Chronicles II 29

1 And Ezekias began to reign at the age of twenty-five years, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Abia, daughter of Zacharias.

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

2 And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David had done.

And he did what was pleasing in the sight of the Lord, in accord with all that his father David had done.

3 And it came to pass, when he was established over his kingdom, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the Lord, and repaired them.

In the first year and month of his reign, he opened the double doors of the house of the Lord, and he repaired them.

4 And he brought in the priests and the Levites, and put them on the east side,

And he brought together the priests and Levites. And he gathered them in the wide eastern street.

5 and said to them, Hear, you Levites: now sanctify yourselves, and sanctify the house of the Lord God of your fathers, and cast out the impurity from the holy places.

And he said to them: “Listen to me, O Levites, and be sanctified. Cleanse the house of the Lord, the God of your fathers, and take away every uncleanness from the sanctuary.

6 For our fathers have revolted, and done that which was evil before the Lord our God, and have forsaken him, and have turned away their face from the tabernacle of the Lord, and have turned [their] back.

Our fathers sinned and did evil in the sight of the Lord our God, abandoning him. They turned their faces away from the tabernacle of the Lord, and they presented their backs.

7 And they have shut up the doors of the temple, and put out the lamps, and have not burnt incense, and have not offered whole burnt offerings in the holy [place] to the God of Israel.

They closed up the doors which were in the portico, and they extinguished the lamps. And they did not burn incense, and they did not offer holocausts, in the sanctuary of the God of Israel.

8 And the Lord was very angry with Juda and Jerusalem, and made them an astonishment, and a desolation, and a hissing, as you see with your eyes.

And so the fury of the Lord was stirred up against Judah and Jerusalem, and he handed them over to turmoil, and to destruction, and to hissing, just as you discern with your own eyes.

9 And, behold, your fathers have been struck with the sword, and your sons and your daughters and your wives are in captivity in a land not their own, as it is even now.

Lo, our fathers have fallen by the sword. Our sons, and our daughters and wives have been led away as captives because of this wickedness.

10 Therefore it is now in my heart to make a covenant, a covenant with the Lord God of Israel, that he may turn away his fierce wrath from us.

Now therefore, it is pleasing to me that we should enter into a covenant with the Lord, the God of Israel. And he will turn away the fury of his indignation from us.

11 And now be not lacking [to your duty], for the Lord has chosen you to stand before him to minister, and to be ministers and burners of incense to him.

My sons, do not choose to be negligent. The Lord has chosen you so that you would stand before him, and minister to him, and worship him, and burn incense to him.”

12 Then the Levites rose up, Maath the son of Amasi, and Joel the son of Azarias, of the sons of Caath: and of the sons of Merari, Kis the son of Abdi, and Azarias the son of Haelel: and of the sons of Gedsoni, Jodaad the son of Zemmath, and Joadam: these [were] the sons of Joacha.

Therefore, the Levites rose up, Mahath, the son of Amasai, and Joel, the son of Azariah, from the sons of Kohath; then, from the sons of Merari, Kish, the son of Abdi, and Azariah, the son of Jehallelel; and from the sons of Gershon, Joah, the son of Zimmah, and Eden, the son of Joah;

13 And of the sons of Elisaphan; Zambri, and Jeiel: and of the sons of Asaph; Zacharias, and Matthanias:

and truly, from the sons of Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeuel; also, from the sons of Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah;

14 and of the sons of Aeman; Jeiel, and Semei: and of the sons of Idithun; Samaisa, and Oziel.

indeed also, from the sons of Heman, Jehuel and Shimei; then too, from the sons of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel.

15 And they gathered their brethren, and they purified themselves according to the king's command by the order of the Lord, to purify the house of the Lord.

And they gathered together their brothers. And they were sanctified. And they entered in accord with the command of the king and the order of the Lord, so that they might expiate the house of God.

16 And the priests entered into the house of the Lord, to purify [it], and they cast out all the uncleanness that was found in the house of the Lord, even into the court of the house of the Lord: and the Levites received [it] to cast into the brook of Kedron without.

And the priests, entering the temple of the Lord so that they might sanctify it, took every uncleanness, which they had found inside, out to the vestibule of the house of the Lord; and the Levites took it away and transported it outside, to the torrent Kidron.

17 And [Ezekias] began on the first day, [even] on the new moon of the first month, to purify, and on the eighth day of the month they entered into the temple of the Lord: and they purified the house of the Lord in eight days; and on the thirteenth day of the first month they finished [the work].

Now they began to cleanse on the first day of the first month. And on the eighth day of the same month, they entered the portico of the temple of the Lord. And then they expiated the temple over eight days. And on the sixteenth day of the same month, they finished what they had begun.

18 And they went in to king Ezekias, and said, We have purified all the things in the house of the Lord, the altar of whole burnt offering, and its vessels, and the table of show-bread, and its vessels;

Also, they entered to king Hezekiah, and they said to him: “We have sanctified the entire house of the Lord, and the altar of holocaust, and its vessels, indeed also the table of the presence, with all its vessels,

19 and all the vessels which king Achaz polluted in his reign, in his apostasy, we have prepared and purified: behold, they are before the altar of the Lord.

and all the equipment of the temple, which king Ahaz, during his reign, had polluted after his transgression. And behold, these have all been set forth before the altar of the Lord.”

20 And king Ezekias rose early in the morning, and gathered the chief men of the city, and went up to the house of the Lord.

And rising up at first light, king Hezekiah joined as one all the leaders of the city, and they ascended to the house of the Lord.

21 And he brought seven calves, seven rams, seven lambs, seven kids of goats for a sin-offering, for the kingdom, and for the holy things, and for Israel: and he told the priests the sons of Aaron to go up to the altar of the Lord.

And together they offered seven bulls and seven rams, seven lambs and seven he-goats, for sin, for the kingdom, for the Sanctuary, for Judah. And he spoke to the priests, the sons of Aaron, so that they would offer these upon the altar of the Lord.

22 And they killed the calves, and the priests received the blood, and poured it on the altar: and they killed the rams, and poured the blood upon the altar: also they killed the lambs, and poured the blood round the altar.

And so they slaughtered the bulls. And the priests took up the blood, and they poured it upon the altar. Then they also slaughtered the rams, and they poured their blood upon the altar. And they immolated the lambs, and they poured the blood upon the altar.

23 And they brought the goats for a sin-offering before the king and the congregation; and laid their hands upon them.

They brought the he-goats for sin before the king and the entire multitude. And they laid their hands upon them.

24 And the priests killed them, and offered their blood as a propitiation on the altar; and they made atonement for all Israel: for the king said, The whole burnt offering, and the sin-offering [are] for all Israel.

And the priests immolated them, and they sprinkled their blood before the altar, for the expiation of all Israel. For certainly the king had instructed that the holocaust and the sin offering should be made on behalf of all Israel.

25 And he stationed the Levites in the house of the Lord with cymbals, and lutes, and harps, according to the commandment of king David, and of Gad the king's seer, and Nathan the prophet: for by the commandment of the Lord the order [was] in the hand of the prophets.

Also, he situated the Levites in the house of the Lord, with cymbals, and psalteries, and harps, according to the disposition of king David, and of the seer Gad, and of the prophet Nathan. For indeed, this was the precept of the Lord, by the hand of his prophets.

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

And the Levites stood, holding the musical instruments of David, and the priests held the trumpets.

27 And Ezekias told [them] to offer up the whole burnt offering on the altar: and when they began to offer the whole burnt offering, they began to sing to the Lord, and the trumpets [accompanied] the instruments of David king of Israel.

And Hezekiah ordered that they should offer holocausts upon the altar. And when the holocausts were being offered, they began to sing praises to the Lord, and to sound the trumpets, and to play various musical instruments, which David, the king of Israel, had prepared.

28 And all the congregation worshipped, and the psalm-singers [were] singing, and the trumpets sounding, until the whole burnt sacrifice had been completely offered.

Then the entire crowd was adoring, and the singers and those who were holding the trumpeters were exercising their office, until the holocaust was completed.

29 And when they had done offering [it], the king and all that were present bowed, and worshipped.

And when the oblation was finished, the king, and all who were with him, bowed down and adored.

30 And king Ezekias and the princes told the Levites to sing hymns to the Lord in the words of David, and of Asaph the prophet: and they sang hymns with gladness, and fell down and worshipped.

And Hezekiah and the rulers instructed the Levites to praise the Lord with the words of David, and of Asaph, the seer. And they praised him with great joy, and kneeling down, they adored.

31 Then Ezekias answered and said, Now you have consecrated yourselves to the Lord, bring near and offer sacrifices of praise in the house of the Lord. And the congregation brought sacrifices and thank-offerings into the house of the Lord; and every one who was ready in his heart [brought] whole burnt offerings.

And now Hezekiah also added: “You have filled your hands for the Lord. Draw near, and offer victims and praises in the house of the Lord.” Therefore, the entire multitude offered victims and praises and holocausts, with devout intention.

32 And the number of the whole burnt offerings which the congregation brought, was seventy calves, a hundred rams, two hundred lambs: all these [were] for a whole burnt offering to the Lord.

Now the number of the holocausts that the multitude offered was seventy bulls, one hundred rams, two hundred lambs.

33 And the consecrated calves were six hundred, [and] the sheep three thousand.

And they sanctified to the Lord six hundred oxen and three thousand sheep.

34 But the priests were few, and could not flay the whole burnt offering, so their brethren the Levites helped them, until the work was finished, and until the priests had purified themselves: for the Levites [more] zealously purified [themselves] than the priests.

Truly, the priests were few; neither were they sufficient to remove the pelts from the holocausts. Therefore, the Levites, their brothers, also assisted them, until the work was completed, and the priests, who were of higher rank, were sanctified. For indeed, the Levites are sanctified with an easier ritual than the priests.

35 And the whole burnt offering [was] abundant, with the fat of the complete peace-offering, and the drink-offerings of the whole burnt sacrifice. So the service was established in the house of the Lord.

Thus, there were very numerous holocausts, with the fat of the peace offerings and the libations of the holocausts. And the service of the house of the Lord was completed.

36 And Ezekias and all the people rejoiced, because God has prepared the people: for the thing was done suddenly.

And Hezekiah and all the people were joyful because the ministry of the Lord was accomplished. For certainly, it had pleased them to do this suddenly.