israel, and with the permission of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, emperors of Persia.
5. The Temple was completed on the 23rd day of the month of Adar in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the emperor.
6. Then the people of Israel — the priests, the Levites, and all the others who had returned from exile and joined them — carried out all the commands in the Law of Moses.
7. For the dedication they offered 100 bulls, 200 rams, and 400 lambs as sacrifices,
8. and twelve goats as offerings for sin, one goat for the leader of each tribe of Israel.
9. The priests in their robes and the Levites took their positions, family by family, for the Temple services for the Lord, the God of Israel, according to the instructions contained in the book of Moses. The Temple guards stood at each gate.
10. The people of Israel who had returned from exile celebrated the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month of the following year. The priests and Levites had purified themselves at the same time.