2 Chronicles 29

1 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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

5 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.

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.

6 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.

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.

7 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.

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.

8 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.

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.

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

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.

10 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.

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.

11 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.

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.

12 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;

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.

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

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

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

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

15 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.

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.

16 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.

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.

17 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.

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].

18 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.

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;

19 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.

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.

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

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.

21 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.

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.

22 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.

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.

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

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

24 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.

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.

25 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.

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.

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

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

27 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.

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.

28 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.

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

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

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

30 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.

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.

31 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.

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.

32 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.

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.

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

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

34 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.

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.

35 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.

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.

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

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