Daily Reading for Tuesday, September 26th, 2023

Reading 1, Ezra 6:7-8, 12, 14-20

⁷ Leave the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews alone, to get on with their work on that Temple of God; they are permitted to rebuild that Temple of God on that site.

⁸ And herewith are my instructions as to how you will assist these elders of the Jews in the rebuilding of that Temple of God: the cost is to be paid in full to these men from the royal revenue, that is, from the taxes of Transeuphrates, and without interruption.

¹² and may the God who has caused his name to live there overthrow the king of any people who dares to defy this and destroy that Temple of God in Jerusalem! I, Darius, have issued this order. Let it be punctiliously obeyed!'

¹⁴ and the elders of the Jews made good progress over their building, thanks to the prophetic activity of the prophet Haggai and Zechariah son of Iddo, completing the reconstruction in accordance with the command of the God of Israel and the order of Cyrus and of Darius.

¹⁵ This Temple was completed on the twenty-third day of the month of Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.

¹⁶ The Israelites -- the priests, the Levites and the remainder of the exiles -- joyfully celebrated the dedication of this Temple of God;

¹⁷ for the dedication of this Temple of God they offered one hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs and, as a sin offering for all Israel, twelve he-goats, corresponding to the number of the tribes of Israel.

¹⁸ Then they installed the priests in their orders and the Levites in their positions for the ministry of the Temple of God in Jerusalem, as prescribed in the Book of Moses.

¹⁹ The exiles celebrated the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month.

²⁰ The Levites, as one man, had purified themselves; all were pure, so they sacrificed the Passover for all the exiles, for their brothers the priests and for themselves.

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 122:1-2, 3-4, 4-5

¹ [Song of Ascents Of David] I rejoiced that they said to me, 'Let us go to the house of Yahweh.'

² At last our feet are standing at your gates, Jerusalem!

³ Jerusalem, built as a city, in one united whole,

⁴ there the tribes go up, the tribes of Yahweh, a sign for Israel to give thanks to the name of Yahweh.

⁵ For there are set the thrones of judgement, the thrones of the house of David.