2 Chronicles 29

1 Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah.

And, Hezekiah, began to reign when he was twenty-five years old, and, twenty-nine years, reigned he in Jerusalem, —and, the name of his mother, was Abijah, daughter of Zechariah.

2 And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father David had done.

And he did that which was right in the eyes of Yahweh, —according to all that, David his father, had done.

3 In the first month of the first year of his reign, Hezekiah opened and repaired the doors of the house of the LORD.

He, in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of Yahweh, and repaired them.

4 Then he brought in the priests and Levites and gathered them in the square on the east side.

And he brought in the priests, and the Levites, —and gathered them together in the broadway on the east;

5 “Listen to me, O Levites,” he said. “Consecrate yourselves now and consecrate the house of the LORD, the God of your fathers. Remove from the Holy Place every impurity.

and said unto them, Hear me, O Levites! Now, hallow yourselves, and hallow the house of Yahweh, God of your fathers, and take forth the impure thing out of the holy place.

6 For our fathers were unfaithful and did evil in the sight of the LORD our God. They abandoned Him, turned their faces away from the dwelling place of the LORD, and turned their backs on Him.

For our fathers have acted unfaithfully and done the thing that was wicked in the eyes of Yahweh our God, and have forsaken him, -and have turned round their faces from the habitation of Yahweh, and have offered their backs.

7 They also shut the doors of the portico and extinguished the lamps. They did not burn incense or present burnt offerings in the Holy Place of the God of Israel.

Moreover they have shut up the doors of the porch, and have quenched the lamps, and, incense, have they not burned, -and, ascending-sacrifice, have they not caused to go up in the holy place, unto the God of Israel.

8 Therefore, the wrath of the LORD has fallen upon Judah and Jerusalem, and He has made them an object of terror, horror, and mockery, as you can see with your own eyes.

Thus hath it come to pass, that, the wrath of Yahweh, hath been upon Judah and Jerusalem, —and he hath delivered them up as a terror and as an astonishment and as hissing, even as, ye, can see with your own eyes.

9 For behold, this is why our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and daughters and wives are in captivity.

And lo! our fathers have fallen by the sword, and, our sons and our daughters and our wives, are in captivity for this.

10 Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the LORD, the God of Israel, so that His fierce anger will turn away from us.

Now, is it near my heart, to solemnise a covenant unto Yahweh, God of Israel, —that he may turn from him the glow of his anger.

11 Now, my sons, do not be negligent, for the LORD has chosen you to stand before Him, to serve Him, to minister before Him, and to burn incense.”

My sons! now, do not be faulty, —for, of you, hath Yahweh made choice, to stand before him, and to wait upon him, and to be his attendants and burners of incense.

12 Then the Levites set to work: Mahath son of Amasai and Joel son of Azariah from the Kohathites; Kish son of Abdi and Azariah son of Jehallelel from the Merarites; Joah son of Zimmah and Eden son of Joah from the Gershonites;

Then arose the Levites—Mahath son of Amasai, and Joel son of Azariah, of the sons of the Kohathites, and, of the sons of Merari, Kish son of Abdi, and Azariah son of Jehallelel, —and, of the Gershonites, Joah son of Zimmah, and Eden son of Joah;

13 Shimri and Jeuel from the Elizaphanites; Zechariah and Mattaniah from the Asaphites;

and, of the sons of Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeiel, —and, of the sons of Asaph, Zechariah, and Mattaniah;

14 Jehiel and Shimei from the Hemanites; and Shemaiah and Uzziel from the Jeduthunites.

and, of the sons of Heman, Jehiel and Shimei, —and, of the sons of Jeduthun, Shemaiah, and Uzziel;

15 When they had assembled their brothers and consecrated themselves, they went in to cleanse the house of the LORD, according to the command of the king by the words of the LORD.

and they gathered together their brethren, who hallowed themselves, and came in according to the command of the king, in the things of Yahweh, —to purify the house of Yahweh.

16 So the priests went inside the house of the LORD to cleanse it, and they brought out to the courtyard all the unclean things that they found in the temple of the LORD. Then the Levites took these things and carried them out to the Kidron Valley.

So the priests entered into the inner part of the house of Yahweh, to make purification, and they brought out every unclean thing which they found in the temple of Yahweh, into the court of the house of Yahweh, —where the Levites received it, to carry it forth to the Kidron ravine outside.

17 They began the consecration on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they reached the portico of the LORD. For eight more days they consecrated the house of the LORD itself, finishing on the sixteenth day of the first month.

And they began, on the first of the first month, to hallow, —and, on the eighth day of the month, they came to the porch of Yahweh, so they hallowed the house of Yahweh in eight days, —and, on the sixteenth day of the first month, they finished.

18 Then they went in to King Hezekiah and reported, “We have cleansed the entire house of the LORD, the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the table of the showbread with all its utensils.

Then came they in unto Hezekiah the king, and said, We have purified all the house of Yahweh, —the altar of ascending-sacrifice, and all the utensils thereof, and the table for setting in array, and all the utensils thereof.

19 Moreover, we have prepared and consecrated all the articles that King Ahaz in his unfaithfulness cast aside during his reign. They are now in front of the altar of the LORD.”

And, all the utensils which King Ahaz in his reign rejected when he acted unfaithfully, have we made ready and hallowed, —and, there they are, before the altar of Yahweh.

20 Early the next morning King Hezekiah gathered the city officials and went up to the house of the LORD.

So Hezekiah the king rose up early, and gathered together the rulers of the city, —and went up to the house of Yahweh.

21 They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats as a sin offering for the kingdom, for the sanctuary, and for Judah. And the king commanded the priests, the descendants of Aaron, to offer them on the altar of the LORD.

And they brought in seven bullocks, and seven rams, and seven young sheep, and seven he-goats for bearing sin, for the kingdom and for the sanctuary and for Judah, —and he bade the sons of Aaron, the priests, cause them to ascend upon the altar of Yahweh.

22 So they slaughtered the bulls, and the priests took the blood and sprinkled it on the altar. They slaughtered the rams and sprinkled the blood on the altar. And they slaughtered the lambs and sprinkled the blood on the altar.

So they slaughtered the bullocks, and the priests received the blood, and dashed it against the altar, —and they slaughtered the rams, and dashed the blood against the altar, and slaughtered the young sheep, and dashed the blood against the altar.

23 Then they brought the goats for the sin offering before the king and the assembly, who laid their hands on them.

And they brought near the he-goats for bearing sin, before the king, and the convocation, —and they leaned their hands upon them;

24 And the priests slaughtered the goats and put their blood on the altar for a sin offering, to make atonement for all Israel, because the king had ordered the burnt offering and the sin offering for all Israel.

and the priests slaughtered them, and sin-cleansed, with their blood, the altar, to put a propitiatory-covering over all Israel, -because, for all Israel, did the king appoint the ascending-sacrifice and the offering for bearing sin.

25 Hezekiah stationed the Levites in the house of the LORD with cymbals, harps, and lyres according to the command of David, of Gad the king’s seer, and of Nathan the prophet. For the command had come from the LORD through His prophets.

And he caused the Levites to stand in the house of Yahweh, with cymbals and with harps and with lyres, by the commandment of David, and of Gad the seer of the king, and of Nathan the prophet, —for, by the hand of Yahweh, came the commandment by the hand of his prophets.

26 The Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets.

So the Levites took their stand, with the instruments of David, and the priests, with the trumpets.

27 And Hezekiah ordered that the burnt offering be sacrificed on the altar. When the burnt offering began, the song of the LORD and the trumpets began as well, accompanied by the instruments of David king of Israel.

And Hezekiah gave word, to cause the ascending-sacrifice to go up on the altar, —and, when the ascending-sacrifice began, the singing unto Yahweh began, and the trumpets, even under the direction of the instruments of David, king of Israel.

28 The whole assembly was worshiping, the singers were singing, and the trumpeters were playing. All this continued until the burnt offering was completed.

And, all the convocation, were bowing themselves in prostration, and, the song, was resounding and the trumpets were blowing, -the whole, until the completing of the ascending-sacrifice.

29 When the offerings were completed, the king and all those present with him bowed down and worshiped.

And, when the offering was complete, the king knelt down and all who were present with him, and bowed themselves in prostration.

30 Then King Hezekiah and his officials ordered the Levites to sing praises to the LORD in the words of David and of Asaph the seer. So they sang praises with gladness and bowed their heads and worshiped.

And Hezekiah the king and the rulers gave word to the Levites, to offer praise unto Yahweh, in the words of David, and of Asaph the seer, —so they offered praise right joyfully, and bent their heads and bowed themselves in prostration.

31 Then Hezekiah said, “Now that you have consecrated yourselves to the LORD, come near and bring sacrifices and thank offerings to the house of the LORD.” So the assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and all whose hearts were willing brought burnt offerings.

Then responded Hezekiah and said—Now, have ye consecrated yourselves unto Yahweh. Draw near, and bring in sacrifices and thank-offerings unto the house of Yahweh, -So the convocation brought sacrifices and thank-offerings, and, everyone of a willing heart, [brought] ascending-sacrifices.

32 The number of burnt offerings the assembly brought was seventy bulls, a hundred rams, and two hundred lambs; all these were for a burnt offering to the LORD.

And it came to pass that, the number of ascending-sacrifices which the convocation brought, was—seventy bullocks, and a hundred rams, and two hundred young sheep, —as an ascending-sacrifice unto Yahweh, all these.

33 And the consecrated offerings were six hundred bulls and three thousand sheep.

But, the hallowed beasts, were six hundred bullocks, and three thousand sheep.

34 However, since there were not enough priests to skin all the burnt offerings, their Levite brothers helped them until the work was finished and until the priests had been consecrated. For the Levites had been more diligent in consecrating themselves than the priests had been.

Only, the priests, were too few, and were unable to flay all the ascending-sacrifices, —so their brethren the Levites strengthened them, until the work was complete and until the priests had hallowed themselves, for, the Levites, were more upright in heart to hallow themselves, than the priests.

35 Furthermore, the burnt offerings were abundant, along with the fat of the peace offerings and the drink offerings for the burnt offerings. So the service of the house of the LORD was established.

Moreover also, the ascending-sacrifices, were in abundance, with the fat portions of the peace-offerings, and with the drink-offerings to every ascending-sacrifice, -thus was established the service of the house of Yahweh.

36 Then Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced at what God had prepared for the people, because everything had been accomplished so quickly.

And Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people, because God had established it for the people, —for, suddenly, had the thing come about.