2 Chronicles 29:1-32:33 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.

LXX2012⁽ⁱ⁾ ¹ 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. ² And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David had done. ³ 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. ⁴ And he brought in the priests and the Levites, and put them on the east side, ⁵ and said to them, Hear, you⌃ Levites: now sanctify yourselves, and sanctify the house of the Lord God of your fathers, and cast out the impurity from the holy places. ⁶ 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. ⁷ 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. ⁸ And the Lord was very angry with Juda and Jerusalem, and made them an astonishment, and a desolation, and a hissing, as you⌃ see with your eyes. ⁹ And, behold, your fathers have been struck 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. ¹⁰ 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. ¹¹ And now be not lacking [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. ¹² 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 Haelel: and of the sons of Gedsoni, Jodaad the son of Zemmath, and Joadam: these [were] the sons of Joacha. ¹³ And of the sons of Elisaphan; Zambri, and Jeiel: and of the sons of Asaph; Zacharias, and Matthanias: ¹⁴ and of the sons of Aeman; Jeiel, and Semei: and of the sons of Idithun; Samaisa, and Oziel. ¹⁵ 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. ¹⁶ 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. ¹⁷ 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]. ¹⁸ 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 show-bread, and its vessels; ¹⁹ and all the vessels which king Achaz polluted in his reign, in his apostasy, we have prepared and purified: behold, they are before the altar of the Lord. ²⁰ 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. ²¹ 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. ²² And they killed the calves, and the priests received the blood, and poured it on the altar: and they killed the rams, and poured the blood upon the altar: also they killed the lambs, and poured the blood round the altar. ²³ And they brought the goats for a sin-offering before the king and the congregation; and laid their hands upon them. ²⁴ And the priests killed 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-offering [are] for all Israel. ²⁵ 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. ²⁶ And the Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets. ²⁷ 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. ²⁸ And all the congregation worshipped, and the psalm-singers [were] singing, and the trumpets sounding, until the whole burnt sacrifice had been completely offered. ²⁹ And when they had done offering [it], the king and all that were present bowed, and worshipped. ³⁰ 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. ³¹ Then Ezekias answered and said, Now you⌃ 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. ³² 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. ³³ And the consecrated calves were six hundred, [and] the sheep three thousand. ³⁴ 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. ³⁵ 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. ³⁶ And Ezekias and all the people rejoiced, because God has prepared the people: for the thing was done suddenly. ³⁰ ¹ And Ezekias sent to all Israel and Juda, and wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasse, that they should come into the house of the Lord to Jerusalem, to keep the passover to the Lord God of Israel. ² For the king, and the princes, and all the congregation in Jerusalem, designed to keep the passover in the second month. ³ For they could not keep it at that time, because a sufficient number of priest had not purified themselves, and the people was not gathered to Jerusalem. ⁴ And the proposal pleased the king and the congregation. ⁵ And they established a decree that a proclamation should go through all Israel, from Bersabee to Dan, that they should come and keep the passover to the Lord God of Israel at Jerusalem: for the multitude had not done it lately according to the scripture. ⁶ And the posts went with the letters from the king and the princes to all Israel and Juda, according to the command of the king, saying, Children of Israel, return to the Lord God of Abraam, and Isaac, and Israel, and bring back them that have escaped [even] those that were left of the hand of the king of Assyria. ⁷ And be not as your fathers, and your brethren, who revolted from the Lord God of their fathers, and he gave them up to desolation, as you⌃ see. ⁸ And now harden not your hearts, as your fathers [did]: give glory to the Lord God, and enter into his sanctuary, which he has sanctified for ever: and serve the Lord your God, and he shall turn away [his] fierce anger from you. ⁹ For when you⌃ turn to the Lord, your brethren and your children shall be pitied before all that have carried them captives, and he will restore [you] to this land: for the Lord our God is merciful and pitiful, and will not turn away his face from you, if we return to him. ¹⁰ So the posts went through from city to city in mount Ephraim, and Manasse, and as far as Zabulon: and they as it were laughed them to scorn, and mocked them. ¹¹ But the men of Aser, and [some] of Manasses and of Zabulon, were ashamed, and came to Jerusalem and Juda. ¹² And the hand of the Lord was [present] to give them one heart to come, to do according to the commands of the king and of the princes, by the word of the Lord. ¹³ And a great multitude were gathered to Jerusalem to keep the feast of unleavened bread in the second month, a very great congregation. ¹⁴ And they arose, and took away the altars that were in Jerusalem, and all on which they burnt incense to false [gods] they tore down and cast into the brook Kedron. ¹⁵ Then they killed the passover on the fourteenth day of the second month: and the priests and the Levites repented, and purified [themselves], and brought whole burnt offerings into the house of the Lord. ¹⁶ And they stood at their post, according to their ordinance, according to the commandment of Moses the man of God: and the priests received the blood from the hand of the Levites. ¹⁷ For a great part of the congregation was not sanctified; and the Levites were [ready] to kill the passover for every one who could not sanctify himself to the Lord. ¹⁸ For the greatest part of the people of Ephraim, and Manasse, and Issachar, and Zabulon, had not purified [themselves], but ate the passover contrary to the scripture. On this account also Ezekias prayed concerning them, saying, ¹⁹ The good Lord be merciful with regard to every heart that sincerely seeks the Lord God of their fathers, and [is] not [purified] according to the purification of the sanctuary. ²⁰ And the Lord listened to Ezekias, and healed the people. ²¹ And the children of Israel who were present in Jerusalem kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with great joy; and they continued to sing hymns to the Lord daily, and the priests and the Levites [played] on instruments to the Lord. ²² And Ezekias encouraged all the Levites, and those that had good understanding of the Lord: and they completely kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days, offering peace-offerings, and confessing to the Lord God of their fathers. ²³ And the congregation purposed together to keep other seven days: and they kept seven days with gladness. ²⁴ For Ezekias set apart for Juda, [even] for the congregation, a thousand calves and seven thousand sheep; and the princes set apart for the people a thousand calves and ten thousand sheep: and the holy things of the priests abundantly. ²⁵ And all the congregation, the priests and the Levites, rejoiced, and all the congregation of Juda, and they that were present of Jerusalem, and the strangers that came from the land of Israel, and the dwellers in Juda. ²⁶ And there was great joy in Jerusalem: from the days of Solomon the son of David king of Israel there was not such a feast in Jerusalem. ²⁷ Then the priests the Levites rose up and blessed the people: and their voice was heard, and their prayer came into his holy dwelling-place, [even] into heaven. ³¹ ¹ And when all these things were finished, all Israel that were found in the cities of Juda went out, and broke in pieces the pillars, and cut down the groves, and tore down the high places and the altars out of all Judea and Benjamin, also of Ephraim and Manasse, till they made an end: and all Israel returned, every one to his inheritance, and to their cities. ² And Ezekias appointed the courses of the priests and the Levites, and the courses of each one according to his ministry, to the priests and to the Levites, for the whole burnt offering, and for the peace-offering, and to praise, and to give thanks, and to minister in the gates, [and] in the courts of the house of the Lord. ³ And the king's proportion out of his substance [was appointed] for the whole burnt offerings, the morning and the evening one, and the whole burnt offerings for the sabbaths, and for the new moons, and for the feasts that were ordered in the law of the Lord. ⁴ And they told the people who lived in Jerusalem, to give the portion of the priests and the Levites, that they might be strong in the ministry of the house of the Lord. ⁵ And as he gave the command, Israel brought abundantly first fruits of corn, and wine, and oil, and honey, and every fruit of the field: and the children of Israel and Juda brought tithes of everything abundantly. ⁶ And they that lived in the cities of Juda themselves also brought tithes of calves and sheep, and tithes of goats, and consecrated them to the Lord their God, and they brought them and laid them in heaps. ⁷ In the third month the heaps began to be piled, and in the seventh month they were finished. ⁸ And Ezekias and the princes came and saw the heaps, and blessed the Lord, and his people Israel. ⁹ Then Ezekias enquired of the priests and the Levites concerning the heaps. ¹⁰ And Azarias the priest, the chief over the house of Sadoc, spoke to him, and said, From the time that the first fruits began to be brought into the house of the Lord, we have eaten and drunk, and left even abundantly; for the Lord has blessed his people, and we have left to this amount. ¹¹ And Ezekias told them yet farther to prepare chambers for the house of the Lord; and they prepared [them], ¹² and they brought there the first fruits and the tithes faithfully: and Chonenias the Levite was superintendent over them, and Semei his brother was next. ¹³ and Jeiel, and Ozias, and Naeth, and Asael, and Jerimoth, and Jozabad, and Eliel, and Samachia, and Maath, and Banaias, and his sons, were appointed by Chonenias and Semei his brother, as Ezekias the king, and Azarias who was over the house of the Lord commanded. ¹⁴ And Core, the [son] of Jemna the Levite, the porter eastward, [was] over the gifts, to distribute the first fruits of the Lord, and the most holy things, ¹⁵ by the hand of Odom, and Benjamin, and Jesus, and Semei, and Amarias, and Sechonias, by the hand of the priests faithfully, to give to their brethren according to the courses, as well to great as small; ¹⁶ besides the increase of males from three years old and upward, to every one entering into the house of the Lord, [a portion] according to a daily rate, for service in the daily courses of their order. ¹⁷ This [is] the distribution of the priests according to the houses of their families; and the Levites in their daily courses from twenty years old and upward [were] in [their] order, ¹⁸ to assign stations for all the increase of their sons and their daughters, for the whole number: for they faithfully sanctified the holy place. ¹⁹ As for the sons of Aaron that executed the priests' office, —even those from their cities the men in each several city who were named expressly, —[were appointed] to give a portion to every male among the priests, and to every one reckoned among the Levites. ²⁰ And Ezekias did so through all Juda, and did that which was good and right before the Lord his God. ²¹ And in every work which he began in service in the house of the Lord, and in the law, and in the ordinances, he sought his God with all his soul, and wrought, and prospered. ³² ¹ And after these things and this faithful dealing, came Sennacherim king of the Assyrians, and he came to Juda, and encamped against the fortified cities, and intended to take them for himself. ² And Ezekias saw that Sennacherim was come, and [that] his face [was set] to fight against Jerusalem. ³ And he took counsel with his elders and his mighty [men] to stop the wells of water which were without the city: and they helped him. ⁴ And he collected many people, and stopped the wells of water, and the river that flowed through the city, saying, Lest the king of Assyria come, and find much water, and strengthen [himself]. ⁵ And Ezekias strengthened [himself], and built all the wall that had been pulled down, and the towers, and another wall in front without, and fortified the strong place of the city of David, and prepared arms in abundance. ⁶ And he appointed captains of war over the people, and they were gathered to [meet] him to the open place of the gate of the valley, and he encouraged them, saying, ⁷ Be strong and courageous, and fear not, neither be dismayed before the King of Assyria, and before all the nation that [is] with him: for [there are] more with us than with him. ⁸ With him [are] arms of flesh; but with us [is] the Lord our God to save [us], and to fight our battle. And the people were encouraged at the words of Ezekias king of Juda. ⁹ And afterward Sennacherim king of the Assyrians sent his servants to Jerusalem; and [he went] himself against Lachis, and all his army with him, and sent to Ezekias king of Juda, and to all Juda that [was] in Jerusalem, saying, ¹⁰ Thus says Sennacherim king of the Assyrians, On what do you⌃ trust, that you⌃ will remain in the siege in Jerusalem? ¹¹ Does not Ezekias deceive you, to deliver you to death and famine and thirst, saying, The Lord our God will deliver us out of the hand of the king of Assyria? ¹² Is not this Ezekias who has taken down his altars and his high places and has spoken to Juda and the dwellers in Jerusalem, saying, You⌃ shall worship before this altar and burn incense upon it? ¹³ Know you⌃ not what I and my fathers have done to all the nations of the countries? Could the gods of the nations of all the earth at all rescue their people out of my hand? ¹⁴ Who is there among all the gods of those nations whom my fathers utterly destroyed, [worthy of trust]? Could they deliver their people out of my hand, that your God should deliver you out of my hand? ¹⁵ Now then, let not Ezekias deceive you, and let him not make you thus confident, and believe him not: for no god of any kingdom or nation is at all able to deliver his people out of my hand, or the hand of my fathers: therefore your God shall not deliver you out of my hand. ¹⁶ And his servants continued to speak against the Lord God, and against his servant Ezekias. ¹⁷ And he wrote a letter to reproach the Lord God of Israel, and spoke concerning him, saying, As the gods of the nations of the earth have not delivered their people out of my hand, so the God of Ezekias shall by no means deliver his people out of my hand. ¹⁸ And he cried with a loud voice in the Jews' language to the people of Jerusalem on the wall, [calling them] to assist them, and pull down [the walls], that they might take the city. ¹⁹ And he spoke against the God of Jerusalem, even as against the gods of the nations of the earth, the works of the hands of men. ²⁰ And king Ezekias and Esaias the prophet the son of Amos prayed concerning these things, and they cried to heaven. ²¹ And the Lord sent an angel, and he destroyed every mighty man and warrior, and leader and captain in the camp of the king of Assyria: and he returned with shame of face to his own land and came into the house of his god: and [some] of them that came out of his bowels killed him with the sword. ²² So the Lord delivered Ezekias and the dwellers in Jerusalem out of the hand of Sennacherim King of Assyria, and out of the hand of all [his enemies], and gave them rest round about. ²³ And many brought gifts to the Lord to Jerusalem, and presents to Ezekias king of Juda; and he was exalted in the eyes of all the nations after these things. ²⁴ In those days Ezekias was sick even to death, and prayed to the Lord: and he listened to him, and gave him a sign. ²⁵ But Ezekias did not recompense the Lord according to the return which he made him, but his heart was lifted up: and wrath came upon him, and upon Juda and Jerusalem. ²⁶ And Ezekias humbled himself after the exaltation of his heart, he and the dwellers in Jerusalem; and the wrath of the Lord did not come upon them in the days of Ezekias. ²⁷ And Ezekias had wealth and very great glory: and he made for himself treasuries of gold, and silver, and precious stones, also for spices, and stores for arms, and for precious vessels; ²⁸ and cities for the produce of corn, and wine, and oil; and stalls and mangers for every [kind of] cattle, and folds for flocks; ²⁹ and cities which he built for himself, and store of sheep and oxen in abundance, for the Lord gave him a very great store. ³⁰ The same Ezekias stopped up the course of the water of Gion above, and brought the water down straight south of the city of David. And Ezekias prospered in all his works. ³¹ Notwithstanding, in regard to the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who were sent to him to enquire of him [concerning] the prodigy which came upon the land, the Lord left him, to try him, to know what was in his heart. ³² And the rest of the acts of Ezekias, and his kindness, behold, they are written in the prophecy of Esaias the son of Amos the prophet, and in the book of the kings of Juda and Israel. ³³ And Ezekias slept with his fathers, and they buried him in a high place among the sepulchres of the sons of David: and all Juda and the dwellers in Jerusalem gave him glory and honor at his death. And Manasses his son reigned in his stead.