Bible Reading May 3 
2 Chronicles 33:1--36:23
Context33:1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned for fifty-five years in Jerusalem. 1 33:2 He did evil in the sight of 2 the Lord and committed the same horrible sins practiced by the nations 3 whom the Lord drove out ahead of the Israelites. 33:3 He rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had destroyed; he set up altars for the Baals and made Asherah poles. He bowed down to all the stars in the sky 4 and worshiped 5 them. 33:4 He built altars in the Lord’s temple, about which the Lord had said, “Jerusalem will be my permanent home.” 6 33:5 In the two courtyards of the Lord’s temple he built altars for all the stars in the sky. 33:6 He passed his sons through the fire 7 in the Valley of Ben-Hinnom and practiced divination, omen reading, and sorcery. He set up a ritual pit to conjure up underworld spirits and appointed magicians to supervise it. 8 He did a great amount of evil in the sight of the Lord and angered him. 9 33:7 He put an idolatrous image he had made in God’s temple, about which God had said to David and to his son Solomon, “This temple in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, will be my permanent home. 10 33:8 I will not make Israel again leave the land I gave to their ancestors, 11 provided that they carefully obey all I commanded them, the whole law, the rules and regulations given to Moses.” 33:9 But Manasseh misled the people of 12 Judah and the residents of Jerusalem so that they sinned more than the nations whom the Lord had destroyed ahead of the Israelites.
33:10 The Lord confronted 13 Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention. 33:11 So the Lord brought against them the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria. They seized Manasseh, put hooks in his nose, 14 bound him with bronze chains, and carried him away to Babylon. 33:12 In his pain 15 Manasseh 16 asked the Lord his God for mercy 17 and truly 18 humbled himself before the God of his ancestors. 19 33:13 When he prayed to the Lord, 20 the Lord 21 responded to him 22 and answered favorably 23 his cry for mercy. The Lord 24 brought him back to Jerusalem to his kingdom. Then Manasseh realized that the Lord is the true God.
33:14 After this Manasseh 25 built up the outer wall of the City of David 26 on the west side of the Gihon in the valley to the entrance of the Fish Gate and all around the terrace; he made it much higher. He placed army officers in all the fortified cities in Judah.
33:15 He removed the foreign gods and images from the Lord’s temple and all the altars he had built on the hill of the Lord’s temple and in Jerusalem; he threw them outside the city. 33:16 He erected the altar of the Lord and offered on it peace offerings and thank offerings. He told the people of 27 Judah to serve the Lord God of Israel. 33:17 The people continued to offer sacrifices at the high places, but only to the Lord their God.
33:18 The rest of the events of Manasseh’s reign, including his prayer to his God and the words the prophets 28 spoke to him in the name of the Lord God of Israel, are recorded 29 in the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 33:19 The Annals of the Prophets include his prayer, give an account of how the Lord responded to it, record all his sins and unfaithful acts, and identify the sites where he built high places and erected Asherah poles and idols before he humbled himself. 30 33:20 Manasseh passed away 31 and was buried in his palace. His son Amon replaced him as king.
33:21 Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned for two years in Jerusalem. 32 33:22 He did evil in the sight of 33 the Lord, just like his father Manasseh had done. He offered sacrifices to all the idols his father Manasseh had made, and worshiped 34 them. 33:23 He did not humble himself before the Lord as his father Manasseh had done. 35 Amon was guilty of great sin. 36 33:24 His servants conspired against him and killed him in his palace. 33:25 The people of the land executed all who had conspired against King Amon, and they 37 made his son Josiah king in his place.
34:1 Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned for thirty-one years in Jerusalem. 38 34:2 He did what the Lord approved 39 and followed in his ancestor David’s footsteps; 40 he did not deviate to the right or the left.
34:3 In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his ancestor 41 David. In his twelfth year he began ridding 42 Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, Asherah poles, idols, and images. 34:4 He ordered the altars of the Baals to be torn down, 43 and broke the incense altars that were above them. He smashed the Asherah poles, idols and images, crushed them up and sprinkled the dust over the tombs of those who had sacrificed to them. 34:5 He burned the bones of the pagan priests 44 on their altars; he purified Judah and Jerusalem. 34:6 In the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, as far as Naphtali, and in the ruins 45 around them, 34:7 he tore down the altars and Asherah poles, demolished the idols, and smashed all the incense altars throughout the land of Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem.
34:8 In the eighteenth year of his reign, he continued his policy of purifying the land and the temple. 46 He sent Shaphan son of Azaliah, Maaseiah the city official, and Joah son of Joahaz the secretary to repair the temple of the Lord his God. 34:9 They went to Hilkiah the high priest and gave him the silver that had been brought to God’s temple. The Levites who guarded the door had collected it from the people of 47 Manasseh and Ephraim and from all who were left in Israel, as well as from all the people of 48 Judah and Benjamin and the residents of 49 Jerusalem. 34:10 They handed it over to the construction foremen 50 assigned to the Lord’s temple. They in turn paid the temple workers to restore and repair it. 51 34:11 They gave money to the craftsmen and builders to buy chiseled stone and wood for the braces and rafters of the buildings that the kings of Judah had allowed to fall into disrepair. 52 34:12 The men worked faithfully. Their supervisors were Jahath and Obadiah (Levites descended from Merari), as well as Zechariah and Meshullam (descendants of Kohath). The Levites, all of whom were skilled musicians, 34:13 supervised the laborers and all the foremen on their various jobs. 53 Some of the Levites were scribes, officials, and guards.
34:14 When they took out the silver that had been brought to the Lord’s temple, Hilkiah the priest found the law scroll the Lord had given to Moses. 34:15 Hilkiah informed Shaphan the scribe, “I found the law scroll in the Lord’s temple.” Hilkiah gave the scroll to Shaphan. 34:16 Shaphan brought the scroll to the king and reported, 54 “Your servants are doing everything assigned to them. 34:17 They melted down the silver in the Lord’s temple 55 and handed it over to the supervisors of the construction foremen.” 34:18 Then Shaphan the scribe told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a scroll.” Shaphan read it out loud before the king. 34:19 When the king heard the words of the law scroll, he tore his clothes. 34:20 The king ordered Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Abdon son of Micah, 56 Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king’s servant, 34:21 “Go, seek an oracle from 57 the Lord for me and those who remain in Israel and Judah. Find out about 58 the words of this scroll that has been discovered. For the Lord’s fury has been ignited against us, 59 because our ancestors 60 have not obeyed the word of the Lord by doing all that this scroll instructs!” 61
34:22 So Hilkiah and the others sent by the king 62 went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum son of Tokhath, the son of Hasrah, 63 the supervisor of the wardrobe. 64 (She lived in Jerusalem in the Mishneh 65 district.) They stated their business, 66 34:23 and she said to them: “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘Say this to the man who sent you to me: 34:24 “This is what the Lord says: ‘I am about to bring disaster on this place and its residents, the details of which are recorded in the scroll which they read before the king of Judah. 34:25 This will happen because they have abandoned me and offered sacrifices 67 to other gods, angering me with all the idols they have made. 68 My anger will ignite against this place and will not be extinguished!’” 34:26 Say this to the king of Judah, who sent you to seek an oracle from the Lord: “This is what the Lord God of Israel says concerning the words you have heard: 34:27 ‘You displayed a sensitive spirit 69 and humbled yourself before God when you heard his words concerning this place and its residents. You humbled yourself before me, tore your clothes and wept before me, and I have heard you,’ says the Lord. 34:28 ‘Therefore I will allow you to die and be buried in peace. 70 You will not have to witness all the disaster I will bring on this place and its residents.’”’” Then they reported back to the king.
34:29 The king summoned all the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem. 71 34:30 The king went up to the Lord’s temple, accompanied by all the people of Judah, the residents of Jerusalem, the priests, and the Levites. All the people were there, from the oldest to the youngest. He read aloud all the words of the scroll of the covenant that had been discovered in the Lord’s temple. 34:31 The king stood by his pillar 72 and renewed 73 the covenant before the Lord, agreeing to follow 74 the Lord and to obey his commandments, laws, and rules with all his heart and being, 75 by carrying out the terms 76 of this covenant recorded on this scroll. 34:32 He made all who were in Jerusalem and Benjamin agree to it. 77 The residents of Jerusalem acted in accordance with the covenant of God, the God of their ancestors. 34:33 Josiah removed all the detestable idols from all the areas belonging to the Israelites and encouraged 78 all who were in Israel to worship the Lord their God. Throughout the rest of his reign 79 they did not turn aside from following the Lord God of their ancestors.
35:1 Josiah observed a Passover festival for the Lord in Jerusalem. 80 They slaughtered the Passover lambs on the fourteenth day of the first month. 35:2 He appointed the priests to fulfill their duties and encouraged them to carry out their service in the Lord’s temple. 35:3 He told the Levites, who instructed all Israel about things consecrated to the Lord, “Place the holy ark in the temple which King Solomon son of David of Israel built. Don’t carry it on your shoulders. Now serve the Lord your God and his people Israel! 35:4 Prepare yourselves by your families according to your divisions, as instructed 81 by King David of Israel and his son Solomon. 35:5 Stand in the sanctuary and, together with the Levites, represent the family divisions of your countrymen. 82 35:6 Slaughter the Passover lambs, consecrate yourselves, and make preparations for your countrymen to do what the Lord commanded through Moses.” 83
35:7 From his own royal flocks and herds, Josiah supplied the people with 30,000 lambs and goats for the Passover sacrifice, as well as 3,000 cattle. 84 35:8 His officials also willingly contributed to the people, priests, and Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, the leaders of God’s temple, supplied 2,600 Passover sacrifices and 300 cattle. 35:9 Konaniah and his brothers Shemaiah and Nethanel, along with Hashabiah, Jeiel, and Jozabad, the officials of the Levites, supplied the Levites with 5,000 Passover sacrifices and 500 cattle. 35:10 Preparations were made, 85 and the priests stood at their posts and the Levites in their divisions as prescribed by the king. 35:11 They slaughtered the Passover lambs and the priests splashed the blood, 86 while the Levites skinned the animals. 35:12 They reserved the burnt offerings and the cattle for the family divisions of the people to present to the Lord, as prescribed in the scroll of Moses. 87 35:13 They cooked the Passover sacrifices over the open fire as prescribed and cooked the consecrated offerings in pots, kettles, and pans. They quickly served them to all the people. 35:14 Afterward they made preparations for themselves and for the priests, because the priests, the descendants of Aaron, were offering burnt sacrifices and fat portions until evening. The Levites made preparations for themselves and for the priests, the descendants of Aaron. 35:15 The musicians, the descendants of Asaph, manned their posts, as prescribed by David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king’s prophet. 88 The guards at the various gates did not need to leave their posts, for their fellow Levites made preparations for them. 35:16 So all the preparations for the Lord’s service were made that day, as the Passover was observed and the burnt sacrifices were offered on the altar of the Lord, as prescribed by King Josiah. 35:17 So the Israelites who were present observed the Passover at that time, as well as the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days. 35:18 A Passover like this had not been observed in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet. None of the kings of Israel had observed a Passover like the one celebrated by Josiah, the priests, the Levites, all the people of Judah and Israel who were there, and the residents of Jerusalem. 35:19 This Passover was observed in the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign.
35:20 After Josiah had done all this for the temple, 89 King Necho of Egypt marched up to do battle at Carchemish on the Euphrates River. 90 Josiah marched out to oppose him. 35:21 Necho 91 sent messengers to him, saying, “Why are you opposing me, O king of Judah? 92 I am not attacking you today, but the kingdom with which I am at war. 93 God told me to hurry. Stop opposing God, who is with me, or else he will destroy you.” 94 35:22 But Josiah did not turn back from him; 95 he disguised himself for battle. He did not take seriously 96 the words of Necho which he had received from God; he went to fight him in the Plain of Megiddo. 97 35:23 Archers shot King Josiah; the king ordered his servants, “Take me out of this chariot, 98 for I am seriously wounded.” 35:24 So his servants took him out of the chariot, put him in another chariot that he owned, and brought him to Jerusalem, 99 where he died. He was buried in the tombs of his ancestors; 100 all the people of Judah and Jerusalem mourned Josiah. 35:25 Jeremiah composed laments for Josiah which all the male and female singers use to mourn Josiah to this very day. It has become customary in Israel to sing these; they are recorded in the Book of Laments.
35:26 The rest of the events of Josiah’s reign, including the faithful acts he did in obedience to what is written in the law of the Lord 101 35:27 and his accomplishments, from start to finish, are recorded 102 in the Scroll of the Kings of Israel and Judah.
36:1 The people of the land took Jehoahaz son of Josiah and made him king in his father’s place in Jerusalem. 103 36:2 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. 36:3 The king of Egypt prevented him from ruling in Jerusalem and imposed on the land a special tax 104 of one hundred talents 105 of silver and a talent of gold. 36:4 The king of Egypt made Jehoahaz’s 106 brother Eliakim king over Judah and Jerusalem, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. Necho seized his brother Jehoahaz and took him to Egypt.
36:5 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem. 107 He did evil in the sight of 108 the Lord his God. 36:6 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked him, 109 bound him with bronze chains, and carried him away 110 to Babylon. 36:7 Nebuchadnezzar took some of the items in the Lord’s temple to Babylon and put them in his palace 111 there. 112
36:8 The rest of the events of Jehoiakim’s reign, including the horrible sins he committed and his shortcomings, are recorded in the Scroll of the Kings of Israel and Judah. 113 His son Jehoiachin replaced him as king.
36:9 Jehoiachin was eighteen 114 years old when he became king, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem. 115 He did evil in the sight of 116 the Lord. 36:10 At the beginning of the year King Nebuchadnezzar ordered him to be brought 117 to Babylon, along with the valuable items in the Lord’s temple. In his place he made his relative 118 Zedekiah king over Judah and Jerusalem.
36:11 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he ruled for eleven years in Jerusalem. 119 36:12 He did evil in the sight of 120 the Lord his God. He did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, the Lord’s spokesman. 36:13 He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him vow allegiance 121 in the name of God. He was stubborn and obstinate, and refused to return 122 to the Lord God of Israel. 36:14 All the leaders of the priests and people became more unfaithful and committed the same horrible sins practiced by the nations. 123 They defiled the Lord’s temple which he had consecrated in Jerusalem.
36:15 The Lord God of their ancestors 124 continually warned them through his messengers, 125 for he felt compassion for his people and his dwelling place. 36:16 But they mocked God’s messengers, despised his warnings, 126 and ridiculed his prophets. 127 Finally the Lord got very angry at his people and there was no one who could prevent his judgment. 128 36:17 He brought against them the king of the Babylonians, who slaughtered 129 their young men in their temple. 130 He did not spare 131 young men or women, or even the old and aging. God 132 handed everyone over to him. 36:18 He carried away to Babylon all the items in God’s temple, whether large or small, as well as what was in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and in the treasuries of the king and his officials. 36:19 They burned down the Lord’s temple and tore down the wall of Jerusalem. 133 They burned all its fortified buildings and destroyed all its valuable items. 36:20 He deported to Babylon all who escaped the sword. They served him and his sons until the Persian kingdom rose to power. 36:21 This took place to fulfill the Lord’s message delivered through Jeremiah. 134 The land experienced 135 its sabbatical years; 136 it remained desolate for seventy years, 137 as prophesied. 138
36:22 In the first year of the reign of 139 King Cyrus of Persia, in fulfillment of the promise he delivered through Jeremiah, 140 the Lord moved 141 King Cyrus of Persia to issue a written decree throughout his kingdom. 36:23 It read: “This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: ‘The Lord God of the heavens has given to me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has appointed me to build for him a temple in Jerusalem 142 in Judah. May the Lord your God energize you who belong to his people, so you may be able to go back there!” 143
[33:1] 1 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[33:2] 2 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[33:2] 3 tn Heb “like the abominable practices of the nations.”
[33:3] 4 tn The phrase כָל צְבָא הֲַשָּׁמַיִם (khol tsÿva’ hashamayim), traditionally translated “all the host of heaven,” refers to the heavenly lights, including stars and planets. In 1 Kgs 22:19 these heavenly bodies are pictured as members of the Lord’s royal court or assembly, but many other texts view them as the illegitimate objects of pagan and Israelite worship.
[33:4] 6 tn Heb “In Jerusalem my name will be permanently.”
[33:6] 7 tn Or “he sacrificed his sons in the fire.” This may refer to child sacrifice, though some interpret it as a less drastic cultic practice (NEB, NASV “made his sons pass through the fire”; NIV “sacrificed his sons in the fire”; NRSV “made his sons pass through fire”). For discussion see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 266-67.
[33:6] 8 tn Heb “and he set up a ritual pit, along with a conjurer.” Hebrew אוֹב (’ov, “ritual pit”) refers to a pit used by a magician to conjure up underworld spirits. In 1 Sam 28:7 the witch of Endor is called a בַּעֲלַת אוֹב (ba’alat ’ov, “owner of a ritual pit”). See H. Hoffner, “Second Millennium Antecedents to the Hebrew ’OñBù,” JBL 86 (1967): 385-401.
[33:6] 9 tn Heb “and he multiplied doing what is evil in the eyes of the
[33:7] 10 tn Heb “In this house and in Jerusalem, which I chose from all the tribes of Israel, I will place my name permanently” (or perhaps “forever”).
[33:8] 11 tn Heb “I will not again make the feet of Israel wander from the land which I established for their fathers.”
[33:9] 12 tn Heb “misled Judah.” The words “the people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” here by metonymy for the people of Judah.
[33:11] 14 tn Heb “and they seized him with hooks.”
[33:12] 16 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Manasseh) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[33:12] 17 tn Heb “appeased the face of the
[33:13] 20 tn Heb “him”; the referent (the
[33:13] 21 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the
[33:13] 22 tn Heb “was entreated by him,” or “allowed himself to be entreated by him.”
[33:13] 24 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the
[33:14] 25 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Manasseh) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[33:14] 26 sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
[33:16] 27 tn Heb “told Judah.” The words “the people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” here by metonymy for the people of Judah.
[33:18] 29 tn Heb “look, they are.”
[33:19] 30 tn Heb “and his prayer and being entreated by him, and all his sin and his unfaithfulness and the places where he built high places and set up Asherah poles and idols before he humbled himself – behold, they are written on the words of his seers.”
[33:20] 31 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[33:21] 32 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[33:22] 33 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[33:23] 35 tn Heb “as Manasseh his father had humbled himself.”
[33:23] 36 tn Heb “for he, Amon, multiplied guilt.”
[33:25] 37 tn Heb “and the people of the land.”
[34:1] 38 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[34:2] 39 tn Heb “he did what was proper in the eyes of the
[34:2] 40 tn Heb “and walked in the ways of David his father.”
[34:4] 43 tn Heb “and they tore down before him the altars of the Baals.”
[34:5] 44 tn Heb “the priests”; the qualifying adjective “pagan” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[34:6] 45 tn “In their ruins” is the marginal reading (Qere) of the Hebrew text.
[34:8] 46 tn Heb “to purify the land and the house.”
[34:9] 47 tn Heb “from Manasseh and Ephraim.” The words “the people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew text uses the names “Manasseh and Ephraim” here by metonymy for the people of Manasseh and Ephraim.
[34:9] 48 tn Heb “all Judah and Benjamin.” The words “the people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew text uses the names “Judah and Benjamin” here by metonymy for the people of Judah and Benjamin.
[34:9] 49 tc The Hebrew consonantal text (Kethib) assumes the reading, “and the residents of.” The marginal reading (Qere) is “and they returned.”
[34:10] 50 tn Heb “doer[s] of the work.”
[34:10] 51 tn Heb “and they gave it to the doers of the work who were working in the house of the
[34:11] 52 tn Heb “of the houses that the kings of Judah had destroyed.”
[34:13] 53 tn Heb “[were] over the laborers and were directing every doer of work for work assignment and work assignment.”
[34:16] 54 tn Heb “returned still the king a word, saying.”
[34:17] 55 tn Heb “that was found in the house of the
[34:20] 56 tn The parallel account in 2 Kgs 22:12 has the variant spelling “Acbor son of Micaiah.”
[34:21] 57 tn Or “inquire of.”
[34:21] 58 tn Heb “concerning.”
[34:21] 59 tn Heb “for great is the anger of the
[34:21] 60 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 32, 33).
[34:21] 61 tn Heb “by doing according to all that is written on this scroll.”
[34:22] 62 tn Heb “and those who [were sent by] the king.”
[34:22] 63 tn The parallel account in 2 Kgs 22:14 has the variant spelling “son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas.”
[34:22] 64 tn Heb “the keeper of the clothes.”
[34:22] 65 tn Or “second.” For a discussion of the possible location of this district, see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 283.
[34:22] 66 tn Heb “and they spoke to her like this.”
[34:25] 67 tn Or “burned incense.”
[34:25] 68 tn Heb “angering me with all the work of their hands.” The present translation assumes this refers to idols they have manufactured (note the preceding reference to “other gods”). However, it is possible that this is a general reference to their sinful practices, in which case one might translate, “angering me by all the things they do.”
[34:27] 69 tn Heb “Because your heart was tender.”
[34:28] 70 tn Heb “Therefore, behold, I am gathering you to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your tomb in peace.”
[34:29] 71 tn Heb “and the king sent and gathered all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem.”
[34:31] 72 tc This assumes an emendation to עַמּוּדוֹ (’ammudo), see 23:13. The MT reads “at his place.”
[34:31] 73 tn Heb “cut,” that is, “made” or “agreed to.”
[34:31] 74 tn Heb “walk after.”
[34:32] 77 tn Heb “and he caused to stand everyone who was found in Jerusalem and Benjamin.”
[34:33] 78 tn Or “caused, forced.”
[34:33] 79 tn Heb “all his days.”
[35:1] 80 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[35:5] 82 tn Heb “and stand in the sanctuary by the divisions of the house of the fathers for your brothers, the sons of the people, and a division of the house of a father for the Levites.”
[35:6] 83 tn Heb “according to the word of the
[35:7] 84 tn Heb “and Josiah supplied for the sons of the people sheep, lambs and sons of goats, the whole for the Passover sacrifices for everyone who was found according to the number of thirty thousand, and three thousand cattle. These were from the property of the king.”
[35:10] 85 tn Heb “and the service was prepared.”
[35:11] 86 tn Heb “from their hand.”
[35:12] 87 tn Heb “and they put aside the burnt offering[s] to give them to the divisions of the house of the fathers for the sons of the people to bring near to the
[35:20] 89 tn Heb “After all this, [by] which Josiah prepared the temple.”
[35:20] 90 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[35:21] 91 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Neco) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[35:21] 92 tn Heb “What to me and to you, king of Judah?”
[35:21] 93 tn Heb “Not against you, you, today, but against the house of my battle.”
[35:21] 94 tn Heb “Stop yourself from [opposing] God who is with me and let him not destroy you.”
[35:22] 95 tn Heb “and Josiah did not turn his face from him.”
[35:22] 96 tn Heb “listen to.”
[35:22] 97 map For location see Map1 D4; Map2 C1; Map4 C2; Map5 F2; Map7 B1.
[35:23] 98 tn Heb “carry me away.”
[35:24] 99 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[35:26] 101 tn Heb “and his faithful acts according to what is written in the law of the
[35:27] 102 tn Heb “look, they are written.”
[36:1] 103 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[36:3] 105 tn The Hebrew word כִּכַּר (kikar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or, by extension, to a standard unit of weight. According to the older (Babylonian) standard the “talent” weighed 130 lbs. (58.9 kg), but later this was lowered to 108.3 lbs. (49.1 kg). More recent research suggests the “light” standard talent was 67.3 lbs. (30.6 kg). Using this as the standard for calculation, the weight of the silver was 6,730 lbs. (3,060 kg).
[36:4] 106 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Jehoahaz) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[36:5] 107 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[36:5] 108 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[36:6] 109 tn Heb “came up against him.”
[36:6] 110 tn Heb “to carry him away.”
[36:7] 112 tn Heb “in Babylon.” Repeating the proper name “Babylon” here would be redundant in contemporary English, so “there” has been used in the translation.
[36:8] 113 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Jehoiakim, and his horrible deeds which he did and that which was found against him, look, they are written on the scroll of the kings of Israel and Judah.”
[36:9] 114 tc The Hebrew text reads “eight,” but some ancient textual witnesses, as well as the parallel text in 2 Kgs 24:8, have “eighteen.”
[36:9] 115 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[36:9] 116 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[36:10] 117 tn Heb “sent and brought him.”
[36:10] 118 tn Heb “and he made Zedekiah his brother king.” According to the parallel text in 2 Kgs 24:17, Zedekiah was Jehoiachin’s uncle, not his brother. Therefore many interpreters understand אח here in its less specific sense of “relative” (NEB “made his father’s brother Zedekiah king”; NASB “made his kinsman Zedekiah king”; NIV “made Jehoiachin’s uncle, Zedekiah, king”; NRSV “made his brother Zedekiah king”).
[36:11] 119 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[36:12] 120 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[36:13] 121 tn Or “made him swear an oath.”
[36:13] 122 tn Heb “and he stiffened his neck and strengthened his heart from returning.”
[36:14] 123 tn Heb “like the abominable practices of the nations.”
[36:15] 125 tn Heb “and the
[36:16] 126 tn Heb “his words.”
[36:16] 127 tn All three verbal forms (“mocked,” “despised,” and “ridiculed”) are active participles in the Hebrew text, indicating continual or repeated action. They made a habit of rejecting God’s prophetic messengers.
[36:16] 128 tn Heb “until the anger of the
[36:17] 129 tn Heb “killed with the sword.”
[36:17] 130 tn Heb “in the house of their sanctuary.”
[36:17] 131 tn Or “show compassion to.”
[36:17] 132 tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[36:19] 133 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[36:21] 134 tn Heb “to fulfill the word of the
[36:21] 136 sn According to Lev 25:4, the land was to remain uncultivated every seventh year. Lev 26:33-35 warns that the land would experience a succession of such sabbatical rests if the people disobeyed God, for he would send them away into exile.
[36:21] 137 sn Concerning the seventy years see Jer 25:11.
[36:21] 138 tn Heb “all the days of the desolation it rested to fulfill the seventy years.”
[36:22] 139 tn The words “the reign of” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[36:22] 140 tn Heb “to complete the word of the
[36:22] 141 tn Heb “stirred the spirit of.”
[36:23] 142 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[36:23] 143 tn Heb “Whoever [is] among you from all his people – may the
