Hezekiah Cleanses the Temple (2 Kings 18:1–12)
1 Brenton And Ezekias began to reign at the age of twenty-five years, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Abia, daughter of Zacharias. BSB BSB: Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah.
2 Brenton And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David had done. BSB BSB: And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father David had done.
3 Brenton And it came to pass, when he was established over his kingdom, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the Lord, and repaired them. BSB BSB: In the first month of the first year of his reign, Hezekiah opened and repaired the doors of the house of the LORD.
4 Brenton And he brought in the priests and the Levites, and put them on the east side, BSB BSB: Then he brought in the priests and Levites and gathered them in the square on the east side.
5 Brenton and said to them, Hear, ye Levites: now sanctify yourselves, and sanctify the house of the Lord God of your fathers, and cast out the impurity from the holy places. BSB BSB: “Listen to me, O Levites,” he said. “Consecrate yourselves now and consecrate the house of the LORD, the God of your fathers. Remove from the Holy Place every impurity.
6 Brenton For our fathers have revolted, and done that which was evil before the Lord our God, and have forsaken him, and have turned away their face from the tabernacle of the Lord, and have turned their back. BSB BSB: For our fathers were unfaithful and did evil in the sight of the LORD our God. They abandoned Him, turned their faces away from the dwelling place of the LORD, and turned their backs on Him.
7 Brenton And they have shut up the doors of the temple, and put out the lamps, and have not burnt incense, and have not offered whole-burnt-offerings in the holy place to the God of Israel. BSB BSB: They also shut the doors of the portico and extinguished the lamps. They did not burn incense or present burnt offerings in the Holy Place of the God of Israel.
8 Brenton And the Lord was very angry with Juda and Jerusalem, and made them an astonishment, and a desolation, and a hissing, as ye see with your eyes. BSB BSB: Therefore, the wrath of the LORD has fallen upon Judah and Jerusalem, and He has made them an object of terror, horror, and scorn, as you can see with your own eyes.
9 Brenton And, behold, your fathers have been smitten with the sword, and your sons and your daughters and your wives are in captivity in a land not their own, as it is even now. BSB BSB: For behold, this is why our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and daughters and wives are in captivity.
10 Brenton Therefore it is now in my heart to make a covenant, a covenant with the Lord God of Israel, that he may turn away his fierce wrath from us. BSB BSB: Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the LORD, the God of Israel, so that His fierce anger will turn away from us.
11 Brenton And now be not wanting to your duty , for the Lord has chosen you to stand before him to minister, and to be ministers and burners of incense to him. BSB BSB: Now, my sons, do not be negligent, for the LORD has chosen you to stand before Him, to serve Him, to minister before Him, and to burn incense.”
12 Brenton Then the Levites rose up, Maath the son of Amasi, and Joel the son of Azarias, of the sons of Caath: and of the sons of Merari, Kis the son of Abdi, and Azarias the son of Ilaelel: and of the sons of Gedsoni, Jodaad the son of Zemmath, and Joadam: these were the sons of Joacha. BSB BSB: Then the Levites set to work: Mahath son of Amasai and Joel son of Azariah from the Kohathites; Kish son of Abdi and Azariah son of Jehallelel from the Merarites; Joah son of Zimmah and Eden son of Joah from the Gershonites;
13 Brenton And of the sons of Elisaphan; Zambri, and Jeiel: and of the sons of Asaph; Zacharias, and Matthanias: BSB BSB: Shimri and Jeuel from the Elizaphanites; Zechariah and Mattaniah from the Asaphites;
14 Brenton and of the sons of Æman; Jeiel, and Semei: and of the sons of Idithun; Samaias, and Oziel. BSB BSB: Jehiel and Shimei from the Hemanites; and Shemaiah and Uzziel from the Jeduthunites.
15 Brenton And they gathered their brethren, and they purified themselves according to the king's command by the order of the Lord, to purify the house of the Lord. BSB BSB: When they had assembled their brothers and consecrated themselves, they went in to cleanse the house of the LORD, according to the command of the king by the words of the LORD.
16 Brenton And the priests entered into the house of the Lord, to purify it , and they cast out all the uncleanness that was found in the house of the Lord, even into the court of the house of the Lord: and the Levites received it to cast into the brook of Kedron without. BSB BSB: So the priests went inside the house of the LORD to cleanse it, and they brought out to the courtyard all the unclean things that they found in the temple of the LORD. Then the Levites took these things and carried them out to the Kidron Valley.
17 Brenton And Ezekias began on the first day, even on the new moon of the first month, to purify, and on the eighth day of the month they entered into the temple of the Lord: and they purified the house of the Lord in eight days; and on the thirteenth day of the first month they finished the work . BSB BSB: They began the consecration on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they reached the portico of the LORD. For eight more days they consecrated the house of the LORD itself, finishing on the sixteenth day of the first month.
18 Brenton And they went in to king Ezekias, and said, We have purified all the things in the house of the Lord, the altar of whole-burnt-offering, and its vessels, and the table of shew-bread, and its vessels; BSB BSB: Then they went in to King Hezekiah and reported, “We have cleansed the entire house of the LORD, the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the table of the showbread with all its utensils.
19 Brenton and all the vessels which king Achaz polluted in his reign, in his apostacy, we have prepared and purified: behold, they are before the altar of the Lord. BSB BSB: Moreover, we have prepared and consecrated all the articles that King Ahaz in his unfaithfulness cast aside during his reign. They are now in front of the altar of the LORD.”
Hezekiah Restores Temple Worship 20 Brenton And king Ezekias rose early in the morning, and gathered the chief men of the city, and went up to the house of the Lord. BSB BSB: Early the next morning King Hezekiah gathered the city officials and went up to the house of the LORD.
21 Brenton And he brought seven calves, seven rams, seven lambs, seven kids of goats for a sin-offering, for the kingdom, and for the holy things, and for Israel: and he told the priests the sons of Aaron to go up to the altar of the Lord. BSB BSB: They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats as a sin offering for the kingdom, for the sanctuary, and for Judah. And the king commanded the priests, the descendants of Aaron, to offer them on the altar of the LORD.
22 Brenton And they slew the calves, and the priests received the blood, and poured it on the altar: and they slew the rams, and poured the blood upon the altar: also they slew the lambs, and poured the blood round the altar. BSB BSB: So they slaughtered the bulls, and the priests took the blood and splattered it on the altar. They slaughtered the rams and splattered the blood on the altar. And they slaughtered the lambs and splattered the blood on the altar.
23 Brenton And they brought the goats for a sin-offering before the king and the congregation; and laid their hands upon them. BSB BSB: Then they brought the goats for the sin offering before the king and the assembly, who laid their hands on them.
24 Brenton And the priests slew them, and offered their blood as a propitiation on the altar; and they made atonement for all Israel: for the king said, The whole-burnt-offering, and the sin-offerings are for all Israel. BSB BSB: And the priests slaughtered the goats and put their blood on the altar for a sin offering, to make atonement for all Israel, because the king had ordered the burnt offering and the sin offering for all Israel.
25 Brenton And he stationed the Levites in the house of the Lord with cymbals, and lutes, and harps, according to the commandment of king David, and of Gad the king's seer, and Nathan the prophet: for by the commandment of the Lord the order was in the hand of the prophets. BSB BSB: Hezekiah stationed the Levites in the house of the LORD with cymbals, harps, and lyres according to the command of David, of Gad the king’s seer, and of Nathan the prophet. For the command had come from the LORD through His prophets.
26 Brenton And the Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets. BSB BSB: The Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets.
27 Brenton And Ezekias told them to offer up the whole-burnt-offering on the altar: and when they began to offer the whole-burnt-offering, they began to sing to the Lord, and the trumpets accompanied the instruments of David king of Israel. BSB BSB: And Hezekiah ordered that the burnt offering be sacrificed on the altar. When the burnt offering began, the song of the LORD and the trumpets began as well, accompanied by the instruments of David king of Israel.
28 Brenton And all the congregation worshipped, and the psalm-singers were singing, and the trumpets sounding, until the whole-burnt-sacrifice had been completely offered. BSB BSB: The whole assembly was worshiping, the singers were singing, and the trumpeters were playing. All this continued until the burnt offering was completed.
29 Brenton And when they had done offering it , the king and all that were present bowed, and worshipped. BSB BSB: When the offerings were completed, the king and all those present with him bowed down and worshiped.
30 Brenton And king Ezekias and the princes told the Levites to sing hymns to the Lord in the words of David, and of Asaph the prophet: and they sang hymns with gladness, and fell down and worshipped. BSB BSB: Then King Hezekiah and his officials ordered the Levites to sing praises to the LORD in the words of David and of Asaph the seer. So they sang praises with gladness and bowed down and worshiped.
31 Brenton Then Ezekias answered and said, Now ye have consecrated yourselves to the Lord, bring near and offer sacrifices of praise in the house of the Lord. And the congregation brought sacrifices and thank-offerings into the house of the Lord; and every one who was ready in his heart brought whole-burnt-offerings. BSB BSB: Then Hezekiah said, “Now that you have consecrated yourselves to the LORD, come near and bring sacrifices and thank offerings to the house of the LORD.” So the assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and all whose hearts were willing brought burnt offerings.
32 Brenton And the number of the whole-burnt-offerings which the congregation brought, was seventy calves, a hundred rams, two hundred lambs: all these were for a whole-burnt-offering to the Lord. BSB BSB: The number of burnt offerings the assembly brought was seventy bulls, a hundred rams, and two hundred lambs; all these were for a burnt offering to the LORD.
33 Brenton And the consecrated calves were six hundred, and the sheep three thousand. BSB BSB: And the consecrated offerings were six hundred bulls and three thousand sheep.
34 Brenton But the priests were few, and could not flay the whole-burnt-offering, so their brethren the Levites helped them, until the work was finished, and until the priests had purified themselves: for the Levites more zealously purified themselves than the priests. BSB BSB: However, since there were not enough priests to skin all the burnt offerings, their Levite brothers helped them until the work was finished and until the priests had consecrated themselves. For the Levites had been more diligent in consecrating themselves than the priests had been.
35 Brenton And the whole-burnt-offering was abundant, with the fat of the complete peace-offering, and the drink-offerings of the whole-burnt-sacrifice. So the service was established in the house of the Lord. BSB BSB: Furthermore, the burnt offerings were abundant, along with the fat of the peace offerings and the drink offerings for the burnt offerings. So the service of the house of the LORD was established.
36 Brenton And Ezekias and all the people rejoiced, because God had prepared the people: for the thing was done suddenly. BSB BSB: Then Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced at what God had prepared for the people, because everything had been accomplished so quickly.
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