2 Chronicles 29

1 Therfor Ezechie bigan to regne, whanne he was of fyue and twenti yeer, and he regnede in Jerusalem nyne and twenti yeer; the name of his modir was Abia, the douytir of Zacharie.

Now Ezechias began to reign, when he was five and twenty years old, and he reigned nine and twenty years in Jerusalem: the name of his mother was Abia, the daughter of Zacharias.

2 And he dide that, that was pleasaunt in the siyt of the Lord, bi alle thingis whiche Dauid, his fadir, hadde do.

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

3 In that yeer and the firste monethe of his rewme he openyde the yatis of the hows of the Lord, and restoride tho;

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

4 and he brouyte the preestis and dekenes, and gaderide hem in to the eest strete,

And he brought the priests and the Levites, and assembled them in the east street.

5 and seide to hem, Sones of Leuy, here ye me, and be ye halewid; clense ye the hows of the Lord God of youre fadris; do ye awei al vnclennesse fro the seyntuarie.

And he said to them: Hear me, ye Levites, and be sanctified, purify the house of the Lord the God of your fathers, and take away all filth out of the sanctuary.

6 Oure fadris synneden, and diden yuel in the siyt of `oure Lord God, and forsoken hym; thei turneden awei her faces fro the tabernacle of `oure Lord God, and yauen the bak.

Our fathers have sinned and done evil in the sight of the Lord God, forsaking him: they have turned away their faces from the tabernacle of the Lord, and turned their backs.

7 Thei closiden the doris that weren in the porche, and quenchiden the lanternes; and thei brenten not encense, and thei offriden not brent sacrifices in the seyntuarie of God of Israel.

They have shut up the doors that were in tile porch, and put out the lamps. and have not burnt incense, nor offered holocausts in the sanctuary of the God of Israel.

8 Therfor the stronge veniaunce of the Lord was reisid on Juda and Jerusalem; and he yaf hem in to stiryng, and in to perischyng, and in to `hisshing, ether scornyng, as ye seen with youre iyen.

Therefore the wrath of the Lord hath been stirred up against Juda and Jerusalem, and he hath delivered them to trouble, and to destruction, and to be hissed at, as you see with your eyes.

9 Lo! oure fadris felden doun bi swerdis; oure sones, and oure douytris, and wyues ben led prisouneris for this greet trespas.

Behold, our fathers are fallen by the sword, our sons, and our daughters, and wives are led away captives for this wickedness.

10 Now therfor it plesith me, that we make a boond of pees with the Lord God of Israel, and that he turne fro vs the stronge veniaunce of his ire.

Now therefore I have a mind that we make a covenant with the Lord the God of Israel, and he will turn away the wrath of his indignation from us.

11 My sones, nyle ye be reccheles; the Lord hath chose you, that ye stonde bifor hym, and serue hym, that ye herie hym, and brenne encense to hym.

My sons, be not negligent: the Lord hath chosen you to stand before him, and to minister to him, and to worship him, and to burn incense to him.

12 Therfor the dekenes risiden, Mahat, the sone of Amasie, and Johel, the sone of Azarie, of the sones of Caath; sotheli of the sones of Merarye, Cys, the sone of Abdai, and Azarie, the sone of Jelaleel; forsothe of the sones of Jerson, Joha, the sone of Zemma, and Hedem, the sone of Johaa;

Then the Levites arose, Mahath the son of Amasai, and Joel the son of Azarias, of the sons of Caath: and of the sons of Merari, Cis the son of Abdi, and Azarias the son of Jalaleel. And of the sons of Gerson, Joah the son of Zemma, and Eden the son of Joah.

13 and sotheli of the sones of Elisaphan, Samri, and Jahiel; and of the sones of Asaph, Zacharie, and Mathanye;

And of the sons of Elisaphan, Samri, and Jahiel. Also of the sons of Asaph, Zacharias, and Mathanias.

14 also of the sones of Heman, Jahiel, and Semei; but also of the sones of Iditum, Semei, and Oziel.

And of the sons of Heman, Jahiel, and Semei: and of the sons of Idithun, Semeias, and Oziel.

15 And thei gaderiden to gidere her britheren, and weren halewid; and thei entriden bi comaundement of the kyng, and bi comaundement of the Lord, for to clense the hows of the Lord.

And they gathered together their brethren, and sanctified themselves, and went in according to the commandment of the king, and the precept of the Lord, to purify the house of God.

16 Also preestis entriden in to the temple of the Lord, for to halewe it, and thei baren out al vnclennesse, which thei founden ther ynne in the porche, `ethir large place, of the hows of the Lord; which vnclennesse the dekenes token, and baren out to the stronde of Cedron with outforth.

And the priests went into the temple of the Lord to sanctify it, and brought out all the uncleanness that they found within to the entrance of the house of the Lord, and the Levites took it away, and carried it out abroad to the torrent Cedron.

17 Sotheli thei bigunnen to clense in the firste dai of the firste monethe, and in the eiyte dai of the same monethe thei entriden in to the porche of the hows of the Lord, and thei clensiden the temple eiyte daies; and in the sixtenthe dai of the same monethe thei filliden that, that thei hadden bigunne.

And they began to cleanse on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the same month they came into the porch of the temple of the Lord, and they purified the temple in eight days, and on the sixteenth day of the same month they finished what they had begun.

18 And thei entriden to Ezechie, the king, and seiden to hym, We han halewid al the hows of the Lord, and the auter of brent sacrifice therof, and the vessels therof, also and the boord of settyngforth with alle hise vessels,

And they went is to king Ezechias, and said to him: We have sanctified all the house of the Lord, and the altar of holocaust, and the vessels thereof, and the table of proposition with all its vessels,

19 and al the purtenaunce of the temple, `which purtenaunce king Achaz hadde defoulid in his rewme, aftir that he brak the lawe; and lo! alle thingis ben set forth bifor the auter of the Lord.

And all the furniture of the temple, which king Achaz in his reign had defiled, after his transgression; and behold they are all set forth before the altar of the Lord.

20 And Ezechie, the kyng, roos in the morwetid, and gaderide togidere alle the princes of the citee, and stiede in to the hows of the Lord;

And king Ezechias rising early, assembled all the rulers of the city, and went up into the house of the Lord:

21 and thei offriden togidere seuene bolis, and seuene rammes, seuene lambren, and seuene buckis of geet, for synne, for the rewme, for the seyntuarye, and for Juda. And he seide to preestis, the sones of Aaron, that thei schulden offre on the auter of the Lord.

And they offered together seven bullocks, and seven rams, and seven lambs, and seven he goats for sin, for the kingdom, for the sanctuary, for Juda: and he spoke to the priests the sons of Aaron, to offer them upon the altar of the Lord.

22 Therfor thei killiden bolis, and `the preestis tooken the blood, and schedden it on the auter; also thei killiden rammes, and `the preestis schedden the blood of tho on the auter; thei offriden lambren, and `the preestis schedden the blood on the auter.

Therefore they killed the bullocks, and the priests took the blood, and poured it upon the altar; they killed also the rams, and their blood they poured also upon the altar, and they killed the lambs, and poured the blood upon the altar.

23 And thei brouyten buckis of geet `for synne bifor the kyng and al the multitude, and thei settiden her hondis on tho;

And they brought the he goats for sin before the king, and the whole multitude, and they laid their hand upon them:

24 and the preestis offriden tho, and spreynten the blood of tho bifor the auter, for the clensyng of al Israel. For the king comaundide, that brent sacrifice shulde be made for al Israel, and for synne.

And the priests immolated them, and sprinkled their blood before the altar for an expiation of all Israel: for the king had commanded that the holocaust and the sin offering should be made for all Israel.

25 Also he ordeynede dekenes in the hows of the Lord, with cymbalis, and sawtrees, and harpis, bi the ordenaunce of `Dauid the kyng, and of Gad, the profete, and of Nathan, the profete; for it was the comaundement of the Lord bi the hond of hise prophetis.

And he set the Levites in the house of the Lord with cymbals, and psalteries, and harps according to the regulation of David the king, and of Gad the seer, and of Nathan the prophet: for it was the commandment of the Lord by the hand of his prophets.

26 And the dekenes stoden, and helden the orguns of Dauid; and preestis helden trumpis.

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

27 And Ezechie comaundide, that thei schulden offre brent sacrifices on the auter; and whanne brent sacrifices weren offrid, thei bigunnen to synge preisyngis to the Lord, and to sowne with trumpis, and in dyuerse orguns, whiche Dauid, the kyng of Israel, hadde maad redi for to sowne.

And Ezechias commanded that they should offer holocausts upon the altar: and when the holocausts were offered, they began to sing praises to the Lord, and to sound with trumpets, and divers instruments which David the king of Israel had prepared.

28 Forsothe whanne al the cumpenye worschipide, syngeris and thei that helden trumpis weren in her office, til the brent sacrifice was fillid.

And all the multitude adored, and the singers, and the trumpeters, were in their office till the holocaust was finished.

29 And whanne the offryng was endid, the kyng was bowid, and alle that weren with hym, and thei worschipiden God.

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

30 And Ezechie and the princes comaundiden to the dekenes, that thei schulden preise the Lord with the wordis of Dauith, and of Asaph, the profete; whiche preisiden hym with greet gladnesse, and kneliden, and worschipiden.

And Ezechias and the princes commanded the Levites to praise the Lord with the words of David, and Asaph the seer: and they praised him with great joy, and bowing the knee adored.

31 Sothely Ezechie addide also these thingis, Ye han fillid youre hondis to the Lord; neiye ye, and offre sacrifices and preisyngis in the hows of the Lord.

And Ezechias added, and said: You have filled your hands to the Lord, come and offer victims, and praises in the house of the Lord. And all the multitude offered victims, and praises, and holocausts with a devout mind.

32 Therfor al the multitude offride with deuoute soule sacrifices, and preisyngis, and brent sacrifices. Sotheli this was the noumbre of brent sacrifices, whiche the multitude offride; seuenti bolis, and an hundrid rammes, two hundrid lambren.

And the number of the holocausts which the multitude offered, was seventy bullocks, a hundred rams, and two hundred lambs.

33 Also thei halewiden to the Lord sixe hundrid oxis, and thre thousynde sheep.

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

34 Forsothe the preestis weren fewe, and myyten not suffice for to `drawe awei the skynnes of brent sacrifices; wherfor and the dekenes her britheren helpiden hem, til the werk was fillid, and the preestis weren halewid; for the dekenes ben halewid bi liytere custom than the preestis.

But the priests were few, and were not enough to flay the holocausts: wherefore the Levites their brethren helped them, till the work was ended, and priests were sanctified, for the Levites are sanctified with an easier rite than the priests.

35 Therfor there weren ful many brent sacrifices, ynnere fatnessis of pesible sacrifices, and the moyste sacrifices of brent sacrifices, and the worschip, `ethir ournyng, of the `Lordis hows was fillid.

So there were many holocausts, and the fat of peace offerings, and the libations of holocausts: and the service of the house of the Lord was completed.

36 And Ezechie was glad, and al the puple, for the seruyce of the Lord was fillid; for it pleside, that this was doon sodeynly.

And Ezechias, and all the people rejoiced because the ministry of the Lord was accomplished. For the resolution of doing this thing was taken suddenly.