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2 Chronicles 29-35
New American Standard Bible

Hezekiah Succeeds Ahaz in Judah

29 (A)Hezekiah became king when he was twenty-five years old; and he reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. 2 (B)He did what was right in the sight of the Lord, in accordance with everything that his father David had done.

3 In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he (C)opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them. 4 He brought in the priests and the Levites and gathered them into the public square on the east.

Reforms Begun

5 Then he said to them, “Listen to me, you Levites. (D)Consecrate yourselves now, and consecrate the house of the Lord, the God of your fathers, and carry the uncleanness out of the holy place. 6 For our fathers have been unfaithful and have done evil in the sight of the Lord our God, and they have abandoned Him and (E)turned their faces away from the dwelling place of the Lord, and have [a]turned their backs. 7 They have also (F)shut the doors of the porch and extinguished the lamps, and have not burned incense nor offered burnt offerings in the holy place to the God of Israel. 8 Therefore (G)the wrath of the Lord was against Judah and Jerusalem, and He has made them an object of terror, of horror, and of (H)hissing, as you see with your own eyes. 9 For behold, (I)our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons, our daughters, and our wives are in captivity because of this. 10 Now it is in my heart (J)to make a covenant with the Lord God of Israel, so that His burning anger may turn away from us. 11 My sons, do not be negligent now, for (K)the Lord has chosen you to stand before Him, to serve Him, and to be His ministers and burn incense.”

12 Then the Levites arose: (L)Mahath the son of Amasai and Joel the son of Azariah, from the sons of (M)the Kohathites; and from the sons of Merari, Kish the son of Abdi and Azariah the son of Jehallelel; and from the Gershonites, Joah the son of Zimmah and Eden the son of Joah; 13 and from the sons of Elizaphan, Shimri and [b]Jeiel; and from the sons of Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah; 14 and from the sons of Heman, [c]Jehiel and Shimei; and from the sons of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel. 15 They assembled their brothers, (N)consecrated themselves, and went in (O)to cleanse the house of the Lord, according to the commandment of the king (P)by the words of the Lord. 16 So the priests went into the inner part of the house of the Lord to cleanse it, and they brought every unclean thing which they found in the temple of the Lord out to the courtyard of the house of the Lord. Then the Levites received it to carry out to (Q)the Kidron [d]Valley. 17 Now they began [e]the consecration (R)on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they entered the porch of the Lord. Then they consecrated the house of the Lord in eight days, and finished on the sixteenth day of the first month. 18 Then they went in to King Hezekiah and said, “We have cleansed the whole house of the Lord, the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the table of the showbread with all of its utensils. 19 Moreover, (S)all the utensils which King Ahaz had discarded during his reign in his unfaithfulness, we have prepared and consecrated; and behold, they are before the altar of the Lord.”

Hezekiah Restores Temple Worship

20 Then King Hezekiah got up early and assembled the princes of the city, and went up to the house of the Lord. 21 They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats (T)as a sin offering for the kingdom, the sanctuary, and Judah. And he ordered the priests, the sons of Aaron, to offer them on the altar of the Lord. 22 So they slaughtered the bulls, and the priests took the blood and sprinkled it on the altar. They also slaughtered the rams and sprinkled the blood on the altar; they slaughtered the lambs as well, and (U)sprinkled the blood on the altar. 23 Then they brought the male goats of the sin offering before the king and the assembly, and (V)they laid their hands on them. 24 The priests slaughtered them and purified the altar with their blood (W)to atone for all Israel, because the king ordered the burnt offering and the sin offering for all Israel.

25 (X)He then stationed the Levites in the house of the Lord with cymbals, harps, and lyres, (Y)according to the command of David and of (Z)Gad, the king’s seer, and of (AA)Nathan the prophet; for the command was from the Lord through His prophets. 26 The Levites stood with (AB)the musical instruments of David, and (AC)the priests with the trumpets. 27 Then Hezekiah gave the order to offer the burnt offering on the altar. When the burnt offering began, (AD)the song to the Lord also began with the trumpets, [f]accompanied by the instruments of David, king of Israel. 28 While the whole assembly worshiped, the singers also sang and the trumpets sounded; all this continued until the burnt offering was finished.

29 Now at the completion of the burnt offerings, (AE)the king and all who were present with him bowed down and worshiped. 30 Moreover, King Hezekiah and the officials ordered the Levites to sing praises to the Lord with the words of David and Asaph the seer. (AF)So they sang praises with joy, and bowed down and worshiped.

31 Then Hezekiah said, “(AG)Now that you have [g]consecrated yourselves to the Lord, come forward and bring sacrifices and thanksgiving offerings to the house of the Lord.” So the assembly brought sacrifices and thanksgiving offerings, and (AH)everyone who was [h]willing brought burnt offerings. 32 The number of the burnt offerings which the assembly brought was seventy bulls, a hundred rams, and two hundred lambs; all of these were for a burnt offering to the Lord. 33 The consecrated offerings were six hundred bulls and three thousand sheep. 34 But the priests were too few, so that they were unable to skin all the burnt offerings; (AI)therefore their brothers the Levites helped them until the work was finished and the other priests had consecrated themselves. For (AJ)the Levites were more [i]conscientious to consecrate themselves than the priests. 35 There were also [j](AK)many burnt offerings with (AL)the fat of the peace offerings and (AM)the drink offerings for the burnt offerings. So the service of the house of the Lord was established again. 36 Then Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced over what God had prepared for the people, because the thing came about suddenly.

All Israel Invited to the Passover

30 Now Hezekiah sent word to all Israel and Judah and also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the Lord in Jerusalem to [k]celebrate the Passover to the Lord God of Israel. 2 For the king and his princes and all the assembly in Jerusalem had decided (AN)to celebrate the Passover in the second month, 3 since they could not celebrate it (AO)at that time, because the priests had not consecrated themselves in sufficient numbers, nor had the people been gathered to Jerusalem. 4 So the [l]decision was right in the sight of the king and all the assembly. 5 So they established a decree to circulate a [m]proclamation throughout Israel (AP)from Beersheba to Dan, that they are to come to celebrate the Passover to the Lord God of Israel in Jerusalem. For they had not celebrated it in great numbers as was written. 6 (AQ)The [n]couriers went throughout Israel and Judah with the letters from the hand of the king and his princes, even according to the command of the king, saying, “Sons of Israel, return to the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that He may return to those of you who escaped and are left from (AR)the [o]hand of the kings of Assyria. 7 (AS)Do not be like your fathers and your brothers, who were untrue to the Lord God of their fathers, so that (AT)He made them an object of horror, just as you see. 8 Now do not (AU)stiffen your neck like your fathers, but [p]yield to the Lord and enter His sanctuary which He has consecrated forever, and serve the Lord your God, (AV)that His burning anger may turn away from you. 9 For (AW)if you return to the Lord, your brothers and your sons will find compassion in the presence of those who led them captive, and will return to this land. (AX)For the Lord your God is gracious and compassionate, and will not turn His face away from you if you return to Him.”

10 So the [q]couriers passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far as Zebulun, but (AY)they laughed at them with scorn and mocked them. 11 Nevertheless, (AZ)some men of Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. 12 The (BA)hand of God was also on Judah to give them one heart to do what the king and the princes commanded by the word of the Lord.

Passover Reinstituted

13 Now many people were gathered at Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread (BB)in the second month, a very large assembly. 14 They got up and removed the altars which were in Jerusalem; they also (BC)removed all the incense altars and (BD)threw them into the brook Kidron. 15 Then (BE)they slaughtered the Passover lambs on the fourteenth of the second month. And (BF)the priests and Levites were ashamed of themselves, and consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings to the house of the Lord. 16 (BG)They stood at their stations following their custom, according to the Law of Moses the man of God; the priests sprinkled the blood which they received from the hand of the Levites. 17 For there were many in the assembly who had not consecrated themselves; therefore, (BH)the Levites were in charge of the slaughter of the Passover lambs for everyone who was unclean, in order to consecrate them to the Lord. 18 For a multitude of the people, (BI)many from Ephraim and Manasseh, and Issachar and Zebulun, had not purified themselves, (BJ)yet they ate the Passover (BK)contrary to what was written. For Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May the good Lord pardon 19 (BL)everyone who prepares his heart to seek God, the Lord God of his fathers, though not according to the purification rules of the sanctuary.” 20 So the Lord heard Hezekiah and (BM)healed the people. 21 The sons of Israel present in Jerusalem (BN)celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days with great joy, and the Levites and the priests were praising the Lord day after day with loud instruments to the Lord. 22 Then Hezekiah (BO)spoke [r]encouragingly to all the Levites who showed good insight in the things of the Lord. So they ate for the appointed seven days, sacrificing peace offerings and (BP)giving thanks to the Lord God of their fathers.

23 Then the whole assembly (BQ)decided to celebrate the feast another seven days, so they celebrated the seven days with joy. 24 For (BR)Hezekiah king of Judah had contributed to the assembly a thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep, and the princes had contributed to the assembly a thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep; and (BS)a large number of priests consecrated themselves. 25 All the assembly of Judah rejoiced, with the priests and the Levites and (BT)all the assembly that came from Israel, both the strangers who came from the land of Israel and those living in Judah. 26 So there was great joy in Jerusalem, because there was nothing like this in Jerusalem (BU)since the days of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel. 27 Then (BV)the Levitical priests stood and (BW)blessed the people; and their voice was heard and their prayer came to (BX)His holy dwelling place, to heaven.

Idols Are Destroyed

31 Now when all this was finished, all Israel who were present went out to the cities of Judah, (BY)broke the memorial stones in pieces, cut down the [s]Asherim and pulled down the high places and the altars throughout Judah and Benjamin, as well as in Ephraim and Manasseh, until [t]they had destroyed them all. Then all the sons of Israel returned to their cities, each to his possession.

2 And Hezekiah appointed (BZ)the divisions of the priests and the Levites by their divisions, each according to his service, both the priests and the Levites, (CA)for burnt offerings and for peace offerings, to serve and to give thanks and to praise in the gates of the camp of the Lord.

Reforms Continued

3 He also appointed (CB)the king’s portion of his property for the burnt offerings, namely, for the morning and evening burnt offerings, and the burnt offerings for the Sabbaths and for the new moons and for the appointed festivals, (CC)as it is written in the Law of the Lord. 4 Also he told the people who lived in Jerusalem to give (CD)the portion due to the priests and the Levites, so that they might devote themselves to (CE)the Law of the Lord. 5 As soon as the [u]order spread, the sons of Israel abundantly provided the first fruits of grain, new wine, oil, honey, and of all the produce of the field; and they brought in abundantly (CF)the tithe of everything. 6 The sons of Israel and Judah who lived in the cities of Judah also brought in the tithe of oxen and sheep, and (CG)the tithe of [v]sacred gifts which were consecrated to the Lord their God, and placed them in heaps. 7 In the third month they began to [w]make the heaps, and they finished them by the seventh month. 8 When Hezekiah and the rulers came and saw the heaps, they blessed the Lord and (CH)His people Israel. 9 Then Hezekiah questioned the priests and the Levites concerning the heaps. 10 Azariah, the chief priest (CI)of the house of Zadok, said to [x]him, “(CJ)Since the contributions started coming into the house of the Lord, we have had enough to eat with plenty left over, for the Lord has blessed His people, and this great quantity is left over.”

11 Then Hezekiah commanded them to prepare (CK)rooms in the house of the Lord, and they prepared them. 12 They faithfully brought in the contributions, the tithes, and the consecrated things; and Conaniah the Levite was the officer in charge (CL)of them, and his brother Shimei was second. 13 Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismachiah, Mahath, and Benaiah were overseers [y]under the authority of Conaniah and his brother Shimei by the appointment of King Hezekiah, and (CM)Azariah was the chief officer of the house of God. 14 Kore the son of Imnah the Levite, the keeper of the eastern gate, was in charge of the [z]voluntary offerings for God, to distribute the contributions for the Lord and the most holy things. 15 [aa]Under his authority were (CN)Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah, in (CO)the cities of the priests, to distribute their portions faithfully to their brothers by divisions, whether great or small, 16 without regard to their genealogical enrollment, to the males from [ab](CP)thirty years old and upward—everyone who entered the house of the Lord (CQ)for his daily obligations—for their work in their duties according to their divisions; 17 as well as the priests who were enrolled genealogically according to their fathers’ households, and the Levites (CR)from twenty years old and upward, by their duties and their divisions. 18 The genealogical enrollment included [ac]all their little children, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, for the whole assembly, for they consecrated themselves [ad]faithfully in holiness. 19 Also for the sons of Aaron, the priests, who were in (CS)the pasture lands of their cities, or in each and every city, (CT)there were men who were designated by name to distribute portions to every male among the priests and to everyone genealogically enrolled among the Levites.

20 Hezekiah did this throughout Judah; and (CU)he did what was good, right, and true before the Lord his God. 21 Every work which he began in the service of the house of God in the Law and in the commandment, seeking his God, he did with all his heart and (CV)prospered.

Sennacherib Invades Judah

32 After these [ae]acts of faithfulness (CW)Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah and besieged the fortified cities, and [af]intended to break into them for himself. 2 Now when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and that [ag]he intended to wage war against Jerusalem, 3 he decided with his officers and his warriors to cut off the supply of water from the springs which were outside the city, and they helped him. 4 So many people assembled (CX)and stopped up all the springs and (CY)the stream which flowed [ah]through the region, saying, “Why should the kings of Assyria come and find abundant water?” 5 And he resolutely set to work and (CZ)rebuilt all of the wall that had been broken down and [ai]erected towers on it, and built (DA)another outside wall and strengthened the [aj](DB)Millo in the city of David, and made weapons and shields in great numbers. 6 He appointed military officers over the people and gathered them to him in the public square at the city gate, and (DC)spoke [ak]encouragingly to them, saying, 7 “(DD)Be strong and courageous, do not fear or be dismayed because of the king of Assyria nor because of all the horde that is with him; (DE)for the One with us is greater than the one with him. 8 With him is only (DF)an arm of flesh, but (DG)with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people relied on the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

Sennacherib Undermines Hezekiah

9 After this (DH)Sennacherib king of Assyria sent his servants to Jerusalem while he was [al]besieging Lachish with all his forces with him, against Hezekiah king of Judah and against all of Judah who were in Jerusalem, saying, 10 “This is what Sennacherib king of Assyria says: ‘On what are you trusting that you are staying in Jerusalem under siege? 11 Is Hezekiah not misleading you to give yourselves over to die by hunger and by thirst, saying, “The Lord our God will save us from the [am]hand of the king of Assyria”? 12 (DI)Is it not the same Hezekiah who removed His high places and His altars, and said to Judah and [an]Jerusalem, “You shall worship before one altar, and on it you shall [ao]burn incense”? 13 Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of the lands? (DJ)Were the gods of the nations of those lands at all able to save their land from my hand? 14 (DK)Who was there among all the gods of those nations which my fathers utterly destroyed who could save his people from my hand, that your God would be able to save you from my hand? 15 Now then, do not let Hezekiah deceive you or mislead you like this, and do not believe him, for (DL)no god of any nation or kingdom was able to save his people from my hand or from the hand of my fathers. How much less will your God save you from my hand?’”

16 His servants spoke further against the Lord God and against His servant Hezekiah. 17 He also wrote letters to insult the Lord God of Israel, and to speak against Him, saying, “(DM)As the gods of the nations of the lands [ap]have not saved their people from my hand, so the God of Hezekiah will not save His people from my hand.” 18 (DN)They called this out with a loud voice in the language of Judah to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten and terrify them, so that they might take the city. 19 They spoke [aq]of the God of Jerusalem as they did against (DO)the gods of the peoples of the earth, the work of human hands.

Hezekiah’s Prayer Is Answered

20 But King Hezekiah and Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, prayed about this and called out to heaven for help. 21 And the Lord sent an angel who destroyed every warrior, commander, and officer in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned [ar]in shame to his own land. And when he had entered the temple of his god, some of his own sons killed him there with the sword. 22 So the Lord (DP)saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria and from the hand of all others, and [as]guided them on every side. 23 And (DQ)many were bringing gifts to the Lord at Jerusalem and valuable presents to Hezekiah king of Judah; so thereafter (DR)he rose in the sight of all nations.

24 (DS)In those days Hezekiah became [at]mortally ill; and he prayed to the Lord, and [au]the Lord spoke to him and gave him a sign. 25 But Hezekiah did nothing in return for the benefit [av]he received, (DT)because his heart was [aw]proud; (DU)therefore wrath came upon him and upon Judah and Jerusalem. 26 However, (DV)Hezekiah [ax]humbled the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the Lord did not come on them in the days of Hezekiah.

27 Now Hezekiah had immense riches and honor; and he made for himself treasuries for silver, gold, precious stones, spices, shields, and all kinds of valuable articles, 28 also storehouses for the produce of grain, wine, and oil; stalls for all kinds of cattle, and [ay]sheepfolds for the flocks. 29 He made cities for himself and acquired flocks and herds in abundance, because (DW)God had given him very great [az]wealth. 30 It was Hezekiah who (DX)stopped the upper outlet of the waters of (DY)Gihon and directed them to the west side of the city of David. And Hezekiah was successful in everything that he did. 31 Even in the matter of (DZ)the messengers of the rulers of Babylon, who were sent to him to inquire about (EA)the wonder that had happened in the land; God left him alone only (EB)to test him, so that He might know everything that was in his heart.

32 Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah and his deeds of devotion, behold, they are written in the vision of Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 33 So Hezekiah [ba]lay down with his fathers, and they buried him in the [bb]upper section of the tombs of the sons of David; and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem (EC)honored him at his death. And his son Manasseh became king in his place.

Manasseh Succeeds Hezekiah in Judah

33 (ED)Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned for fifty-five years in Jerusalem. 2 (EE)He did evil in the sight of the Lord according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord dispossessed before the sons of Israel. 3 For (EF)he rebuilt the high places which his father Hezekiah had torn down; (EG)he also set up altars for the Baals and made [bc]Asherim, and he worshiped all the heavenly [bd]lights and served them. 4 (EH)He built altars in the house of the Lord of which the Lord had said, “My name shall be (EI)in Jerusalem forever.” 5 He built altars for all the heavenly [be]lights in (EJ)the two courtyards of the house of the Lord. 6 (EK)He also made his sons pass through the fire in the Valley of Ben-hinnom; and he practiced witchcraft, used divination, practiced sorcery, and (EL)dealt with mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking Him to anger. 7 Then he put (EM)the carved image of the idol which he had made in the house of God, of which God had said to David and his son Solomon, “(EN)In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever; 8 and I will not remove the foot of Israel again from the land (EO)which I have appointed for your fathers, if only they will take care to do everything that I have commanded them according to all the Law, the statutes, and the ordinances given through Moses.” 9 So Manasseh encouraged Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to do more evil than the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the sons of Israel.

Manasseh’s Idolatry Rebuked

10 So the Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but (EP)they paid no attention. 11 (EQ)Therefore the Lord brought the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria against them, and they captured Manasseh with hooks, (ER)bound him with bronze chains, and led him to Babylon. 12 When (ES)he was in distress, he appeased the Lord his God and (ET)humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. 13 When he prayed to Him, (EU)He was moved by him and heard his pleading, and brought him back to Jerusalem to his kingdom. Then Manasseh (EV)knew that the Lord alone is God.

14 Now after this he built the outer wall of the city of David on the west side of (EW)Gihon, in the valley, up to the entrance of the (EX)Fish Gate; and he encircled the (EY)Ophel with it and made it very high. Then he put army commanders in all the fortified cities in Judah. 15 He also (EZ)removed the foreign gods and the idol from the house of the Lord, as well as all the altars which he had built on the mountain of the house of the Lord and in Jerusalem, and he threw them outside the city. 16 He set up the altar of the Lord and sacrificed (FA)peace offerings and thanksgiving offerings on it; and he ordered Judah to serve the Lord God of Israel. 17 However, (FB)the people still sacrificed on the high places, although only to the Lord their God.

18 Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh and (FC)his prayer to his God, and the words of (FD)the seers who spoke to him in the name of the Lord God of Israel, behold, they are among the records of the kings of (FE)Israel. 19 His prayer also and (FF)how God was moved by him, and all his sin, his unfaithfulness, and (FG)the sites on which he built high places and erected the [bf]Asherim and the carved images, before he humbled himself, behold, they are written in the records of [bg]Hozai. 20 So Manasseh [bh]lay down with his fathers, and they buried him in his own house. And his son Amon became king in his place.

Amon Becomes King in Judah

21 (FH)Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned for two years in Jerusalem. 22 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, just as his father Manasseh (FI)had done, and Amon sacrificed to all (FJ)the carved images which his father Manasseh had made, and he served them. 23 Furthermore, he did not humble himself before the Lord (FK)as his father Manasseh had [bi]done, but Amon multiplied his guilt. 24 Finally, (FL)his servants conspired against him and put him to death in his own house. 25 But the people of the land [bj]killed all the conspirators against King Amon, and the people of the land made his son Josiah king in his place.

Josiah Succeeds Amon in Judah

34 (FM)Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned for thirty-one years in Jerusalem. 2 (FN)He did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the ways of his father David and did not turn aside to the right or the left. 3 For in the eighth year of his reign while he was still a youth, he began to (FO)seek the God of his father David; and in the twelfth year he began (FP)to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the [bk]Asherim, the carved images, and the cast metal images. 4 They tore down the altars of the Baals in his presence, and he chopped down (FQ)the incense altars that were high above them; also he broke in pieces the Asherim, the carved images, and the cast metal images, and (FR)ground them to powder, and scattered it on the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. 5 Then (FS)he burned the bones of the priests on their altars and purged Judah and Jerusalem. 6 (FT)In the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, Simeon, and as far as Naphtali, in their surrounding spaces, 7 he also tore down the altars and (FU)crushed the [bl]Asherim and the carved images into powder, and chopped down all the incense altars throughout the land of Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem.

Josiah Repairs the Temple

8 (FV)Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, Maaseiah (FW)an official of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the secretary, to repair the house of the Lord his God. 9 They came to (FX)Hilkiah the high priest and gave him the money that was brought into the house of God, which the Levites, the [bm]doorkeepers, had collected [bn]from (FY)Manasseh and Ephraim, and from all the remnant of Israel, from all Judah and Benjamin and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 10 Then they handed it over to the workmen who had the oversight of the house of the Lord, and the workmen who were working in the house of the Lord [bo]used it to restore and repair the house. 11 They in turn gave it to the carpenters and the builders to buy quarried stone and timber for couplings, and to make beams for the houses (FZ)which the kings of Judah had let go to ruin. 12 (GA)The men did the work faithfully with foremen over them to supervise: Jahath and Obadiah, the Levites of the sons of Merari, Zechariah and Meshullam of the sons of the Kohathites, and (GB)the Levites, all who were skillful with musical instruments. 13 They were also in charge of (GC)the burden bearers, and supervised all the workmen from job to job; and some of the Levites were scribes, and officials, and gatekeepers.

Hilkiah Discovers the Lost Book of the Law

14 When they were bringing out the money which had been brought into the house of the Lord, (GD)Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the Lord given by Moses. 15 Hilkiah responded and said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the Lord.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan. 16 Then Shaphan brought the book to the king and [bp]reported further word to the king, saying, “Everything that was [bq]entrusted to your servants, they are doing. 17 They have also emptied out the money which was found in the house of the Lord, and have handed it over to the supervisors and the workmen.” 18 Moreover, Shaphan the scribe informed the king, saying, “Hilkiah the priest gave me a book.” And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king.

19 When the king heard (GE)the words of the Law, (GF)he tore his clothes. 20 Then the king commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, [br]Abdon the son of Micah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king’s servant, saying, 21 “Go, inquire of the Lord for me and for those who are left in Israel and Judah, concerning the words of the book which has been found; for (GG)the wrath of the Lord which has poured out on us is great, because our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord, to act in accordance with everything that is written in this book.”

Huldah, the Prophetess, Speaks

22 So Hilkiah and those [bs]whom the king had told went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of [bt]Tokhath, the son of Hasrah, the keeper of the wardrobe (she lived in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter); and they spoke to her regarding this. 23 Then she said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘Tell the man who sent you to Me, 24 this is what the Lord says: “Behold, (GH)I am bringing [bu]evil on this place and on its inhabitants, all (GI)the curses written in the book which they have read in the presence of the king of Judah. 25 (GJ)Since they have abandoned Me and have burned incense to other gods, so that they may provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands, My wrath will be poured out on this place and it will not be quenched.”’ 26 But to the king of Judah who sent you to inquire of the Lord, this is what you shall say to him: ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: In regard to the words which you have heard, 27 “(GK)Because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and its inhabitants, and because you humbled yourself before Me, tore your clothes, and wept before Me, I have indeed heard you,” declares the Lord. 28 “Behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your grave in peace, so your eyes will not see all the evil which I am bringing on this place and its inhabitants.”’” And they brought back word to the king.

29 (GL)Then the king sent word and gathered all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 30 The king went up to the house of the Lord [bv]with (GM)all the men of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests, the Levites, and all the people, from the greatest to the least; and he read in their [bw]presence all the words of the Book of the Covenant which was found in the house of the Lord.

Josiah’s Good Reign

31 Then the king (GN)stood [bx]in his place and (GO)made a covenant before the Lord to walk after the Lord, and to keep His commandments, His testimonies, and His statutes with all his heart and with all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant that are written in this book. 32 Furthermore, he made all who were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin stand with him. So the inhabitants of Jerusalem acted in accordance with the covenant of God, the God of their fathers. 33 Josiah (GP)removed all the abominations from all the lands belonging to the sons of Israel, and made all who were present in Israel serve the Lord their God. Throughout his [by]lifetime they did not turn from following the Lord God of their fathers.

The Passover Held Again

35 Then Josiah (GQ)celebrated the Passover to the Lord in Jerusalem, and (GR)they slaughtered the Passover animals on the fourteenth day of the first month. 2 He appointed the priests to their offices and (GS)encouraged them in the service of the house of the Lord. 3 He also said to (GT)the Levites who taught all Israel and who were holy to the Lord, “Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David king of Israel built; (GU)it will not be a burden on your shoulders. Now serve the Lord your God and His people Israel. 4 (GV)Prepare yourselves by your fathers’ households in your divisions, according to the writing of David king of Israel and (GW)according to the writing of his son Solomon. 5 Furthermore, (GX)stand in the holy place according to the sections of the fathers’ households of your countrymen, the [bz]lay people, and according to the Levites, by division of a father’s household. 6 Now (GY)slaughter the Passover animals, (GZ)keep one another consecrated, and prepare for your countrymen to act in accordance with the word of the Lord by Moses.”

7 Josiah contributed to the lay people, to all who were present, flocks of lambs and young goats, all for the Passover offerings, numbering thirty thousand, plus three thousand bulls; these were from the king’s property. 8 His officers also contributed a [ca]voluntary offering to the people, the priests, and the Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, (HA)the officials of the house of God, gave the priests 2,600 from the flocks and three hundred bulls, for the Passover offerings. 9 (HB)Conaniah also, and his brothers Shemaiah and Nethanel, and Hashabiah and Jeiel and Jozabad, the officers of the Levites, contributed five thousand from the flocks and five hundred bulls to the Levites for the Passover offerings.

10 So the service was prepared, and (HC)the priests stood at their positions and the Levites by their divisions according to the king’s command. 11 [cb](HD)They slaughtered the Passover animals, and while (HE)the priests [cc]sprinkled the blood received from their hand, (HF)the Levites skinned the animals. 12 Then they removed the burnt offerings so that they might give them to the sections of the fathers’ households of the lay people to present to the Lord, as it is written in the Book of Moses. They did this with the bulls as well. 13 So (HG)they roasted the Passover animals on the fire according to the ordinance, and they boiled (HH)the holy things in pots, in kettles, and in pans and carried them quickly to all the lay people. 14 Afterward they prepared for themselves and for the priests, because the priests, the sons of Aaron, were offering the burnt offerings and the fat until night; so the Levites prepared for themselves and for the priests, the sons of Aaron. 15 The singers, the sons of Asaph, were also at their positions (HI)according to the command of David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king’s seer; and (HJ)the gatekeepers at each gate did not have to leave their service, because their kinsmen the Levites prepared for them.

16 So all the service of the Lord was prepared on that day to celebrate the Passover, and to offer burnt offerings on the altar of the Lord according to the command of King Josiah. 17 And (HK)the sons of Israel who were present celebrated the Passover at that time, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days. 18 (HL)There had not been a Passover celebrated like it in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet; nor had any of the kings of Israel celebrated such a Passover as Josiah did with the priests, the Levites, all Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 19 In the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign this Passover was celebrated.

Josiah Dies in Battle

20 (HM)After all this, when Josiah had set the [cd]temple in order, Neco king of Egypt came up to wage war at (HN)Carchemish on the Euphrates, and Josiah went out to engage him. 21 But [ce]Neco sent messengers to him, saying, “[cf](HO)What business do you have with me, King of Judah? I am not coming against you today, but against the house with which I am at war, and God has told me to hurry. For your own sake, stop interfering with God who is with me, so that He does not destroy you.” 22 However, Josiah would not turn [cg]away from him, but (HP)disguised himself in order to fight against him; nor did he listen to the words of Neco (HQ)from the mouth of God, but he came to wage war on the plain of (HR)Megiddo. 23 The archers shot King Josiah, and the king said to his servants, “Take me away, for I am badly wounded.” 24 So his servants took him out of the chariot and carried him on the second chariot which he had, and brought him to Jerusalem [ch]where he died and was buried in the tombs of his fathers. (HS)All Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah. 25 Then (HT)Jeremiah chanted a song of mourning for Josiah. And all the male and female singers speak about Josiah in their songs of mourning to this day. And they made them an ordinance in Israel; behold, they are also written in the Lamentations. 26 Now the rest of the acts of Josiah and his deeds of devotion as written in the Law of the Lord, 27 and his acts, the first to the last, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 29:6 Lit given
  2. 2 Chronicles 29:13 Or Jeuel
  3. 2 Chronicles 29:14 Another reading is Jehuel
  4. 2 Chronicles 29:16 Or wadi
  5. 2 Chronicles 29:17 Lit to consecrate
  6. 2 Chronicles 29:27 Lit and on the hands of
  7. 2 Chronicles 29:31 Lit filled your hands
  8. 2 Chronicles 29:31 Lit willing of heart
  9. 2 Chronicles 29:34 Lit upright of heart
  10. 2 Chronicles 29:35 Lit the burnt offerings to an abundance
  11. 2 Chronicles 30:1 Lit do, and so throughout the ch
  12. 2 Chronicles 30:4 Lit word
  13. 2 Chronicles 30:5 Lit voice
  14. 2 Chronicles 30:6 Lit runners
  15. 2 Chronicles 30:6 Lit palm
  16. 2 Chronicles 30:8 Lit give a hand
  17. 2 Chronicles 30:10 Lit runners
  18. 2 Chronicles 30:22 Lit to the heart of
  19. 2 Chronicles 31:1 I.e., wooden symbols of a female deity (Asherah)
  20. 2 Chronicles 31:1 Lit to completion
  21. 2 Chronicles 31:5 Lit word
  22. 2 Chronicles 31:6 Lit consecrated things
  23. 2 Chronicles 31:7 Lit lay
  24. 2 Chronicles 31:10 Lit him, and he said
  25. 2 Chronicles 31:13 Lit from the hand of
  26. 2 Chronicles 31:14 Or freewill offerings
  27. 2 Chronicles 31:15 Lit On his hand
  28. 2 Chronicles 31:16 Heb three
  29. 2 Chronicles 31:18 Lit with all
  30. 2 Chronicles 31:18 Lit in their faithfulness
  31. 2 Chronicles 32:1 Lit things and this faithfulness
  32. 2 Chronicles 32:1 Lit said
  33. 2 Chronicles 32:2 Lit he set his face for war
  34. 2 Chronicles 32:4 Lit in the midst of
  35. 2 Chronicles 32:5 Lit raised on the towers
  36. 2 Chronicles 32:5 I.e., terraced structure
  37. 2 Chronicles 32:6 Lit upon their hearts
  38. 2 Chronicles 32:9 Lit against
  39. 2 Chronicles 32:11 Lit palm
  40. 2 Chronicles 32:12 Lit Jerusalem, saying,
  41. 2 Chronicles 32:12 Lit offer up in smoke
  42. 2 Chronicles 32:17 Lit who have
  43. 2 Chronicles 32:19 Lit to
  44. 2 Chronicles 32:21 Lit in shame of face
  45. 2 Chronicles 32:22 Another reading is gave them rest
  46. 2 Chronicles 32:24 Lit sick to the point of death
  47. 2 Chronicles 32:24 Lit He
  48. 2 Chronicles 32:25 Lit to Him
  49. 2 Chronicles 32:25 Lit high
  50. 2 Chronicles 32:26 Lit humbled himself in
  51. 2 Chronicles 32:28 As in ancient versions; MT herds for the stables
  52. 2 Chronicles 32:29 Lit possessions; or property
  53. 2 Chronicles 32:33 I.e., died
  54. 2 Chronicles 32:33 Or ascent to
  55. 2 Chronicles 33:3 I.e., wooden symbols of a female deity (Asherah)
  56. 2 Chronicles 33:3 Lit host
  57. 2 Chronicles 33:5 Lit host
  58. 2 Chronicles 33:19 I.e., wooden symbols of a female deity (Asherah)
  59. 2 Chronicles 33:19 LXX seers
  60. 2 Chronicles 33:20 I.e., died
  61. 2 Chronicles 33:23 Lit humbled himself
  62. 2 Chronicles 33:25 Lit struck
  63. 2 Chronicles 34:3 I.e., wooden symbols of a female deity (Asherah)
  64. 2 Chronicles 34:7 I.e., wooden symbols of a female deity (Asherah)
  65. 2 Chronicles 34:9 Lit guardians of the threshold
  66. 2 Chronicles 34:9 Lit from the hand of
  67. 2 Chronicles 34:10 Lit gave
  68. 2 Chronicles 34:16 Lit returned
  69. 2 Chronicles 34:16 Lit given into the hand of
  70. 2 Chronicles 34:20 In 2 Kin 22:12, Achbor, son of Micaiah
  71. 2 Chronicles 34:22 As in LXX; MT who were the king’s men
  72. 2 Chronicles 34:22 In 2 Kin 22:14, Tikvah, son of Harhas
  73. 2 Chronicles 34:24 Or disaster
  74. 2 Chronicles 34:30 Lit and
  75. 2 Chronicles 34:30 Lit ears
  76. 2 Chronicles 34:31 LXX by a pillar
  77. 2 Chronicles 34:33 Lit days
  78. 2 Chronicles 35:5 Lit sons of the people, and so throughout the ch
  79. 2 Chronicles 35:8 Or freewill offering
  80. 2 Chronicles 35:11 I.e., the Levites
  81. 2 Chronicles 35:11 As in LXX; MT sprinkled from their hand
  82. 2 Chronicles 35:20 Lit house
  83. 2 Chronicles 35:21 Lit he
  84. 2 Chronicles 35:21 Lit What to me and to you, an ancient idiom
  85. 2 Chronicles 35:22 Lit his face
  86. 2 Chronicles 35:24 Lit and
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2 Chronicles 29-35
New International Version

Hezekiah Purifies the Temple(A)

29 Hezekiah(B) was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah. 2 He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father David(C) had done.

3 In the first month of the first year of his reign, he opened the doors of the temple of the Lord and repaired(D) them. 4 He brought in the priests and the Levites, assembled them in the square on the east side 5 and said: “Listen to me, Levites! Consecrate(E) yourselves now and consecrate the temple of the Lord, the God of your ancestors. Remove all defilement from the sanctuary. 6 Our parents(F) were unfaithful;(G) they did evil in the eyes of the Lord our God and forsook him. They turned their faces away from the Lord’s dwelling place and turned their backs on him. 7 They also shut the doors of the portico and put out the lamps. They did not burn incense(H) or present any burnt offerings at the sanctuary to the God of Israel. 8 Therefore, the anger of the Lord has fallen on Judah and Jerusalem; he has made them an object of dread and horror(I) and scorn,(J) as you can see with your own eyes. 9 This is why our fathers have fallen by the sword and why our sons and daughters and our wives are in captivity.(K) 10 Now I intend to make a covenant(L) with the Lord, the God of Israel, so that his fierce anger(M) will turn away from us. 11 My sons, do not be negligent now, for the Lord has chosen you to stand before him and serve him,(N) to minister(O) before him and to burn incense.”

12 Then these Levites(P) set to work:

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(Q) son of Joah;

13 from the descendants of Elizaphan,(R)

Shimri and Jeiel;

from the descendants of Asaph,(S)

Zechariah and Mattaniah;

14 from the descendants of Heman,

Jehiel and Shimei;

from the descendants of Jeduthun,

Shemaiah and Uzziel.

15 When they had assembled their fellow Levites and consecrated themselves, they went in to purify(T) the temple of the Lord, as the king had ordered, following the word of the Lord. 16 The priests went into the sanctuary of the Lord to purify it. They brought out to the courtyard of the Lord’s temple everything unclean that they found in the temple of the Lord. The Levites took it and carried it out to the Kidron Valley.(U) 17 They began the consecration on the first day of the first month, and by the eighth day of the month they reached the portico of the Lord. For eight more days they consecrated the temple of the Lord itself, finishing on the sixteenth day of the first month.

18 Then they went in to King Hezekiah and reported: “We have purified the entire temple of the Lord, the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the table for setting out the consecrated bread, with all its articles. 19 We have prepared and consecrated all the articles(V) that King Ahaz removed in his unfaithfulness while he was king. They are now in front of the Lord’s altar.”

20 Early the next morning King Hezekiah gathered the city officials together and went up to the temple of the Lord. 21 They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven male lambs and seven male goats(W) as a sin offering[a](X) for the kingdom, for the sanctuary and for Judah. The king commanded the priests, the descendants of Aaron, to offer these on the altar of the Lord. 22 So they slaughtered the bulls, and the priests took the blood and splashed it against the altar; next they slaughtered the rams and splashed their blood against the altar; then they slaughtered the lambs and splashed their blood(Y) against the altar. 23 The goats(Z) for the sin offering were brought before the king and the assembly, and they laid their hands(AA) on them. 24 The priests then slaughtered the goats and presented their blood on the altar for a sin offering to atone(AB) for all Israel, because the king had ordered the burnt offering and the sin offering for all Israel.(AC)

25 He stationed the Levites in the temple of the Lord with cymbals, harps and lyres in the way prescribed by David(AD) and Gad(AE) the king’s seer and Nathan the prophet; this was commanded by the Lord through his prophets. 26 So the Levites stood ready with David’s instruments,(AF) and the priests with their trumpets.(AG)

27 Hezekiah gave the order to sacrifice the burnt offering on the altar. As the offering began, singing to the Lord began also, accompanied by trumpets and the instruments(AH) of David king of Israel. 28 The whole assembly bowed in worship, while the musicians played and the trumpets sounded. All this continued until the sacrifice of the burnt offering(AI) was completed.

29 When the offerings were finished, the king and everyone present with him knelt down and worshiped.(AJ) 30 King Hezekiah and his officials ordered the Levites to praise the Lord with the words of David and of Asaph the seer. So they sang praises with gladness and bowed down and worshiped.

31 Then Hezekiah said, “You have now dedicated yourselves to the Lord. Come and bring sacrifices(AK) and thank offerings to the temple of the Lord.” So the assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and all whose hearts were willing(AL) brought burnt offerings.

32 The number of burnt offerings(AM) the assembly brought was seventy bulls, a hundred rams and two hundred male lambs—all of them for burnt offerings to the Lord. 33 The animals consecrated as sacrifices amounted to six hundred bulls and three thousand sheep and goats. 34 The priests, however, were too few to skin all the burnt offerings;(AN) so their relatives the Levites helped them until the task was finished and until other priests had been consecrated,(AO) for the Levites had been more conscientious in consecrating themselves than the priests had been. 35 There were burnt offerings in abundance, together with the fat(AP) of the fellowship offerings(AQ) and the drink offerings(AR) that accompanied the burnt offerings.

So the service of the temple of the Lord was reestablished. 36 Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced at what God had brought about for his people, because it was done so quickly.(AS)

Hezekiah Celebrates the Passover

30 Hezekiah sent word to all Israel(AT) and Judah and also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh,(AU) inviting them to come to the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem and celebrate the Passover(AV) to the Lord, the God of Israel. 2 The king and his officials and the whole assembly in Jerusalem decided to celebrate(AW) the Passover in the second month. 3 They had not been able to celebrate it at the regular time because not enough priests had consecrated(AX) themselves and the people had not assembled in Jerusalem. 4 The plan seemed right both to the king and to the whole assembly. 5 They decided to send a proclamation throughout Israel, from Beersheba to Dan,(AY) calling the people to come to Jerusalem and celebrate the Passover to the Lord, the God of Israel. It had not been celebrated in large numbers according to what was written.

6 At the king’s command, couriers went throughout Israel and Judah with letters from the king and from his officials, which read:

“People of Israel, return to the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, that he may return to you who are left, who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria. 7 Do not be like your parents(AZ) and your fellow Israelites, who were unfaithful(BA) to the Lord, the God of their ancestors, so that he made them an object of horror,(BB) as you see. 8 Do not be stiff-necked,(BC) as your ancestors were; submit to the Lord. Come to his sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever. Serve the Lord your God, so that his fierce anger(BD) will turn away from you. 9 If you return(BE) to the Lord, then your fellow Israelites and your children will be shown compassion(BF) by their captors and will return to this land, for the Lord your God is gracious and compassionate.(BG) He will not turn his face from you if you return to him.”

10 The couriers went from town to town in Ephraim and Manasseh, as far as Zebulun, but people scorned and ridiculed(BH) them. 11 Nevertheless, some from Asher, Manasseh and Zebulun humbled(BI) themselves and went to Jerusalem.(BJ) 12 Also in Judah the hand of God was on the people to give them unity(BK) of mind to carry out what the king and his officials had ordered, following the word of the Lord.

13 A very large crowd of people assembled in Jerusalem to celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread(BL) in the second month. 14 They removed the altars(BM) in Jerusalem and cleared away the incense altars and threw them into the Kidron Valley.(BN)

15 They slaughtered the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the second month. The priests and the Levites were ashamed and consecrated(BO) themselves and brought burnt offerings to the temple of the Lord. 16 Then they took up their regular positions(BP) as prescribed in the Law of Moses the man of God. The priests splashed against the altar the blood handed to them by the Levites. 17 Since many in the crowd had not consecrated themselves, the Levites had to kill(BQ) the Passover lambs for all those who were not ceremonially clean and could not consecrate their lambs[b] to the Lord. 18 Although most of the many people who came from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun had not purified themselves,(BR) yet they ate the Passover, contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May the Lord, who is good, pardon everyone 19 who sets their heart on seeking God—the Lord, the God of their ancestors—even if they are not clean according to the rules of the sanctuary.” 20 And the Lord heard(BS) Hezekiah and healed(BT) the people.(BU)

21 The Israelites who were present in Jerusalem celebrated the Festival of Unleavened Bread(BV) for seven days with great rejoicing, while the Levites and priests praised the Lord every day with resounding instruments dedicated to the Lord.[c]

22 Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all the Levites, who showed good understanding of the service of the Lord. For the seven days they ate their assigned portion and offered fellowship offerings and praised[d] the Lord, the God of their ancestors.

23 The whole assembly then agreed to celebrate(BW) the festival seven more days; so for another seven days they celebrated joyfully. 24 Hezekiah king of Judah provided(BX) a thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep and goats for the assembly, and the officials provided them with a thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep and goats. A great number of priests consecrated themselves. 25 The entire assembly of Judah rejoiced, along with the priests and Levites and all who had assembled from Israel(BY), including the foreigners who had come from Israel and also those who resided in Judah. 26 There was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the days of Solomon(BZ) son of David king of Israel there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem. 27 The priests and the Levites stood to bless(CA) the people, and God heard them, for their prayer reached heaven, his holy dwelling place.

31 When all this had ended, the Israelites who were there went out to the towns of Judah, smashed the sacred stones and cut down(CB) the Asherah poles. They destroyed the high places and the altars throughout Judah and Benjamin and in Ephraim and Manasseh. After they had destroyed all of them, the Israelites returned to their own towns and to their own property.

Contributions for Worship(CC)

2 Hezekiah(CD) assigned the priests and Levites to divisions(CE)—each of them according to their duties as priests or Levites—to offer burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, to minister,(CF) to give thanks and to sing praises(CG) at the gates of the Lord’s dwelling.(CH) 3 The king contributed(CI) from his own possessions for the morning and evening burnt offerings and for the burnt offerings on the Sabbaths, at the New Moons and at the appointed festivals as written in the Law of the Lord.(CJ) 4 He ordered the people living in Jerusalem to give the portion(CK) due the priests and Levites so they could devote themselves to the Law of the Lord. 5 As soon as the order went out, the Israelites generously gave the firstfruits(CL) of their grain, new wine,(CM) olive oil and honey and all that the fields produced. They brought a great amount, a tithe of everything. 6 The people of Israel and Judah who lived in the towns of Judah also brought a tithe(CN) of their herds and flocks and a tithe of the holy things dedicated to the Lord their God, and they piled them in heaps.(CO) 7 They began doing this in the third month and finished in the seventh month.(CP) 8 When Hezekiah and his officials came and saw the heaps, they praised the Lord and blessed(CQ) his people Israel.

9 Hezekiah asked the priests and Levites about the heaps; 10 and Azariah the chief priest, from the family of Zadok,(CR) answered, “Since the people began to bring their contributions to the temple of the Lord, we have had enough to eat and plenty to spare, because the Lord has blessed his people, and this great amount is left over.”(CS)

11 Hezekiah gave orders to prepare storerooms in the temple of the Lord, and this was done. 12 Then they faithfully brought in the contributions, tithes and dedicated gifts. Konaniah,(CT) a Levite, was the overseer in charge of these things, and his brother Shimei was next in rank. 13 Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad,(CU) Eliel, Ismakiah, Mahath and Benaiah were assistants of Konaniah and Shimei his brother. All these served by appointment of King Hezekiah and Azariah the official in charge of the temple of God.

14 Kore son of Imnah the Levite, keeper of the East Gate, was in charge of the freewill offerings given to God, distributing the contributions made to the Lord and also the consecrated gifts. 15 Eden,(CV) Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah and Shekaniah assisted him faithfully in the towns(CW) of the priests, distributing to their fellow priests according to their divisions, old and young alike.

16 In addition, they distributed to the males three years old or more whose names were in the genealogical records(CX)—all who would enter the temple of the Lord to perform the daily duties of their various tasks, according to their responsibilities and their divisions. 17 And they distributed to the priests enrolled by their families in the genealogical records and likewise to the Levites twenty years old or more, according to their responsibilities and their divisions. 18 They included all the little ones, the wives, and the sons and daughters of the whole community listed in these genealogical records. For they were faithful in consecrating themselves.

19 As for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who lived on the farmlands around their towns or in any other towns,(CY) men were designated by name to distribute portions to every male among them and to all who were recorded in the genealogies of the Levites.

20 This is what Hezekiah did throughout Judah, doing what was good and right and faithful(CZ) before the Lord his God. 21 In everything that he undertook in the service of God’s temple and in obedience to the law and the commands, he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered.(DA)

Sennacherib Threatens Jerusalem(DB)(DC)

32 After all that Hezekiah had so faithfully done, Sennacherib(DD) king of Assyria came and invaded Judah. He laid siege to the fortified cities, thinking to conquer them for himself. 2 When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and that he intended to wage war against Jerusalem,(DE) 3 he consulted with his officials and military staff about blocking off the water from the springs outside the city, and they helped him. 4 They gathered a large group of people who blocked all the springs(DF) and the stream that flowed through the land. “Why should the kings[e] of Assyria come and find plenty of water?” they said. 5 Then he worked hard repairing all the broken sections of the wall(DG) and building towers on it. He built another wall outside that one and reinforced the terraces[f](DH) of the City of David. He also made large numbers of weapons(DI) and shields.

6 He appointed military officers over the people and assembled them before him in the square at the city gate and encouraged them with these words: 7 “Be strong and courageous.(DJ) Do not be afraid or discouraged(DK) because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him.(DL) 8 With him is only the arm of flesh,(DM) but with us(DN) is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles.”(DO) And the people gained confidence from what Hezekiah the king of Judah said.

9 Later, when Sennacherib king of Assyria and all his forces were laying siege to Lachish,(DP) he sent his officers to Jerusalem with this message for Hezekiah king of Judah and for all the people of Judah who were there:

10 “This is what Sennacherib king of Assyria says: On what are you basing your confidence,(DQ) that you remain in Jerusalem under siege? 11 When Hezekiah says, ‘The Lord our God will save us from the hand of the king of Assyria,’ he is misleading(DR) you, to let you die of hunger and thirst. 12 Did not Hezekiah himself remove this god’s high places and altars, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You must worship before one altar(DS) and burn sacrifices on it’?

13 “Do you not know what I and my predecessors have done to all the peoples of the other lands? Were the gods of those nations ever able to deliver their land from my hand?(DT) 14 Who of all the gods of these nations that my predecessors destroyed has been able to save his people from me? How then can your god deliver you from my hand? 15 Now do not let Hezekiah deceive(DU) you and mislead you like this. Do not believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to deliver(DV) his people from my hand or the hand of my predecessors.(DW) How much less will your god deliver you from my hand!”

16 Sennacherib’s officers spoke further against the Lord God and against his servant Hezekiah. 17 The king also wrote letters(DX) ridiculing(DY) the Lord, the God of Israel, and saying this against him: “Just as the gods(DZ) of the peoples of the other lands did not rescue their people from my hand, so the god of Hezekiah will not rescue his people from my hand.” 18 Then they called out in Hebrew to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to terrify them and make them afraid in order to capture the city. 19 They spoke about the God of Jerusalem as they did about the gods of the other peoples of the world—the work of human hands.(EA)

20 King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz cried out in prayer(EB) to heaven about this. 21 And the Lord sent an angel,(EC) who annihilated all the fighting men and the commanders and officers in the camp of the Assyrian king. So he withdrew to his own land in disgrace. And when he went into the temple of his god, some of his sons, his own flesh and blood, cut him down with the sword.(ED)

22 So the Lord saved Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib king of Assyria and from the hand of all others. He took care of them[g] on every side. 23 Many brought offerings to Jerusalem for the Lord and valuable gifts(EE) for Hezekiah king of Judah. From then on he was highly regarded by all the nations.

Hezekiah’s Pride, Success and Death(EF)

24 In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. He prayed to the Lord, who answered him and gave him a miraculous sign.(EG) 25 But Hezekiah’s heart was proud(EH) and he did not respond to the kindness shown him; therefore the Lord’s wrath(EI) was on him and on Judah and Jerusalem. 26 Then Hezekiah repented(EJ) of the pride of his heart, as did the people of Jerusalem; therefore the Lord’s wrath did not come on them during the days of Hezekiah.(EK)

27 Hezekiah had very great wealth and honor,(EL) and he made treasuries for his silver and gold and for his precious stones, spices, shields and all kinds of valuables. 28 He also made buildings to store the harvest of grain, new wine and olive oil; and he made stalls for various kinds of cattle, and pens for the flocks. 29 He built villages and acquired great numbers of flocks and herds, for God had given him very great riches.(EM)

30 It was Hezekiah who blocked(EN) the upper outlet of the Gihon(EO) spring and channeled(EP) the water down to the west side of the City of David. He succeeded in everything he undertook. 31 But when envoys were sent by the rulers of Babylon(EQ) to ask him about the miraculous sign(ER) that had occurred in the land, God left him to test(ES) him and to know everything that was in his heart.

32 The other events of Hezekiah’s reign and his acts of devotion are written in the vision of the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. 33 Hezekiah rested with his ancestors and was buried on the hill where the tombs of David’s descendants are. All Judah and the people of Jerusalem honored him when he died. And Manasseh his son succeeded him as king.

Manasseh King of Judah(ET)(EU)

33 Manasseh(EV) was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. 2 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord,(EW) following the detestable(EX) practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. 3 He rebuilt the high places his father Hezekiah had demolished; he also erected altars to the Baals and made Asherah poles.(EY) He bowed down(EZ) to all the starry hosts and worshiped them. 4 He built altars in the temple of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, “My Name(FA) will remain in Jerusalem forever.” 5 In both courts of the temple of the Lord,(FB) he built altars to all the starry hosts. 6 He sacrificed his children(FC) in the fire in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, practiced divination and witchcraft, sought omens, and consulted mediums(FD) and spiritists.(FE) He did much evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger.

7 He took the image he had made and put it in God’s temple,(FF) of which God had said to David and to his son Solomon, “In this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my Name forever. 8 I will not again make the feet of the Israelites leave the land(FG) I assigned to your ancestors, if only they will be careful to do everything I commanded them concerning all the laws, decrees and regulations given through Moses.” 9 But Manasseh led Judah and the people of Jerusalem astray, so that they did more evil than the nations the Lord had destroyed before the Israelites.(FH)

10 The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention. 11 So the Lord brought against them the army commanders of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh prisoner,(FI) put a hook(FJ) in his nose, bound him with bronze shackles(FK) and took him to Babylon. 12 In his distress he sought the favor of the Lord his God and humbled(FL) himself greatly before the God of his ancestors. 13 And when he prayed to him, the Lord was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is God.

14 Afterward he rebuilt the outer wall of the City of David, west of the Gihon(FM) spring in the valley, as far as the entrance of the Fish Gate(FN) and encircling the hill of Ophel;(FO) he also made it much higher. He stationed military commanders in all the fortified cities in Judah.

15 He got rid of the foreign gods and removed(FP) the image from the temple of the Lord, as well as all the altars he had built on the temple hill and in Jerusalem; and he threw them out of the city. 16 Then he restored the altar of the Lord and sacrificed fellowship offerings and thank offerings(FQ) on it, and told Judah to serve the Lord, the God of Israel. 17 The people, however, continued to sacrifice at the high places, but only to the Lord their God.

18 The other events of Manasseh’s reign, including his prayer to his God and the words the seers spoke to him in the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, are written in the annals of the kings of Israel.[h] 19 His prayer and how God was moved by his entreaty, as well as all his sins and unfaithfulness, and the sites where he built high places and set up Asherah poles and idols before he humbled(FR) himself—all these are written in the records of the seers.[i](FS) 20 Manasseh rested with his ancestors and was buried(FT) in his palace. And Amon his son succeeded him as king.

Amon King of Judah(FU)

21 Amon(FV) was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem two years. 22 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, as his father Manasseh had done. Amon worshiped and offered sacrifices to all the idols Manasseh had made. 23 But unlike his father Manasseh, he did not humble(FW) himself before the Lord; Amon increased his guilt.

24 Amon’s officials conspired against him and assassinated him in his palace. 25 Then the people(FX) of the land killed all who had plotted against King Amon, and they made Josiah his son king in his place.

Josiah’s Reforms(FY)(FZ)(GA)

34 Josiah(GB) was eight years old when he became king,(GC) and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. 2 He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and followed the ways of his father David,(GD) not turning aside to the right or to the left.

3 In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God(GE) of his father David. In his twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of high places, Asherah poles and idols. 4 Under his direction the altars of the Baals were torn down; he cut to pieces the incense altars that were above them, and smashed the Asherah poles(GF) and the idols. These he broke to pieces and scattered over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them.(GG) 5 He burned(GH) the bones of the priests on their altars, and so he purged Judah and Jerusalem. 6 In the towns of Manasseh, Ephraim and Simeon, as far as Naphtali, and in the ruins around them, 7 he tore down the altars and the Asherah poles and crushed the idols to powder(GI) and cut to pieces all the incense altars throughout Israel. Then he went back to Jerusalem.

8 In the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign, to purify the land and the temple, he sent Shaphan son of Azaliah and Maaseiah the ruler of the city, with Joah son of Joahaz, the recorder, to repair the temple of the Lord his God.

9 They went to Hilkiah(GJ) the high priest and gave him the money that had been brought into the temple of God, which the Levites who were the gatekeepers had collected from the people of Manasseh, Ephraim and the entire remnant of Israel and from all the people of Judah and Benjamin and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 10 Then they entrusted it to the men appointed to supervise the work on the Lord’s temple. These men paid the workers who repaired and restored the temple. 11 They also gave money(GK) to the carpenters and builders to purchase dressed stone, and timber for joists and beams for the buildings that the kings of Judah had allowed to fall into ruin.(GL)

12 The workers labored faithfully.(GM) Over them to direct them were Jahath and Obadiah, Levites descended from Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam, descended from Kohath. The Levites—all who were skilled in playing musical instruments—(GN) 13 had charge of the laborers(GO) and supervised all the workers from job to job. Some of the Levites were secretaries, scribes and gatekeepers.

The Book of the Law Found(GP)(GQ)

14 While they were bringing out the money that had been taken into the temple of the Lord, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the Lord that had been given through Moses. 15 Hilkiah said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law(GR) in the temple of the Lord.” He gave it to Shaphan.

16 Then Shaphan took the book to the king and reported to him: “Your officials are doing everything that has been committed to them. 17 They have paid out the money that was in the temple of the Lord and have entrusted it to the supervisors and workers.” 18 Then Shaphan the secretary informed the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king.

19 When the king heard the words of the Law,(GS) he tore(GT) his robes. 20 He gave these orders to Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan(GU), Abdon son of Micah,[j] Shaphan the secretary and Asaiah the king’s attendant: 21 “Go and inquire of the Lord for me and for the remnant in Israel and Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the Lord’s anger that is poured out(GV) on us because those who have gone before us have not kept the word of the Lord; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written in this book.”

22 Hilkiah and those the king had sent with him[k] went to speak to the prophet(GW) Huldah, who was the wife of Shallum son of Tokhath,[l] the son of Hasrah,[m] keeper of the wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem, in the New Quarter.

23 She said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Tell the man who sent you to me, 24 ‘This is what the Lord says: I am going to bring disaster(GX) on this place and its people(GY)—all the curses(GZ) written in the book that has been read in the presence of the king of Judah. 25 Because they have forsaken me(HA) and burned incense to other gods and aroused my anger by all that their hands have made,[n] my anger will be poured out on this place and will not be quenched.’ 26 Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says concerning the words you heard: 27 Because your heart was responsive(HB) and you humbled(HC) yourself before God when you heard what he spoke against this place and its people, and because you humbled yourself before me and tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have heard you, declares the Lord. 28 Now I will gather you to your ancestors,(HD) and you will be buried in peace. Your eyes will not see all the disaster I am going to bring on this place and on those who live here.’”(HE)

So they took her answer back to the king.

29 Then the king called together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 30 He went up to the temple of the Lord(HF) with the people of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests and the Levites—all the people from the least to the greatest. He read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant, which had been found in the temple of the Lord. 31 The king stood by his pillar(HG) and renewed the covenant(HH) in the presence of the Lord—to follow(HI) the Lord and keep his commands, statutes and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, and to obey the words of the covenant written in this book.

32 Then he had everyone in Jerusalem and Benjamin pledge themselves to it; the people of Jerusalem did this in accordance with the covenant of God, the God of their ancestors.

33 Josiah removed all the detestable(HJ) idols from all the territory belonging to the Israelites, and he had all who were present in Israel serve the Lord their God. As long as he lived, they did not fail to follow the Lord, the God of their ancestors.

Josiah Celebrates the Passover(HK)

35 Josiah celebrated the Passover(HL) to the Lord in Jerusalem, and the Passover lamb was slaughtered on the fourteenth day of the first month. 2 He appointed the priests to their duties and encouraged them in the service of the Lord’s temple. 3 He said to the Levites, who instructed(HM) all Israel and who had been consecrated to the Lord: “Put the sacred ark in the temple that Solomon son of David king of Israel built. It is not to be carried about on your shoulders. Now serve the Lord your God and his people Israel. 4 Prepare yourselves by families in your divisions,(HN) according to the instructions written by David king of Israel and by his son Solomon.

5 “Stand in the holy place with a group of Levites for each subdivision of the families of your fellow Israelites, the lay people. 6 Slaughter the Passover lambs, consecrate yourselves(HO) and prepare the lambs for your fellow Israelites, doing what the Lord commanded through Moses.”

7 Josiah provided for all the lay people who were there a total of thirty thousand lambs and goats for the Passover offerings,(HP) and also three thousand cattle—all from the king’s own possessions.(HQ)

8 His officials also contributed(HR) voluntarily to the people and the priests and Levites. Hilkiah,(HS) Zechariah and Jehiel, the officials in charge of God’s temple, gave the priests twenty-six hundred Passover offerings and three hundred cattle. 9 Also Konaniah(HT) along with Shemaiah and Nethanel, his brothers, and Hashabiah, Jeiel and Jozabad,(HU) the leaders of the Levites, provided five thousand Passover offerings and five hundred head of cattle for the Levites.

10 The service was arranged and the priests stood in their places with the Levites in their divisions(HV) as the king had ordered.(HW) 11 The Passover lambs were slaughtered,(HX) and the priests splashed against the altar the blood handed to them, while the Levites skinned the animals. 12 They set aside the burnt offerings to give them to the subdivisions of the families of the people to offer to the Lord, as it is written in the Book of Moses. They did the same with the cattle. 13 They roasted the Passover animals over the fire as prescribed,(HY) and boiled the holy offerings in pots, caldrons and pans and served them quickly to all the people. 14 After this, they made preparations for themselves and for the priests, because the priests, the descendants of Aaron, were sacrificing the burnt offerings and the fat portions(HZ) until nightfall. So the Levites made preparations for themselves and for the Aaronic priests.

15 The musicians,(IA) the descendants of Asaph, were in the places prescribed by David, Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun the king’s seer. The gatekeepers at each gate did not need to leave their posts, because their fellow Levites made the preparations for them.

16 So at that time the entire service of the Lord was carried out for the celebration of the Passover and the offering of burnt offerings on the altar of the Lord, as King Josiah had ordered. 17 The Israelites who were present celebrated the Passover at that time and observed the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days. 18 The Passover had not been observed like this in Israel since the days of the prophet Samuel; and none of the kings of Israel had ever celebrated such a Passover as did Josiah, with the priests, the Levites and all Judah and Israel who were there with the people of Jerusalem. 19 This Passover was celebrated in the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign.

The Death of Josiah(IB)

20 After all this, when Josiah had set the temple in order, Necho king of Egypt went up to fight at Carchemish(IC) on the Euphrates,(ID) and Josiah marched out to meet him in battle. 21 But Necho sent messengers to him, saying, “What quarrel is there, king of Judah, between you and me? It is not you I am attacking at this time, but the house with which I am at war. God has told(IE) me to hurry; so stop opposing God, who is with me, or he will destroy you.”

22 Josiah, however, would not turn away from him, but disguised(IF) himself to engage him in battle. He would not listen to what Necho had said at God’s command but went to fight him on the plain of Megiddo.

23 Archers(IG) shot King Josiah, and he told his officers, “Take me away; I am badly wounded.” 24 So they took him out of his chariot, put him in his other chariot and brought him to Jerusalem, where he died. He was buried in the tombs of his ancestors, and all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for him.

25 Jeremiah composed laments for Josiah, and to this day all the male and female singers commemorate Josiah in the laments.(IH) These became a tradition in Israel and are written in the Laments.(II)

26 The other events of Josiah’s reign and his acts of devotion in accordance with what is written in the Law of the Lord— 27 all the events, from beginning to end, are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 29:21 Or purification offering; also in verses 23 and 24
  2. 2 Chronicles 30:17 Or consecrate themselves
  3. 2 Chronicles 30:21 Or priests sang to the Lord every day, accompanied by the Lord’s instruments of praise
  4. 2 Chronicles 30:22 Or and confessed their sins to
  5. 2 Chronicles 32:4 Hebrew; Septuagint and Syriac king
  6. 2 Chronicles 32:5 Or the Millo
  7. 2 Chronicles 32:22 Hebrew; Septuagint and Vulgate He gave them rest
  8. 2 Chronicles 33:18 That is, Judah, as frequently in 2 Chronicles
  9. 2 Chronicles 33:19 One Hebrew manuscript and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts of Hozai
  10. 2 Chronicles 34:20 Also called Akbor son of Micaiah
  11. 2 Chronicles 34:22 One Hebrew manuscript, Vulgate and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts do not have had sent with him.
  12. 2 Chronicles 34:22 Also called Tikvah
  13. 2 Chronicles 34:22 Also called Harhas
  14. 2 Chronicles 34:25 Or by everything they have done
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