2 Chronicles 29

NEW JERUSALEM	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he came to the throne and he reigned for twenty-nine yearsin Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah.	1 And so Hezekiah began to reign when he was twenty-five years old. And he reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. The name of his mother was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah.
2 He did what Yahweh regards as right, just as his ancestor David had done.	2 And he did what was pleasing in the sight of the Lord, in accord with all that his father David had done.
3 In the first month of the first year of his reign, he opened the doors of the Temple of Yahweh, havingrepaired them.	3 In the first year and month of his reign, he opened the double doors of the house of the Lord, and he repaired them.
4 He then brought in the priests and the Levites, assembled them in the eastern square,	4 And he brought together the priests and Levites. And he gathered them in the wide eastern street.
5 and said to them, 'Listen to me, Levites! First sanctify yourselves, then sanctify the Temple ofYahweh, God of your ancestors, and remove the filth from the sanctuary.	5 And he said to them: “Listen to me, O Levites, and be sanctified. Cleanse the house of the Lord, the God of your fathers, and take away every uncleanness from the sanctuary.
6 Our ancestors were unfaithful, and did what is displeasing to Yahweh our God. They abandoned him,turned their faces away from Yahweh's home and turned their backs on him.	6 Our fathers sinned and did evil in the sight of the Lord our God, abandoning him. They turned their faces away from the tabernacle of the Lord, and they presented their backs.
7 They even closed the doors of the portico, put out the lamps and stopped burning incense and makingburnt offerings in the sanctuary of the God of Israel.	7 They closed up the doors which were in the portico, and they extinguished the lamps. And they did not burn incense, and they did not offer holocausts, in the sanctuary of the God of Israel.
8 This was why Yahweh's anger fel on Judah and Jerusalem and he made them an object of terror,astonishment and derision, as you can see for yourselves.	8 And so the fury of the Lord was stirred up against Judah and Jerusalem, and he handed them over to turmoil, and to destruction, and to hissing, just as you discern with your own eyes.
9 Yes, our ancestors were put to the sword, and our sons, our daughters and our wives were takencaptive because of this.	9 Lo, our fathers have fallen by the sword. Our sons, and our daughters and wives have been led away as captives because of this wickedness.
10 I am now determined to make a covenant with Yahweh, God of Israel, so that his fierce anger mayturn away from us.	10 Now therefore, it is pleasing to me that we should enter into a covenant with the Lord, the God of Israel. And he will turn away the fury of his indignation from us.
11 Now, my sons, do not be remiss, for Yahweh has chosen you to stand in his presence and serve himby conducting his worship and offering him incense.'	11 My sons, do not choose to be negligent. The Lord has chosen you so that you would stand before him, and minister to him, and worship him, and burn incense to him.”
12 The Levites set about it -- Mahath son of Amasai and Joel son of Azariah, from the Kohathites; Kishson of Abdi and Azariah son of Jehal el, from the Merarites; Joah son of Zimmah and Eden son of Joah, from theGershonites;	12 Therefore, the Levites rose up, Mahath, the son of Amasai, and Joel, the son of Azariah, from the sons of Kohath; then, from the sons of Merari, Kish, the son of Abdi, and Azariah, the son of Jehallelel; and from the sons of Gershon, Joah, the son of Zimmah, and Eden, the son of Joah;
13 Shimri and Jeuel, of the sons of Elizaphan; Zechariah and Mattaniah of the sons of Asaph;	13 and truly, from the sons of Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeuel; also, from the sons of Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah;
14 Jehiel and Shimei of the sons of Heman; Shemaiah and Uzziel of the sons of Jeduthun-	14 indeed also, from the sons of Heman, Jehuel and Shimei; then too, from the sons of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel.
15 and gathered their brothers together; they sanctified themselves, and in obedience to the king'sorder, in accordance with the words of Yahweh, they came to purify the Temple of Yahweh.	15 And they gathered together their brothers. And they were sanctified. And they entered in accord with the command of the king and the order of the Lord, so that they might expiate the house of God.
16 The priests went into the inner part of the Temple of Yahweh to purify it. They brought al the uncleanthings which they found in Yahweh's sanctuary, out into the court of the Temple of Yahweh, where the Levitescol ected them and took them out to the Kidron Val ey.	16 And the priests, entering the temple of the Lord so that they might sanctify it, took every uncleanness, which they had found inside, out to the vestibule of the house of the Lord; and the Levites took it away and transported it outside, to the torrent Kidron.
17 They began sanctifying on the first day of the first month, and by the eighth day of the month hadreached Yahweh's portico; thus they took eight days to sanctify the Temple of Yahweh, and by the sixteenth dayof the first month everything was finished.	17 Now they began to cleanse on the first day of the first month. And on the eighth day of the same month, they entered the portico of the temple of the Lord. And then they expiated the temple over eight days. And on the sixteenth day of the same month, they finished what they had begun.
18 They then waited on King Hezekiah and said, 'We have purified the whole Temple of Yahweh, thealtar of burnt offering with al its equipment and the table for the loaves of permanent offering with al theirequipment.	18 Also, they entered to king Hezekiah, and they said to him: “We have sanctified the entire house of the Lord, and the altar of holocaust, and its vessels, indeed also the table of the presence, with all its vessels,
19 We have also got ready and sanctified al the equipment which King Ahaz in his infidelity hadremoved during his reign. It is al ready in front of Yahweh's altar.'	19 and all the equipment of the temple, which king Ahaz, during his reign, had polluted after his transgression. And behold, these have all been set forth before the altar of the Lord.”
20 King Hezekiah lost no time but cal ed the officials of the city together and went up to the Temple ofYahweh.	20 And rising up at first light, king Hezekiah joined as one all the leaders of the city, and they ascended to the house of the Lord.
21 They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs and seven goats as a sin sacrifice for the royalhouse, for the sanctuary and for Judah, and he ordered the Aaronite priests to offer them on Yahweh's altar.	21 And together they offered seven bulls and seven rams, seven lambs and seven he-goats, for sin, for the kingdom, for the Sanctuary, for Judah. And he spoke to the priests, the sons of Aaron, so that they would offer these upon the altar of the Lord.
22 So they slaughtered the bul s and the priests took the blood and sprinkled it over the altar. They thenslaughtered the rams and sprinkled the blood over the altar; and they slaughtered the lambs and sprinkled theblood over the altar.	22 And so they slaughtered the bulls. And the priests took up the blood, and they poured it upon the altar. Then they also slaughtered the rams, and they poured their blood upon the altar. And they immolated the lambs, and they poured the blood upon the altar.
23 Then they brought the goats, the sacrifice for sin, before the king and the assembly who laid theirhands on them.	23 They brought the he-goats for sin before the king and the entire multitude. And they laid their hands upon them.
24 The priests slaughtered them and made a sacrifice for sin with their blood at the altar to expiate foral Israel, since the king had ordered the burnt offering and the sacrifice for sin on behalf of al Israel.	24 And the priests immolated them, and they sprinkled their blood before the altar, for the expiation of all Israel. For certainly the king had instructed that the holocaust and the sin offering should be made on behalf of all Israel.
25 He positioned the Levites in the Temple of Yahweh with cymbals, lyres and harps, in accordancewith the ordinance of David, of Gad the king's seer and of Nathan the prophet, for such was Yahweh's orderconveyed through his prophets.	25 Also, he situated the Levites in the house of the Lord, with cymbals, and psalteries, and harps, according to the disposition of king David, and of the seer Gad, and of the prophet Nathan. For indeed, this was the precept of the Lord, by the hand of his prophets.
26 When the Levites stood with David's musical instruments, and the priests with the trumpets,	26 And the Levites stood, holding the musical instruments of David, and the priests held the trumpets.
27 Hezekiah ordered the burnt offering to be presented on the altar. And as the burnt offering began,the hymns of Yahweh began too, and the trumpets sounded, to the accompaniment of the instruments of Davidking of Israel,	27 And Hezekiah ordered that they should offer holocausts upon the altar. And when the holocausts were being offered, they began to sing praises to the Lord, and to sound the trumpets, and to play various musical instruments, which David, the king of Israel, had prepared.
28 while the whole congregation worshipped, the singers singing and the trumpeters sounding thetrumpets, continuously until the burnt offering was over.	28 Then the entire crowd was adoring, and the singers and those who were holding the trumpeters were exercising their office, until the holocaust was completed.
29 When the burnt offering was finished, the king and al those present with him fell to their knees andworshipped.	29 And when the oblation was finished, the king, and all who were with him, bowed down and adored.
30 Then King Hezekiah and the officials told the Levites to sing praise to Yahweh in the words of Davidand Asaph the seer; and joyfully they sang their praises, then knelt in worship.	30 And Hezekiah and the rulers instructed the Levites to praise the Lord with the words of David, and of Asaph, the seer. And they praised him with great joy, and kneeling down, they adored.
31 Hezekiah spoke again, 'Now that you have consecrated yourselves to Yahweh, come forward andbring thanksgiving sacrifices to the Temple of Yahweh.' Then the congregation brought thanksgiving sacrificesand those who were generous brought burnt offerings.	31 And now Hezekiah also added: “You have filled your hands for the Lord. Draw near, and offer victims and praises in the house of the Lord.” Therefore, the entire multitude offered victims and praises and holocausts, with devout intention.
32 The number of burnt offerings brought by the congregation was seventy bul s, a hundred rams andtwo hundred lambs, al as burnt offerings for Yahweh.	32 Now the number of the holocausts that the multitude offered was seventy bulls, one hundred rams, two hundred lambs.
33 The consecrated gifts amounted to six hundred bul s and three thousand sheep.	33 And they sanctified to the Lord six hundred oxen and three thousand sheep.
34 The priests were too few, however, and were unable to dismember al the burnt offerings, so theirbrothers, the Levites, helped them until the work was finished and the priests had sanctified themselves; for theLevites had been more conscientious about sanctifying themselves than the priests had.	34 Truly, the priests were few; neither were they sufficient to remove the pelts from the holocausts. Therefore, the Levites, their brothers, also assisted them, until the work was completed, and the priests, who were of higher rank, were sanctified. For indeed, the Levites are sanctified with an easier ritual than the priests.
35 In addition to the abundance of burnt offerings, there were also the fatty pieces for communionsacrifices and the libations for the burnt offerings. And so the liturgy of Yahweh's Temple was restored,	35 Thus, there were very numerous holocausts, with the fat of the peace offerings and the libations of the holocausts. And the service of the house of the Lord was completed.
36 and Hezekiah and al the people rejoiced over what God had provided for the people, sinceeverything had happened so suddenly.	36 And Hezekiah and all the people were joyful because the ministry of the Lord was accomplished. For certainly, it had pleased them to do this suddenly.