Discovery Box2 Chronicles 29:1--31:21
Context29:1 Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. 1 His mother was Abijah, 2 the daughter of Zechariah. 29:2 He did what the Lord approved, just as his ancestor David had done. 3
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! 4 Remove from the sanctuary what is ceremonially unclean! 29:6 For our fathers were unfaithful; they did what is evil in the sight of 5 the Lord our God and abandoned him! They turned 6 away from the Lord’s dwelling place and rejected him. 7 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, 8 as you can see with your own eyes. 29:9 Look, our fathers died violently 9 and our sons, daughters, and wives were carried off 10 because of this. 29:10 Now I intend 11 to make a covenant with the Lord God of Israel, so that he may relent from his raging anger. 12 29:11 My sons, do not be negligent now, for the Lord has chosen you to serve in his presence and offer sacrifices.” 13
29:12 The following Levites prepared to carry out the king’s orders: 14
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 son of Joah;
29:13 from the descendants of Elizaphan: Shimri and Jeiel;
from the descendants of Asaph: Zechariah and Mattaniah;
29:14 from the descendants of Heman: Jehiel and Shimei;
from the descendants of Jeduthun: Shemaiah and Uzziel.
29:15 They assembled their brothers and consecrated themselves. Then they went in to purify the Lord’s temple, just as the king had ordered, in accordance with the word 15 of the Lord. 29:16 The priests then entered the Lord’s temple to purify it; they brought out to the courtyard of the Lord’s temple every ceremonially unclean thing they discovered inside. 16 The Levites took them out to the Kidron Valley. 29:17 On the first day of the first month they began consecrating; by the eighth day of the month they reached the porch of the Lord’s temple. 17 For eight more days they consecrated the Lord’s temple. On the sixteenth day of the first month they were finished. 29:18 They went to King Hezekiah and said: “We have purified the entire temple of the Lord, including the altar of burnt sacrifice and all its equipment, and the table for the Bread of the Presence and all its equipment. 29:19 We have prepared and consecrated all the items that King Ahaz removed during his reign when he acted unfaithfully. They are in front of the altar of the Lord.”
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. 18 The king 19 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 20 that the burnt sacrifice and sin offering were for all Israel.
29:25 King Hezekiah 21 stationed the Levites in the Lord’s temple with cymbals and stringed instruments, just as David, Gad the king’s prophet, 22 and Nathan the prophet had ordered. (The Lord had actually given these orders through his prophets.) 29:26 The Levites had 23 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 24 of David and Asaph the prophet. 25 So they joyfully offered praise and bowed down and worshiped. 29:31 Hezekiah said, “Now you have consecrated yourselves 26 to the Lord. Come and bring sacrifices and thank offerings 27 to the Lord’s temple.” So the assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and whoever desired to do so 28 brought burnt sacrifices.
29:32 The assembly brought a total of 70 bulls, 100 rams, and 200 lambs as burnt sacrifices to the Lord, 29 29:33 and 600 bulls and 3,000 sheep 30 were consecrated. 29:34 But there were not enough priests to skin all the animals, 31 so their brothers, the Levites, helped them until the work was finished and the priests could consecrate themselves. (The Levites had been more conscientious about consecrating themselves than the priests.) 32 29:35 There was a large number of burnt sacrifices, as well as fat from the peace offerings and drink offerings that accompanied the burnt sacrifices. So the service of the Lord’s temple was reinstituted. 33 29:36 Hezekiah and all the people were happy about what God had done 34 for them, 35 for it had been done quickly. 36
30:1 Hezekiah sent messages throughout Israel and Judah; he even wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, summoning them to come to the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem 37 and observe a Passover celebration for the Lord God of Israel. 30:2 The king, his officials, and the entire assembly in Jerusalem decided to observe the Passover in the second month. 30:3 They were unable to observe it at the regular 38 time because not enough priests had consecrated themselves and the people had not assembled in Jerusalem. 30:4 The proposal seemed appropriate to 39 the king and the entire assembly. 30:5 So they sent an edict 40 throughout Israel from Beer Sheba to Dan, summoning the people 41 to come and observe a Passover for the Lord God of Israel in Jerusalem, for they had not observed it on a nationwide scale as prescribed in the law. 42 30:6 Messengers 43 delivered the letters from the king and his officials throughout Israel and Judah.
This royal edict read: 44 “O Israelites, return to the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, so he may return 45 to you who have been spared from the kings of Assyria. 46 30:7 Don’t be like your fathers and brothers who were unfaithful to the Lord God of their ancestors, 47 provoking him to destroy them, 48 as you can see. 30:8 Now, don’t be stubborn 49 like your fathers! Submit 50 to the Lord and come to his sanctuary which he has permanently consecrated. Serve the Lord your God so that he might relent from his raging anger. 51 30:9 For if you return to the Lord, your brothers and sons will be shown mercy by their captors and return to this land. The Lord your God is merciful and compassionate; he will not reject you 52 if you return to him.”
30:10 The messengers journeyed from city to city through the land of Ephraim and Manasseh as far as Zebulun, but people mocked and ridiculed them. 53 30:11 But some men from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. 30:12 In Judah God moved the people to unite and carry out the edict the king and the officers had issued at the Lord’s command. 54 30:13 A huge crowd assembled in Jerusalem to observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the second month. 55 30:14 They removed the altars in Jerusalem; they also removed all the incense altars and threw them into the Kidron Valley. 56
30:15 They slaughtered the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the second month. The priests and Levites were ashamed, so they consecrated themselves and brought burnt sacrifices to the Lord’s temple. 30:16 They stood at their posts according to the regulations outlined in the law of Moses, the man of God. The priests were splashing the blood as the Levites handed it to them. 57 30:17 Because many in the assembly had not consecrated themselves, the Levites slaughtered 58 the Passover lambs of all who were ceremonially unclean and could not consecrate their sacrifice to the Lord. 59 30:18 The majority of the many people from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun were ceremonially unclean, yet they ate the Passover in violation of what is prescribed in the law. 60 For Hezekiah prayed for them, saying: “May the Lord, who is good, forgive 61 30:19 everyone who has determined to follow God, 62 the Lord God of his ancestors, even if he is not ceremonially clean according to the standards of the temple.” 63 30:20 The Lord responded favorably 64 to Hezekiah and forgave 65 the people.
30:21 The Israelites who were in Jerusalem observed the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days with great joy. The Levites and priests were praising the Lord every day with all their might. 66 30:22 Hezekiah expressed his appreciation to all the Levites, 67 who demonstrated great skill in serving the Lord. 68 They feasted for the seven days of the festival, 69 and were making peace offerings and giving thanks to the Lord God of their ancestors.
30:23 The entire assembly then decided to celebrate for seven more days; so they joyfully celebrated for seven more days. 30:24 King Hezekiah of Judah supplied 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep 70 for the assembly, while the officials supplied them 71 with 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep. Many priests consecrated themselves. 30:25 The celebration included 72 the entire assembly of Judah, the priests, the Levites, the entire assembly of those who came from Israel, the resident foreigners who came from the land of Israel, and the residents of Judah. 30:26 There was a great celebration in Jerusalem, unlike anything that had occurred in Jerusalem since the time of King Solomon son of David of Israel. 73 30:27 The priests and Levites got up and pronounced blessings on the people. The Lord responded favorably to them 74 as their prayers reached his holy dwelling place in heaven.
31:1 When all this was over, the Israelites 75 who were in the cities of Judah went out and smashed the sacred pillars, cut down the Asherah poles, and demolished 76 all the high places and altars throughout Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh. 77 Then all the Israelites returned to their own homes in their cities. 78
31:2 Hezekiah appointed the divisions of the priests and Levites to do their assigned tasks 79 – to offer burnt sacrifices and present offerings and to serve, give thanks, and offer praise in the gates of the Lord’s sanctuary. 80
31:3 The king contributed 81 some of what he owned for burnt sacrifices, including the morning and evening burnt sacrifices and the burnt sacrifices made on Sabbaths, new moon festivals, and at other appointed times prescribed 82 in the law of the Lord. 31:4 He ordered 83 the people living in Jerusalem 84 to contribute the portion prescribed for the priests and Levites so they might be obedient 85 to the law of the Lord. 31:5 When the edict was issued, 86 the Israelites freely contributed 87 the initial portion of their grain, wine, olive oil, honey, and all the produce of their fields. They brought a tenth of everything, which added up to a huge amount. 31:6 The Israelites and people of Judah 88 who lived in the cities of Judah also contributed a tenth of their cattle and sheep, as well as a tenth of the holy items consecrated to the Lord their God. They brought them and placed them in many heaps. 89 31:7 In the third month they began piling their contributions in heaps 90 and finished in the seventh month. 31:8 When Hezekiah and the officials came and saw the heaps, they praised the Lord and pronounced blessings on his people Israel. 91
31:9 When Hezekiah asked the priests and Levites about the heaps, 31:10 Azariah, the head priest from the family of Zadok, said to him, “Since the contributions began arriving in the Lord’s temple, we have had plenty to eat and have a large quantity left over. For the Lord has blessed his people, and this large amount remains.” 31:11 Hezekiah ordered that storerooms be prepared in the Lord’s temple. When this was done, 92 31:12 they brought in the contributions, tithes, 93 and consecrated items that had been offered. 94 Konaniah, a Levite, was in charge of all this, assisted by his brother Shimei. 31:13 Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismakiah, Mahath, and Benaiah worked under the supervision of Konaniah and his brother Shimei, as directed by King Hezekiah and Azariah, the supervisor of God’s temple.
31:14 Kore son of Imnah, a Levite and the guard on the east side, was in charge of the voluntary offerings made to God and disbursed the contributions made to the Lord and the consecrated items. 31:15 In the cities of the priests, Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah faithfully assisted him in making disbursements to their fellow priests 95 according to their divisions, regardless of age. 96 31:16 They made disbursements to all the males three years old and up who were listed in the genealogical records – to all who would enter the Lord’s temple to serve on a daily basis and fulfill their duties as assigned to their divisions. 97 31:17 They made disbursements to the priests listed in the genealogical records by their families, and to the Levites twenty years old and up, according to their duties as assigned to their divisions, 31:18 and to all the infants, wives, sons, and daughters of the entire assembly listed in the genealogical records, for they faithfully consecrated themselves. 31:19 As for the descendants of Aaron, the priests who lived in the outskirts of all their cities, 98 men were assigned 99 to disburse portions to every male among the priests and to every Levite listed in the genealogical records.
31:20 This is what Hezekiah did throughout Judah. He did what the Lord his God considered good and right and faithful. 31:21 He wholeheartedly and successfully reinstituted service in God’s temple and obedience to the law, in order to follow his God. 100
[29:1] 1 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[29:1] 2 tn The parallel passage in 2 Kgs 18:2 has “Abi.”
[29:2] 3 tn Heb “he did what was proper in the eyes of the
[29:6] 5 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[29:6] 6 tn Heb “turned their faces.”
[29:6] 7 tn Heb “and turned the back.”
[29:8] 8 tn Heb “and he made them [an object] of dread and devastation and hissing.”
[29:9] 9 tn Heb “fell by the sword.”
[29:9] 10 tn Heb “are in captivity.”
[29:10] 11 tn Heb “now it is with my heart.”
[29:10] 12 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.
[29:11] 13 tn Heb “to stand before him to serve him and to be his servants and sacrificers.”
[29:12] 14 tn Heb “and the Levites arose.”
[29:15] 15 tn Heb “words” (plural).
[29:16] 16 tn Heb “in the temple of the
[29:17] 17 tn Heb “porch of the
[29:21] 18 sn Perhaps these terms refer metonymically to the royal court, the priests and Levites, and the people, respectively.
[29:21] 19 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[29:25] 21 tn Heb “he”; the referent (King Hezekiah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[29:26] 23 tn Heb “stood with” (i.e., stood holding).
[29:30] 24 tn Heb “with the words.”
[29:31] 26 tn Heb “filled your hand.”
[29:31] 27 tn Or “tokens of thanks.”
[29:31] 28 tn Heb “and all who were willing of heart.”
[29:32] 29 tn Heb “and the number of burnt sacrifices which the assembly brought was seventy bulls, one hundred rams, two hundred lambs; for a burnt sacrifice to the
[29:33] 30 tn The Hebrew term צֹאן (ts’on) denotes smaller livestock in general; depending on context it can refer to sheep only or goats only, but there is nothing in the immediate context here to specify one or the other.
[29:34] 31 tn Heb “the burnt sacrifices.”
[29:34] 32 tn Heb “for the Levites were more pure of heart to consecrate themselves than the priests.”
[29:35] 33 tn Or “established.”
[29:36] 35 tn Heb “the people.” The pronoun “they” has been used here for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy.
[29:36] 36 tn Heb “for quickly was the matter.”
[30:1] 37 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[30:3] 38 tn Heb “at that time.”
[30:4] 39 tn Heb “and the thing was proper in the eyes of.”
[30:5] 40 tn Heb “and they caused to stand a word to cause a voice to pass through.”
[30:5] 41 tn The words “summoning the people” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[30:5] 42 tn Heb “because not for abundance had they done as written.”
[30:6] 43 tn Heb “the runners.”
[30:6] 44 tn Heb “and according to the command of the king, saying.”
[30:6] 45 tn The jussive with vav conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.
[30:6] 46 tn Heb “to the survivors who are left to you from the palm of the kings of Assyria.”
[30:7] 47 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 19, 22).
[30:7] 48 tn Heb “and he made them a devastation” (or, perhaps, “an object of horror”).
[30:8] 49 tn Heb “don’t stiffen your neck” (a Hebrew idiom for being stubborn).
[30:8] 50 tn Heb “give a hand.” On the meaning of the idiom here, see HALOT 387 s.v. I יָד 2.
[30:8] 51 tn Heb “so that the rage of his anger might turn from you.” The jussive with vav conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.
[30:9] 52 tn Heb “turn [his] face from you.”
[30:10] 53 tn Heb “and they were mocking them and ridiculing them.”
[30:12] 54 tn Heb “also in Judah the hand of God was to give to them one heart to do the command of the king and the officials by the word of the
[30:13] 55 tn The Hebrew text adds here, “a very large assembly.” This has not been translated to avoid redundancy with the expression “a huge crowd” at the beginning of the verse.
[30:14] 56 tn Heb “and they arose and removed the altars which were in Jerusalem, and all the incense altars they removed and threw into the Kidron Valley.”
[30:16] 57 tn Heb “from the hand of the Levites.”
[30:17] 58 tn Heb “were over the slaughter of.”
[30:17] 59 tn Heb “of everyone not pure to consecrate to the
[30:18] 60 tn Heb “without what is written.”
[30:18] 61 tn Heb “make atonement for.”
[30:19] 62 tn Heb “everyone [who] has prepared his heart to seek God.”
[30:19] 63 tn Heb “and not according to the purification of the holy place.”
[30:21] 66 tn Heb “and they were praising the
[30:22] 67 tn Heb “and Hezekiah spoke to the heart of all the Levites.” On the meaning of the idiom “speak to the heart of” here, see HALOT 210 s.v. II דבר 8.d.
[30:22] 68 tn Heb “who demonstrated skill [with] good skill for the
[30:22] 69 tn Heb “and they ate [during] the appointed time [for] seven days.” מוֹעֵד (mo’ed, “appointed time”) is probably an adverbial accusative of time referring to the festival. However, some understand it as metonymically referring to the food eaten during the festival. See BDB 417 s.v.
[30:24] 70 tn The Hebrew term צֹאן (ts’on, translated “sheep” twice in this verse) denotes smaller livestock in general; depending on context it can refer to sheep only or goats only, but their is nothing in the immediate context here to specify one or the other.
[30:24] 71 tn Heb “the assembly.” The pronoun “them” has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy.
[30:25] 72 tn Heb “they rejoiced.”
[30:26] 73 tn Heb “and there was great joy in Jerusalem, for from the days of Solomon son of David, king of Israel, there was nothing like this in Jerusalem.”
[30:27] 74 tn Heb “and it was heard with their voice.” BDB 1034 s.v. שָׁמַע Niph.4 interprets this to mean “hearing was granted to their voice.” It is possible that the name יְהוָה (yÿhvah, “the
[31:1] 75 tn Heb “all Israel.”
[31:1] 77 tn Heb “the high places and the altars from all Judah and Benjamin and in Ephraim and in Manasseh until finished.”
[31:1] 78 tn Heb “and the sons of Israel returned, each to his possession to their cities.”
[31:2] 79 tn Heb “and Hezekiah appointed the divisions of the priests and the Levites according to their divisions, each in accordance with his service for the priests and for the Levites.”
[31:2] 80 tn Heb “in the gates of the encampments of the
[31:3] 81 tn Heb “the portion of the king [was].”
[31:3] 82 tn Heb “as written.”
[31:4] 84 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[31:4] 85 tn Heb “might hold firmly.”
[31:5] 86 tn Heb “and when the word spread out.”
[31:5] 87 tn Heb “the sons of Israel multiplied.”
[31:6] 88 tn Heb “and the sons of Israel and Judah.”
[31:6] 89 tn Heb “heaps, heaps.” Repetition of the noun draws attention to the large number of heaps.
[31:7] 90 tn Heb “they began the heaps, to establish.”
[31:8] 91 tn Heb “they blessed the
[31:11] 92 tn Heb “and they prepared.”
[31:12] 94 tn Heb “and holy things in faithfulness.”
[31:15] 95 tn Heb “to their brothers.”
[31:15] 96 tn Heb “like great, like small” (i.e., old and young alike).
[31:16] 97 tn Heb “in addition enrolling them by males from a son of three years and upwards, to everyone who enters the house of the
[31:19] 98 tn Heb “the priests in the fields of the pastureland of their cities in every city and city.”
[31:19] 99 tn Heb “designated by names.”
[31:21] 100 tn Heb “and in all the work which he began with regard to the service of the house of God and with respect to the law and with respect to the commandment, to seek his God; with all his heart he acted and he succeeded.”
