⁸ In the second month^(A) of the second year after their arrival at the house of God in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel^(B) son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jozadak and the rest of the people (the priests and the Levites and all who had returned from the captivity to Jerusalem) began the work. They appointed Levites twenty^(C) years old and older to supervise the building of the house of the Lord. ⁹ Joshua^(D) and his sons and brothers and Kadmiel and his sons (descendants of Hodaviah^[a]) and the sons of Henadad and their sons and brothers—all Levites—joined together in supervising those working on the house of God.

¹⁰ When the builders laid^(E) the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests in their vestments and with trumpets,^(F) and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with cymbals, took their places to praise^(G) the Lord, as prescribed by David^(H) king of Israel.^(I)

¹⁸ ‘From this day on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thought^(A) to the day when the foundation^(B) of the Lord’s temple was laid. Give careful thought: