1 H ezekiah began to reign when he was five and twenty years old; and he reigned nine and twenty years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah.

Hezekiah became king when he was twenty-five years old. And he ruled for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah.

2 A nd he did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, according to all that David his father had done.

Hezekiah did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. He did all that his father David had done. Hezekiah Makes the House of God Holy Again

3 H e in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of Jehovah, and repaired them.

In the first month of the first year of his rule, he opened the doors of the Lord’s house and made them like new.

4 A nd he brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them together into the broad place on the east,

He brought in the religious leaders and the Levites, and gathered them in the open space on the east side.

5 a nd said unto them, Hear me, ye Levites; now sanctify yourselves, and sanctify the house of Jehovah, the God of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place.

Then he said to them, “Listen to me, O Levites. Now make yourselves holy. And make holy the house of the Lord, the God of your fathers. Carry what is unclean out from the holy place.

6 F or our fathers have trespassed, and done that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah our God, and have forsaken him, and have turned away their faces from the habitation of Jehovah, and turned their backs.

For our fathers have not been faithful. They have done what is bad in the eyes of the Lord our God. They have left Him and turned their faces away from the house of the Lord. They have turned their backs.

7 A lso they have shut up the doors of the porch, and put out the lamps, and have not burned incense nor offered burnt-offerings in the holy place unto the God of Israel.

They have also shut the doors of the porch and put out the lamps. They have not burned special perfume or given burnt gifts in the holy place to the God of Israel.

8 W herefore the wrath of Jehovah was upon Judah and Jerusalem, and he hath delivered them to be tossed to and fro, to be an astonishment, and a hissing, as ye see with your eyes.

So the Lord was angry with Judah and Jerusalem. He has made them an object of fear and wonder and shame, as you see with your own eyes.

9 F or, lo, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity for this.

See, our fathers have fallen by the sword. And our sons, our daughters and our wives have been taken away to a strange land because of this.

10 N ow it is in my heart to make a covenant with Jehovah, the God of Israel, that his fierce anger may turn away from us.

Now it is in my heart to make an agreement with the Lord God of Israel, that His burning anger may turn away from us.

11 M y sons, be not now negligent; for Jehovah hath chosen you to stand before him, to minister unto him, and that ye should be his ministers, and burn incense.

My sons, take care now. For the Lord has chosen you to stand before Him, to do His work and to burn special perfume.”

12 T hen the Levites arose, Mahath, the son of Amasai, and Joel the son of Azariah, of the sons of the Kohathites; and of the sons of Merari, Kish the son of Abdi, and Azariah the son of Jehallelel; and of the Gershonites, Joah the son of Zimmah, and Eden the son of Joah;

Then the Levites set to work. There was Mahath the son of Amasai, and Joel the son of Azariah, from the sons of the Kohathites. From the sons of Merari there was Kish the son of Abdi, and Azariah the son of Jehallelel. From the Gershonites there was Joah the son of Zimmah, and Eden the son of Joah.

13 a nd of the sons of Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeuel; and of the sons of Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah;

There were Shimri and Jeiel from the sons of Elizaphan. There were Zechariah and Mattaniah from the sons of Asaph.

14 a nd of the sons of Heman, Jehuel and Shimei; and of the sons of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel.

From the sons of Heman there were Jehiel and Shimei. And from the sons of Jeduthun there were Shemaiah and Uzziel.

15 A nd they gathered their brethren, and sanctified themselves, and went in, according to the commandment of the king by the words of Jehovah, to cleanse the house of Jehovah.

They gathered their brothers and made themselves holy, and went in to make the Lord’s house clean, as the king had told them by the words of the Lord.

16 A nd the priests went in unto the inner part of the house of Jehovah, to cleanse it, and brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of Jehovah into the court of the house of Jehovah. And the Levites took it, to carry it out abroad to the brook Kidron.

The religious leaders went in to the inside part of the Lord’s house to make it clean. They brought out to the open space of the Lord’s house everything they found inside which was unclean. Then the Levites took it and carried it out to the river of Kidron.

17 N ow they began on the first day of the first month to sanctify, and on the eighth day of the month came they to the porch of Jehovah; and they sanctified the house of Jehovah in eight days: and on the sixteenth day of the first month they made an end.

They began to make it holy on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they came to the porch of the Lord. Then they made the Lord’s house holy in eight days, and finished on the sixteenth day of the first month.

18 T hen they went in to Hezekiah the king within the palace, and said, We have cleansed all the house of Jehovah, and the altar of burnt-offering, with all the vessels thereof, and the table of showbread, with all the vessels thereof.

Then they went in to King Hezekiah and said, “We have made clean the whole house of the Lord, the altar of burnt gifts with all of its objects, and the table of holy bread with all of its objects.

19 M oreover all the vessels, which king Ahaz in his reign did cast away when he trespassed, have we prepared and sanctified; and, behold, they are before the altar of Jehovah.

And we have made all the objects holy which King Ahaz had thrown away during his rule when he was not faithful. See, they are before the altar of the Lord.” Worship in the House of God Again

20 T hen Hezekiah the king arose early, and gathered the princes of the city, and went up to the house of Jehovah.

Then King Hezekiah got up early and gathered the city rulers and went up to the house of the Lord.

21 A nd they brought seven bullocks, and seven rams, and seven lambs, and seven he-goats, for a sin-offering for the kingdom and for the sanctuary and for Judah. And he commanded the priests the sons of Aaron to offer them on the altar of Jehovah.

They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats, for a sin gift for the nation, the holy place, and Judah. Hezekiah told the religious leaders, the sons of Aaron, to give them on the altar of the Lord.

22 S o they killed the bullocks, and the priests received the blood, and sprinkled it on the altar: and they killed the rams, and sprinkled the blood upon the altar: they killed also the lambs, and sprinkled the blood upon the altar.

So they killed the bulls, and the religious leaders took the blood and put it on the altar. They killed the rams and put the blood on the altar. And they killed the lambs and put the blood on the altar.

23 A nd they brought near the he-goats for the sin-offering before the king and the assembly; and they laid their hands upon them:

Then they brought the male goats of the sin gift in front of the king and the people. They laid their hands on them.

24 a nd the priests killed them, and they made a sin-offering with their blood upon the altar, to make atonement for all Israel; for the king commanded that the burnt-offering and the sin-offering should be made for all Israel.

And the religious leaders killed them and gave a sin gift with their blood, to pay for the sins of all Israel. For the king said that the burnt gift and the sin gift should be made for all Israel.

25 A nd he set the Levites in the house of Jehovah with cymbals, with psalteries, and with harps, according to the commandment of David, and of Gad the king's seer, and Nathan the prophet; for the commandment was of Jehovah by his prophets.

Then Hezekiah put the Levites in their places in the house of the Lord with timbrels and different kinds of harps. He did as David, Gad and Nathan, the men who spoke for God, had all said. For through these men the Lord said that this was to be done.

26 A nd the Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets.

The Levites stood with the objects for making music which David had made. And the religious leaders stood with the horns.

27 A nd Hezekiah commanded to offer the burnt-offering upon the altar. And when the burnt-offering began, the song of Jehovah began also, and the trumpets, together with the instruments of David king of Israel.

Then Hezekiah told them to give the burnt gift on the altar. When the burnt gift began, the song to the Lord also began, with the horns and the objects for music made by David, king of Israel.

28 A nd all the assembly worshipped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded; all this continued until the burnt-offering was finished.

While all the people worshiped, the singers sang and the horns sounded. The music went on until the burnt gift was finished.

29 A nd when they had made an end of offering, the king and all that were present with him bowed themselves and worshipped.

When the burnt gift was finished, the king and all who were with him bowed down and worshiped.

30 M oreover Hezekiah the king and the princes commanded the Levites to sing praises unto Jehovah with the words of David, and of Asaph the seer. And they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads and worshipped.

King Hezekiah and the rulers told the Levites to sing praises to the Lord with the words of David and Asaph the man of God. So they sang praises with joy, and bowed down and worshiped.

31 T hen Hezekiah answered and said, Now ye have consecrated yourselves unto Jehovah; come near and bring sacrifices and thank-offerings into the house of Jehovah. And the assembly brought in sacrifices and thank-offerings; and as many as were of a willing heart brought burnt-offerings.

Then Hezekiah said, “Now that you have made yourselves holy to the Lord, come near and bring gifts for the altar and gifts of thanks to the house of the Lord.” And the people brought gifts for the altar and gifts of thanks. All those who were willing brought burnt gifts.

32 A nd the number of the burnt-offerings which the assembly brought was threescore and ten bullocks, a hundred rams, and two hundred lambs: all these were for a burnt-offering to Jehovah.

The number of the burnt gifts which the people brought was 70 bulls, 100 rams, and 200 lambs. All these were for a burnt gift to the Lord.

33 A nd the consecrated things were six hundred oxen and three thousand sheep.

And the holy gifts were 600 bulls and 3, 000 sheep.

34 B ut the priests were too few, so that they could not flay all the burnt-offerings: wherefore their brethren the Levites did help them, till the work was ended, and until the priests had sanctified themselves; for the Levites were more upright in heart to sanctify themselves than the priests.

But there were not enough religious leaders to skin all the burnt gifts. So their brothers the Levites helped them until the work was finished, and until all the religious leaders had made themselves holy. For the Levites put more care into making themselves holy than the religious leaders.

35 A nd also the burnt-offerings were in abundance, with the fat of the peace-offerings, and with the drink-offerings for every burnt-offering. So the service of the house of Jehovah was set in order.

There were also many burnt gifts with the fat of the peace gifts. And there were the drink gifts for the burnt gifts. So the worship was returned to the house of the Lord.

36 A nd Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people, because of that which God had prepared for the people: for the thing was done suddenly.

Then Hezekiah and all the people were filled with joy because of what God had done for the people, for it was done all at once.