Today is the 6th day of August. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian and it is

fantastic to be here with you today because we're stepping into a brand new week and it's

all out there fresh and waiting for us to live. This is the first time we get to do this

in the month of August, stepping into a brand new week. And I look forward to all that

the Scriptures will bring into our lives and allow us to consider as we navigate the

days. And one of the ways we'll move through this week is day by day. So let's zoom in

on today and take the next step forward for today. It's a brand new week. We'll read from

the Good News translation. Today, Ezra, chapter 3, verse 1, through 4, verse 23.

By the 7th month, the people of Israel were all settled in their towns. Then they all assembled

in Jerusalem and Joshua, son of Jehozadak, his fellow priests and Zaruba bells, son of Gialtiel,

together with his relatives, rebuilt the altar of the God of Israel so that they could burn sacrifices

on it, according to the instructions written in the law of Moses, the man of God. Even though the

returning exiles were afraid of the people who were living in the land, they rebuilt the altar

where it had stood before. And they began once again to burn on it the regular morning and evening

sacrifices. They celebrated the festival of shelters, according to the regulations. Each day,

they offered the sacrifices required for that day. And in addition, they offered the regular

sacrifices to be burned whole and those to be offered at the new moon festival and at all the

other regular assemblies at which the Lord is worshipped, as well as all the offerings that were

given to the Lord voluntarily. Although the people had not yet started to rebuild the temple,

they began on the first day of the 7th month to burn sacrifices to the Lord.

The people gave money to pay the stone masons and the carpenters and gave food,

drink, and olive oil to be sent to the cities of Tyre and Sidon in exchange for cedar trees from

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