2 Chronicles, 29

1. Hezekiah began to reign [when he was] five and twenty years old, and he reigned nine and twenty years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name [was] Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah.

1. Hezekiah became king when he was twenty-five years old and reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother was Abijah, daugther Zechariah.

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

2. He did what is pleasing to Yahweh, just as his ancestor David had done.

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

3. In the first month of the first year of his reign, he reopened the gates of Yahweh's House and repaired them.

4. And he brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them together into the east street,

4. Then he brought the priests and the Levites, assembled them in the eastern square,

5. And said unto them, Hear me, ye Levites, sanctify now yourselves, and sanctify the house of the LORD God of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy [place].

5. and said to them: "Listen to me, Levites! Sanctify yourselves now and consecrate the house of Yahweh, the God of our ancestors, and remove from the House everything that defiles it.

6. For our fathers have trespassed, and done [that which was] evil in the eyes of the LORD our God, and have forsaken him, and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the LORD, and turned [their] backs.

6. Your ancestors have been unfaithful and have done what is displeasing to Yahweh our God. They have abandoned him; they have turned their faces away from the place Yahweh has made his home, they have turned their backs on him.

7. Also they have shut up the doors of the porch, and put out the lamps, and have not burned incense nor offered burnt offerings in the holy [place] unto the God of Israel.

7. They have even closed the doors of the Vestibule, they have put out the lamps and offered neither incense nor burnt offerings to the God of Israel in the Sanctuary.

8. Wherefore the wrath of the LORD was upon Judah and Jerusalem, and he hath delivered them to trouble, to astonishment, and to hissing, as ye see with your eyes.

8. So the anger of Yahweh has fallen on Judah and Jerusalem; and what he has done to them has shocked and frightened everyone, as you can see for yourselves.

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

9. This is why our ancestors have fallen by the sword, and our sons, our daughters, and our wives have been taken captive.

10. Now [it is] in mine heart to make a covenant with the LORD God of Israel, that his fierce wrath may turn away from us.

10. But now I have decided to make a covenant with Yahweh, the God of Israel, so that his fierce anger may be turned away from us.

11. My sons, be not now negligent: for the LORD hath chosen you to stand before him, to serve him, and that ye should minister unto him, and burn incense.

11. My sons, be negligent no longer, for Yahweh has chosen you to stand in his presence and serve him, to worship him, and offer him incense."

12. Then the Levites arose, Mahath the son of Amasai, and Joel the son of Azariah, of the sons of the Kohathites: and of the sons of Merari, Kish the son of Abdi, and Azariah the son of Jehalelel: and of the Gershonites; Joah the son of Zimmah, and Eden the son of Joah:

12. The Levites set to work: Mahath son of Amasai and Joel son of Azariah, of the Kohathites; Kish son of Abdi and Azariah son of Jehallelel of the Merarites; Joah son of Zimmah and Eden son of Joah of the Gershonites;

13. And of the sons of Elizaphan; Shimri, and Jeiel: and of the sons of Asaph; Zechariah, and Mattaniah:

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

14. And of the sons of Heman; Jehiel, and Shimei: and of the sons of Jeduthun; Shemaiah, and Uzziel.

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

15. And they gathered their brethren, and sanctified themselves, and came, according to the commandment of the king, by the words of the LORD, to cleanse the house of the LORD.

15. They gathered their fellow Levites together, purified them, and in obedience to the king's order and in accordance with the words of Yahweh, they began consecrating in the Temple of Yahweh.

16. And the priests went into the inner part of the house of the LORD, to cleanse [it], and brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of the LORD into the court of the house of the LORD. And the Levites took [it], to carry [it] out abroad into the brook Kidron.

16. The priests went inside the house of Yahweh to make it clean. They brought everything unclean they found in the sanctuary of Yahweh, out into the court of Yahweh's House, and the Levites collected it and carried it outside, into the Kidron Valley.

17. Now they began on the first [day] of the first month to sanctify, and on the eighth day of the month came they to the porch of the LORD: so they sanctified the house of the LORD in eight days; and in the sixteenth day of the first month they made an end.

17. They began this consecration on the first day of the first month, and were able to enter the Hall of Yahweh on the eight of the month; they then took eight days to consecrate Yahweh's House, and finished on the sixteenth day of the first month.

18. Then they went in to Hezekiah the king, and said, We have cleansed all the house of the LORD, and the altar of burnt offering, with all the vessels thereof, and the shewbread table, with all the vessels thereof.

18. They then went into the palace of King Hezekiah and said, "We have purified the whole Temple of Yahweh, the altar for burnt offerings with all its furnishings, and the table on which the rows of bread are set with all its furnishings.

19. Moreover all the vessels, which king Ahaz in his reign did cast away in his transgression, have we prepared and sanctified, and, behold, they [are] before the altar of the LORD.

19. All the furnishings King Ahaz took away during those years he was unfaithful to Yahweh we have put back and consecrated; they are now in front of the altar of Yahweh."

20. Then Hezekiah the king rose early, and gathered the rulers of the city, and went up to the house of the LORD.

20. King Hezekiah lost no time but called the officials of the city together and went up to Yahweh's House.

21. And they brought seven bullocks, and seven rams, and seven lambs, and seven he goats, for a sin offering for the kingdom, and for the sanctuary, and for Judah. And he commanded the priests the sons of Aaron to offer [them] on the altar of the LORD.

21. They brought seven bulls, seven rams and seven lambs, with seven he-goats as a sacrifice for sin on behalf of the royal house, of the sanctuary, and of Judah. The king then told the priests, the sons of Aaron, to offer the burnt offering on the altar of Yahweh.

22. So they killed the bullocks, and the priests received the blood, and sprinkled [it] on the altar: likewise, when they had killed the rams, they sprinkled the blood upon the altar: they killed also the lambs, and they sprinkled the blood upon the altar.

22. They slaughtered the bulls and the priests took up the blood and poured it on the altar. They then slaughtered the rams and poured their blood on the altar.

23. And they brought forth the he goats [for] the sin offering before the king and the congregation; and they laid their hands upon them:

23. Then they brought the he-goats, the sacrifice for sin, before the king and the assembly who laid their hands on them.

24. And the priests killed them, and they made reconciliation with their blood upon the altar, to make an atonement for all Israel: for the king commanded [that] the burnt offering and the sin offering [should be made] for all Israel.

24. The priests slaughtered them, and with their blood on the altar offered a sacrifice to take away the sin of all the people - since the king had ordered the burnt offering and the sacrifice for sin on behalf of all Israel.

25. And he set the Levites in the house of the LORD with cymbals, with psalteries, and with harps, according to the commandment of David, and of Gad the king's seer, and Nathan the prophet: for [so was] the commandment of the LORD by his prophets.

25. He then ordered the Levites to stand in Yahweh's House with cymbals, harps and lyres, in accordance with the ordinances of David, of Gad the king's prophet and of Nathan the prophet; the order had in fact come from Yahweh through his prophets.

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

26. When the Levites had taken their places with David's musical instruments, and the priests with their trumpets,

27. And Hezekiah commanded to offer the burnt offering upon the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the song of the LORD began [also] with the trumpets, and with the instruments [ordained] by David king of Israel.

27. Hezekiah ordered the burnt offering to begin, the hymns of Yahweh began too, and the trumpets sounded, to the accompaniment of the instruments of David king of Israel.

28. And all the congregation worshipped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded: [and] all [this continued] until the burnt offering was finished.

28. The whole assembly worshiped, cantors singing, trumpets sounding, until the holocaust was over.

29. And when they had made an end of offering, the king and all that were present with him bowed themselves, and worshipped.

29. When the offering was at an end, the king and all there with him fell to their knees and worshiped.

30. Moreover Hezekiah the king and the princes commanded the Levites to sing praise unto the LORD with the words of David, and of Asaph the seer. And they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads and worshipped.

30. Then King Hezekiah and the officials told the Levites to sing praise to Yahweh in the words of David and of Asaph the prophet; they sang praises till their joy was full and then they fell down and worshiped.

31. Then Hezekiah answered and said, Now ye have consecrated yourselves unto the LORD, come near and bring sacrifices and thank offerings into the house of the LORD. And the congregation brought in sacrifices and thank offerings; and as many as were of a free heart burnt offerings.

31. Hezekiah spoke again, "Now you are dedicated to the service of Yahweh. Come forward, bring sacrifices and thanksgiving offerings into Yahweh's House." The assembly brought sacrifices and thanksgiving offerings: all the generous people brought burnt offerings.

32. And the number of the burnt offerings, which the congregation brought, was threescore and ten bullocks, an hundred rams, [and] two hundred lambs: all these [were] for a burnt offering to the LORD.

32. The number of victims for these burnt offerings was seventy bulls, a hundred rams and two hundred lambs, all as burnt offerings for Yahweh;

33. And the consecrated things [were] six hundred oxen and three thousand sheep.

33. six hundred bulls and three hundred sheep were sacrificed.

34. But the priests were too few, so that they could not flay all the burnt offerings: wherefore their brethren the Levites did help them, till the work was ended, and until the [other] priests had sanctified themselves: for the Levites [were] more upright in heart to sanctify themselves than the priests.

34. The priests were too few, however, and could not slaughter all these animals, so the Levites helped them until the work was done and the other priests were sanctified; for the Levites were more educated than the priests regarding the requirements of purification.

35. And also the burnt offerings [were] in abundance, with the fat of the peace offerings, and the drink offerings for [every] burnt offering. So the service of the house of the LORD was set in order.

35. There were indeed many burnt offerings besides the fat of the peace offerings which was to be burnt together with the drink offerings. So was completed the consecration of Yahweh's House. Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced that God had helped the people to act so promptly.

36. And Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people, that God had prepared the people: for the thing was [done] suddenly.

36.