Discovery Box2 Chronicles 32:1--36:23
Context32:1 After these faithful deeds were accomplished, King Sennacherib of Assyria invaded Judah. He besieged the fortified cities, intending to seize them. 1 32:2 When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had invaded and intended to attack Jerusalem, 2 32:3 he consulted with his advisers and military officers about stopping up the springs 3 outside the city, and they supported him. 32:4 A large number of people gathered together and stopped up all the springs and the stream that flowed through the district. 4 They reasoned, 5 “Why should the kings of Assyria come and find plenty of water?” 32:5 Hezekiah 6 energetically rebuilt 7 every broken wall. He erected towers and an outer wall, 8 and fortified the terrace of the City of David. 9 He made many weapons and shields.
32:6 He appointed military officers over the army 10 and assembled them in the square at the city gate. He encouraged them, 11 saying, 32:7 “Be strong and brave! Don’t be afraid and don’t panic 12 because of the king of Assyria and this huge army that is with him! We have with us one who is stronger than those who are with him. 13 32:8 He has with him mere human strength, 14 but the Lord our God is with us to help us and fight our battles!” The army 15 was encouraged by the words of King Hezekiah of Judah.
32:9 Afterward King Sennacherib of Assyria, while attacking Lachish with all his military might, sent his messengers 16 to Jerusalem. The message was for King Hezekiah of Judah and all the people of 17 Judah who were in Jerusalem. It read: 32:10 “This is what King Sennacherib of Assyria says: ‘Why are you so confident that you remain in Jerusalem while it is under siege? 18 32:11 Hezekiah says, “The Lord our God will rescue us from the power 19 of the king of Assyria.” But he is misleading you and you will die of hunger and thirst! 20 32:12 Hezekiah is the one who eliminated 21 the Lord’s 22 high places and altars and then told Judah and Jerusalem, “At one altar you must worship and offer sacrifices.” 32:13 Are you not aware of what I and my predecessors 23 have done to all the nations of the surrounding lands? Have the gods of the surrounding lands actually been able to rescue their lands from my power? 24 32:14 Who among all the gods of these nations whom my predecessors annihilated was able to rescue his people from my power? 25 32:15 Now don’t let Hezekiah deceive you or mislead you like this. Don’t believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to rescue his people from my power or the power of my predecessors. So how 26 can your gods rescue 27 you from my power?’”
32:16 Sennacherib’s 28 servants further insulted 29 the Lord God and his servant Hezekiah. 32:17 He wrote letters mocking the Lord God of Israel and insulting him with these words: 30 “The gods of the surrounding nations could not rescue their people from my power. Neither can Hezekiah’s god rescue his people from my power.” 31 32:18 They called out loudly in the Judahite dialect to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, trying to scare and terrify them so they could seize the city. 32:19 They talked about the God of Jerusalem as if he were one of the man-made gods of the nations of the earth.
32:20 King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz prayed about this and cried out to heaven. 32:21 The Lord sent a messenger 32 and he wiped out all the soldiers, princes, and officers in the army of the king of Assyria. So Sennacherib 33 returned home humiliated. 34 When he entered the temple of his god, some of his own sons 35 struck him down with the sword. 32:22 The Lord delivered Hezekiah and the residents of Jerusalem from the power of King Sennacherib of Assyria and from all the other nations. 36 He made them secure on every side. 37 32:23 Many were bringing presents 38 to the Lord in Jerusalem and precious gifts to King Hezekiah of Judah. From that time on he was respected by 39 all the nations.
32:24 In those days Hezekiah was stricken with a terminal illness. 40 He prayed to the Lord, who answered him and gave him a sign confirming that he would be healed. 41 32:25 But Hezekiah was ungrateful; he had a proud attitude, provoking God to be angry at him, as well as Judah and Jerusalem. 42 32:26 But then Hezekiah and the residents of Jerusalem humbled themselves and abandoned their pride, and the Lord was not angry with them for the rest of Hezekiah’s reign. 43
32:27 Hezekiah was very wealthy and greatly respected. He made storehouses for his silver, gold, precious stones, spices, and all his other valuable possessions. 44 32:28 He made storerooms for the harvest of grain, wine, and olive oil, and stalls for all his various kinds of livestock and his flocks. 45 32:29 He built royal cities 46 and owned a large number of sheep and cattle, for God gave him a huge amount of possessions.
32:30 Hezekiah dammed up the source of the waters of the Upper Gihon and directed them down to the west side of the City of David. 47 Hezekiah succeeded in all that he did. 32:31 So when the envoys arrived from the Babylonian officials to visit him and inquire about the sign that occurred in the land, 48 God left him alone to test him, in order to know his true motives. 49
32:32 The rest of the events of Hezekiah’s reign, including his faithful deeds, are recorded in the vision of the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz, included in the Scroll of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 50 32:33 Hezekiah passed away 51 and was buried on the ascent of the tombs of the descendants of David. All the people of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem buried him with great honor. 52 His son Manasseh replaced him as king.
33:1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned for fifty-five years in Jerusalem. 53 33:2 He did evil in the sight of 54 the Lord and committed the same horrible sins practiced by the nations 55 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 56 and worshiped 57 them. 33:4 He built altars in the Lord’s temple, about which the Lord had said, “Jerusalem will be my permanent home.” 58 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 59 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. 60 He did a great amount of evil in the sight of the Lord and angered him. 61 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. 62 33:8 I will not make Israel again leave the land I gave to their ancestors, 63 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 64 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 65 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, 66 bound him with bronze chains, and carried him away to Babylon. 33:12 In his pain 67 Manasseh 68 asked the Lord his God for mercy 69 and truly 70 humbled himself before the God of his ancestors. 71 33:13 When he prayed to the Lord, 72 the Lord 73 responded to him 74 and answered favorably 75 his cry for mercy. The Lord 76 brought him back to Jerusalem to his kingdom. Then Manasseh realized that the Lord is the true God.
33:14 After this Manasseh 77 built up the outer wall of the City of David 78 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 79 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 80 spoke to him in the name of the Lord God of Israel, are recorded 81 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. 82 33:20 Manasseh passed away 83 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. 84 33:22 He did evil in the sight of 85 the Lord, just like his father Manasseh had done. He offered sacrifices to all the idols his father Manasseh had made, and worshiped 86 them. 33:23 He did not humble himself before the Lord as his father Manasseh had done. 87 Amon was guilty of great sin. 88 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 89 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. 90 34:2 He did what the Lord approved 91 and followed in his ancestor David’s footsteps; 92 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 93 David. In his twelfth year he began ridding 94 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, 95 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 96 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 97 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. 98 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 99 Manasseh and Ephraim and from all who were left in Israel, as well as from all the people of 100 Judah and Benjamin and the residents of 101 Jerusalem. 34:10 They handed it over to the construction foremen 102 assigned to the Lord’s temple. They in turn paid the temple workers to restore and repair it. 103 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. 104 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. 105 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, 106 “Your servants are doing everything assigned to them. 34:17 They melted down the silver in the Lord’s temple 107 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, 108 Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king’s servant, 34:21 “Go, seek an oracle from 109 the Lord for me and those who remain in Israel and Judah. Find out about 110 the words of this scroll that has been discovered. For the Lord’s fury has been ignited against us, 111 because our ancestors 112 have not obeyed the word of the Lord by doing all that this scroll instructs!” 113
34:22 So Hilkiah and the others sent by the king 114 went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum son of Tokhath, the son of Hasrah, 115 the supervisor of the wardrobe. 116 (She lived in Jerusalem in the Mishneh 117 district.) They stated their business, 118 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 119 to other gods, angering me with all the idols they have made. 120 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 121 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. 122 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. 123 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 124 and renewed 125 the covenant before the Lord, agreeing to follow 126 the Lord and to obey his commandments, laws, and rules with all his heart and being, 127 by carrying out the terms 128 of this covenant recorded on this scroll. 34:32 He made all who were in Jerusalem and Benjamin agree to it. 129 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 130 all who were in Israel to worship the Lord their God. Throughout the rest of his reign 131 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. 132 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 133 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. 134 35:6 Slaughter the Passover lambs, consecrate yourselves, and make preparations for your countrymen to do what the Lord commanded through Moses.” 135
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. 136 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, 137 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, 138 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. 139 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. 140 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, 141 King Necho of Egypt marched up to do battle at Carchemish on the Euphrates River. 142 Josiah marched out to oppose him. 35:21 Necho 143 sent messengers to him, saying, “Why are you opposing me, O king of Judah? 144 I am not attacking you today, but the kingdom with which I am at war. 145 God told me to hurry. Stop opposing God, who is with me, or else he will destroy you.” 146 35:22 But Josiah did not turn back from him; 147 he disguised himself for battle. He did not take seriously 148 the words of Necho which he had received from God; he went to fight him in the Plain of Megiddo. 149 35:23 Archers shot King Josiah; the king ordered his servants, “Take me out of this chariot, 150 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, 151 where he died. He was buried in the tombs of his ancestors; 152 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 153 35:27 and his accomplishments, from start to finish, are recorded 154 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. 155 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 156 of one hundred talents 157 of silver and a talent of gold. 36:4 The king of Egypt made Jehoahaz’s 158 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. 159 He did evil in the sight of 160 the Lord his God. 36:6 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked him, 161 bound him with bronze chains, and carried him away 162 to Babylon. 36:7 Nebuchadnezzar took some of the items in the Lord’s temple to Babylon and put them in his palace 163 there. 164
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. 165 His son Jehoiachin replaced him as king.
36:9 Jehoiachin was eighteen 166 years old when he became king, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem. 167 He did evil in the sight of 168 the Lord. 36:10 At the beginning of the year King Nebuchadnezzar ordered him to be brought 169 to Babylon, along with the valuable items in the Lord’s temple. In his place he made his relative 170 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. 171 36:12 He did evil in the sight of 172 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 173 in the name of God. He was stubborn and obstinate, and refused to return 174 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. 175 They defiled the Lord’s temple which he had consecrated in Jerusalem.
36:15 The Lord God of their ancestors 176 continually warned them through his messengers, 177 for he felt compassion for his people and his dwelling place. 36:16 But they mocked God’s messengers, despised his warnings, 178 and ridiculed his prophets. 179 Finally the Lord got very angry at his people and there was no one who could prevent his judgment. 180 36:17 He brought against them the king of the Babylonians, who slaughtered 181 their young men in their temple. 182 He did not spare 183 young men or women, or even the old and aging. God 184 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. 185 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. 186 The land experienced 187 its sabbatical years; 188 it remained desolate for seventy years, 189 as prophesied. 190
36:22 In the first year of the reign of 191 King Cyrus of Persia, in fulfillment of the promise he delivered through Jeremiah, 192 the Lord moved 193 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 194 in Judah. May the Lord your God energize you who belong to his people, so you may be able to go back there!” 195
[32:1] 1 tn Heb “and he said to break into them for himself.”
[32:2] 2 tn Heb “and his face was for war against Jerusalem.”
[32:3] 3 tn Heb “the waters of the springs.”
[32:4] 4 tn Heb “and they closed up all the springs and the stream that flows in the midst of the land.” Here אָרֶץ (’arets, “land”) does not refer to the entire land, but to a smaller region like a district.
[32:4] 5 tn Heb “land, saying.”
[32:5] 6 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Hezekiah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[32:5] 7 tn Heb “strengthened himself and built.”
[32:5] 8 tn Heb “and outside the wall another one.”
[32:5] 9 sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
[32:6] 10 tn Heb “and he placed officers of war over the people.”
[32:6] 11 tn Heb “he spoke to their heart[s].”
[32:7] 12 tn Or perhaps, “and don’t be discouraged.”
[32:7] 13 tn Heb “for with us [is] a greater [one] than with him.”
[32:8] 14 tn Heb “With him is an arm of flesh.”
[32:9] 17 tn Heb “all 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.
[32:10] 18 tn Heb “On what are you trusting that [you] are living during the siege in Jerusalem.”
[32:11] 20 tn Heb “Is not Hezekiah misleading you to give you over to die by hunger and thirst, saying, ‘The
[32:12] 21 tn Heb “Did not he, Hezekiah, eliminate…?” This rhetorical question presupposes a positive reply (“yes, he did”) and so has been translated here as a positive statement.
[32:12] 22 tn Heb “his”; the referent (the
[32:13] 23 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 14, 15), but in this context the term does not necessarily refer to Sennacherib’s ancestors, but to his predecessors on the Assyrian throne.
[32:15] 26 tn Heb “how much less.”
[32:15] 27 tn The verb is plural, suggesting that the preceding אֱלֹהֵיכֶם (’elohekhem) be translated “your gods,” rather than “your God.”
[32:16] 28 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Sennacherib) has been specified in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
[32:16] 29 tn Heb “spoke against.”
[32:17] 30 tn Heb “and speaking against him, saying.”
[32:17] 31 tn Heb “Like the gods of the nations of the lands who did not rescue their people from my hand, so the god of Hezekiah will not rescue his people from my hand.”
[32:21] 33 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Sennacherib) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[32:21] 34 tn Heb “and he returned with shame of face to his land.”
[32:21] 35 tn Heb “and some from those who went out from him, from his inward parts.”
[32:22] 36 tn Heb “and from the hand of all.”
[32:22] 37 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “and he led him from all around.” However, the present translation assumes an emendation to וַיָּנַח לָהֶם מִסָּבִיב (vayyanakh lahem missaviv, “and he gave rest to them from all around”). See 2 Chr 15:15 and 20:30.
[32:23] 38 tn Or perhaps, “offerings.”
[32:23] 39 tn Heb “lifted up in the eyes of.”
[32:24] 40 tn Heb “was sick to the point of dying.”
[32:24] 41 tn Heb “and he spoke to him and a sign he gave to him.”
[32:25] 42 tn Heb “but not according to the benefit [given] to him did Hezekiah repay, for his heart was high, and there was anger against him and against Judah and Jerusalem.”
[32:26] 43 tn Heb “and Hezekiah humbled himself in the height of his heart, he and the residents of Jerusalem, and the anger of the
[32:27] 44 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “and shields and all the desirable items.” The present translation assumes an emendation of מָגִנִּים (maginnim, “shields”) to מִגְדָּנִים (migdanim, “precious items”). See v. 23.
[32:28] 45 tn Heb “and stalls for all beasts and beasts, and flocks for the stalls.” The repetition of בְהֵמָה (bÿhemah, “beast”) here indicates various kinds of livestock.
[32:29] 46 tn Heb “and cities he made for himself.”
[32:30] 47 sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
[32:31] 48 tn Heb “and when the envoys of the officials of Babylon, who sent to him to inquire concerning the sign which was in the land, [arrived].”
[32:31] 49 tn Heb “to know all [that was] in his heart.”
[32:32] 50 tn Heb “and the rest of the deeds of Hezekiah and his faithful acts, behold, they are written in the vision of Isaiah son of Amoz the prophet upon the scroll of the kings of Judah and Israel.”
[32:33] 51 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[32:33] 52 tn Heb “and honor they did to him in his death, all Judah and the residents of Jerusalem.”
[33:1] 53 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[33:2] 54 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[33:2] 55 tn Heb “like the abominable practices of the nations.”
[33:3] 56 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] 58 tn Heb “In Jerusalem my name will be permanently.”
[33:6] 59 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] 60 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] 61 tn Heb “and he multiplied doing what is evil in the eyes of the
[33:7] 62 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] 63 tn Heb “I will not again make the feet of Israel wander from the land which I established for their fathers.”
[33:9] 64 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] 66 tn Heb “and they seized him with hooks.”
[33:12] 68 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Manasseh) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[33:12] 69 tn Heb “appeased the face of the
[33:13] 72 tn Heb “him”; the referent (the
[33:13] 73 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the
[33:13] 74 tn Heb “was entreated by him,” or “allowed himself to be entreated by him.”
[33:13] 76 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the
[33:14] 77 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Manasseh) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[33:14] 78 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] 79 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] 81 tn Heb “look, they are.”
[33:19] 82 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] 83 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[33:21] 84 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[33:22] 85 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[33:23] 87 tn Heb “as Manasseh his father had humbled himself.”
[33:23] 88 tn Heb “for he, Amon, multiplied guilt.”
[33:25] 89 tn Heb “and the people of the land.”
[34:1] 90 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[34:2] 91 tn Heb “he did what was proper in the eyes of the
[34:2] 92 tn Heb “and walked in the ways of David his father.”
[34:4] 95 tn Heb “and they tore down before him the altars of the Baals.”
[34:5] 96 tn Heb “the priests”; the qualifying adjective “pagan” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[34:6] 97 tn “In their ruins” is the marginal reading (Qere) of the Hebrew text.
[34:8] 98 tn Heb “to purify the land and the house.”
[34:9] 99 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] 100 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] 101 tc The Hebrew consonantal text (Kethib) assumes the reading, “and the residents of.” The marginal reading (Qere) is “and they returned.”
[34:10] 102 tn Heb “doer[s] of the work.”
[34:10] 103 tn Heb “and they gave it to the doers of the work who were working in the house of the
[34:11] 104 tn Heb “of the houses that the kings of Judah had destroyed.”
[34:13] 105 tn Heb “[were] over the laborers and were directing every doer of work for work assignment and work assignment.”
[34:16] 106 tn Heb “returned still the king a word, saying.”
[34:17] 107 tn Heb “that was found in the house of the
[34:20] 108 tn The parallel account in 2 Kgs 22:12 has the variant spelling “Acbor son of Micaiah.”
[34:21] 109 tn Or “inquire of.”
[34:21] 110 tn Heb “concerning.”
[34:21] 111 tn Heb “for great is the anger of the
[34:21] 112 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 32, 33).
[34:21] 113 tn Heb “by doing according to all that is written on this scroll.”
[34:22] 114 tn Heb “and those who [were sent by] the king.”
[34:22] 115 tn The parallel account in 2 Kgs 22:14 has the variant spelling “son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas.”
[34:22] 116 tn Heb “the keeper of the clothes.”
[34:22] 117 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] 118 tn Heb “and they spoke to her like this.”
[34:25] 119 tn Or “burned incense.”
[34:25] 120 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] 121 tn Heb “Because your heart was tender.”
[34:28] 122 tn Heb “Therefore, behold, I am gathering you to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your tomb in peace.”
[34:29] 123 tn Heb “and the king sent and gathered all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem.”
[34:31] 124 tc This assumes an emendation to עַמּוּדוֹ (’ammudo), see 23:13. The MT reads “at his place.”
[34:31] 125 tn Heb “cut,” that is, “made” or “agreed to.”
[34:31] 126 tn Heb “walk after.”
[34:32] 129 tn Heb “and he caused to stand everyone who was found in Jerusalem and Benjamin.”
[34:33] 130 tn Or “caused, forced.”
[34:33] 131 tn Heb “all his days.”
[35:1] 132 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[35:5] 134 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] 135 tn Heb “according to the word of the
[35:7] 136 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] 137 tn Heb “and the service was prepared.”
[35:11] 138 tn Heb “from their hand.”
[35:12] 139 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] 141 tn Heb “After all this, [by] which Josiah prepared the temple.”
[35:20] 142 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[35:21] 143 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Neco) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[35:21] 144 tn Heb “What to me and to you, king of Judah?”
[35:21] 145 tn Heb “Not against you, you, today, but against the house of my battle.”
[35:21] 146 tn Heb “Stop yourself from [opposing] God who is with me and let him not destroy you.”
[35:22] 147 tn Heb “and Josiah did not turn his face from him.”
[35:22] 148 tn Heb “listen to.”
[35:22] 149 map For location see Map1 D4; Map2 C1; Map4 C2; Map5 F2; Map7 B1.
[35:23] 150 tn Heb “carry me away.”
[35:24] 151 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[35:26] 153 tn Heb “and his faithful acts according to what is written in the law of the
[35:27] 154 tn Heb “look, they are written.”
[36:1] 155 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[36:3] 157 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] 158 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Jehoahaz) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[36:5] 159 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[36:5] 160 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[36:6] 161 tn Heb “came up against him.”
[36:6] 162 tn Heb “to carry him away.”
[36:7] 164 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] 165 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] 166 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] 167 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[36:9] 168 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[36:10] 169 tn Heb “sent and brought him.”
[36:10] 170 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] 171 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[36:12] 172 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[36:13] 173 tn Or “made him swear an oath.”
[36:13] 174 tn Heb “and he stiffened his neck and strengthened his heart from returning.”
[36:14] 175 tn Heb “like the abominable practices of the nations.”
[36:15] 177 tn Heb “and the
[36:16] 178 tn Heb “his words.”
[36:16] 179 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] 180 tn Heb “until the anger of the
[36:17] 181 tn Heb “killed with the sword.”
[36:17] 182 tn Heb “in the house of their sanctuary.”
[36:17] 183 tn Or “show compassion to.”
[36:17] 184 tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[36:19] 185 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[36:21] 186 tn Heb “to fulfill the word of the
[36:21] 188 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] 189 sn Concerning the seventy years see Jer 25:11.
[36:21] 190 tn Heb “all the days of the desolation it rested to fulfill the seventy years.”
[36:22] 191 tn The words “the reign of” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[36:22] 192 tn Heb “to complete the word of the
[36:22] 193 tn Heb “stirred the spirit of.”
[36:23] 194 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[36:23] 195 tn Heb “Whoever [is] among you from all his people – may the
