2 Chronicles 29
29
Hezekiah Consecrates the Temple
1 Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem.#map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4. His mother was Abijah,#tn The parallel passage in 2 Kgs 18:2 has “Abi.” the daughter of Zechariah. 2 He did what the Lord approved, just as his ancestor David had done.#tn Heb “he did what was proper in the eyes of the Lord, according to all which David his father had done.”
3 In the first month of the first year of his reign, he opened the doors of the Lord’s temple and repaired them. 4 He brought in the priests and Levites and assembled them in the square on the east side. 5 He said to them: “Listen to me, you Levites! Now consecrate yourselves, so you can consecrate the temple of the Lord God of your ancestors!#tn Heb “fathers.” Remove from the sanctuary what is ceremonially unclean! 6 For our fathers were unfaithful; they did what is evil in the sight of#tn Heb “in the eyes of.” the Lord our God and abandoned him! They turned#tn Heb “turned their faces.” away from the Lord’s dwelling place and rejected him.#tn Heb “and turned the back.” 7 They closed the doors of the temple porch and put out the lamps; they did not offer incense or burnt sacrifices in the sanctuary of the God of Israel. 8 The Lord was angry at Judah and Jerusalem and made them an appalling object of horror at which people hiss out their scorn,#tn Heb “and he made them [an object] of dread and devastation and hissing.” as you can see with your own eyes. 9 Look, our fathers died violently#tn Heb “fell by the sword.” and our sons, daughters, and wives were carried off#tn Heb “are in captivity.” because of this. 10 Now I intend#tn Heb “now it is with my heart.” to make a covenant with the Lord God of Israel, so that he may relent from his raging anger.#tn Heb “so that the rage of his anger might turn from us.” The jussive with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding statement of intention. 11 My sons, do not be negligent now, for the Lord has chosen you to serve in his presence and offer sacrifices.”#tn Heb “to stand before him to serve him and to be his servants and sacrificers.”
12 The following Levites prepared to carry out the king’s orders:#tn Heb “and the Levites arose.”
From the Kohathites: Mahath son of Amasai and Joel son of Azariah;
from the Merarites: Kish son of Abdi and Azariah son of Jehallelel;
from the Gershonites: Joah son of Zimmah and Eden son of Joah;
13 from the descendants of Elizaphan: Shimri and Jeiel;
from the descendants of Asaph: Zechariah and Mattaniah;
14 from the descendants of Heman: Jehiel and Shimei;
from the descendants of Jeduthun: Shemaiah and Uzziel.
15 They assembled their brothers and consecrated themselves. Then they went in to purify the Lord’s temple, just as the king had ordered, in accordance with the word#tn Heb “words” (plural). of the Lord. 16 The priests then entered the Lord’s temple to purify it; they brought out to the courtyard of the Lord’s temple every ceremonially unclean thing they discovered inside.#tn Heb “in the temple of the Lord.” The Levites took them out to the Kidron Valley. 17 On the first day of the first month they began consecrating; by the eighth day of the month they reached the porch of the Lord’s temple.#tn Heb “porch of the Lord.” For eight more days they consecrated the Lord’s temple. On the sixteenth day of the first month they were finished. 18 They went to King Hezekiah and said: “We have purified the entire temple of the Lord, including the altar of burnt sacrifice and all its equipment, and the table for the Bread of the Presence and all its equipment. 19 We have prepared and consecrated all the items that King Ahaz removed during his reign when he acted unfaithfully. They are in front of the altar of the Lord.”
20 Early the next morning King Hezekiah assembled the city officials and went up to the Lord’s temple. 21 They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven goats as a sin offering for the kingdom, the sanctuary, and Judah.#sn Perhaps these terms refer metonymically to the royal court, the priests and Levites, and the people, respectively. The king#tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity. told the priests, the descendants of Aaron, to offer burnt sacrifices on the altar of the Lord. 22 They slaughtered the bulls, and the priests took the blood and splashed it on the altar. Then they slaughtered the rams and splashed the blood on the altar; next they slaughtered the lambs and splashed the blood on the altar. 23 Finally they brought the goats for the sin offering before the king and the assembly, and they placed their hands on them. 24 Then the priests slaughtered them. They offered their blood as a sin offering on the altar to make atonement for all Israel, because the king had decreed#tn Heb “said.” that the burnt sacrifice and sin offering were for all Israel.
25 King Hezekiah#tn Heb “he”; the referent (King Hezekiah) has been specified in the translation for clarity. stationed the Levites in the Lord’s temple with cymbals and stringed instruments, just as David, Gad the king’s prophet,#tn Or “seer.” and Nathan the prophet had ordered. (The Lord had actually given these orders through his prophets.) 26 The Levites had#tn Heb “stood with” (i.e., stood holding). David’s musical instruments and the priests had trumpets. 27 Hezekiah ordered the burnt sacrifice to be offered on the altar. As they began to offer the sacrifice, they also began to sing to the Lord, accompanied by the trumpets and the musical instruments of King David of Israel. 28 The entire assembly worshiped, as the singers sang and the trumpeters played. They continued until the burnt sacrifice was completed.
29 When the sacrifices were completed, the king and all who were with him bowed down and worshiped. 30 King Hezekiah and the officials told the Levites to praise the Lord, using the psalms#tn Heb “with the words.” of David and Asaph the prophet.#tn Or “seer.” So they joyfully offered praise and bowed down and worshiped. 31 Hezekiah said, “Now you have consecrated yourselves#tn Heb “filled your hand.” to the Lord. Come and bring sacrifices and thank offerings#tn Or “tokens of thanks.” to the Lord’s temple.” So the assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and whoever desired to do so#tn Heb “and all who were willing of heart.” brought burnt sacrifices.
32 The assembly brought a total of 70 bulls, 100 rams, and 200 lambs as burnt sacrifices to the Lord,#tn Heb “and the number of burnt sacrifices which the assembly brought was seventy bulls, one hundred rams, two hundred lambs; for a burnt sacrifice to the Lord were all these.” 33 and 600 bulls and 3,000 sheep#tn The Hebrew term צֹאן (ts’on) denotes smaller livestock in general; depending on context it can refer to sheep only or goats only, but there is nothing in the immediate context here to specify one or the other. were consecrated. 34 But there were not enough priests to skin all the animals,#tn Heb “the burnt sacrifices.” so their brothers, the Levites, helped them until the work was finished and the priests could consecrate themselves. (The Levites had been more conscientious about consecrating themselves than the priests.)#tn Heb “for the Levites were more pure of heart to consecrate themselves than the priests.” 35 There was a large number of burnt sacrifices, as well as fat from the peace offerings and drink offerings that accompanied the burnt sacrifices. So the service of the Lord’s temple was reinstituted.#tn Or “established.” 36 Hezekiah and all the people were happy about what God had done#tn Heb “prepared.” for them,#tn Heb “the people.” The pronoun “they” has been used here for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy. for it had been done quickly.#tn Heb “for quickly was the matter.”
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2 Chronicles 29
29
1Hezekiah began to reigne, when he was fiue and twentie yeere olde, and reigned nine and twentie yeres in Ierusalem: and his mothers name was Abiiah the daughter of Zechariah. 2And hee did vprightly in the sight of the Lord, according to all that Dauid his father had done. 3He opened the doores of the house of the Lord in the first yeere, and in the first moneth of his reigne, and repared them. 4And he brought in the Priests and the Leuites, and gathered them into the East streete, 5And said vnto them, Heare me, ye Leuites: sanctifie nowe your selues, and sanctifie the house of the Lord God of your fathers, and cary forth the filthinesse out of the Sanctuarie. 6For our fathers haue trespassed, and done euill in the eyes of the Lord our God, and haue forsaken him, and turned away their faces from the Tabernacle of the Lord, and turned their backes. 7They haue also shut the doores of ye porch, and quenched the lampes, and haue neither burnt incense, nor offred burnt offrings in the Sanctuarie vnto the God of Israel. 8Wherfore the wrath of the Lord hath bin on Iudah and Ierusalem: and he hath made them a scattering, a desolation, and an hissing, as ye see with your eyes. 9For lo, our fathers are fallen by the sword, and our sonnes, and our daughters, and our wiues are in captiuitie for the same cause. 10Now I purpose to make a couenant with the Lord God of Israel, that he may turne away his fierce wrath from vs. 11Now my sonnes, be not deceiued: for the Lord hath chosen you to stand before him, to serue him, and to be his ministers, and to burne incense. 12Then the Leuites arose, Mahath ye sonne of Amashai, and Ioel the sonne of Azariah of the sonnes of the Kohathites: and of the sonnes of Merari, Kish the sonne of Abdi, and Azariah the sonne of Iehalelel: and of the Gershonites, Ioah the sonne of Zimmah, and Eden the sonne of Ioah: 13And of the sonnes of Elizaphan, Shimri, and Iehiel: and of the sonnes of Asaph, Zechariah, and Mattaniah: 14And of the sonnes of Heman, Iehiel, and Shimei: and of the sonnes of Ieduthun, Shemaiah and Vzziel. 15And they gathered their brethren, and sanctified themselues and came according to the commandement of the King, and by the words of the Lord, for to clense the house of the Lord. 16And the Priests went into the inner partes of the house of the Lord, to clense it, and brought out all the vncleannesse that they founde in the Temple of the Lord, into the court of the house of the Lord: and the Leuites tooke it, to cary it out vnto the brooke Kidron. 17They began the first day of the first moneth to sanctifie it, and the eight day of the moneth came they to the porche of the Lord: so they sanctified the house of the Lord in eight dayes, and in the sixeteenth day of the first moneth they made an ende. 18Then they went in to Hezekiah ye King, and sayde, We haue clensed all the house of the Lord and the altar of burnt offring, with all the vessels thereof, and the shewbread table, with all the vessels thereof: 19And all the vessels which King Ahaz had cast aside when he reigned, and transgressed, haue we prepared and sanctified: and beholde, they are before the altar of the Lord. 20And Hezekiah the King rose early, and gathered the princes of the citie, and went vp to the house of the Lord. 21And they brought seuen bullockes, and seuen rammes, and seuen lambes, and seuen hee goates, for a sinne offring for the kingdome, and for the sanctuarie, and for Iudah. And he commanded the Priests the sonnes of Aaron, to offer them on the altar of the Lord. 22So they slewe the bullockes, and the Priests receiued the blood, and sprinkled it vpon the altar: they slew also the rammes and sprinkled the blood vpon the altar, and they slew the lambes, and they sprinkled the blood vpon the altar. 23Then they brought the hee goates for the sinne offring before the King and the Congregation, and they layde their hands vpon them. 24And the Priests slewe them, and with the blood of them they clensed the altar to reconcile all Israel: for the King had commanded for all Israel the burnt offring and the sinne offring. 25He appointed also the Leuites in the house of the Lord with cymbales, with violes, and with harpes, according to the commandement of Dauid, and Gad the Kings Seer, and Nathan the Prophet: for the commandement was by the hande of the Lord, and by the hande of his Prophets. 26And the Leuites stood with the instruments of Dauid, and the Priests with the trumpets. 27And Hezekiah commanded to offer the burnt offring vpon the altar: and when the burnt offring began, the song of the Lord beganne with the trumpets, and the instruments of Dauid King of Israel. 28And al the Congregation worshipped, singing a song, and they blew the trumpets: all this continued vntill the burnt offring was finished. 29And when they had made an ende of offring, the King and all that were present with him, bowed themselues, and worshipped. 30Then Hezekiah the King and the princes commanded the Leuites to prayse the Lord with the wordes of Dauid, and of Asaph the Seer. so they praysed with ioy, and they bowed themselues, and worshipped. 31And Hezekiah spake, and sayde, Now ye haue consecrate your selues to the Lord: come neere and bring the sacrifices and offerings of prayse into the house of the Lord. And the Congregation brought sacrifices; and offrings of prayses, and euery man that was willing in heart, offred burnt offrings. 32And the nomber of the burnt offrings, which the Congregation brought, was seuentie bullockes, an hundreth rammes, and two hundreth lambes: all these were for a burnt offring to the Lord: 33And for sanctification sixe hundreth bullockes, and three thousand sheepe. 34But the Priests were too few, and were not able to flay all the burnt offrings: therefore their brethren the Leuites did helpe them, til they had ended the worke, and vntill other Priests were sanctified: for the Leuites were more vpright in heart to sanctifie themselues, then the Priests. 35And also the burnt offerings were many with the fat of the peace offrings and the drinke offrings for the burnt offring. so the seruice of the house of the Lord was set in order. 36Then Hezekiah reioyced and all the people, that God had made the people so ready: for the thing was done suddenly.
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