They completed and dedicated the temple

13 Tattenai, the governor of the province, and his assistant Shethar-Bozenai and their colleagues read the message and immediately obeyed the decree of King Darius. 14 So the Jewish leaders continued their work of rebuilding the temple. They were greatly encouraged by the messages that the prophets Haggai and Zechariah preached. The Israelis continued building the temple, just like God had commanded them to do and like King Cyrus had decreed. 15 They finished building it on March 12, during the sixth year that King Darius ruled.

16 Then the priests and the Levites and all the other Israeli people who had returned from Babylon very joyfully dedicated the temple. 17 During the ceremony to dedicate the temple, they sacrificed 100 young bulls, 200 rams, and 400 lambs. They also sacrificed twelve male goats as an offering in order that God would forgive the sins of the people of the twelve tribes of Israel. 18 Then the priests and Levites were divided into groups that would take turns to serve at the temple. They did this according to what Moses had written many years previously in the laws that he wrote.