The Scriptures (ISR 1998) 1Ḥizqiyahu began to reign when he was twenty-five years old, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Yerushalayim. And his mother’s name was Aḇiyah the daughter of Zeḵaryahu. 2And he did what was right in the eyes of יהוה, according to all that his father Dawiḏ did. 3In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the House of יהוה and repaired them, 4and brought in the priests and the Lĕwites, and gathered them in the open place to the east. 5And he said to them, “Listen to me, O Lĕwites! Now set yourselves apart, set apart the House of יהוה Elohim of your fathers, and remove the uncleanness from the set-apart place. 6“For our fathers have trespassed and have done evil in the eyes of יהוה our Elohim, and have forsaken Him, and have turned their faces away from the Dwelling Place of יהוה, and have given their backs. 7“And they have shut the doors of the porch, and put out the lamps, and they have not burned incense or offered burnt offerings in the set-apart place to the Elohim of Yisra’ĕl. 8“Therefore the wrath of יהוה fell upon Yehuḏah and Yerushalayim, and He has given them up for a trembling, for an astonishment, and for a hissing, as you see with your eyes. 9“And see, because of this our fathers have fallen by the sword. And our sons, and our daughters, and our wives are in captivity for this. 10“Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl, so that the heat of His wrath turns away from us. 11“My sons, do not be slack, for יהוה has chosen you to stand before Him, to serve Him, and to be attendants for Him and burn incense.” 12And the Lĕwites rose up: Maḥath son of Amasai and Yo’ĕl son of Azaryahu, of the sons of the Qehathites; and of the sons of Merari, Qish son of Aḇdi and Azaryahu son of Yehallel’ĕl; and of the Gĕreshonites, Yo’aḥ son of Zimmah and Ěḏen son of Yo’aḥ; 13and of the sons of Elitsaphan, Shimri and Ye‛i’ĕl; and of the sons of Asaph, Zeḵaryahu and Mattanyahu; 14and of the sons of Hĕman, Yeḥi’ĕl and Shim‛i; and of the sons of Yeḏuthun, Shemayah and Uzzi’ĕl. 15And they gathered their brothers, and set themselves apart, and went according to the command of the sovereign, at the words of יהוה, to cleanse the House of יהוה. 16And the priests came into the inner part of the House of יהוה to cleanse it, and brought out all the uncleanness they found in the Hĕḵal of יהוה to the courtyard of the House of יהוה. Then the Lĕwites received it to take it outside to the wadi Qiḏron. 17And they began to set apart on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they came to the porch of יהוה. And they set apart the House of יהוה in eight days, and on the sixteenth day of the first month they had finished. 18Then they came in to Sovereign Ḥizqiyahu and said, “We have cleansed all the House of יהוה, and the altar of burnt offerings with all its utensils, and the table of the showbread with all its utensils. 19“And all the utensils which Sovereign Aḥaz in his reign had pushed aside, when he trespassed, we have prepared and set apart. And see, they are before the altar of יהוה.” 20And Sovereign Ḥizqiyahu rose up early, and gathered the heads of the city, and went up to the House of יהוה. 21And they brought seven bulls, and seven rams, and seven lambs, and seven male goats for a sin offering for the reign, for the set-apart place, and for Yehuḏah. And he said to the priests, the sons of Aharon, to offer them on the altar of יהוה. 22So they slaughtered the bulls, and the priests received the blood and sprinkled it on the altar. And they slaughtered the rams and sprinkled the blood on the altar. And they slaughtered the lambs and sprinkled the blood on the altar. 23And they brought out the male goats of the sin offering before the sovereign and the assembly, and they laid their hands on them, 24and the priests slaughtered them, and with their blood made a sin offering on the altar, to make an atonement for all Yisra’ĕl, for the sovereign said that the burnt offering and the sin offering is for all Yisra’ĕl. 25And he appointed the Lĕwites in the House of יהוה with cymbals, with harps, and with lyres, according to the command of Dawiḏ, and of Gaḏ, seer of the sovereign, and of Nathan the prophet, for the command was by the hand of יהוה, by the hand of His prophets. 26And the Lĕwites stood with the instruments of Dawiḏ, and the priests with the trumpets. 27And Ḥizqiyahu gave the order to offer the burnt offering on the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the singing unto יהוה began, with the trumpets and with the instruments of Dawiḏ sovereign of Yisra’ĕl. 28And all the assembly were bowing, and the singers singing, and the trumpeters blowing – all this until the burnt offering was completed. 29And at the completion of the offering, the sovereign and all who were present with him bowed and worshipped. 30And Sovereign Ḥizqiyahu and the rulers ordered the Lĕwites to sing praise to יהוה with the words of Dawiḏ and of Asaph the seer. And they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads and worshipped. 31And Ḥizqiyahu responded and said, “Now that you have ordained yourselves to יהוה, come near, and bring slaughterings and thank offerings into the House of יהוה.” And the assembly brought in slaughterings and thank offerings, and all those whose hearts were so moved brought burnt offerings. 32And the number of the burnt offerings which the assembly brought was seventy bulls, one hundred rams, two hundred lambs – all these for a burnt offering to יהוה. 33And the set-apart gifts were six hundred bulls and three thousand sheep. 34Only, the priests were too few, and were unable to skin all the burnt offerings, so their brothers the Lĕwites helped them until the work was completed and until the other priests had set themselves apart, for the Lĕwites were more upright of heart to set themselves apart, than the priests. 35And there were also many burnt offerings, with the fat of the peace offerings and with the drink offerings for every burnt offering. Thus the service of the House of יהוה was re-established. 36And Ḥizqiyahu and all the people rejoiced that Elohim had prepared the people, because the matter came about so suddenly. |