^{1 Ref} Hezekiah became king when he was twenty-five years old; and he was king in Jerusalem for twenty-nine years; and his mother's name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah.

^{2 Ref} He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as his father David had done.

^{3 Ref} In the first year of his rule, in the first month, opening the doors of the Lord's house, he made them strong.

^{4 Ref} And he sent for the priests and the Levites, and got them together in the wide place on the east side,

^{5 Ref} And said to them, Give ear to me, O Levites: now make yourselves holy, and make holy the house of the Lord, the God of your fathers, and take away everything unclean from the holy place.

^{6 Ref} For our fathers have done evil, sinning in the eyes of the Lord our God, and have given him up, turning away their faces from the house of the Lord, and turning their backs on him.

^{7 Ref} The doors of his house have been shut and the lights put out; no perfumes have been burned or offerings made to the God of Israel in his holy place.

^{8 Ref} And so the wrath of the Lord has come on Judah and Jerusalem, and he has given them up to be a cause of fear and wonder and shame, as your eyes have seen.

^{9 Ref} For see, our fathers have been put to death with the sword, and our sons and daughters and wives have been taken away prisoners because of this.

^{10 Ref} Now it is my purpose to make an agreement with the Lord, the God of Israel, so that the heat of his wrath may be turned away from us.

^{11 Ref} My sons, take care now: for you have been marked out by the Lord to come before him and to be his servants, burning offerings to him.

^{12 Ref} Then the Levites took their places; Mahath, the son of Amasai, and Joel, the son of Azariah, among the Kohathites; and of the sons of Merari, Kish, the son of Abdi, and Azariah, the son of Jehallelel; and of the Gershonites, Joah, the son of Zimmah, and Eden, the son of Joah;

^{13 Ref} And of the sons of Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeuel; and of the sons of Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah;

^{14 Ref} And of the sons of Heman, Jehuel and Shimei; and of the sons of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel.

^{15 Ref} And they got their brothers together and made themselves holy, and went in, as the king had said by the word of the Lord, to make the house of the Lord clean.

^{16 Ref} And the priests went into the inner part of the house of the Lord to make it clean, and everything unclean which was to be seen in the Temple of the Lord they took out into the outer square of the Lord's house, and the Levites got it together and took it away to the stream Kidron.

^{17 Ref} On the first day of the first month the work of making the house holy was started, and on the eighth day they came to the covered way of the Lord; in eight days they made the Lord's house holy, and on the sixteenth day of the first month the work was done.

^{18 Ref} Then they went in to King Hezekiah and said, We have made all the house of the Lord clean, as well as the altar of burned offerings with all its vessels, and the table for the holy bread, with all its vessels.

^{19 Ref} And all the vessels which were turned out by King Ahaz in his sin while he was king, we have put in order and made holy, and now they are in their places before the altar of the Lord.

^{20 Ref} Then Hezekiah the king got up early, and got together the great men of the town, and went up to the house of the Lord.

^{21 Ref} And they took with them seven oxen and seven male sheep and seven lambs and seven he-goats as a sin-offering for the kingdom and for the holy house and for Judah. And he gave orders to the sons of Aaron, the priests, that these were to be offered on the altar of the Lord.

^{22 Ref} So they put the oxen to death and their blood was given to the priests to be drained out against the altar; then they put the male sheep to death, draining out their blood against the altar, and they put the lambs to death, draining out their blood against the altar.

^{23 Ref} Then they took the he-goats for the sin-offering, placing them before the king and the meeting of the people, and they put their hands on them:

^{24 Ref} And the priests put them to death, and made a sin-offering with their blood on the altar, to take away the sin of all Israel: for the king gave orders that the burned offering and the sin-offering were for all Israel.

^{25 Ref} Then he put the Levites in their places in the house of the Lord, with brass and corded instruments of music as ordered by David and Gad, the king's seer, and Nathan the prophet: for the order was the Lord's, given by his prophets.

^{26 Ref} So the Levites took their places with David's instruments, and the priests with their horns.

^{27 Ref} And Hezekiah gave the word for the burned offering to be offered on the altar. And when the burned offering was started, then the song of the Lord was started, with the blowing of horns and with all the instruments of David, king of Israel.

^{28 Ref} And all the people gave worship, to the sound of songs and the blowing of horns; and this went on till the burned offering was ended.

^{29 Ref} And at the end of the offering, the king and all who were present with him gave worship with bent heads.

^{30 Ref} Then King Hezekiah and the captains gave orders to the Levites to give praise to God in the words of David and Asaph the seer. And they made songs of praise with joy, and with bent heads gave worship.

^{31 Ref} Then Hezekiah made answer and said, Now that you have given yourselves to the Lord, come near and take offerings and praise-offerings into the house of the Lord. So all the people took in offerings and praise-offerings: and those whose hearts were moved, took in burned offerings.

^{32 Ref} The number of burned offerings which the people took in was seventy oxen, a hundred male sheep, and two hundred lambs: all these were for burned offerings to the Lord.

³³ And the holy things were six hundred oxen and three thousand sheep.

^{34 Ref} There were not enough priests for the work of cutting up all the burned offerings; so their brothers the Levites gave them help till the work was done and the priests had made themselves holy: for the Levites were more upright in heart to make themselves holy than the priests.

^{35 Ref} And there was a great amount of burned offerings, with the fat of the peace-offerings and the drink offerings for every burned offering. So the work of the Lord's house was put in order.

^{36 Ref} And Hezekiah and all the people were full of joy, because God had made the people ready: for the thing was done suddenly.

^{1 Ref} Hezekiah hath reigned -- a son of twenty and five years, and twenty and nine years he hath reigned in Jerusalem, and the name of his mother `is' Abijah daughter of Zechariah;

^{2 Ref} and he doth that which is right in the eyes of Jehovah, according to all that David his father did.

^{3 Ref} He, in the first year of his reign, in the first month, hath opened the doors of the house of Jehovah, and strengtheneth them,

^{4 Ref} and bringeth in the priests and the Levites, and gathereth them to the broad place to the east.

^{5 Ref} And he saith to them, `Hear me, O Levites, now, sanctify yourselves, and sanctify the house of Jehovah, God of your fathers, and bring out the impurity from the sanctuary,

^{6 Ref} for our fathers have trespassed, and done that which is evil in the eyes of Jehovah our God, and forsake him, and turn round their faces from the tabernacle of Jehovah, and give the neck.

^{7 Ref} `Also -- they have shut the doors of the porch, and quench the lamps, and perfume they have not made, and burnt-offering have not caused to ascend in the sanctuary to the God of Israel,

^{8 Ref} and the wrath of Jehovah is on Judah and Jerusalem, and He giveth them for a trembling, for an astonishment, and for a hissing, as ye are seeing with your eyes.

^{9 Ref} And lo, fallen have our fathers by the sword, and our sons, and our daughters, and our wives `are' in captivity for this.

^{10 Ref} `Now -- with my heart -- to make a covenant before Jehovah, God of Israel, and the fierceness of His anger doth turn back from us.

^{11 Ref} My sons, be not now at rest, for on you hath Jehovah fixed to stand before Him, to serve Him, and to be to Him ministering and making perfume.'

^{12 Ref} And the Levites rise -- Mahath son of Amasai, and Joel son of Azariah, of the sons of the Kohathite; and of the sons of Merari: Kish son of Abdi, and Azariah son of Jehalelel; and of the Gershonite: Joah son of Zimmah, and Eden son of Joah;

^{13 Ref} and of the sons of Elizaphan: Shimri, and Jeiel; and of the sons of Asaph: Zechariah and Mattaniah;

^{14 Ref} and of the sons of Heman: Jehiel and Shimei; and of the sons of Jeduthun: Shemaiah and Uzziel --

^{15 Ref} and they gather their brethren, and sanctify themselves, and come in, according to the command of the king in the matters of Jehovah, to cleanse the house of Jehovah,

^{16 Ref} and the priests come in to the inner part of the house of Jehovah to cleanse `it', and bring out all the uncleanness that they have found in the temple of Jehovah to the court of the house of Jehovah, and the Levites receive `it', to take `it' out to the brook Kidron without.

^{17 Ref} And they begin on the first of the first month to sanctify, and on the eighth day of the month they have come to the porch of Jehovah, and they sanctify the house of Jehovah in eight days, and on the sixteenth day of the first month they have finished.

^{18 Ref} And they come in within unto Hezekiah the king, and say, `We have cleansed all the house of Jehovah, and the altar of the burnt-offering, and all its vessels, and the table of the arrangement, and all its vessels,

^{19 Ref} and all the vessels that king Ahaz cast away in his reign -- in his trespass -- we have prepared and sanctified, and lo, they `are' before the altar of Jehovah.'

^{20 Ref} And Hezekiah the king riseth early, and gathereth the heads of the city, and goeth up to the house of Jehovah;

^{21 Ref} and they bring in seven bullocks, and seven rams, and seven lambs, and seven young he-goats, for a sin-offering for the kingdom, and for the sanctuary, and for Judah; and he saith to sons of Aaron, the priests, to cause `them' to ascend on the altar of Jehovah.

^{22 Ref} And they slaughter the oxen, and the priests receive the blood, and sprinkle on the altar; and they slaughter the rams, and sprinkle the blood on the altar; and they slaughter the lambs, and sprinkle the blood on the altar;

^{23 Ref} and they bring nigh the he-goats of the sin-offering before the king and the assembly, and they lay their hands upon them;

^{24 Ref} and the priests slaughter them, and make a sin-offering with their blood on the altar, to make atonement for all Israel, for `For all Israel,' said the king, ``is' the burnt-offering and the sin-offering.'

^{25 Ref} And he appointeth the Levites in the house of Jehovah with cymbals, with psalteries, and with harps, by the command of David, and of Gad, seer of the king, and of Nathan the prophet, for by the hand of Jehovah `is' the command, by the hand of His prophets;

^{26 Ref} and the Levites stand with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets.

^{27 Ref} And Hezekiah saith to cause the burnt-offering to ascend on the altar; and at the time the burnt-offering began -- began the song of Jehovah, and the trumpets, even by the hands of the instruments of David king of Israel.

^{28 Ref} And all the assembly are doing obeisance, and the singers singing, and the trumpeters blowing; the whole `is' till the completion of the burnt-offering.

^{29 Ref} And at the completion of the offering up bowed have the king and all those found with him, and do obeisance.

^{30 Ref} And Hezekiah the king saith, and the princes, to the Levites to give praise to Jehovah in the words of David, and of Asaph the seer, and they praise -- unto joy, and they bow, and do obeisance.

^{31 Ref} And Hezekiah answereth and saith, `Now ye have filled your hand to Jehovah, come nigh, and bring in sacrifices and thank-offerings to the house of Jehovah;' and the assembly bring in sacrifices and thank-offerings, and every willing-hearted one -- burnt-offerings.

^{32 Ref} And the number of the burnt-offerings that the assembly have brought in, is seventy oxen, a hundred rams, lambs two hundred; for a burnt-offering to Jehovah `are' all these.

³³ And the sanctified things `are' oxen six hundred, and sheep three thousand.

^{34 Ref} Only, the priests have become few, and have not been able to strip the whole of the burnt-offerings, and their brethren the Levites strengthen them till the completion of the work, and till the priests sanctify themselves, for the Levites `are' more upright of heart to sanctify themselves than the priests.

^{35 Ref} And also, burnt-offerings `are' in abundance, with fat of the peace-offerings, and with oblations for the burnt-offering; and the service of the house of Jehovah is established,

^{36 Ref} and rejoice doth Hezekiah and all the people, because of God's giving preparation to the people, for the thing hath been suddenly.

^{1 Ref} Hezekiah began to reign when he was twenty-five years old; and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah.

^{2 Ref} He did that which was right in the eyes of Yahweh, according to all that David his father had done.

^{3 Ref} He in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of Yahweh, and repaired them.

^{4 Ref} He brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them together into the broad place on the east,

^{5 Ref} and said to them, Hear me, you Levites; now sanctify yourselves, and sanctify the house of Yahweh, the God of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place.

^{6 Ref} For our fathers have trespassed, and done that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh our God, and have forsaken him, and have turned away their faces from the habitation of Yahweh, and turned their backs.

^{7 Ref} 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 to the God of Israel.

^{8 Ref} Therefore the wrath of Yahweh was on Judah and Jerusalem, and he has delivered them to be tossed back and forth, to be an astonishment, and a hissing, as you see with your eyes.

^{9 Ref} For, behold, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity for this.

^{10 Ref} Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with Yahweh, the God of Israel, that his fierce anger may turn away from us.

^{11 Ref} My sons, don't be negligent now; for Yahweh has chosen you to stand before him, to minister to him, and that you should be his ministers, and burn incense.

^{12 Ref} 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 Jehallelel; and of the Gershonites, Joah the son of Zimmah, and Eden the son of Joah;

^{13 Ref} and of the sons of Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeuel; and of the sons of Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah;

^{14 Ref} and of the sons of Heman, Jehuel and Shimei; and of the sons of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel.

^{15 Ref} They gathered their brothers, and sanctified themselves, and went in, according to the commandment of the king by the words of Yahweh, to cleanse the house of Yahweh.

^{16 Ref} The priests went in to the inner part of the house of Yahweh, to cleanse it, and brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of Yahweh into the court of the house of Yahweh. The Levites took it, to carry it out abroad to the brook Kidron.

^{17 Ref} 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 Yahweh; and they sanctified the house of Yahweh in eight days: and on the sixteenth day of the first month they made an end.

^{18 Ref} Then they went in to Hezekiah the king within [the palace], and said, We have cleansed all the house of Yahweh, and the altar of burnt offering, with all the vessels of it, and the table of show bread, with all the vessels of it.

^{19 Ref} Moreover all the vessels, which king Ahaz in his reign did cast away when he trespassed, have we prepared and sanctified; and, behold, they are before the altar of Yahweh.

^{20 Ref} Then Hezekiah the king arose early, and gathered the princes of the city, and went up to the house of Yahweh.

^{21 Ref} They brought seven bulls, and seven rams, and seven lambs, and seven male goats, for a sin-offering for the kingdom and for the sanctuary and for Judah. He commanded the priests the sons of Aaron to offer them on the altar of Yahweh.

^{22 Ref} So they killed the bulls, and the priests received the blood, and sprinkled it on the altar: and they killed the rams, and sprinkled the blood on the altar: they killed also the lambs, and sprinkled the blood on the altar.

^{23 Ref} They brought near the male goats for the sin-offering before the king and the assembly; and they laid their hands on them:

^{24 Ref} and the priests killed them, and they made a sin-offering with their blood on the altar, to make atonement for all Israel; for the king commanded [that] the burnt offering and the sin-offering [should be made] for all Israel.

^{25 Ref} He set the Levites in the house of Yahweh 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 the commandment was of Yahweh by his prophets.

^{26 Ref} The Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets.

^{27 Ref} Hezekiah commanded to offer the burnt offering on the altar. When the burnt offering began, the song of Yahweh began also, and the trumpets, together with the instruments of David king of Israel.

^{28 Ref} All the assembly worshiped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded; all this [continued] until the burnt offering was finished.

^{29 Ref} When they had made an end of offering, the king and all who were present with him bowed themselves and worshiped.

^{30 Ref} Moreover Hezekiah the king and the princes commanded the Levites to sing praises to Yahweh with the words of David, and of Asaph the seer. They sang praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads and worshiped.

^{31 Ref} Then Hezekiah answered, Now you have consecrated yourselves to Yahweh; come near and bring sacrifices and thank-offerings into the house of Yahweh. The assembly brought in sacrifices and thank-offerings; and as many as were of a willing heart [brought] burnt offerings.

^{32 Ref} The number of the burnt offerings which the assembly brought was seventy bulls, one hundred rams, and two hundred lambs: all these were for a burnt offering to Yahweh.

³³ The consecrated things were six hundred oxen and three thousand sheep.

^{34 Ref} But the priests were too few, so that they could not flay all the burnt offerings: therefore their brothers the Levites helped them, until the work was ended, and until the priests had sanctified themselves; for the Levites were more upright in heart to sanctify themselves than the priests.

^{35 Ref} Also the burnt offerings were in abundance, with the fat of the peace-offerings, and with the drink-offerings for every burnt offering. So the service of the house of Yahweh was set in order.

^{36 Ref} Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people, because of that which God had prepared for the people: for the thing was done suddenly.