The Reign of Hezekiah

18¹ And it cometh to pass, in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, reigned hath Hezekiah son of Ahaz king of Judah; ² a son of twenty and five years was he in his reigning, and twenty and nine years he hath reigned in Jerusalem, and the name of his mother 'is' Abi daughter of Zechariah. ³ And he doth that which 'is' right in the eyes of Jehovah, according to all that David his father did, ⁴ he hath turned aside the high places, and broken in pieces the standing-pillars, and cut down the shrine, and beaten down the brazen serpent that Moses made, for unto these days were the sons of Israel making perfume to it, and he calleth it 'a piece of brass.' ⁵ In Jehovah, God of Israel, he hath trusted, and after him there hath not been like him among all the kings of Judah, nor 'among any' who were before him; ⁶ and he cleaveth to Jehovah, he hath not turned aside from after Him, and keepeth His commands that Jehovah commanded Moses. ⁷ And Jehovah hath been with him, in every place where he goeth out he acteth wisely, and he rebelleth against the king of Asshur, and hath not served him; ⁸ he hath smitten the Philistines unto Gaza, and its borders, from a tower of watchers unto the fenced city.

The Reign of Hezekiah

29¹ 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 and he doth that which is right in the eyes of Jehovah, according to all that David his father did.

Hezekiah Restores the Temple Worship

³ 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 and bringeth in the priests and the Levites, and gathereth them to the broad place to the east. ⁵ 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 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 '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 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 And lo, fallen have our fathers by the sword, and our sons, and our daughters, and our wives 'are' in captivity for this. ¹⁰ '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 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 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 and of the sons of Elizaphan: Shimri, and Jeiel; and of the sons of Asaph: Zechariah and Mattaniah; ¹⁴ and of the sons of Heman: Jehiel and Shimei; and of the sons of Jeduthun: Shemaiah and Uzziel— ¹⁵ 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 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 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 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 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 And Hezekiah the king riseth early, and gathereth the heads of the city, and goeth up to the house of Jehovah; ²¹ 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 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 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 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 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 and the Levites stand with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets. ²⁷ 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 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 And at the completion of the offering up bowed have the king and all those found with him, and do obeisance. ³⁰ 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 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 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 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 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 and rejoice doth Hezekiah and all the people, because of God's giving preparation to the people, for the thing hath been suddenly.

The Celebration of the Passover

30¹ And Hezekiah sendeth unto all Israel and Judah, and also letters he hath written unto Ephraim and Manasseh, to come in to the house of Jehovah in Jerusalem, to make a passover to Jehovah, God of Israel. ² And the king taketh counsel, and his heads, and all the assembly in Jerusalem, to make the passover in the second month, ³ for they have not been able to make it at that time, for the priests have not sanctified themselves sufficiently, and the people have not been gathered to Jerusalem. ⁴ And the thing is right in the eyes of the king, and in the eyes of all the assembly, ⁵ and they establish the thing, to cause to pass over an intimation into all Israel, from Beer-Sheba even unto Dan, to come in to make a passover to Jehovah, God of Israel, in Jerusalem, for not for a long time had they done as it is written. ⁶ And the runners go with letters from the hand of the king and his heads, into all Israel and Judah, even according to the command of the king, saying, 'O sons of Israel, turn back unto Jehovah, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and He doth turn back unto the escaped part that is left of you from the hand of the kings of Asshur; ⁷ and do not be like your fathers, and like your brethren, who trespassed against Jehovah, God of their fathers, and He giveth them to desolation, as ye do see. ⁸ 'Now, harden not your neck like your fathers, give a hand to Jehovah, and come in to His sanctuary, that He hath sanctified to the age, and serve Jehovah your God, and the fierceness of His anger doth turn back from you; ⁹ for in your turning back unto Jehovah, your brethren and your sons have mercies before their captors, even to return to this land, for gracious and merciful 'is' Jehovah your God, and He doth not turn aside the face from you, if ye turn back unto Him.' ¹⁰ And the runners are passing over from city to city, in the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, even unto Zebulun: and they are laughing at them, and mocking at them, ¹¹ only, certain from Asher, and Manasseh, and from Zebulun, have been humbled, and come in to Jerusalem. ¹² Also, in Judah hath the hand of God been to give to them one heart to do the command of the king and of the heads, in the matter of Jehovah;

¹³ and much people are gathered to Jerusalem, to make the feast of unleavened things in the second month—a mighty assembly for multitude. ¹⁴ And they arise and turn aside the altars that 'are' in Jerusalem, and all the perfume altars they have turned aside, and cast 'them' to the brook Kidron; ¹⁵ and they slaughter the passover-offering on the fourteenth of the second month, and the priests and the Levites have been ashamed, and sanctify themselves, and bring in burnt-offerings to the house of Jehovah. ¹⁶ And they stand on their station according to their ordinance; according to the law of Moses the man of God the priests are sprinkling the blood out of the hand of the Levites, ¹⁷ for many 'are' in the assembly who have not sanctified themselves, and the Levites 'are' over the slaughtering of the passover-offerings for every one not clean, to sanctify 'him' to Jehovah: ¹⁸ for a multitude of the people, many from Ephraim and Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, have not been cleansed, but have eaten the passover otherwise than it is written; but Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, 'Jehovah, who 'is' good, doth receive atonement for every one ¹⁹ who hath prepared his heart to seek God—Jehovah, God of his fathers—yet not according to the cleansing of the sanctuary;' ²⁰ and Jehovah hearkeneth unto Hezekiah, and healeth the people.

²¹ And the sons of Israel, those found in Jerusalem, make the feast of unleavened things seven days with great joy; and giving praise to Jehovah day by day are the Levites and the priests, with instruments of praise before Jehovah. ²² And Hezekiah speaketh unto the heart of all the Levites, those giving good understanding concerning Jehovah, and they eat the appointed thing seven days; sacrificing sacrifices of peace-offerings, and making confession to Jehovah, God of their fathers. ²³ And all the assembly take counsel to keep other seven days, and they keep seven days 'with' joy; ²⁴ for Hezekiah king of Judah hath presented to the assembly a thousand bullocks, and seven thousand sheep; and the heads have presented to the assembly bullocks a thousand, and sheep ten thousand; and priests sanctify themselves in abundance. ²⁵ And all the assembly of Judah rejoice, and the priests, and the Levites, and all the assembly, those coming in from Israel, and the sojourners, those coming in from the land of Israel, and those dwelling in Judah, ²⁶ and there is great joy in Jerusalem; for from the days of Solomon son of David king of Israel there is not like this in Jerusalem, ²⁷ and the priests, the Levites, rise and bless the people, and their voice is heard, and their prayer cometh in to His holy habitation, to the heavens.

31¹ And at the completion of all this, gone out have all Israel who are found present to the cities of Judah, and break the standing-pillars, and cut down the shrines, and break down the high places and the altars, out of all Judah and Benjamin, and in Ephraim and Manasseh, even to completion, and all the sons of Israel turn back, each to his Possession, to their cities.

Hezekiah's Provision for the Priests and Levites

² And Hezekiah appointeth the courses of the priests, and of the Levites, by their courses, each according to his service, of the priests and of the Levites, for burnt-offering, and for peace-offerings, to minister, and to give thanks, and to give praise in the gates of the camps of Jehovah. ³ And a portion of the king, from his substance, 'is' for burnt-offerings, for burnt-offerings of the morning, and of the evening, and the burnt-offerings of sabbaths, and of new moons, and of appointed seasons, as it is written in the law of Jehovah. ⁴ And he saith to the people, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to give the portion of the priests, and of the Levites, so that they are strengthened in the law of Jehovah; ⁵ and at the spreading forth of the thing have the sons of Israel multiplied the first-fruit of corn, new wine, and oil, and honey, and of all the increase of the field, and the tithe of the whole in abundance they have brought in. ⁶ And the sons of Israel and Judah, those dwelling in cities of Judah, they also a tithe of herd and flock, and a tithe of the holy things that are sanctified to Jehovah their God, have brought in, and they give—heaps, heaps; ⁷ in the third month they have begun to lay the foundation of the heaps, and in the seventh month they have finished. ⁸ And Hezekiah and the heads come in and see the heaps, and bless Jehovah and His people Israel, ⁹ and Hezekiah inquireth at the priests and the Levites concerning the heaps, ¹⁰ and Azariah the head priest, of the house of Zadok, speaketh unto him, and saith, 'From the beginning of the bringing of the heave-offering to the house of Jehovah, 'there is' to eat, and to be satisfied, and to leave abundantly, for Jehovah hath blessed His people, and that left 'is' this store.'

¹¹ And Hezekiah saith to prepare chambers in the house of Jehovah, and they prepare, ¹² and they bring in the heave-offering, and the tithe, and the holy things faithfully; and over them is a leader, Conaniah the Levite, and Shimei his brother 'is' second; ¹³ and Jehiel, and Azaziah, and Nahath, and Asahel, and Jerimoth, and Jozabad, and Eliel, and Ismachiah, and Mahath, and Benaiah, 'are' inspectors under the hand of Conaniah and Shimei his brother, by the appointment of Hezekiah the king, and Azariah leader of the house of God. ¹⁴ And Kore son of Imnah the Levite, the gatekeeper at the east, 'is' over the willing-offerings of God, to give the heave-offering of Jehovah, and the most holy things. ¹⁵ And by his hand 'are' Eden, and Miniamin, and Jeshua, and Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shechaniah, in cities of the priests, faithfully to give to their brethren in courses, as the great so the small, ¹⁶ apart from their genealogy, to males from a son of three years and upward, to every one who hath gone in to the house of Jehovah, by the matter of a day in its day, for their service in their charges, according to their courses; ¹⁷ and the genealogy of the priests by the house of their fathers, and of the Levites, from a son of twenty years and upward, in their charges, in their courses; ¹⁸ and to the genealogy among all their infants, their wives, and their sons, and their daughters to all the congregation, for in their faithfulness they sanctify themselves in holiness. ¹⁹ And to sons of Aaron, the priests, in the fields of the suburb of their cities, in every city and city, 'are' men who have been defined by name, to give portions to every male among the priests, and to every one who reckoned himself by genealogy among the Levites. ²⁰ And Hezekiah doth thus in all Judah, and doth that which is good, and that which is right, and that which is true, before Jehovah his God; ²¹ and in every work that he hath begun for the service of the house of God, and for the law, and for the command, to seek to his God, with all his heart he hath wrought and prospered.

The Beauty and Glory of Zion

48¹ Great 'is' Jehovah, and praised greatly, In the city of our God—His holy hill. ² Beautiful 'for' elevation, A joy of all the land, 'is' Mount Zion, The sides of the north, the city of a great king. ³ God in her high places is known for a tower. ⁴ For, lo, the kings met, they passed by together, ⁵ They have seen—so they have marvelled, They have been troubled, they were hastened away. ⁶ Trembling hath seized them there, Pain, as of a travailing woman. ⁷ By an east wind Thou shiverest ships of Tarshish.

⁸ As we have heard, so we have seen, In the city of Jehovah of hosts, In the city of our God, God doth establish her—to the age. Selah. ⁹ We have thought, O God, of Thy kindness, In the midst of Thy temple, ¹⁰ As 'is' Thy name, O God, so 'is' Thy praise, Over the ends of the earth, Righteousness hath filled Thy right hand. ¹¹ Rejoice doth Mount Zion, The daughters of Judah are joyful, For the sake of Thy judgments. ¹² Compass Zion, and go round her, count her towers, ¹³ Set your heart to her bulwark, Consider her high places, So that ye recount to a later generation, ¹⁴ That this God 'is' our God—To the age and for ever, He—he doth lead us over death!