2 Chronicles 29

1 Hezekiah began to reign when he was twenty-five years old; he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abijah; she was the daughter of Zechariah.

Hezekiah became king when five and twenty years old, and twenty and nine years did he reign in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Abiyah, the daughter of Zecharyahu.

2 He did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh, just as David his father had done.

And he did what is right in the eyes of the Lord, in accordance with all that David his father had done.

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

He it was that in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of the Lord, and repaired them.

4 He brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them together into the courtyard on the east side.

And he brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them together into the open place at the east;

5 He said to them, “Listen to me, you Levites! Consecrate yourselves, and consecrate the house of Yahweh, the God of your ancestors, and carry away the filthiness from the holy place.

And he said unto them, Hear me, ye Levites, sanctify yourselves now, and sanctity the house of the Lord the God of your fathers, and carry forth the unclean thing out of the sanctuary.

6 For our ancestors trespassed and did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh our God; they forsook him, turned away their faces from the place where Yahweh lives, and turned their backs on it.

For our fathers have dealt faithlessly, and have done what is evil in the eyes of the Lord our God, and have forsaken him; and they have turned away their faces from the habitation of the Lord, and turned their backs.

7 Also they shut up the doors of the porch and put out the lamps; they did not burn incense or offer burnt offerings in the holy place to the God of Israel.

They had also locked up the doors of the porch, and put out the lamps, and incense have they not burnt, and the burnt-offerings have they not offered in the sanctuary, unto the God of Israel.

8 Therefore the wrath of Yahweh had fallen on Judah and Jerusalem, and he has made them to be an object of terror, of horror, and of scorn, as you can see with your own eyes.

Wherefore the wrath of the Lord is upon Judah and Jerusalem. and he hath rendered them to be a horror, an astonishment, and a hissing, as ye see with your eyes.

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

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

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

Now it is in my heart to make a covenant for the Lord the God of Israel, that his fierce wrath may turn away from us.

11 My sons, do not be lazy now, for Yahweh has chosen you to stand before him, to worship him, and that you should be his servants and burn incense.”

My sons, be not negligent now; for of you hath the Lord made choice to stand before him, to minister unto him, and that ye might be unto him ministers and those that burn incense.

12 Then the Levites arose: Mahath son of Amasai, and Joel son of Azariah, of the people of the Kohathites; and of the people 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 arose the Levites, Machath the son of 'Amassai, and Joel the son of 'Azaryahu, of the sons of the Kehathites; and of the sons of Merari, Kish the son of 'Abdi, and 'Azaryahu the son of Jehallelel; and of the Gershunites, Joach the son of Zimmah, and 'Eden the son of Joach:

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

And of the sons of Elizaphan, Shimri, and Je'iel; and of the sons of Assaph, Zecharyahu and Matthanyahu;

14 of the sons of Heman, Jehuel and Shimei; and of the sons of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel.

And of the sons of Heman, Jechiel and Shim'i; and of the sons of Jeduthun, Shema'yah and 'Uzziel;

15 They gathered their brothers, they consecrated themselves, and they went in, as the king commanded, following the words of Yahweh, to cleanse the house of Yahweh.

And they gathered together their brethren, and they sanctified themselves, and came, according to the command of the king, by the words of the Lord, to cleanse the house of the Lord.

16 The priests went in to the inner part of the house of Yahweh to cleanse it; they brought out all the filth that they found in the temple of Yahweh into the courtyard of the house. The Levites took it to carry it out to the brook Kidron.

And the priests went into the inner part of the house of the Lord, to cleanse it; and they brought out every thing unclean which they found in the temple of the Lord into the court of the house of the Lord; and the Levites received it, to carry it out abroad unto the brook Kidron.

17 Now they began the consecration on the first day of the first month. By the eighth day of the month they reached the porch of Yahweh. Then for eight more days they consecrated the house of Yahweh. On the sixteenth day of the first month they finished.

And they commenced on the first day of the first month to sanctify; and on the eighth day of the month they came to the porch of the Lord, and they sanctified the house of the Lord in eight days; and on the sixteenth day of the first month they made an end.

18 Then they went to Hezekiah, the king, inside the palace and said, “We have cleansed all the house of Yahweh, the altar for burnt offerings with all its implements, and the table of the bread of the presence, with all its implements.

Then went they in the inner part [of the palace] to king Hezekiah, and said, We have cleansed all the house of the Lord, and the altar of burnt-offering, and all its vessels, and the table of shewbread, and all its vessels.

19 So we have prepared and we have consecrated all the items that King Ahaz removed when he acted unfaithfully during his reign. See, they are in front of the altar of Yahweh.”

Moreover all the vessels, which king Achaz had cast aside during his reign in his faithlessness, have we put in order and sanctified: and, behold, they are before the altar of the Lord.

20 Then Hezekiah the king rose early in the morning and gathered the leaders of the city; he went up to the house of Yahweh.

Then arose king Hezekiah early, and gathered together the princes of the city, and went up to the house of the Lord.

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. He commanded the priests, the sons of Aaron, to offer them on the altar of Yahweh.

And they brought seven bullocks, and seven rams, and seven sheep, and seven he-goats, as a sin-offering for the kingdom, and for the sanctuary, and for Judah. And he ordered the sons of Aaron the priests to offer [them] on the altar of the Lord.

22 So they killed the bulls, and the priests received the blood and sprinkled it on the altar. Then they killed the rams and sprinkled their blood on the altar; and they also killed the lambs and sprinkled their blood on the altar.

So they slaughtered the bullocks, and the priests received the blood, and sprinkled it on the altar; and they slaughtered the rams, and they sprinkled the blood upon the altar; they also slaughtered the sheep, and they sprinkled the blood upon the altar.

23 They brought the male goats for the sin offering before the king and the assembly; they laid their hands on them.

And they brought near the he-goats of the sin-offering before the king and the congregation; and they laid their hands upon them:

24 The priests killed them, and they made a sin offering with their blood on the altar to make atonement for all Israel, for the king had commanded that a burnt offering and a sin offering should be made for all Israel.

And the priests slaughtered them, and they made an expiation with their blood upon the altar, to make an atonement for all Israel; because for all the people, said the king, should be the burnt-offering and the sin-offering.

25 Hezekiah placed the Levites in the house of Yahweh with cymbals, harps, and lyres, arranging them by the command of David, Gad, the king's seer, and Nathan, the prophet, for the command was from Yahweh by means of his prophets.

And he stationed the Levites in the house of the Lord with cymbals, with psalteries, and with harps, according to the command of David, and of Gad the king's seer, and Nathan the prophet: because from the Lord was this commandment by means of his prophets.

26 The Levites stood 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 Hezekiah commanded them to offer the burnt offering on the altar. When the burnt offering began, the song of Yahweh began also, with the trumpets, together with the instruments of David, king of Israel.

And Hezekiah ordered to offer the burnt-offering on the altar. And when the burnt-offering began, the song of the Lord began [also] with the trumpets, and with the instruments of David the king of Israel.

28 All the assembly worshiped, the singers sang, and the trumpeters played; all this continued until the burnt offering was finished.

And all the assembly prostrated themselves, and the song sounded, and the trumpeters blew; all this [continued] until the burnt-offering was completed.

29 When they had finished the offerings, the king and all who were present with him bowed and worshiped.

And when they had made an end of offering, the king and all that were present with him kneeled down and prostrated themselves.

30 Moreover, Hezekiah, the king, and the leaders commanded the Levites to sing praises to Yahweh with the words of David and of Asaph, the seer. They sang praises with gladness, and they bowed down and worshiped.

And king Hezekiah and the princes then said to the Levites to sing praises unto the Lord with the words of David, and of Assaph the seer. And they sang praises with great joy, and they bowed their heads and prostrated themselves.

31 Then Hezekiah said, “Now you have consecrated yourselves to Yahweh. Come here and bring sacrifices and thank offerings into the house of Yahweh.” The assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and all who had a willing heart brought burnt offerings.

Then commenced Hezekiah, and said, Now have ye consecrated yourselves unto the Lord: come near and bring sacrifices and thanksgiving-offerings unto the house of the Lord. And the assembly brought in sacrifices and thanksgiving-offerings, and every one who was liberal of heart, burnt-offerings.

32 The number of the burnt offerings that the assembly brought was seventy bulls, one hundred rams, and two hundred male lambs. All these were for a burnt offering to Yahweh.

And the number of the burnt-offerings, which the assembly brought, was seventy bullocks, one hundred rams, [and] two hundred sheep: as a burnt-offering unto the Lord were all these.

33 The consecrated offerings were six hundred oxen and three thousand sheep.

And the hallowed sacrifices were six hundred oxen and three thousand sheep.

34 But the priests were too few to skin all the burnt offerings, so their brothers, the Levites, helped them until the work was done, and until the priests could consecrate themselves, for the Levites had been more careful to consecrate themselves than the priests.

Only the priests were too few, so that they could not flay all the burnt-offerings: wherefore their brethren the Levites assisted them, till the work was ended, and until the other priests could sanctify themselves, for the Levites were of upright heart to sanctify themselves more than the priests.

35 In addition, there were very many burnt offerings; they were performed with the fat of the fellowship offerings, and there were drink offerings for every burnt offering. So the service of the house of Yahweh was set in order.

But there were also burnt-offerings in abundance, with the fat of the peace-offerings, and the drink-offerings for the burnt-offerings. So was [again] established the service of the house of the Lord.

36 Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people also, because of what God had prepared for the people, for the work had been done quickly.

And Hezekiah rejoiced, with all the people, over that which God had prepared for the people; because the thing occurred suddenly.