2 Chronicles 27:1-32:33 Jotham was twenty-five years old when he became king; and he was ruling in Jerusalem for sixteen years; and his mother's name was Jerushah, the daughter of Zadok.

VIN⁽ⁱ⁾ ¹ Jotham was twenty-five years old when he became king; and he was ruling in Jerusalem for sixteen years; and his mother's name was Jerushah, the daughter of Zadok. ² He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as his father Uzziah had done; but he did not go into the Temple of the Lord. And the people still went on in their evil ways. ³ Jotham built the Upper Gate of the LORD’s Temple and did extensive building of the wall at the Ophel. ⁴ He built cities in the hills of Judah. He also built forts and towers in the wooded areas. ⁵ He fought with the king of the Ammonites and conquered them. That year the Ammonites gave him seven thousand and five hundred pounds of silver, sixty thousand bushels of wheat, and sixty thousand bushels of barley. The Ammonites gave him the same amount for two more years. ⁶ Joatham grew strong, because he prepared his ways before the Lord his God. ⁷ The rest of the acts of Jotham and all his wars and his ways are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. ⁸ He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he was ruling in Jerusalem for sixteen years. ⁹ And Jotham slept with his fathers, and was buried in the City of David; and Ahaz his son reigned in his place. ²⁸ ¹ Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And he did not do what is right in the eyes of the LORD like David his ancestor. ² but walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and also made casted images for the Baals. ³ And he himself burned incense in the valley of Ben-Hinnom and burned his sons in the fire, according to the detestable practices of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the Israelites. ⁴ And he sacrificed and burned incense at the high places, on the hilltops, and under every flourishing tree. ⁵ the LORD his God handed him over to the king of Aram, who defeated him, captured many prisoners, and brought them to Damascus. He also handed him over to the king of Israel, who decisively defeated him. ⁶ In one day Pekah, son of Remaliah, killed one hundred and twenty thousand soldiers in Judah because they had abandoned the LORD the God of their ancestors. ⁷ Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the king's son, Azrikam the ruler of the house, and Elkanah who was next to the king. ⁸ The children of Israel carried away captive of their brothers two hundred thousand women, sons, and daughters, and also took away much plunder from them, and brought the plunder to Samaria. ⁹ But a prophet of the LORD was there, whose name was Oded: and he went out to meet the army that came to Samaria, and said to them, "Look, because the LORD, the God of your fathers, was angry with Judah, he has delivered them into your hand, and you have slain them in a rage which has reached up to heaven. ¹⁰ »Now you intend to enslave the men and women of Judah and Jerusalem. But are you not also guilty of sinning against the LORD your God? ¹¹ So now, listen to me and return the captives of your brothers whom you have taken captive, for the fierce anger of Yahweh is against you." ¹² Then rose up certain of the chiefs of the sons of Ephraim—Azariah son of Jehohanan, Berechiah son of Meshillemoth, and Jehizkiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai,—against them who were coming in from the army; ¹³ And they said to them, You shall not bring the captives here. For we have offended the LORD, and you intend to add to our sins and to our trespass. For our trespass is great, and there is fierce wrath against Israel. ¹⁴ So the soldiers left the captives and the plunder before the commanders and all the assembly. ¹⁵ The men mentioned by name rose up and took the captives, and with the spoil clothed all who were naked among them, dressed them, gave them sandals, and gave them something to eat and to drink, anointed them, carried all the feeble of them on donkeys, and brought them to Jericho, the city of palm trees, to their brothers. Then they returned to Samaria. ¹⁶ At that time King Ahaz sent to the king of Assyria to help him, ¹⁷ The Edomites had again invaded and defeated Judah and captured prisoners. ¹⁸ The Philistines raided the foothills and the Negev in Judah. They captured and began living in Beth Shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Soco and its villages, Timnah and its villages, and Gimzo and its villages. ¹⁹ For the LORD had brought Judah low, because of Ahaz king of Israel,—for he had given the rein in Judah, and, been grievously unfaithful, with the LORD. ²⁰ Tilgath Pilneser king of Assyria came to him, and gave him trouble, but didn't strengthen him. ²¹ Ahaz took some of the things from the LORD’s temple, the royal palace, and the princes. He gave them to the king of Assyria. But that did not help him. ²² In the midst of his troubles, King Ahaz became more and more unfaithful to the LORD. ²³ He sacrificed to the gods of Damascus that had defeated him, reasoning, "The gods of the kings of Aram helped them, so I'll sacrifice to them so they will help me!" But those gods brought about his downfall, and the downfall of all of Israel, too. ²⁴ And Ahaz gathered together the vessels of the house of God and brake them, and shut up the doors of the house of the LORD, and made him altars in all corners of Jerusalem. ²⁵ In every city of Judah he made high places to burn incense to other gods, and provoked the LORD, the God of his fathers, to anger. ²⁶ The rest of his acts and all his ways, both first and last, are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. ²⁷ Ahaz slept in death with his ancestors. He was buried in the city of Jerusalem because they did not put him into the tombs of the kings of Israel. His son Hezekiah succeeded him as king. ²⁹ ¹ Ezekias was twenty five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty nine years in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Abia. She was a daughter of Zacharias. ² He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as his father David had done. ³ In the first month of his first year as king, he opened the doors of the LORD’s temple and repaired them. ⁴ And he brought in the priests and the Levites, and assembled them in the east street, ⁵ And he said to them, "Hear me, O Levites! Sanctify yourselves now, and sanctify the house of the LORD, the God of your ancestors, and bring out the defilement from the sanctuary. ⁶ "Our ancestors were unfaithful and did what the LORD our God considered evil. They deserted him. They turned away from the LORD's tent and turned their backs on him. ⁷ They also shut the doors of the portico and extinguished the lamps. And they did not burn incense or offer burnt offerings in the sanctuary to the God of Israel. ⁸ That's why the LORD was angry with Judah and Jerusalem and made them an object of terror, horror, and derision, as you've seen with your own eyes. ⁹ For, see, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity for this. ¹⁰ Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the LORD, the God of Israel, that his fierce anger may turn away from us. ¹¹ My sons, do not be negligent now. For the LORD has chosen you to stand before Him, to serve Him, and that you should minister to Him and burn incense. ¹² So the Levites started to work. From Kohath's descendants were Mahath, son of Amasai, and Joel, son of Azariah. From Merari's descendants were Kish, son of Abdi, and Azariah, son of Jehallelel. From Gershon's descendants were Joah, son of Zimmah, and Eden, son of Joah. ¹³ And from the descendants of Elizaphan: Shimri and Jeiel; and from the descendants of Asaph: Zechariah and Mattaniah; ¹⁴ and from the descendants of Heman: Jeiel and Shimei; and from the descendants of Jeduthun: Shemaiah and Uzziel— ¹⁵ And they gathered their brothers and sanctified themselves, and came, according to the command of the king, by the words of the LORD, to clean the house of the LORD. ¹⁶ And the priests went into the house of the LORD to cleanse it, and brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of the LORD, and in the court of the house of the LORD. And the Levites took it and carried it out into the brook Kidron. ¹⁷ Now they began to sanctify on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they came to the porch of the LORD; and they sanctified the house of the LORD in eight days; and in the sixteenth day of the first month they finished. ¹⁸ And they went in to king Hezekiah, and said, We have cleansed all the house of the LORD, and the altar of burnt-offering with all its vessels, and the table of the [bread] to be set in rows, and all its vessels; ¹⁹ In addition, we have prepared and rededicated all of the utensils that King Ahaz threw away during his unfaithful reign, and now they're back in service at the LORD's altar." ²⁰ Early the next morning, King Hezekiah got up and assembled the city officials and went up to the LORD's temple, ²¹ They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats for a sin offering for the kingdom and for the sanctuary and for Judah. He commanded the priests the sons of Aaron to offer them on the altar of the LORD. ²² And they slaughtered the bullocks, and the priests received the blood, and sprinkled it on the altar; and they slaughtered the rams, and sprinkled the blood on the altar; and they slaughtered the lambs, and sprinkled the blood on the altar. ²³ They brought near the male goats for the sin offering before the king and the assembly; and they laid their hands on them. ²⁴ and then the priests slaughtered them and purged the altar with their blood as a sin offering to atone for all Israel, because the king ordered that the burnt offering and the sin offering be made for all Israel. ²⁵ And he set the Levites in the house of the LORD with cymbals, with lutes, and with harps, according to the commandment of David, and of Gad the king`s seer, and of Nathan the prophet; for the commandment was of the LORD through his prophets. ²⁶ The Levites stood with David's instruments, and the priests with the trumpets. ²⁷ Hezekiah commanded to offer the burnt offering on the altar. When the burnt offering began, the song of the LORD began also, and the trumpets, together with the instruments of David king of Israel. ²⁸ All the assembly worshiped, the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded. All this continued until the burnt offering was finished. ²⁹ And when the offering was finished, the king and all who were found with him knelt down and bowed themselves. ³⁰ And king Hezekiah and the princes commanded the Levites to sing praise to the LORD with the words of David, and of Asaph the seer. And they sang praises with gladness, and bowed their heads and worshipped. ³¹ Then Hezekiah answered and said, "Now you have consecrated yourselves to the LORD. Come near and bring sacrifices and thank offerings to the house of the LORD!" And the assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and all who were willing in heart brought burnt offerings. ³² The number of the burnt offerings which the assembly brought was seventy bulls, one hundred rams, and two hundred lambs: all these were for a burnt offering to the LORD. ³³ And they consecrated to the Lord six hundred oxen, and three thousand sheep. ³⁴ But the priests were few, and could not slay 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 also the burnt-offerings were in abundance, with the fat of the peace-offerings, and the drink-offerings for every burnt- offering. So the service of the house of the LORD was firmly established. ³⁶ And Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced, because God had prepared the people: for the thing was done suddenly. ³⁰ ¹ Then Hezekiah sent word to all Israel and Judah, and sent letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, requesting them to come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, to keep the Passover to the Lord, the God of Israel. ² The king, his officials, and the whole assembly in Jerusalem decided to celebrate the Passover in the second month. ³ but they had been unable to celebrate it then because not enough priests had consecrated themselves and the people had not yet been gathered together in Jerusalem. ⁴ The thing was right in the eyes of the king and of all the assembly. ⁵ They decided to send an announcement throughout Israel from Beersheba to Dan. They summoned everyone to come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover of the LORD God of Israel. These people had not celebrated it in large numbers as the written instructions said they should. ⁶ Messengers carried letters from the king and his officials throughout Israel and Judah. The king's order said: "Israelites should return to the LORD the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. Then he will return to the few of you who escaped from the power of the kings of Assyria. ⁷ Do not be like your fathers and your brothers, who were sinners against the Lord, the God of their fathers, so that he made them a cause of fear, as you see. ⁸ Now, do not stiffen your neck as your fathers, but give a hand to the LORD and come to his sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever, and serve the LORD your God that his fierce anger may turn away from you. ⁹ For when you return to the LORD, your brothers and your children will find compassion before their captors and return to this land, for the LORD your God is gracious and compassionate, and he will not turn away his face from you if you return to him." ¹⁰ So the runners went from town to town through all the country of Ephraim and Manasseh as far as Zebulun: but they were laughed at and made sport of. ¹¹ Nevertheless some men of Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves, and came to Jerusalem. ¹² Also in Judah the hand of God was to give them one heart to do the commandment of the king and of the princes, according to the word of the LORD. ¹³ And much people were assembled to Jerusalem to celebrate the solemnity of the unleavened bread in the second month: ¹⁴ They arose and removed the altars in Jerusalem. They also removed all the incense altars and cast them into the Kidron Brook. ¹⁵ And they slaughtered the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the second month. And the priests and the Levites were disgraced, so they consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings into the house of the LORD. ¹⁶ And they stood in their place in their manner, according to the Law of Moses the man of God. The priests sprinkled the blood from the hand of the Levites. ¹⁷ Many people in the assembly had not made themselves holy. So the Levites had to kill the Passover lambs for all who were not clean and could not make their lambs holy for the LORD. ¹⁸ For a multitude of the people, even many of Ephraim, and Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet did they eat the passover contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, The good LORD pardon everyone ¹⁹ who sets his heart to seek God, the LORD, the God of his fathers, even if they aren't clean according to the purification of the sanctuary." ²⁰ And the LORD heard Hezekiah and healed the people. ²¹ Thus the Israelites in Jerusalem celebrated the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days with great joy. Each day the Levites and priests praised the LORD in song. They played the LORD's instruments loudly. ²² Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all the Levites who had good understanding in the service of the LORD. So they ate throughout the feast for the seven days, offering sacrifices of peace offerings, and making confession to the LORD, the God of their fathers. ²³ Then the whole assembly decided to celebrate the festival for seven more days. So they joyfully celebrated for seven more days. ²⁴ for Hezekiah the king of Judah had provided one thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep for the assembly, and the princes provided one thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep for the assembly. And many priests consecrated themselves. ²⁵ Everyone in the assembly of Judah rejoiced, as did the priests, the Levites, and the people who gathered together from throughout Israel, including whose who came from the land of Israel and those who lived in Judah. ²⁶ So there was great joy in Jerusalem; for since the time of Solomon the son of David king of Israel there was nothing like this in Jerusalem. ²⁷ And the priests and the Levites arose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard, and their prayer went up unto his holy dwelling place heaven. ³¹ ¹ And when all this was finished, all Israel who were found went out to the cities of Judah and smashed the standing pillars, and cut down the Asherahs, and broke down the high places and the altars out of all Judah, and Benjamin, and in Ephraim, and Manasseh, even to the end. And all the sons of Israel returned, each to his possession, to their cities. ² Hezekiah appointed the divisions of the priests and the Levites after their divisions, every man according to his service, both the priests and the Levites, for burnt offerings and for peace offerings, to minister, to give thanks, and to praise in the gates of the LORD's camp. ³ And the king assigned a part of his substance for the morning and evening whole burnt offerings, and for the whole burnt offerings on the sabbaths, and at the new moons, and at the festivals prescribed in the law of the Lord. ⁴ Moreover he commanded the people who lived in Jerusalem to give the portion of the priests and the Levites, that they might give themselves to the law of the LORD. ⁵ As the word spread around, the people of Israel gave generously for the first fruits of grain, wine, oil, honey, and all of the produce of the fields. They generously gave a tithe of everything. ⁶ The children of Israel and Judah, who lived in the cities of Judah, also brought in the tithe of cattle and sheep, and the tithe of dedicated things which were consecrated to the LORD their God, and laid them in heaps. ⁷ The heaping was begun in the third month and finished in the seventh. ⁸ When Hezekiah and the princes came and saw the heaps, they blessed the LORD and his people Israel. ⁹ And Hezekiah asked the priests and the Levites about the heaps. ¹⁰ And Azariah the chief priest of the house of Zadok answered him and said, Since the people began to bring the offerings into the house of the LORD, we have had enough to eat and have plenty left. For the LORD has blessed His people, and this great store is left. ¹¹ Hezekiah gave an order to prepare storerooms in the LORD's temple, and so they did. ¹² They faithfully brought in the gifts, tithes, and consecrated materials, and Connie the Levite was placed in charge of them. His brother Shimei was second in command, ¹³ And Jehiel, Azaziah, Nathan, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismachiah, Mahath, and Benaiah were chief officers under the hand of Conaniah and Shimei, his brother, by appointment of King Hezekiah. And Azaraiah was leader of the house of God. ¹⁴ Kore the son of Imnah the Levite, the keeper of the east gate, was over the freewill offerings of God, to distribute the offerings of the LORD, and the most holy things. ¹⁵ Under him were Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah, in the cities of the priests, in their office of trust, to give to their brothers by divisions, to the great as well as to the small; ¹⁶ besides those from three years old and upward who as males were entered in the genealogical register, -- all that came into the house of the LORD, as the duty of every day required, for their service in their charges, according to their divisions, ¹⁷ And likewise to the priests recorded by their genealogies after their family divisions, and the Levites from twenty years old and upward, in their charges by their divisions; ¹⁸ And to the enrolling upon all their little ones, their wives and their sons, and their daughters, for all the convocation: for in their faithfulness they will consecrate themselves holy: ¹⁹ Also of the sons of Aaron the priests, who were in the fields of the pasture lands of their cities, in every city, men were designated by name, to give portions to all the males among the priests, and to all that were listed by genealogies among the Levites. ²⁰ This is what Hezekiah did throughout Judah. He did what was good and right and true to the LORD his God. ²¹ And in every work which he undertook in the service of the house of the Lord, and in the law and in the statutes, he sought his God with his whole heart, and did it and prospered. ³² ¹ After all of these acts of faithfulness occurred, King Sennacherib of Assyria came, invaded Judah, and laid siege to the fortified cities, thinking to conquer them for himself. ² When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come, and that he intended to fight against Jerusalem, ³ He consulted with his princes and his mighty men to stop up the waters of the springs which were without the city: and they helped him. ⁴ A large crowd gathered as they stopped all the springs and the brook that flowed through the land. They said: Why should the kings of Assyria find plenty of water? ⁵ Hezekiah worked hard. He rebuilt all the broken sections of the wall. He built the towers taller and built another wall outside the city wall. He strengthened the Millo in the City of David, and made plenty of weapons and shields. ⁶ and appointed military officers over the people; and having assembled them before him in the street of the valley gate, he spoke affectionately to them, and said, ⁷ “Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid or dismayed because of the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude who is with him; for there is a greater one with us than with him. ⁸ with him, is an arm of flesh, but, with us, is the LORD our God, to help us, and to fight our battles. And the people leaned upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah. ⁹ After this, Sennacherib king of Assyria sent his servants to Jerusalem, (now he was before Lachish, and all his power with him), to Hezekiah king of Judah, and to all Judah who were at Jerusalem, saying, ¹⁰ Thus says Sennacherib king of Assyria, On what do you trust, that you remain in the siege in Jerusalem? ¹¹ "Hezekiah your king is telling you that the LORD your God will save you from me. But he is lying! You will die of hunger and thirst." ¹² Has not this same Hezekiah taken away his high places and his altars, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, Give worship before one altar only, burning offerings on it? ¹³ Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of the lands? Were the gods of the nations of the lands in any way able to deliver their land out of my hand? ¹⁴ Who from all the gods of these nations that my fathers utterly destroyed, which were able to deliver his people from my hand, that your God shall be able to deliver you from my hand? ¹⁵ And now, do not let Hezekiah deceive you, nor persuade you in this way, nor believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to deliver his people from my hand, from the hand of my fathers; also, surely your god shall not deliver you from my hand. ¹⁶ Sennacherib's officers said more against the LORD God and his servant Hezekiah. ¹⁷ And he had written letters to blaspheme the LORD, the God of Israel, and to speak against Him, saying, As the gods of the nations of the lands have not delivered their people from my hand, so the God of Hezekiah shall not deliver His people from my hand. ¹⁸ And they called with a great voice in Jewish, against the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten them and to terrify them, that they might capture the city. ¹⁹ And they spoke of the God of Jerusalem as of the gods of the peoples of the earth, the work of man`s hand. ²⁰ King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz, prayed about this and called to heaven. ²¹ The LORD sent an angel, who cut off all the mighty men of valor, and the leaders and captains, in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. When he had come into the house of his god, some of his own offspring killed him there with the sword. ²² And the LORD saved Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria, and from the hand of all others, and guided them on every side. ²³ many brought gifts for the Lord to Jerusalem, and presents to Ezekias king of Juda. And he was thenceforth magnified in the eyes of all the nations. ²⁴ Hezekiah became sick and was about to die. He prayed to the LORD, who answered him and gave him a miraculous sign. ²⁵ But Hezekiah didn't render again according to the grace done to him. His heart was lifted up; therefore there was wrath on him, and on Judah and Jerusalem. ²⁶ And Hezekiah was humbled for the pride of his heart, he and the people of Jerusalem, and the wrath of the LORD did not come on them in the days of Hezekiah. ²⁷ Hezekiah became richer and was highly honored. He prepared storehouses for himself to hold silver, gold, precious stones, spices, shields, and all kinds of valuables. ²⁸ And he made storehouses for the increase of grain and wine and oil, and stalls for all kinds of animals, and stalls for flocks. ²⁹ He made towns for himself. He gathered much property in flocks and herds: for God had given him great wealth. ³⁰ Hezekiah stopped up the upper outlet of the Gihon springs and diverted them down to the western side of the city of David. He prospered in everything he did. ³¹ When the leaders of Babylon sent ambassadors to ask him about the miraculous sign that had happened in the land, God left him. God did this to test him, to find out everything that was in Hezekiah's heart. ³² And the rest of the acts of Hezekiah and his good deeds, behold, they are written in the vision of the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. ³³ Hezekiah slept in death with his ancestors. He was buried in the upper tombs of David's descendants. When Hezekiah died, all of Judah and the people in Jerusalem honored him. His son Manasseh succeeded him as king.