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.

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 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 what is right in the eyes of the Lord, in accordance with 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;

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

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

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 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 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.

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 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 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 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.

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

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

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

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

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 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 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 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 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 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 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,

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 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.

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 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;

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

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 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 near the he-goats of the sin-offering before the king and the congregation; and they laid their hands 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 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 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 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 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 the 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 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 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 assembly prostrated themselves, and the song sounded, and the trumpeters blew; all this [continued] until the burnt-offering was completed.

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

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

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 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 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.

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

And the hallowed sacrifices were 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.

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 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.

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