2 Chronicles 35 Cross References - LEB

¹ Josiah kept* the Passover to Yahweh in Jerusalem. And they slaughtered the Passover sacrifice on the fourteenth day of the first month. ² And he set the priests at their posts and encouraged them in the service of the house of Yahweh. ³ And he said to the Levites who were teaching all Israel, who were sanctified to Yahweh, "Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David, king of Israel, built. There is no need to carry it on your shoulders. Now serve Yahweh your God and his people Israel. ⁴ And prepare yourselves according to _⌊your families_⌋,* according to your working groups, according to the decree* of David king of Israel and according to the decree* of Solomon his son. ⁵ And stand in the sanctuary according to the clans of _⌊your families_⌋* for your brothers, the _⌊lay people_⌋,* and a part of the _⌊family_⌋* of the Levites. ⁶ And slaughter the Passover lamb and consecrate yourself and prepare for your brothers to do according to the word of Yahweh by the hand of Moses. ⁷ Then Josiah provided for the _⌊lay people_⌋* sheep, lambs, and young goats, all for the Passover for all who were found there, to the sum of thirty thousand, along with three thousand bulls. These were the possession of the king. ⁸ And his officials contributed a freewill offering to the people, to the priests, and to the Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, commanders of the house of God, gave to the priests two thousand six hundred Passover lambs and three hundred bulls. ⁹ Conaniah also, and Shemaiah and Nethanel his brothers, and Hashabiah and Jeiel and Jehozabad, commanders of the Levites, contributed to the Levites five thousand Passover lambs and five hundred bulls. ¹⁰ And when the work had been completed, the priests stood at their positions and the Levites in their working groups according to the command of the king. ¹¹ And they slaughtered the Passover lamb, and the priests sprinkled the blood from their hand, and the Levites flayed the sacrifices. ¹² And they set aside the burnt offerings to give them to the clans of the _⌊families_⌋* for the _⌊lay people_⌋,* to offer to Yahweh according to what is written in the scroll of Moses. And thus they did with the bulls. ¹³ Then they roasted the Passover lamb in the fire according to the ordinance. And they boiled the holy offerings in pots, in kettles, and in dishes and brought it quickly to the _⌊lay people_⌋.* ¹⁴ And afterward they prepared for themselves and for the priests, since the priests, the descendants* of Aaron, were busy with offering the burnt offerings and the fat until night. So the Levites prepared for themselves and for the priests, the descendants* of Aaron. ¹⁵ And the singers, the descendants* of Asaph, were at their stations according to the decree* of David and Asaph and Heman and Jeduthun, the seer of the king. And the gatekeepers were at _⌊each gate_⌋.* They did not need to depart from their service, for their brothers the Levites had made preparations for them. ¹⁶ So all the service of Yahweh was prepared on that day to keep* the Passover and to sacrifice burnt offerings on the altar of Yahweh, according to the command of King Josiah. ¹⁷ And the Israelites who were present kept* the Passover at that time, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days. ¹⁸ And there was no Passover like it kept* in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet. And none of the kings of Israel kept* a Passover like that which Josiah and the priests and the Levites, and all of Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, kept.* ¹⁹ In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah this Passover was kept.* ²⁰ After all of this that Josiah had prepared for the temple,* Neco the king of Egypt went up to make war at Carchemish on the Euphrates, and Josiah went up to meet him. ²¹ And he* sent messengers to him, saying, "_⌊What is there between us_⌋,* O king of Judah? I am not against you yourself this day, but against the house making war against me. And God has commanded me to make haste. Stop opposing God, who is with me that he will not destroy you." ²² But Josiah did not turn his face from him, but he disguised himself to fight with him. He did not listen to the words of Neco from the mouth of God, and he went out to fight in the plain of Megiddo. ²³ And the archers shot King Josiah, and the king said to his servants, "Take me away, for I am badly wounded." ²⁴ So his servants took him out of the chariot and transported him in his second chariot and brought him to Jerusalem. And he died and was buried in the burial sites of his ancestors.* And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned over Josiah. ²⁵ And Jeremiah uttered a lament for Josiah, and all the male and female singers have spoken in their laments about Josiah to this day. And they made them a requirement in Israel, and behold, they are written in the laments. ²⁶ Now the remainder of the words of Josiah and his loyal love for what is written in the law of Yahweh ²⁷ and his words, from the first to the last, behold, they are written in the scroll of the kings of Israel and Judah.

⁶ "_⌊You will keep it_⌋* until the fourteenth day of this month, and all the assembly of the community of Israel will slaughter it _⌊at twilight_⌋.*

³ On the fourteenth day of this month _⌊at twilight_⌋* you will perform it at its appointed time according to all its decrees; and according to all its stipulations you will observe it."

¹ "Observe the month of Abib, and you shall keep the Passover to Yahweh your God, for in the month of Abib Yahweh your God brought you out from Egypt by night. ² And you shall offer the Passover sacrifice to Yahweh your God from among your flock and herd at the place that Yahweh will choose, to let his name dwell there. ³ You shall not eat _⌊with it_⌋* anything leavened; seven days you shall eat _⌊with it_⌋* unleavened bread of affliction, because in haste you went out from the land of Egypt, so that you will remember the day of your going out from the land of Egypt all the days of your life. ⁴ And leaven shall not be seen with* you in any of your territory* for seven days, and none of the meat that you will slaughter on the evening on the first day shall remain overnight until morning. ⁵ You are not allowed to offer the Passover sacrifice in one of your _⌊towns_⌋* that Yahweh your God is giving to you, ⁶ but only at the place that Yahweh your God will choose, to let his name dwell there; you shall offer the Passover sacrifice _⌊in the evening at sunset_⌋,* at the designated time* of your going out from Egypt. ⁷ And you shall cook, and you shall eat it at the place that Yahweh your God will choose; and you may turn in the morning and go to your tents. ⁸ Six days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be an assembly for Yahweh your God; you shall not do work.

²¹ Then the king commanded all of the people, saying, "Keep the Passover to Yahweh your God, as has been written on the scroll of this covenant." ²² For they had not kept this Passover from the days of the judges who had judged over Israel _⌊or_⌋* during the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah. ²³ But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, this Passover was kept for Yahweh in Jerusalem.

¹ Then Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and he also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, to come to the house of Yahweh in Jerusalem to make a Passover feast to Yahweh the God of Israel. ² Now the king and his princes, and all the assembly in Jerusalem had taken counsel to make the Passover feast in the second month— ³ but they were not able to make it at that time, for the priests had not consecrated themselves _⌊in sufficient numbers_⌋,* and the people had not been assembled in Jerusalem— ⁴ and the plan seemed right in the eyes of the king and in the eyes of all the assembly. ⁵ So they let the decree stand, _⌊to make a proclamation_⌋* throughout all Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, to come to make a Passover feast to Yahweh the God of Israel. ⁶ And the runners went with the letter from the hand of the king and his princes throughout all Israel and Judah according to the command of the king, saying, "O sons of Israel, return to Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that he may turn again to the remnant of you who escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria. ⁷ Do not be like your fathers and like your brothers, who acted unfaithfully before Yahweh, the God of their ancestors,* so that he made them as a desolation, as you see. ⁸ Now, do not stiffen your neck as your fathers,* but give a hand to Yahweh and come to his sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever, and serve Yahweh your God that his fierce anger may turn away from you. ⁹ For when you return to Yahweh, your brothers and your children will find compassion before their captors and return to this land, for Yahweh your God is gracious and compassionate, and he will not turn away his face from you if you return to him." ¹⁰ And it happened that the runners were passing from city to city in the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, and up to Zebulun, but they were laughing at them and mocking them. ¹¹ Only men from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. ¹² The hand of God was also upon Judah, to give them one heart to obey the command of the king and the princes concerning the word of Yahweh. ¹³ So many people gathered in Jerusalem to hold the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the second month; it was a very great assembly. ¹⁴ And they rose up and removed the altars that were in Jerusalem. And they removed all the incense altars and threw them away in the Wadi* Kidron. 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 Yahweh. ¹⁶ Then they stood at their positions according to custom, according to the law of Moses the man of God. The priests were sprinkling the blood from the hand of the Levites. ¹⁷ For there were many in the assembly who did not consecrate themselves, so the Levites were over the killing of the Passover sacrifices for all who were not clean, to consecrate them to Yahweh. ¹⁸ For a majority of the people, many from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves. But they ate the Passover sacrifice _⌊otherwise than prescribed_⌋,* but Hezekiah had prayed for them, saying, "May the good Yahweh make atonement unto ¹⁹ everyone whose heart is set to seek God, Yahweh the God of his ancestors,* though not according to the cleansing for the sanctuary." ²⁰ And Yahweh listened to Hezekiah, and he healed the people. ²¹ And the _⌊Israelites_⌋* who were found in Jerusalem kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with great joy. And the Levites and the priests were offering praise to Yahweh day by day, with powerful instruments to Yahweh. ²² And Hezekiah spoke to the heart of all the Levites _⌊who were skilled at service_⌋* to Yahweh. So they ate the feast seven days, offering peace offerings and giving thanks to Yahweh, the God of their ancestors.* ²³ Then the whole assembly decided to make seven more days of feasting, so they made seven more days with joy, 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 And the whole assembly of Judah, the priests and the Levites, all the assembly who had come from the land of Israel, and those living in Judah rejoiced. ²⁶ And there was great joy in Jerusalem, for from the days of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel, there was nothing such as this in Jerusalem. ²⁷ Then the priests and the Levites arose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard, and their prayer came to his holy dwelling place in the heavens.

¹⁹ On the fourteenth day of the first month the returned exiles observed the Passover feast.

²¹ In the first month, on the _⌊fourteenth_⌋* day of the month, you shall have the Passover, a feast lasting for _⌊seven days_⌋,* when you shall eat unleavened breads.

⁵ You will keep the responsibility of the sanctuary and the responsibility of the altar, and there will no longer be wrath on the _⌊Israelites_⌋.* ⁶ Look, I myself have chosen your brothers the Levites from the midst of the children. They are a gift to you given from Yahweh to perform the work of the tent of assembly. ⁷ But you with your sons will keep your priesthood to perform your priestly duties for everything at the altar* and for _⌊the area behind the curtain_⌋.* I give you the priesthood as a gift, but the stranger who approaches will be put to death."

¹⁹ Now set your heart and mind to seek Yahweh your Go, and arise and build the sanctuary of Yahweh God, that the ark of the covenant of Yahweh and the holy vessels of God might be brought into the house built for the name of Yahweh.

¹ And as for the sons of Aaron, these were their divisions. The sons of Aaron were Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. ² And Nadab and Abihu died before their father, and _⌊they had no sons_⌋,* so Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests. ³ And David, with Zadok of the sons of Eleazar and Ahimelech of the sons of Ithamar, divided them according to their appointments for their service. ⁴ And more sons of Eleazar were found as heads of the men than the sons of Ithamar, so they divided them to the sons of Eleazar to be sixteen heads over the house of the fathers, and to the sons of Ithamar over the house of the fathers were eight heads. ⁵ They divided them by lot _⌊all alike_⌋,* for they were commanders of the sanctuary and commanders of God from among the sons of Eleazar and the sons of Ithamar. ⁶ And Shemaiah the son of Nethanel, the scribe, from the Levites, recorded them before the king, the princes, Zadok the priest, Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, and the heads of the _⌊families_⌋* of the priests and Levites, one father's house drawn by Lot for Eleazar and one drawn by lot for Ithamar. ⁷ And the first lot went out to Jehoiarib, the second to Jedaiah, ⁸ the third to Harim, the fourth to Seorim, ⁹ the fifth to Malkijah, the sixth to Mijamin, ¹⁰ the seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to Abijah, ¹¹ the ninth to Jeshua, the tenth to Shekaniah, ¹² the eleventh to Eliashib, the twelfth to Jakim, ¹³ the thirteenth to Huppah, the fourteenth to Jeshebeab, ¹⁴ the fifteenth to Bilgah, the sixteenth to Immer, ¹⁵ the seventeenth to Hezir, the eighteenth to Ha-Pizzez, ¹⁶ the nineteenth to Pethahiah, the twentieth to Ezekiel, ¹⁷ the twenty-first to Jakin, the twenty-second to Gamul, ¹⁸ the twenty-third to Delaiah, the twenty-fourth to Maaziah. ¹⁹ These were their appointments for their service to come into the house of Yahweh according to their custom by the hand of Aaron their father, as Yahweh the God of Israel had commanded him. ²⁰ And as for the remainder of the sons of Levi: of the sons of Amram, Shubael; of the sons of Shubael, Jehdeiah. ²¹ Of Rehabiah: of the sons of Rehabiah, Isshiah the chief. ²² Of the Izharites, Shelomoth; of the sons Shelomoth, Jahath. ²³ Of the sons of Jeriah, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, Jekameam the fourth. ²⁴ The sons of Uzziel, Micah; the sons of Micah, Shamur. ²⁵ The brother of Micah, Isshiah; of the sons of Isshiah, Zechariah. ²⁶ The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi; the sons of Jaaziah, his son.* ²⁷ The sons of Merari: of Jaaziah, his son,* Shoham, Zakkur, and Ibri. ²⁸ Of Mahli: Eleazar, who had no sons. ²⁹ Of Kish: the sons of Kish, Jerahmeel. ³⁰ And the sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth. These were the sons of the Levites according to the house of their fathers. ³¹ And lots were also cast for these, just as their brothers, the sons of Aaron, before David the king, Zadok, Ahimelech, and the heads of the _⌊families_⌋* for the priests and for the Levites the fathers, _⌊on the principle of the chief and younger brother alike_⌋.*

⁸ And the Levites and all Judah did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded. And they each took his men who were _⌊coming off duty on the Sabbath_⌋* with _⌊the ones going out to duty on the Sabbath_⌋,* for Jehoiada the priest did not dismiss the working groups.

¹⁸ And Jehoiada placed appointees at the house of Yahweh under the hand of the Levitical priests whom David had allotted to the house of Yahweh to offer burnt offerings to Yahweh as was written in the law of Moses, with joy and with song, according to the _⌊order of David_⌋.*

⁵ And he said to them, "Hear me, O Levites! Sanctify yourselves now, and sanctify the house of Yahweh, the God of your ancestors,* and bring out the defilement from the sanctuary. ⁶ For our ancestors* acted unfaithfully and did evil in the sight of Yahweh our God, and have forsaken him and turned away their faces from the dwelling place of Yahweh. _⌊They have turned their backs_⌋* on it. 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 And the wrath of Yahweh was upon Judah and Jerusalem. And he made them as an abhorrence, as a desolation and an object of scorn, as you see with your own eyes. ⁹ Now behold, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity on account of this. ¹⁰ Now _⌊it is in my heart_⌋* to _⌊make_⌋* a covenant with Yahweh, the God of Israel, so that his fierce anger might turn away from him. ¹¹ Now, my sons, do not be negligent, for Yahweh has chosen you to stand before him to serve him and to be his servants and incense burners."

² And Hezekiah appointed working groups of the priests and the Levites, each according to their divisions, _⌊according to the service for priests and Levites_⌋,* for burnt offerings, for peace offerings, to serve, to give thanks, and to praise in the gates of the camps of Yahweh.

¹⁸ Then they set the priests in their divisions and the Levites in their sections for the work of God in Jerusalem, as it is written in the book of Moses.

¹⁵ And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the vessels of the sanctuary when the camp sets out, the descendants* of Kohath will come after to carry these, but they must not touch the sanctuary, or they will die. These are the load of the descendants* of Kohath in the tent of assembly. ¹⁶ "Eleazar son of Aaron the priest is to supervise the oil of the light source, the incense, _⌊the regular grain offering_⌋,* the oil of anointment, the supervision of all the tabernacle and all that is in it, in the sanctuary and in its vessels." ¹⁷ Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, ¹⁸ "You must not cut off the tribe of the clan of the Kohathites* from the midst of the Levites. ¹⁹ Do this to them and they will live and not die when they come near the most holy things. Aaron and his sons will go and appoint them, each one to his task and burden. ²⁰ But they must not go and look _⌊for a moment_⌋* at the holy objects." ²¹ Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, ²² "_⌊Take a census_⌋* of the descendants* of Gershon also, according to _⌊their families_⌋* and clans, ²³ from _⌊those twenty years old_⌋* and above until _⌊fifty years old_⌋;* you will muster* them, all who come to help to do the work of the tent of assembly. ²⁴ This is the work of the clans of the Gershonites:* to serve and to carry. ²⁵ They will carry the curtains of the tabernacle and the tent of assembly and its covering and the covering of _⌊fine leather_⌋,* which _⌊is on top of it_⌋,* and the curtain of the doorway of the tent of assembly, ²⁶ and the curtains of the courtyard, and the covering for the doorway of the gate of the courtyard, which is all around on the tabernacle and altar, and their cords and all the vessels of their work; and all that is done to them they will do. ²⁷ And all the work of the descendants* of the Gershonites* will be at _⌊the command_⌋* of Aaron and his sons, for all they are to carry and for all their work, and you will appoint to them responsibility for all they are to carry. ²⁸ This is the work of the clan of the descendants* of the Gershonites* in the tent of assembly, and their responsibility lies _⌊under the direction_⌋* of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest. ²⁹ "For the descendants* of Merari according to their clans, according to _⌊their families_⌋,* you will muster* them; ³⁰ from _⌊those thirty years old_⌋* and above until _⌊fifty years old_⌋;* you will muster* them, all who come to do the work of the tent of assembly. ³¹ And this is the responsibility of _⌊those who are to carry_⌋,* all their work in the tent of assembly: the frames of the tabernacle and its bars, pillars, and bases, ³² and the pillars of the courtyard all around, and their bases, pegs, and cords, with all their vessels and for all their work. You will appoint by name the vessels that they are responsible to carry. ³³ This is the work of the clan of the descendants* of Merari, for all their work in the tent of assembly _⌊under the direction_⌋* of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest." ³⁴ And Moses and Aaron mustered the leaders of the community according to the house of _⌊their families_⌋,* ³⁵ from _⌊those thirty years old_⌋* and above until _⌊fifty years old_⌋;* everyone who comes to the service to work in the tent of assembly, ³⁶ the _⌊ones counted_⌋* were two thousand seven hundred and fifty. ³⁷ These were those counted of the clans of the Kohathites,* everyone who served in the tent of assembly whom Moses and Aaron mustered* according to _⌊the command_⌋* of Yahweh by the hand of Moses.* ³⁸ And the descendants* of Gershon counted according to their clans and according to _⌊their families_⌋,* ³⁹ from _⌊those thirty years old_⌋* and above until _⌊fifty years old_⌋,* everyone who comes to the service to work in the tent of assembly; ⁴⁰ the _⌊ones counted_⌋,* according to their clans, according to _⌊their families_⌋,* were two thousand six hundred and thirty. ⁴¹ These were those counted of the clans of the descendants* of Gershon, everyone who serves in the tent of assembly whom Moses and Aaron mustered* according to _⌊the command_⌋* of Yahweh. ⁴² Those counted of the clans of the descendants* of Merari according to their clans, according to _⌊their families_⌋,* ⁴³ from _⌊those thirty years old_⌋* and above until _⌊fifty years old_⌋,* everyone who comes to the service to work in the tent of assembly, ⁴⁴ the _⌊ones counted_⌋,* according to their clans, were three thousand two hundred. ⁴⁵ These were those counted of the clans of the descendants* of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron mustered* according to _⌊the command_⌋* of Yahweh by the hand of Moses.* ⁴⁶ All those counted of the Levites whom Moses and Aaron and all the leaders of Israel mustered* according to their clans, according to _⌊their families_⌋,* ⁴⁷ from _⌊those thirty years old_⌋* and above until _⌊fifty years old_⌋,* everyone who comes to the service to do the work of the service carrying in the tent of assembly, ⁴⁸ the _⌊ones counted_⌋* were eighty thousand five hundred and eighty. ⁴⁹ According to _⌊the command_⌋* of Yahweh by the hand of Moses* _⌊they were mustered_⌋,* each man according to his service and according to their* service and according to their* burden; and so they were counted by him just as Yahweh commanded Moses.

¹⁹ And I have given the Levites; they are given to Aaron and his sons from the midst of the _⌊Israelites_⌋* to do the work of the _⌊Israelites_⌋* in the tent of the assembly and to make atonement for the _⌊Israelites_⌋,* so a plague will not be among the _⌊Israelites_⌋* when the _⌊Israelites_⌋* come near the sanctuary."

⁹ Is it too little for you that the God of Israel set you apart from the community of Israel _⌊to allow you to approach him_⌋* to do the work of the tabernacle of Yahweh, to stand _⌊before_⌋* the community to serve them? ¹⁰ _⌊He has allowed you to approach him_⌋,* you with all your brothers, the descendants* of Levi, but yet you also seek the priesthood.

¹⁰ They taught* your regulations to Jacob, and your law to Israel; they placed incense smoke _⌊before you_⌋,* and whole burnt offerings on your altar.

²⁶ And also, the Levites do not need to carry the tabernacle and all its vessels for its service."

⁷ Then the priests brought up the ark of the covenant of Yahweh to its place in the inner sanctuary of the house, into _⌊the most holy place_⌋, underneath the wings of the cherubim.

¹¹ And Solomon brought up the daughter of Pharaoh from the city of David to the house that he had built for her, for he said, "My wife shall not dwell in the house of David, king of Israel, for those places to which the ark of Yahweh has come are holy.

⁸ and with them the Levites Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tob-Adonijah; and with them the priests Elisham and Joram. ⁹ And they taught in Judah, and the scroll of the law of Yahweh was with them when they went around in all the cities of Judah, and they taught the people.

²² And Hezekiah spoke to the heart of all the Levites _⌊who were skilled at service_⌋* to Yahweh. So they ate the feast seven days, offering peace offerings and giving thanks to Yahweh, the God of their ancestors.*

¹⁴ And when they brought out the money that had been brought to the house of Yahweh, Hilkiah the priest found a scroll of the law of Yahweh by the hand of Moses.

⁷ And Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites were teaching the people from the law* while the people were in their places. ⁸ So they read the book from the law* of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that they could understand the reading.

⁷ For the lips of the priest should guard knowledge, and they should seek instruction* from his mouth, for he is the messenger of Yahweh of hosts.

⁵ For we do not proclaim ourselves, but Christ Jesus* as Lord, and ourselves as your slaves for the sake of Jesus.

¹⁰ And from the priests: Jedaiah; Jehoiarib; Jakin; ¹¹ Azariah son of Hilkiah, son of Meshullam, son of Zadok, son of Meraioth, son of Ahitub, the commander of the house of God; ¹² Adaiah son of Jeroham, son of Pashhur, son of Malkijah; Maasai the son of Adiel, son of Jahzerah, son of Meshullam, son of Meshillemith, son of Immer; ¹³ and their kinsmen, heads of the house of their fathers, one thousand seven hundred and sixty mighty men for the work of the service of the house of God. ¹⁴ And from the Levites: Shemaiah son of Hasshub, son of Azrikam, son of Hashabiah, from the sons of Merari; ¹⁵ Bakbakkar; Heresh; Galal; Mattaniah the son of Mica, son of Zicri, son of Asaph; ¹⁶ Obadiah the son of Shemaiah, son of Galal, son of Jeduthun; and Berechiah the son of Asa, son of Elkanah, who lived in the villages of Netophathite. ¹⁷ And the gatekeepers were Shallum, Akkub, Talmon, Ahiman, and their brethren (Shallum was the chief); ¹⁸ until then they were gatekeepers at the gate of the king on the east side toward the camps of the Levites. ¹⁹ And Shallum the son of Kore, son of Ebiasaph, son of Korah, and his kinsmen of the house of his fathers, the Korahites, were over the work of the service, the guardians of the entrances to the tent, and their fathers were over the camp of Yahweh, guardians of the entrance. ²⁰ And Phinehas the son of Eleazar was the leader over them _⌊in time past_⌋;* Yahweh was with him. ²¹ Zechariah the son of Meshelemiah was gatekeeper at the doorway to the tent of assembly.* ²² All of them were chosen as gatekeepers at the entrances, two hundred and twelve. They were enrolled by genealogies in their villages. They were established by David and Samuel the seer on account of their faithfulness. ²³ So they and their sons were over the gates of the house of Yahweh at the house of the tent as guards. ²⁴ The gatekeepers were on four sides: east, west, north, and south. ²⁵ And their brethren in their villages were to come every seven days _⌊by turn_⌋* to be with these. ²⁶ For the four mighty gatekeepers, they who were Levites, _⌊were entrusted_⌋* and were over the chambers and over the storerooms of the house of God. ²⁷ And they lodged all around the house of God, for upon them was a responsibility. And _⌊they had charge of opening the house of God every morning_⌋.* ²⁸ And some of them were over the utensils of the service, for _⌊they count them_⌋* when they are brought in and _⌊they count them_⌋* when they are brought out. ²⁹ And some of them were appointed over the objects, over the objects of the sanctuary, and over the wheat flour and the wine, the olive oil, the frankincense, and the spices. ³⁰ And some of the sons of the priests mixed the fragrant ointment for the spices. ³¹ And Mattithiah, one of the Levites, was the firstborn of Shallum the Korahite and _⌊was entrusted_⌋* with the work of the pan breads. ³² And from the sons of the Kohathites, some of their kinsmen were over the _⌊showbread_⌋* to prepare it _⌊every Sabbath_⌋.* ³³ Now these were the singers; the heads of the _⌊families_⌋* of the Levites were in the chambers free from other service, for day and night they were over them on the service. ³⁴ These were the heads of the _⌊families_⌋* of the Levites according to their genealogies, leaders. These lived in Jerusalem.

¹ Now David was old and full of days. And he made Solomon his son king over Israel. ² And he assembled all the commanders of Israel and the priests and the Levites. ³ And the Levites thirty years old and above were counted, and their number according to their head count for the men was thirty-eight thousand. ⁴ Of these, David said, "Twenty-four thousand are to direct the work of the house of Yahweh, along with six thousand judges and officials, ⁵ four thousand gatekeepers, and four thousand offering praise with the instruments that I have made for praise." ⁶ And David organized them in divisions according to the sons of Levi: to Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. ⁷ For the Gershonites were Ladan and Shimei. ⁸ The sons of Ladan: Jehiel the chief and Zetham and Joel, three. ⁹ The sons of Shimei: Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran, three. These were the heads of the _⌊families_⌋* of Ladan. ¹⁰ And the sons of Shimei: Jahath, Zina, Jeush, and Beriah; these four were the sons of Shimei. ¹¹ And Jahath was the chief, and Zizah the second, but Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons. They were enrolled as one for the house of a father. ¹² The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, four. ¹³ The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses. And Aaron was set apart to consecrate the most holy things. He and his sons were to burn offerings forever before Yahweh to serve him and to bless in his name forever. ¹⁴ But Moses the man of God and his sons were reckoned among the tribe of Levi. ¹⁵ The sons of Moses: Gershom and Eliezer. ¹⁶ The sons of Gershom: Shebuel the chief. ¹⁷ And the sons of Eliezer were Rehabiah, the head. And Eliezer had no other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were very many. ¹⁸ The sons of Izhar: Shelomith the chief. ¹⁹ The sons of Hebron: Jeriah the chief, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth. ²⁰ The sons of Uzziel: Micah the chief and Isshiah the second. ²¹ The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli: Eleazar and Kish. ²² And Eleazar died, and he did not have sons, but only daughters. And the sons of Kish, their relatives, married them. ²³ The sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth, three. ²⁴ These were the sons of Levi according to the house of their fathers, the heads of the _⌊families_⌋,* according to their enrollment, by the number of the names, according to their head count, who were to do the work of the service of the house of Yahweh, from twenty years old and above. ²⁵ For David said, "Yahweh, the God of Israel, has given rest to his people, and he dwells in Jerusalem forever. ²⁶ And also, the Levites do not need to carry the tabernacle and all its vessels for its service."

¹ And as for the sons of Aaron, these were their divisions. The sons of Aaron were Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.

¹⁴ And in accord with the ordinance of David his father he appointed working groups of priests for their service, Levites for their responsibilities for praise and cultic service before the priests _⌊according to the daily requirement_⌋,* and the gatekeepers in their working groups, gate by gate. For thus David the man of God had commanded.

¹⁰ From the priests: Jedaiah son of Jehoiarib, Jakin, ¹¹ Seraiah son of Hilkiah, son of Meshullam, son of Zadok, son of Meraioth, son of Ahitub—the leader of the house of God— ¹² and their brothers who did the work of the house, eight hundred and twenty-two. And Adaiah son of Jeroham, son of Pelaliah, son of Amzi, son of Zechariah, son of Pashhur, son of Malkijah, ¹³ and his brothers, heads of the _⌊families_⌋,* two hundred and forty-two. And Amashai son of Azarel, son of Ahzai, son of Meshillemoth, son of Immer, ¹⁴ and their brothers; mighty warriors of strength, one hundred and twenty-eight. The chief officer over them was Zabdiel son of Hagedolim. ¹⁵ Now from the Levites: Shemaiah son of Hasshub, son of Azrikam, son of Hashabiah, son of Bunni; ¹⁶ and Shabbethai and Jehozabad, leaders over the work of the Levites outside of the house of God; ¹⁷ Mattaniah son of Micah, son of Zabdi, son* of Asaph, who was the leader to begin the thanksgiving prayer, and Bakbukiah the second of his brothers; Abda son of Shammua, son of Galal, son of Jeduthun. ¹⁸ All of the Levites in the holy city were two hundred and eighty-four. ¹⁹ The gatekeepers: Akkub, Talmon, and their brothers, the keepers of the gates, one hundred and seventy-two. ²⁰ And the remainder of Israel, the priests and the Levites, in all of the cities of Judah, each in his inheritance.

¹ A song of ascents.*
Look, bless Yahweh, all you the servants of Yahweh, who _⌊serve_⌋* in the house* of Yahweh by night.

² who stand in the house* of Yahweh, in the courts of the house* of our God.

² Then Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, "Get rid of the foreign gods that are in your midst and purify yourselves and change your garments.

²¹ And Moses called all the elders of Israel, and he said to them, "Select and take for yourselves sheep for your clans and slaughter the Passover sacrifice. ²² And take a bunch of hyssop and dip it into the blood that is in the basin and apply some of the blood that is in the basin to the lintel and the two doorposts. And you will not go out, anyone from the doorway of his house, until morning.

¹⁰ And Yahweh said to Moses, "Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. They must wash their clothes,

¹⁵ And he said to the people, "Be ready _⌊for the third day_⌋.* Do not go near to a woman."

¹¹ " 'The one who touches a corpse of _⌊any person_⌋* will be unclean for seven days. ¹² He will purify himself on the third day, and on the seventh day he will be clean. If he does not purify himself on the third day, he will not be clean on the seventh day. ¹³ Anyone who touches a corpse, the person of a human being who died, and does not purify himself, defiles the tabernacle of Yahweh, and that person will be cut off from Israel because the waters of impurity were not sprinkled on him. He will still be unclean, and uncleanness is on him. ¹⁴ " 'This is the law of a person who dies in a tent: everyone who comes into the tent and all who are in the tent will be unclean seven days. ¹⁵ Every container that is opened that does not have a lid cord* on it is unclean. ¹⁶ Anyone _⌊in the open field_⌋* who touches _⌊one who has been slain_⌋,* or a corpse, or a bone of a person, or a burial site, he will be unclean for seven days. ¹⁷ For the unclean person they will take* from the powder of the _⌊burnt purification offering_⌋,* and they will put* running water into a container. ¹⁸ A clean person will take hyssop and dip it into the water and sprinkle it on the tent and on all the objects and persons who were there, and on one who touched the bone, or the one slain, or the dead, or the burial site. ¹⁹ The clean person will spatter the unclean on the third day and on the seventh day; and on the seventh day he will purify him, and he will wash his garments; he will bathe in the waters, and in the evening he will be clean. ²⁰ But the man who is unclean and does not purify himself, that person will be cut off from the midst of the assembly because he defiled the sanctuary of Yahweh; the water of impurity was not sprinkled on him; he is unclean.

⁵ And he said to them, "Hear me, O Levites! Sanctify yourselves now, and sanctify the house of Yahweh, the God of your ancestors,* and bring out the defilement from the sanctuary.

¹⁵ and they gathered their brothers and sanctified themselves, and they went in according to the command of the king because of the words of Yahweh, to purify the house of Yahweh.

³⁴ But the priests were too few, and they were not able to offer all the burnt offerings, so their brothers, the Levites, strengthened them to finish the work, and until the rest of the priests consecrated themselves. (For the Levites were _⌊more conscientious_⌋* to sanctify themselves than the priests.)

³ but they were not able to make it at that time, for the priests had not consecrated themselves _⌊in sufficient numbers_⌋,* and the people had not been assembled in Jerusalem—

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 Yahweh. ¹⁶ Then they stood at their positions according to custom, according to the law of Moses the man of God. The priests were sprinkling the blood from the hand of the Levites. ¹⁷ For there were many in the assembly who did not consecrate themselves, so the Levites were over the killing of the Passover sacrifices for all who were not clean, to consecrate them to Yahweh. ¹⁸ For a majority of the people, many from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves. But they ate the Passover sacrifice _⌊otherwise than prescribed_⌋,* but Hezekiah had prayed for them, saying, "May the good Yahweh make atonement unto ¹⁹ everyone whose heart is set to seek God, Yahweh the God of his ancestors,* though not according to the cleansing for the sanctuary."

²⁰ For the priests and Levites together had consecrated themselves; all of them were clean. And they slaughtered the Passover sacrifice for all of the returned exiles, for their brothers the priests, and for themselves. ²¹ The _⌊Israelites_⌋* who returned from the exile and all those who separated themselves from the uncleanness of the nations of the earth to seek Yahweh the God of Israel, ate.

⁵ _⌊Then when_⌋* the days of the feast had run their course, _⌊Job would send_⌋,* and he would sanctify them. Thus* he would arise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of all of them, because Job thought,* "Perhaps my children have sinned and _⌊cursed_⌋* God in their heart." This is what Job used to do _⌊all the time_⌋.*

⁷ Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean. Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

¹⁶ gather the people, consecrate the assembly; assemble the elders, gather the children, even those who are breast-feeding; let the bridegroom come out from his private room, and the bride from her canopy.

¹³ For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow sprinkled on those who are defiled sanctify them for the ritual purity of the flesh, ¹⁴ how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works to serve the living God?

⁶³ Solomon sacrificed the fellowship offerings which he offered to Yahweh: twenty-two thousand oxen and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep; and the king and all of the _⌊Israelites_⌋* dedicated the house of Yahweh.

³ And moreover, with respect to my provisions for the house of my God I have a treasure of gold and silver that I have given to the house of my God above all that I have provided for the holy house:

⁸ And Solomon held* a feast at that time of seven days. And all Israel was with him, a very great assembly, from Lebo-Hamath to the river of Egypt. ⁹ And on the eighth day they made a solemn assembly, for they held* the dedication of the altar seven days and the feast seven days. ¹⁰ And on the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people away to their tents rejoicing and festive of heart on account of the goodness that Yahweh had done for David, Solomon, and Israel his people.

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.

³ And the gift of the king was out of his own possessions for the burnt offerings—the burnt offerings for the morning and the evening and for Sabbaths, new moon festivals, and appointed feasts, as is written in the law of Yahweh.

⁸ But* the nobleman plans noble things, and he stands upon noble things.

¹⁷ "But on the prince shall be the responsibility for the burnt offerings, and the grain offering, and the libation at the feasts, and at the New Moon festivals, and at* the Sabbaths at all of the assemblies of the house of Israel; he shall provide the sin offering, and the grain offering, and the burnt offering, and the fellowship offering to make atonement for the house of Israel.

²⁰ And Phinehas the son of Eleazar was the leader over them _⌊in time past_⌋;* Yahweh was with him.

⁴ And more sons of Eleazar were found as heads of the men than the sons of Ithamar, so they divided them to the sons of Eleazar to be sixteen heads over the house of the fathers, and to the sons of Ithamar over the house of the fathers were eight heads. ⁵ They divided them by lot _⌊all alike_⌋,* for they were commanders of the sanctuary and commanders of God from among the sons of Eleazar and the sons of Ithamar.

⁶ Then the commanders of the _⌊families_⌋,* the commanders of the tribes of Israel, and the commanders of thousands and hundreds, and the commanders of the work of the king offered themselves willingly. ⁷ And they gave for the service of the house of God five thousand talents and ten thousand darics of gold, ten thousand talents of silver, eighteen thousand talents of bronze, and one hundred thousand talents of iron. ⁸ And whoever had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of Yahweh under the authority* of Jehiel the Gershonite. ⁹ And the people rejoiced over their freewill offering, for with a whole heart they had willingly offered to Yahweh, and King David also rejoiced with great joy.

¹⁷ And I know, my God, that you yourself test the heart and are pleased with uprightness. I, in the uprightness of my heart, have willingly offered all these things, and now I have seen your people who are found here willingly offer to you.

³¹ Then Hezekiah answered and said, "Now _⌊you have consecrated yourselves_⌋* to Yahweh. Come near and bring sacrifices and thank offerings to the house of Yahweh!" And the assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and all who were willing in heart brought burnt offerings. ³² And the number of burnt offerings that the assembly brought was seventy cattle, one hundred rams, two hundred lambs—all these were to offer to Yahweh. ³³ And the consecrated offerings of cattle were six hundred cattle and three thousand sheep.

¹⁴ And when they brought out the money that had been brought to the house of Yahweh, Hilkiah the priest found a scroll of the law of Yahweh by the hand of Moses. ¹⁵ And Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the scribe, "I have found a scroll of the law in the house of Yahweh!" Then Hilkiah gave the scroll to Shaphan. ¹⁶ And Shaphan brought the scroll to the king and _⌊also informed_⌋* the king, saying, "All that was put into the hand of your servants they are doing. ¹⁷ They have dispensed* the money which was found in the house of Yahweh and have put it into the hand of the overseers and those doing the work." ¹⁸ Then Shaphan the scribe reported to the king, "Hilkiah the priest gave to me a scroll." Then Shaphan read from it before the king. ¹⁹ And when the king heard the words of the law, he tore his garments, ²⁰ and the king commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Abdon the son of Micah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the servant of the king, saying,

⁶ And all of their neighbors _⌊helped them_⌋* with objects of silver, gold, possessions, domestic animals, and with valuable gifts—besides all of the freewill offering.

⁶⁸ When some of the heads of _⌊families_⌋* came to the house of Yahweh that is in Jerusalem, they gave freewill offerings for the house of God to erect it on its place. ⁶⁹ According to their ability they gave to the treasury room for the work sixty-one thousand darics of gold, five thousand minas of silver, and one hundred priestly tunics.

¹⁶ and all of the silver and gold that you will find in the whole province of Babylonia, with the freewill offerings of the people and the priests giving willingly for the house of their God in Jerusalem.

²⁵ Then I weighed out to them silver and gold and the vessels, the offering of the house of our God that the king, his counselors, his commanders, and all of Israel who was present offered. ²⁶ I weighed out into their hand six hundred and fifty talents of silver, one hundred vessels of silver, one hundred talents of gold, ²⁷ twenty gold bowls worth one thousand darics, and two vessels of good polished bronze as precious as gold. ²⁸ And I said to them, "You are holy to Yahweh and the vessels are holy. The silver and gold are a freewill offering to Yahweh, God of your ancestors.* ²⁹ Guard and look after them until you weigh them before the chief priests, the Levites, and the heads of the _⌊families_⌋* of Israel in Jerusalem, in the chamber of the house of Yahweh." ³⁰ So the priests and Levites took over the weighed silver, gold, and the vessels to bring to Jerusalem for the house of our God. ³¹ On the twelfth day of the first month we set out from the river of Ahava to go to Jerusalem. The hand of our God was on us and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy and from ambushing on the way. ³² We came to Jerusalem and remained there three days. ³³ On the fourth day, the silver, gold, and vessels were weighed in the house of our God into the hand of priest Meremoth, the son of Uriah, and with him Eleazar son of Phinehas. With them were the Levites, Jehozabad son of Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui. ³⁴ The amount and weight of all the weighed items was recorded at that time. ³⁵ The exiles that returned from captivity offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel; twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, and twelve goats as a sin offering. All was a burnt offering to Yahweh.

⁷⁰ Now some from the heads of the _⌊families_⌋* gave to the work. The governor gave to the storehouse one thousand darics of gold, fifty basins, and five hundred and thirty priestly tunics. ⁷¹ Now some of the heads of the _⌊families_⌋* gave to the storehouse of the work twenty thousand gold darics and two thousand two hundred silver minas. ⁷² And what the rest of the people gave was twenty thousand darics of gold, and two thousand silver minas, and sixty-seven priestly tunics.

¹² Even the daughter of Tyre will come with a gift. The rich from among people will seek your _⌊favor_⌋.*

²⁵ "Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, _⌊saying_⌋,* 'Because you yourself sent a letter* in your name to all the people who are in Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah, the son of Maaseiah, the priest, and to all the priests, _⌊saying_⌋,* ²⁶ "Yahweh made you priest instead of Jehoiada the priest, so that there are overseers in the house of Yahweh over any mad man who exhibits the behavior of a prophet, and you must put him into the stocks and into the neck iron,

⁴⁴ And all who believed were in the same place, and had everything in common. ⁴⁵ And they began selling* their* possessions and property, and distributing these things to all, to the degree that anyone had need.

¹ And while* they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees approached them,

³⁴ For there was not even anyone needy among them, because all those who were owners of plots of land or houses were selling them* and* bringing the proceeds of the things that were sold ³⁵ and placing them* at the feet of the apostles. And it was being distributed to each as anyone had need.

²⁶ Then the captain went with the officers and* brought them, not with force (for they were afraid of the people, lest they be stoned by them).*

¹² For if the eagerness is present _⌊according to what one has_⌋*, it is acceptable not _⌊according to what one does not have_⌋*.

⁷ Each one should give as he has decided in his heart, not _⌊reluctantly_⌋* or from compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

¹² Then they brought the offerings and tithes and holy objects faithfully. And over them as leader was Conaniah the Levite. And Shimei his brother was second in rank.

¹⁰ Hear the word of Yahweh, rulers of Sodom! Listen to the teaching of our God, people of Gomorrah! ¹¹ What is the abundance of your sacrifices to me? says Yahweh. I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fattened animals and I do not delight in the blood of bulls and ram-lambs and goats. ¹² When you come to appear before me, who asked for this from your hand: you trampling my courts? ¹³ You must not _⌊continue_⌋* to bring offerings* of futility, incense—it is an abomination to me; new moon and Sabbath, the calling of a convocation— I cannot endure iniquity with solemn assembly. ¹⁴ Your new moons and your appointed festivals my soul hates; they have become to me like a burden, I am not able to bear them. ¹⁵ And when you stretch out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers,* I will not be listening. Your hands are full of blood.

¹⁰ Yet even in all this her treacherous sister Judah did not return to me with all her heart, _⌊but only_⌋* in pretense,"* _⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh.

²¹ Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, "Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices, and eat the flesh. ²² For I did not speak with your ancestors,* nor did I command them in the day of bringing them out from the land of Egypt, concerning the matter of burnt offering and sacrifice. ²³ But I only commanded them this word, _⌊saying_⌋,* 'Obey my voice, and I will be to you God, and you will be to me people, and you must walk in all of the way that I command you, so that it goes well with you.' ²⁴ Yet they did not obey, and they did not incline their ear, but they walked in their own plans, in the stubbornness of their evil heart, and _⌊they became worse instead of better_⌋.* ²⁵ From the day that your ancestors* came out from the land of Egypt until this day I have sent to you all my servants the prophets, day after day, _⌊sending again and again_⌋.* ²⁶ Yet they have not listened to me and they have not inclined their ear, but they have hardened their neck, they did more evil than their ancestors.* ²⁷ So you shall speak to them all these words, but they will not listen to you, and you shall call to them, but they will not answer you. ²⁸ "And you shall say to them, 'This is the nation that has not obeyed the voice of Yahweh their God, and they have not accepted discipline. The truth has perished, and it is cut off from their mouths.*

⁶ With what shall I approach Yahweh, and bow down to God on high? Shall I approach him with burnt offerings, with bull calves a year old? ⁷ Will Yahweh be pleased with thousands of rams, with myriads of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? ⁸ He has told you, O mortal, what is good, and what does Yahweh ask from you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

¹⁶ Then they stood at their positions according to custom, according to the law of Moses the man of God. The priests were sprinkling the blood from the hand of the Levites.

⁴ And prepare yourselves according to _⌊your families_⌋,* according to your working groups, according to the decree* of David king of Israel and according to the decree* of Solomon his son. ⁵ And stand in the sanctuary according to the clans of _⌊your families_⌋* for your brothers, the _⌊lay people_⌋,* and a part of the _⌊family_⌋* of the Levites.

⁵ He* must slaughter _⌊the young bull_⌋* _⌊before_⌋* Yahweh, then* Aaron's sons, the priests, will present the blood and sprinkle the blood all around the altar that is at the door of the tent of assembly. ⁶ Then* he must remove the skin of the burnt offering and cut it into its pieces.

³ They will keep your responsibility and the responsibility of all the tent, only they may not come near the vessels of the sanctuary and the altar, so both you and they will not die.

⁷ But you with your sons will keep your priesthood to perform your priestly duties for everything at the altar* and for _⌊the area behind the curtain_⌋.* I give you the priesthood as a gift, but the stranger who approaches will be put to death."

²² And they slaughtered the cattle, and the priests received the blood and threw it toward the altar. Then they slaughtered the rams and threw the blood toward the altar, and then they slaughtered the lambs and threw the blood toward the altar. ²³ Then they brought the goats of the sin offering before the king and the assembly, and they laid hands upon them. ²⁴ And the priest killed them and offered their blood against the altar to make atonement for all Israel, for the king had commanded the burnt offering and the sin offering for all Israel.

²¹ And likewise he sprinkled both the tabernacle and all the utensils of service with the blood. ²² Indeed, nearly everything is purified with blood according to the law, and apart from the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

³ He shall present* from the sacrifice of the fellowship offering an offering made by fire for Yahweh consisting of* the fat covering the inner parts* and all the fat that is on the inner parts,*

⁵ Aaron's sons shall turn it to smoke on the altar in addition to the burnt offering that is on the wood, which is on the fire; it is an offering made by fire as an appeasing fragrance for Yahweh.

⁹ He shall present* from the sacrifice of the fellowship offering an offering made by fire for Yahweh: he must remove its fat, the entire fat tail near the tailbone, and the fat covering the inner parts* and all the fat that is on the inner parts,* ¹⁰ the two kidneys,* and the fat that is on them, which is on the loins, and he must remove the lobe on the liver in addition to the kidneys. ¹¹ The priest* shall turn it into smoke on the altar as a food offering made by fire for Yahweh.

¹⁴ He shall present* his offering from it as an offering made by fire for Yahweh: the fat covering the inner parts* and all the fat that is on the inner parts,* ¹⁵ the two kidneys,* and the fat that is on them, which is on the loins, and he must remove the lobe on the liver in addition to the kidneys. ¹⁶ The priest* shall turn them into smoke on the altar as a food offering;* all the fat is an offering made by fire as an appeasing fragrance for Yahweh.

⁸ And they will eat the meat on this night; they will eat it fire-roasted and with unleavened bread on _⌊bitter herbs_⌋.* ⁹ You must not eat any of it raw or boiled, boiled in the water, but rather roasted with fire, its head with its legs and with its inner parts.

²⁸ And a clay vessel in which it was boiled must be broken, but* if it was boiled in a bronze vessel, then* it shall be thoroughly scoured and rinsed with water.

¹⁹ The priest will take the shoulder from the ram that is boiled, and one ring-shaped bread cake of unleavened bread from the basket, and one wafer of unleavened bread, and he will put them on the hands of the Nazirite after he has shaved _⌊his consecrated head_⌋.*

⁷ And you shall cook, and you shall eat it at the place that Yahweh your God will choose; and you may turn in the morning and go to your tents.

¹³ And the custom of the priests with the people was this: When any man _⌊brought a sacrifice_⌋,* as the meat was boiling, the servant of the priest would take a three-pronged meat fork in his hand ¹⁴ and would thrust it into the pan or into the kettle or into the cauldron or into the cooking pot. All that the meat fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This is what they used to do to all of the Israelites who came there at Shiloh. ¹⁵ Also, before they _⌊offered up_⌋* the fat as a burnt offering, the servant of the priest would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, "Give the priest meat for roasting, for he will not take boiled meat from you, but only _⌊raw_⌋."*

¹⁴ I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax; it is melted _⌊within me_⌋.*

¹² Is it nothing to you, _⌊all who pass by_⌋?* Look and see if there is sorrow like my sorrow,* which was dealt to me, which Yahweh inflicted on the _⌊day of his wrath_⌋.* ¹³ From heaven he sent fire, into my bones he let it descend. He spread out a net for my feet; he turned me back, he gave me devastation, fainting all day.

¹¹ not lagging in diligence, being enthusiastic in spirit, serving the Lord,

² So the twelve summoned the community of disciples and* said, "It is not desirable that we neglect the word of God to serve tables. ³ So, brothers, select from among you seven men _⌊of good reputation_⌋,* full of the Spirit and wisdom, whom we will put in charge of this need. ⁴ But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word."

¹⁷ And the gatekeepers were Shallum, Akkub, Talmon, Ahiman, and their brethren (Shallum was the chief); ¹⁸ until then they were gatekeepers at the gate of the king on the east side toward the camps of the Levites. ¹⁹ And Shallum the son of Kore, son of Ebiasaph, son of Korah, and his kinsmen of the house of his fathers, the Korahites, were over the work of the service, the guardians of the entrances to the tent, and their fathers were over the camp of Yahweh, guardians of the entrance.

⁴¹ And with them were Heman and Jeduthun and the remainder of those chosen, who were designated by name to give thanks to Yahweh, for his loyal love is everlasting. ⁴² And Heman and Jeduthun with them had trumpets and cymbals for making music, along with instruments for the song of God. And the sons of Jeduthun were at the gate.

⁵ four thousand gatekeepers, and four thousand offering praise with the instruments that I have made for praise."

¹ And David and the commanders of the army set apart for the service the sons of Asaph, of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who prophesied with stringed instruments, with harps, and with cymbals. And their inventory of the men of the work and for their duty was: ² for the sons of Asaph: Zakkur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asarelah, sons of Asaph, under the hand* of Asaph, who prophesied under the hands* of the king. ³ Of Jeduthun, the sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah,* Heshabiah, and Mattithiah, six, under the hands* of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied with the stringed instrument with thanksgiving and praise to Yahweh. ⁴ Of Heman, the sons of Heman: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel and Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti and Romamti-ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, Mahazioth. ⁵ All these were sons to Heman, the seer of the king, according to the words of God to raise a horn.* And God had given to Heman fourteen sons and three daughters. ⁶ All these were under the _⌊direction_⌋* of their father in the music of the house of Yahweh, with cymbals, harps, and stringed instruments for the service of the house of God. Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman were under the _⌊direction_⌋* of the king. ⁷ And their number, along with their brothers, trained singers, all the skilled people for Yahweh, were two hundred and eighty-eight.

¹² These working groups of gatekeepers, corresponding to the chief men, had responsibilities like their brothers to serve in the house of Yahweh. ¹³ And they cast lots, small and great alike, by their fathers' houses, _⌊for their gates_⌋.* ¹⁴ And the lot fell to the east to Shelemiah. As for Zechariah his son, _⌊a wise counselor_⌋,* they cast lots. And his lot came out for the north. ¹⁵ To Obed-Edom went out the south, and to his sons, the storehouses. ¹⁶ For Shuppim and Hosah it went out for the west, at the gate of Shalleketh, on the road that goes up, guard for guard. ¹⁷ To the east, six Levites; to the north, four daily; to the south, four daily; and at the storerooms, two by two. ¹⁸ For the court to the west, four at the road, two at the court. ¹⁹ These were the working groups of the gatekeepers among the sons of the Korahites and among the sons of Merari.

²⁵ And he stood the Levites in the house of Yahweh with cymbals, harps, and lyres, according to the command of David and Gad, the seer of the king, and Nathan the prophet, for the command was by the hand of Yahweh by the hand of his prophets. ²⁶ When the Levites stood with the objects of David and the priests with the trumpets,

¹ For the music director, on Jeduthun.* Of Asaph. A psalm.*
I cry out with my voice to God; with my voice to God, that he may hear me.

¹ A maskil of Asaph.*
Listen, O my people, to my teaching. Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

¹ A psalm of Asaph.*
O God, the nations have entered your inheritance; they have defiled your holy temple; they have reduced Jerusalem to ruins.

¹⁵ You will eat unleavened bread for seven days. Surely on the first day you shall remove yeast from your houses, because anyone who eats food with yeast from the first day until the seventh day—that person will be cut off from Israel. ¹⁶ It will be for you on the first day a holy assembly* and on the seventh day a holy assembly;* no work will be done on them; only what is eaten by every person, it alone will be prepared for you. ¹⁷ "And you will keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because on this very day I brought out your divisions from the land of Egypt, and you will keep this day for your generations as a lasting statute. ¹⁸ On the first day, on the fourteenth day of the month, in the evening, you will eat unleavened bread until the evening of the twenty-first day of the month. ¹⁹ For seven days yeast must not be found in your houses, because _⌊anyone eating food with yeast_⌋* will be cut off from the community of Israel—whether an alien or a native of the land. ²⁰ You will eat no food with yeast; in all of your dwellings you will eat unleavened bread."

⁶ Seven days you will eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day will be a feast for Yahweh. ⁷ Unleavened bread will be eaten the seven days; food with yeast will not be seen for you; and yeast will not be seen for you in all your territory.

¹⁵ You will keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days you will eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you at the appointed time, the month of Abib, because in it you came out from Egypt, and _⌊no one will_⌋* appear before me empty-handed.

¹⁸ "You will keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Seven days you will eat unleavened bread, which I commanded you, at the appointed time of the month of Abib, for in the month of Abib you came out from Egypt.

⁵ In the first month, on the fourteenth of the month at the evening is Yahweh's Passover. ⁶ And on the fifteenth day of this month is Yahweh's Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. ⁷ On the first day there shall be a holy assembly for you; you shall not do _⌊any regular work_⌋.* ⁸ And you shall present an offering for Yahweh made by fire for seven days; on the seventh day there shall be a holy assembly; you shall not do _⌊any regular work_⌋.'"*

¹⁶ " 'On the fourteenth day of the first month is the Passover for Yahweh. ¹⁷ On the fifteenth day of this month is a religious feast, unleavened bread must be eaten for seven days. ¹⁸ On the first day there will be a holy convocation; _⌊you will not do any regular work_⌋.* ¹⁹ You will present an offering by fire, a burnt offering for Yahweh: two bulls and one ram and seven male lambs _⌊in their first year_⌋;* they will be for you without defect. ²⁰ For their grain offering, you will offer finely milled flour mixed with oil: three-tenths for the bull and two-tenths for the ram. ²¹ You will offer a tenth for each of the seven male lambs; ²² and a goat for one sin offering to make atonement for you. ²³ You will offer these besides the burnt offering of the morning, which is for the continual burnt offering. ²⁴ Like this you will offer daily, for seven days, the food of the offering made by fire, a fragrance of appeasement for Yahweh; it will be offered in addition to the continual burnt offering and its libation. ²⁵ On the seventh day you will have a holy convocation; _⌊you will not do any regular work_⌋.*

³ You shall not eat _⌊with it_⌋* anything leavened; seven days you shall eat _⌊with it_⌋* unleavened bread of affliction, because in haste you went out from the land of Egypt, so that you will remember the day of your going out from the land of Egypt all the days of your life. ⁴ And leaven shall not be seen with* you in any of your territory* for seven days, and none of the meat that you will slaughter on the evening on the first day shall remain overnight until morning.

⁸ Six days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be an assembly for Yahweh your God; you shall not do work.

²¹ And the _⌊Israelites_⌋* who were found in Jerusalem kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with great joy. And the Levites and the priests were offering praise to Yahweh day by day, with powerful instruments to Yahweh. ²² And Hezekiah spoke to the heart of all the Levites _⌊who were skilled at service_⌋* to Yahweh. So they ate the feast seven days, offering peace offerings and giving thanks to Yahweh, the God of their ancestors.* ²³ Then the whole assembly decided to make seven more days of feasting, so they made seven more days with joy,

⁷ Clean out the old leaven in order that you may be a new batch of dough, just as you are unleavened. For Christ our Passover has been sacrificed. ⁸ So then, let us celebrate the feast, not with the old leaven or with the leaven of wickedness and sinfulness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

⁵ So they let the decree stand, _⌊to make a proclamation_⌋* throughout all Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, to come to make a Passover feast to Yahweh the God of Israel.

²⁹ In his days, Pharaoh Neco, king of Egypt, went up against the king of Assyria at the Euphrates River. King Josiah went to meet him, and he* killed him at Megiddo as soon as he saw him. ³⁰ So his servants drove him dead in a chariot from Megiddo, and they brought him to Jerusalem and buried him in his tomb. Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah and anointed him and made him king in place of his father.

⁹ Is not Calno like Carchemish? Is not Hamath like Arpad? Is not Samaria like Damascus?

² Concerning Egypt: Concerning the army of Pharaoh Neco, the king of Egypt, which was by the Euphrates River at Carchemish, which Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon defeated in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, the king of Judah. ³ "Prepare small shield and shield, and approach for the battle! ⁴ Harness the horses and mount the steeds! And take your stand with helmets! Polish the spears! Put on the body armor! ⁵ Why do I see them terrified? They are turning back and their warriors are beaten down. And they have fled to a place of refuge and they do not turn back. Terror is from all around," _⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh. ⁶ The swift cannot flee, and the warrior cannot escape. They have stumbled and they have fallen, by the bank of the Euphrates River. ⁷ Who is this that rises like the Nile, like the rivers whose waters surge? ⁸ Egypt rises like the Nile, even like the rivers whose waters surge. And he says, "Let me rise, let me cover the earth, let me destroy cities, and the inhabitants in them." ⁹ Go up, O horses, and drive madly, O chariots,* and let the warriors go forth; Cush and Put, who wield the small shield, and Lud, who wield and bend the bow. ¹⁰ For that day is to the Lord Yahweh of hosts a day of retribution, to take revenge on his foes. And the sword will devour and be satisfied, and it will drink its fill of their blood, for a sacrifice is for the Lord Yahweh of hosts in the land of the north by the Euphrates River. ¹¹ Go up to Gilead and take balm, O virgin of the daughter of Egypt. _⌊In vain_⌋* you make use of many medicines; there is no healing for you. ¹² The nations have heard your shame, and your cry of lament fills the earth. For warrior has stumbled against warrior, together they have fallen, the two of them.

¹⁰ The king said, "_⌊What do we have in common_⌋,* sons of Zeruiah? If* he curses because Yahweh has said to him 'Curse David,' who can say, "Why have you done this?"

²⁵ Have I now come up against this place without Yahweh to destroy it? Yahweh has said to me, 'Go up against this land and destroy it!'" '"

¹⁹ Look, you say that you have struck Edom, and your heart has lifted you up to boast. Now remain at your home. Why stir up disaster that you fall, you and Judah with you?"

¹⁰ And now was it without Yahweh that I have come up against this land to destroy it? Yahweh said to me, "Go up against this land and destroy it!" '"

²⁹ And behold, they cried out, saying, "_⌊What do you have to do with us_⌋,* Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?"*

⁴ And Jesus said to her, "What _⌊does your concern have to do with me_⌋,* woman? My hour has not yet come."

¹⁴ So the leaders* took from their provisions, but _⌊they did not ask direction from Yahweh_⌋.*

¹⁹ "The kings came, they fought; then the kings of Canaan fought; at Taanach by the waters of Megiddo, they got no plunder in silver.

² Jeroboam said to his wife, "Please get up and disguise yourself so that they will not know that you are the wife of Jeroboam, and go to Shiloh. Look, Ahijah the prophet is there, and he spoke concerning me before I became king over this people.

³⁰ Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "I will disguise myself and go into the battle, but you wear your robes." So the king of Israel disguised himself, and he went into the battle.

³⁴ But another man drew his bow fully and struck the king of Israel between the armor scales and the breastplate; so he said to his chariot driver, "Turn _⌊the chariot_⌋* and bring me out from the camp, for I am wounded."

²⁷ When Ahaziah king of Judah saw, he fled the way of Beth-Haggen. Jehu pursued after him and said, "Shoot him also, in the chariot." They shot him at the ascent of Gur which is in Ibleam, and he fled to Megiddo, but he died there.

³⁰ So his servants drove him dead in a chariot from Megiddo, and they brought him to Jerusalem and buried him in his tomb. Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah and anointed him and made him king in place of his father.

⁴ Then Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "Seek _⌊first of all_⌋* the word of Yahweh." ⁵ Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets, four hundred men. And he said to them, "Shall we go to Ramoth-Gilead to battle, or shall we cease?" And they said, "Go up, since God will give it into the hand of the king." ⁶ Then Jehoshaphat said, "Is there not here another prophet of Yahweh that we might inquire of him?"

²⁹ And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you, wear your garments." So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went to war.

²¹ And he* sent messengers to him, saying, "_⌊What is there between us_⌋,* O king of Judah? I am not against you yourself this day, but against the house making war against me. And God has commanded me to make haste. Stop opposing God, who is with me that he will not destroy you."

¹¹ On that day the wailing will be great in Jerusalem, like the wailing for Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.

¹⁶ And he gathered them to the place called in Hebrew Armageddon.

²³ _⌊The archers_⌋* fiercely attacked him. They shot arrows at him and were hostile to him.

²⁹ Joram the king returned to Jezreel to heal from the wounds which the Arameans had inflicted at Ramah when Hazael king of Aram fought him. Ahaziah the son of Joram, king of Judah, went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, for he was ill.

²⁴ Then Jehu _⌊drew his bow_⌋* and shot Joram between his shoulders so that the arrow went out from his heart, and he slumped down in his chariot.

³³ Now a certain man drew the bow _⌊at random_⌋* and struck the king of Israel between the soldering of his breastplate armor. Then he said to the chariot driver, "_⌊Turn around_⌋;* get me away from the war camp, for I am wounded."

¹³ He shot _⌊the arrows of his quiver_⌋* into my kidneys.

⁴³ And he had him ride in his second chariot. And they cried out before him, "Kneel!" And Pharaoh set him over all the land of Egypt.

²⁸ 'Behold, I will gather you to your ancestors,* and you will be gathered to your grave in peace. Your eyes will not see any of the disaster that I am bringing upon this place.'" '"

⁶ Your righteousness is _⌊like the mighty mountains_⌋,* your judgments like the great deep. You save man and beast, O Yahweh.

¹⁴ There is a vanity that happens on earth: sometimes the righteous suffer what the wicked deserve, and sometimes the wicked receive what the righteous deserve. I said, "This also is vanity!"

¹ So all this I laid to my heart, and I concluded* that the righteous and the wise, as well as their deeds, are in the hand of God. So no one knows anything that will come to them, whether it will be love or hatred. ² The same fate comes to everyone:
to the righteous and to the wicked, to the good and to the wicked,* to the clean and to the unclean, to those who sacrifice and to those who do not sacrifice. As with the good man, so also to the sinner; as with those who swear an oath, so also those who fear oaths.

⁸ Let those who curse the day curse it, those who are skilled at rousing Leviathan.

⁵ They are afraid of heights, and terrors are on the road. The almond tree blossoms, and the grasshopper draws itself along, and desire fails because man goes to his eternal home, and the mourners go about in the streets.

¹⁷ Thus says Yahweh of hosts:
"Consider closely, and call for the wailing women, so that they come, and for the skillful women, so that they come. ¹⁸ And let them hasten, and let them lift up wailing over us, so that our eyes may melt with tears, and our eyelids may flow with water. ¹⁹ For a sound of wailing is heard from Zion, 'How we are devastated! We are very ashamed because we have left the land, because they have overthrown our dwelling places.' ²⁰ For hear, O women, the word of Yahweh, and let your ear receive the word of his mouth, and teach your daughters a lamentation, and each woman her neighbor a lament. ²¹ For death has come into our windows, it has entered into our fortresses, to cut off the children* from the streets,* the young men from the public squares.

¹⁰ You must not weep for the dead person, and you must not show sympathy for him. Weep bitterly for the one who goes away, for he will not return, or see the land of his birth again.

²⁰ Go up to Lebanon and cry out, and in Bashan lift up your voice, and cry out from Abarim, for all your lovers are shattered.

²⁰ The breath of our nostrils, the anointed one of Yahweh, was captured in their pits; of whom we said, "In his shadow we will live among the nations."

²³ And when* Jesus came into the ruler's house and saw the flute players and the disorderly crowd,

²⁰ And Hezekiah did according to this throughout all Judah. And he did what is good and what is right and what is faithful before Yahweh his God.

³² Now the remainder of the words of Hezekiah and his loyal love, behold, they are written in the visions of Isaiah the son of Amoz, the prophet, upon the scroll of the kings of Judah and Israel.

³⁴ Now the remainder of the acts of Jehu and all that he did and all of his powerful deeds, are they not written in the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?

¹⁹ Now the remainder of the acts of Ahaz which he did, are they not written in the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?

²⁰ Now the remainder of the acts of Hezekiah, all of his powerful deeds, and how he made the pool and the conduit and brought the water into the city, are they not written in the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?

²⁵ The remainder of the acts of Amon that he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?

³⁴ Now the rest of the words of Jehoshaphat, from the first to the last, behold, they are written in the chronicles* of Jehu the son of Hanani, which are recorded in the scroll of the kings of Israel.

²⁷ And as for his sons, the many oracles against him, and his repair of the foundation of the house of God, behold, they are written in the story of the scroll of the kings. And Amaziah his son reigned in his place.

²⁶ Now the remainder of the words of Amaziah, from the first to the last, behold, are they not written in the scroll of the kings of Judah and Israel?

²² Now the remainder of the words of Uzziah, from the first to the last, Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, wrote them.

¹⁹ And his prayer, and how he* responded to him, all his sin and his unfaithful acts, and the places where he built the high places and set up Asherahs and idols before he humbled himself, behold, they are written in the words of the seers.