29:20 Early the next morning King Hezekiah assembled the city officials and went up to the Lord’s temple. 29:21 They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven goats as a sin offering for the kingdom, the sanctuary, and Judah. 1 The king 2 told the priests, the descendants of Aaron, to offer burnt sacrifices on the altar of the Lord. 29:22 They slaughtered the bulls, and the priests took the blood and splashed it on the altar. Then they slaughtered the rams and splashed the blood on the altar; next they slaughtered the lambs and splashed the blood on the altar. 29:23 Finally they brought the goats for the sin offering before the king and the assembly, and they placed their hands on them. 29:24 Then the priests slaughtered them. They offered their blood as a sin offering on the altar to make atonement for all Israel, because the king had decreed 3 that the burnt sacrifice and sin offering were for all Israel.
29:25 King Hezekiah 4 stationed the Levites in the Lord’s temple with cymbals and stringed instruments, just as David, Gad the king’s prophet, 5 and Nathan the prophet had ordered. (The Lord had actually given these orders through his prophets.) 29:26 The Levites had 6 David’s musical instruments and the priests had trumpets. 29:27 Hezekiah ordered the burnt sacrifice to be offered on the altar. As they began to offer the sacrifice, they also began to sing to the Lord, accompanied by the trumpets and the musical instruments of King David of Israel. 29:28 The entire assembly worshiped, as the singers sang and the trumpeters played. They continued until the burnt sacrifice was completed.
29:29 When the sacrifices were completed, the king and all who were with him bowed down and worshiped. 29:30 King Hezekiah and the officials told the Levites to praise the Lord, using the psalms 7 of David and Asaph the prophet. 8 So they joyfully offered praise and bowed down and worshiped. 29:31 Hezekiah said, “Now you have consecrated yourselves 9 to the Lord. Come and bring sacrifices and thank offerings 10 to the Lord’s temple.” So the assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and whoever desired to do so 11 brought burnt sacrifices.
1 sn Perhaps these terms refer metonymically to the royal court, the priests and Levites, and the people, respectively.
2 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
3 tn Heb “said.”
4 tn Heb “he”; the referent (King Hezekiah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
5 tn Or “seer.”
6 tn Heb “stood with” (i.e., stood holding).
7 tn Heb “with the words.”
8 tn Or “seer.”
9 tn Heb “filled your hand.”
10 tn Or “tokens of thanks.”
11 tn Heb “and all who were willing of heart.”