2 Chronicles 29

And, Hezekiah, began to reign when he was twenty-five years old, and, twenty-nine years, reigned he in Jerusalem,—and, the name of his mother, was Abijah, daughter of Zechariah.

And he did that which was right in the eyes of God,—according to all that, David his father, had done.

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

And he brought in the priests, and the Levites,—and gathered them together in the broadway on the east;

and said unto them, Hear me, O Levites! Now, hallow yourselves, and hallow the house of God, God of your fathers, and take forth the impure thing out of the holy place.

For our fathers have acted unfaithfully and done the thing that was wicked in the eyes of God our God, and have forsaken him,-and have turned round their faces from the habitation of God, and have offered their backs.

Moreover they have shut up the doors of the porch, and have quenched the lamps, and, incense, have they not burned,-and, ascending-sacrifice, have they not caused to go up in the holy place, unto the God of Israel.

Thus hath it come to pass, that, the wrath of God, hath been upon Judah and Jerusalem,—and he hath delivered them up as a terror and as an astonishment and as hissing, even as, ye, can see with your own eyes.

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

Now, is it near my heart, to solemnise a covenant unto God, God of Israel,—that he may turn from him the glow of his anger.

My sons! now, do not be faulty,—for, of you, hath God made choice, to stand before him, and to wait upon him, and to be his attendants and burners of incense.

Then arose the Levites—Mahath son of Amasai, and Joel son of Azariah, of the sons of the Kohathites, and, of the sons of Merari, Kish son of Abdi, and Azariah son of Jehallelel,—and, of the Gershonites, Joah son of Zimmah, and Eden son of Joah;

and, of the sons of Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeiel,—and, of the sons of Asaph, Zechariah, and Mattaniah;

and, of the sons of Heman, Jehiel and Shimei,—and, of the sons of Jeduthun, Shemaiah, and Uzziel;

and they gathered together their brethren, who hallowed themselves, and came in according to the command of the king, in the things of God,—to purify the house of God.

So the priests entered into the inner part of the house of God, to make purification, and they brought out every unclean thing which they found in the temple of God, into the court of the house of God,—where the Levites received it, to carry it forth to the Kidron ravine outside.

And they began, on the first of the first month, to hallow,—and, on the eighth day of the month, they came to the porch of God, so they hallowed the house of God in eight days,—and, on the sixteenth day of the first month, they finished.

Then came they in unto Hezekiah the king, and said, We have purified all the house of God,—the altar of ascending-sacrifice, and all the utensils thereof, and the table for setting in array, and all the utensils thereof.

And, all the utensils which King Ahaz in his reign rejected when he acted unfaithfully, have we made ready and hallowed,—and, there they are, before the altar of God.

So Hezekiah the king rose up early, and gathered together the rulers of the city,—and went up to the house of God.

And they brought in seven bullocks, and seven rams, and seven young sheep, and seven he-goats for bearing sin, for the kingdom and for the sanctuary and for Judah,—and he bade the sons of Aaron, the priests, cause them to ascend upon the altar of God.

So they slaughtered the bullocks, and the priests received the blood, and dashed it against the altar,—and they slaughtered the rams, and dashed the blood against the altar, and slaughtered the young sheep, and dashed the blood against the altar.

And they brought near the he-goats for bearing sin, before the king, and the convocation,—and they leaned their hands upon them;

and the priests slaughtered them, and sin-cleansed, with their blood, the altar, to put a propitiatory-covering over all Israel,-because, for all Israel, did the king appoint the ascending-sacrifice and the offering for bearing sin.

And he caused the Levites to stand in the house of God, with cymbals and with harps and with lyres, by the commandment of David, and of Gad the seer of the king, and of Nathan the prophet,—for, by the hand of God, came the commandment by the hand of his prophets.

So the Levites took their stand, with the instruments of David, and the priests, with the trumpets.

And Hezekiah gave word, to cause the ascending-sacrifice to go up on the altar,—and, when the ascending-sacrifice began, the singing unto God began, and the trumpets, even under the direction of the instruments of David, king of Israel.

And, all the convocation, were bowing themselves in prostration, and, the song, was resounding and the trumpets were blowing,-the whole, until the completing of the ascending-sacrifice.

And, when the offering was complete, the king knelt down and all who were present with him, and bowed themselves in prostration.

And Hezekiah the king and the rulers gave word to the Levites, to offer praise unto God, in the words of David, and of Asaph the seer,—so they offered praise right joyfully, and bent their heads and bowed themselves in prostration.

Then responded Hezekiah and said—Now, have ye consecrated yourselves unto God. Draw near, and bring in sacrifices and thank-offerings unto the house of God,-So the convocation brought sacrifices and thank-offerings, and, everyone of a willing heart, [brought] ascending-sacrifices.

And it came to pass that, the number of ascending-sacrifices which the convocation brought, was—seventy bullocks, and a hundred rams, and two hundred young sheep,—as an ascending-sacrifice unto God, all these.

But, the hallowed beasts, were six hundred bullocks, and three thousand sheep.

Only, the priests, were too few, and were unable to flay all the ascending-sacrifices,—so their brethren the Levites strengthened them, until the work was complete and until the priests had hallowed themselves, for, the Levites, were more upright in heart to hallow themselves, than the priests.

Moreover also, the ascending-sacrifices, were in abundance, with the fat portions of the peace-offerings, and with the drink-offerings to every ascending-sacrifice,-thus was established the service of the house of God.

And Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people, because God had established it for the people,—for, suddenly, had the thing come about.