Ezra 6:13–22

The Temple Completed and Dedicated

13 Then aTattenai, the governor of the province beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai and their colleagues carried out the decree with all diligence, just as King Darius had sent.

14 And athe elders of the Jews 1were successful in building through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And 2they finished building according to the command of the God of Israel and the decree bof Cyrus, cDarius, and dArtaxerxes king of Persia.

15 This 1temple was completed 2on the third day of the amonth Adar; it was the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.

16 And the sons of Israel, the priests, the Levites and the rest of the 1exiles, acelebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy.

17 They offered for the dedication of this temple of God 100 bulls, 200 rams, 400 lambs, and as a sin offering for all Israel a12 male goats, corresponding to the number of the tribes of Israel.

18 Then they appointed the priests to atheir divisions and the Levites in btheir orders for the service of God 1in Jerusalem, cas it is written in the book of Moses.

The Passover Observed

19 aThe exiles observed the Passover on bthe fourteenth of the first month.

20 aFor the priests and the Levites had purified themselves together; all of them were pure. Then bthey slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the exiles, both for their brothers the priests and for themselves.

21 The sons of Israel who returned from exile and aall those who had separated themselves from bthe impurity of the nations of the land to join them, to seek the Lord God of Israel, ate the Passover.

22 And athey observed the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy, for the Lord had caused them to rejoice, and bhad turned the heart of cthe king of Assyria toward them to 1encourage them in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.