29:3 In the first month of the first year of his reign, he opened the doors of the Lord’s temple and repaired them. 29:4 He brought in the priests and Levites and assembled them in the square on the east side. 29:5 He said to them: “Listen to me, you Levites! Now consecrate yourselves, so you can consecrate the temple of the Lord God of your ancestors! 1 Remove from the sanctuary what is ceremonially unclean! 29:6 For our fathers were unfaithful; they did what is evil in the sight of 2 the Lord our God and abandoned him! They turned 3 away from the Lord’s dwelling place and rejected him. 4 29:7 They closed the doors of the temple porch and put out the lamps; they did not offer incense or burnt sacrifices in the sanctuary of the God of Israel. 29:8 The Lord was angry at Judah and Jerusalem and made them an appalling object of horror at which people hiss out their scorn, 5 as you can see with your own eyes. 29:9 Look, our fathers died violently 6 and our sons, daughters, and wives were carried off 7 because of this. 29:10 Now I intend 8 to make a covenant with the Lord God of Israel, so that he may relent from his raging anger. 9 29:11 My sons, do not be negligent now, for the Lord has chosen you to serve in his presence and offer sacrifices.” 10
1 tn Heb “fathers.”
2 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
3 tn Heb “turned their faces.”
4 tn Heb “and turned the back.”
5 tn Heb “and he made them [an object] of dread and devastation and hissing.”
6 tn Heb “fell by the sword.”
7 tn Heb “are in captivity.”
8 tn Heb “now it is with my heart.”
9 tn Heb “so that the rage of his anger might turn from us.” The jussive with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding statement of intention.
10 tn Heb “to stand before him to serve him and to be his servants and sacrificers.”