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希西家作猶大王(A)

29 希西家登基的時候,是二十五歲;他在耶路撒冷作王二十九年。他的母親名叫亞比雅(“亞比雅”是“亞比”的另一種寫法;參王下18:2),是撒迦利雅的女兒。 希西家行耶和華看為正的事,像他祖先大衛一切所行的。

潔淨聖殿

他在位的元年正月,開了耶和華殿的門,重新修理。 他把祭司和利未人都召了來,聚集在東面的廣場上, 對他們說:“利未人哪,你們要聽我的話;現在你們要自潔,又要潔淨耶和華你們列祖的 神的殿,把污穢之物從聖所中除去。 我們的列祖冒犯了 神,行了耶和華我們的 神看為惡的事,離棄了他,轉臉不顧耶和華的居所,以背向他。 他們又封閉廊門,熄滅燈火,不在聖所中向以色列的 神燒香或獻燔祭。 因此,耶和華的震怒臨到猶大和耶路撒冷的居民身上,使他們成為令人恐懼、驚駭和嗤笑的對象,就像你們親眼看見的一樣。 所以我們的列祖倒在刀下;我們的兒女和妻子也都因此作了俘虜。 10 現在我心中有意要和耶和華以色列的 神立約,好使他的震怒轉離我們。 11 我的孩子們,你們現在不要懈怠,因為耶和華揀選了你們站在他面前事奉他,為要作他的僕人,向他燒香。”

12 於是,利未人哥轄的子孫亞瑪賽的兒子瑪哈、亞撒利雅的兒子約珥;米拉利的子孫亞伯底的兒子基士、耶哈利勒的兒子亞撒利雅;革順的子孫薪瑪的兒子約亞、約亞的兒子伊甸; 13 以利撒反的子孫申利和耶利;亞薩的子孫撒迦利亞和瑪探雅; 14 希幔的子孫耶歇和示每;耶杜頓的子孫示瑪雅和烏薛都起來, 15 集合他們的親族,潔淨自己,照著王的吩咐,根據耶和華的命令,進去潔淨耶和華的殿。 16 祭司進入耶和華殿的裡面進行潔淨,他們在耶和華殿裡發現的一切污穢之物,都搬到耶和華殿的院子裡;利未人接過,就搬到城外的汲淪溪邊。 17 他們在正月初一開始潔淨聖殿,第八日去到耶和華殿的走廊;他們用了八日潔淨耶和華的殿,到了正月十六日才完工。 18 於是他們進王宮見希西家王,說:“我們已經把整個耶和華的殿、燔祭壇和壇的一切器皿、陳設餅的桌子和桌子上的一切器皿,都潔淨了。 19 亞哈斯王在位,他得罪 神的時候丟棄的一切器皿,我們都預備齊全,也都潔淨好了;現在都放在耶和華的祭壇前。”

獻贖罪祭

20 希西家王清早起來,召集城中的領袖,上耶和華的殿去。 21 他們牽來了七頭公牛、七隻公綿羊、七隻羊羔和七隻公山羊,要為國家、為聖所和為猶大人作贖罪祭;王吩咐亞倫的子孫眾祭司把牠們獻在耶和華的壇上。 22 他們宰了公牛,祭司把血接過來,灑在祭壇上;他們又宰了公綿羊,把血灑在祭壇上;他們又宰了羊羔,也把血灑在祭壇上。 23 最後把作贖罪祭的公山羊,牽到王和會眾面前,王和會眾就按手在公山羊的身上。 24 祭司宰了公山羊,把血灑在祭壇上作贖罪祭,為所有以色列人贖罪;因為王曾經吩咐要為所有以色列人獻上燔祭和贖罪祭。

獻燔祭

25 王又指派在耶和華殿中的利未人拿著響鈸和琴瑟,是照著大衛、王的先見迦得和拿單先知所吩咐的,就是耶和華藉他的先知所吩咐的。 26 利未人拿著大衛的樂器,祭司持著號筒,一同站著。 27 希西家吩咐在祭壇上獻上燔祭。開始獻燔祭的時候,就開始向耶和華歌唱,並且用號筒和以色列王大衛的樂器伴奏。 28 全體會眾都叩拜,歌唱的歌唱,吹號的吹號,直到燔祭都獻完了。

獻感恩祭與其他的燔祭

29 獻完了祭,王和所有在場的人,都屈膝叩拜。 30 希西家王和眾領袖,又吩咐利未人用大衛和先見亞薩的詩詞讚美耶和華,於是他們歡歡喜喜地讚美耶和華,低頭敬拜。 31 希西家說:“你們現在歸耶和華為聖了。請前來,把祭物和感恩祭帶到耶和華的殿裡來。”於是會眾把祭物和感恩祭帶來;凡是甘心樂意的,都把燔祭帶來。 32 會眾帶來的燔祭數目如下:公牛七十頭、公綿羊一百隻、羊羔二百隻。這些都是作燔祭獻給耶和華的。 33 還有分別為聖之物:公牛六百頭、綿羊三千隻。 34 只是祭司太少,不能把所有燔祭牲剝皮,所以他們的親族利未人協助他們,直到剝皮的工作完了,又等到其他祭司自潔完了,因為利未人在自潔的事上比眾祭司更加誠心。 35 此外,還有很多燔祭牲和平安祭牲的脂肪,以及和燔祭同獻的奠祭很多。這樣,耶和華殿裡的事奉就重新恢復了。 36 因為事情很快辦完,希西家和全體人民因 神為他的子民所預備的,都甚歡樂。

The Reign of Hezekiah

29 Hezekiah became king when he was twenty-five years old, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Abijah the daughter of Zechariah. And he did that which was right in the eyes of Yahweh, according to all that David his father had done.

In the first year of his kingship, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of Yahweh and strengthened them. And he brought in the priests and the Levites, and he gathered them into the eastern square. And he said to them, “Hear me, O Levites! Sanctify yourselves now, and sanctify the house of Yahweh, the God of your ancestors,[a] and bring out the defilement from the sanctuary. For our ancestors[b] 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[c] on it. 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. 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. 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[d] to make[e] 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.”

12 Then the Levites arose—Mahath the son of Amasai and Joel the son of Azariah, from the Kohathites; and Kish the son of Abdi and Azariah the son of Jehallelel from the Merarites; and Joah son of Zimmah and Eden son of Joah, from the Gershonites. 13 And from the descendants[f] of Elizaphan: Shimri and Jeiel; and from the descendants[g] of Asaph: Zechariah and Mattaniah; 14 and from the descendants[h] of Heman: Jeiel and Shimei; and from the descendants[i] of Jeduthun: Shemaiah and Uzziel— 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. 16 And the priests went into the inner part of the house of Yahweh to purify it. And they brought out all the impurity that they found in the temple of Yahweh out to the courtyard of the house of Yahweh. And the Levites took them to bring them outside to the Wadi[j] Kidron. 17 And they began to sanctify themselves on the first day of the first month. And on the eighth day of the month they came to the portico of Yahweh. And they sanctified the house of Yahweh for eight days, and on the sixteenth day of the first month they finished. 18 And they went into the inner part to King Hezekiah and said, “We have cleansed all the house of Yahweh: the altar of burnt offering, all its objects, the table of the rows of bread and all its objects, 19 and all the objects that King Ahaz discarded in his reign when he sinned, we have prepared and sanctified. Look, they are before the altar of Yahweh.”

20 Then King Hezekiah rose early and gathered the officials of the city, and he went up to the house of Yahweh. 21 And they brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats as a purification offering for the kingdom, for the sanctuary, and for Judah. And he commanded the descendants[k] of Aaron, the priests, to offer them on the altar of Yahweh. 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.

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, 27 Hezekiah commanded to offer the burnt offering upon the altar. And at the time the burnt offering began, the song of Yahweh began, and also the trumpets, at the hands of the instruments of David king of Israel. 28 Then all the assembly bowed down, and the song was sung, and the trumpeters trumpeted—all together until the end of the burnt offering. 29 And when the offering was finished, the king and all who were found with him knelt down and bowed themselves. 30 Then King Hezekiah and the princes commanded the Levites to praise Yahweh with the words of David and Asaph the seer. So they offered praise with joy, and they bowed down and worshiped.

31 Then Hezekiah answered and said, “Now you have consecrated yourselves[l] 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. 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[m] to sanctify themselves than the priests.) 35 And beside the many burnt offerings was the fat of the peace offerings and the libations for the burnt offerings. So the service of the house of Yahweh was established. 36 And Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced over what God had established with the people, for the matter happened suddenly.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 29:5 Or “fathers”
  2. 2 Chronicles 29:6 Or “fathers”
  3. 2 Chronicles 29:6 Literally “And they have given back”
  4. 2 Chronicles 29:10 Literally “with my heart”
  5. 2 Chronicles 29:10 Literally “cut”
  6. 2 Chronicles 29:13 Or “sons”
  7. 2 Chronicles 29:13 Or “sons”
  8. 2 Chronicles 29:14 Or “sons”
  9. 2 Chronicles 29:14 Or “sons”
  10. 2 Chronicles 29:16 Or “valley”; a wadi is a valley that is dry most of the year, but contains a stream during the rainy season
  11. 2 Chronicles 29:21 Or “sons”
  12. 2 Chronicles 29:31 Literally “you have filled your hands”
  13. 2 Chronicles 29:34 Literally “more upright of heart”

Hezekiah Purifies the Temple(A)

29 Hezekiah(B) was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father David(C) had done.

In the first month of the first year of his reign, he opened the doors of the temple of the Lord and repaired(D) them. He brought in the priests and the Levites, assembled them in the square on the east side and said: “Listen to me, Levites! Consecrate(E) yourselves now and consecrate the temple of the Lord, the God of your ancestors. Remove all defilement from the sanctuary. Our parents(F) were unfaithful;(G) they did evil in the eyes of the Lord our God and forsook him. They turned their faces away from the Lord’s dwelling place and turned their backs on him. They also shut the doors of the portico and put out the lamps. They did not burn incense(H) or present any burnt offerings at the sanctuary to the God of Israel. Therefore, the anger of the Lord has fallen on Judah and Jerusalem; he has made them an object of dread and horror(I) and scorn,(J) as you can see with your own eyes. This is why our fathers have fallen by the sword and why our sons and daughters and our wives are in captivity.(K) 10 Now I intend to make a covenant(L) with the Lord, the God of Israel, so that his fierce anger(M) will turn away from us. 11 My sons, do not be negligent now, for the Lord has chosen you to stand before him and serve him,(N) to minister(O) before him and to burn incense.”

12 Then these Levites(P) set to work:

from the Kohathites,

Mahath son of Amasai and Joel son of Azariah;

from the Merarites,

Kish son of Abdi and Azariah son of Jehallelel;

from the Gershonites,

Joah son of Zimmah and Eden(Q) son of Joah;

13 from the descendants of Elizaphan,(R)

Shimri and Jeiel;

from the descendants of Asaph,(S)

Zechariah and Mattaniah;

14 from the descendants of Heman,

Jehiel and Shimei;

from the descendants of Jeduthun,

Shemaiah and Uzziel.

15 When they had assembled their fellow Levites and consecrated themselves, they went in to purify(T) the temple of the Lord, as the king had ordered, following the word of the Lord. 16 The priests went into the sanctuary of the Lord to purify it. They brought out to the courtyard of the Lord’s temple everything unclean that they found in the temple of the Lord. The Levites took it and carried it out to the Kidron Valley.(U) 17 They began the consecration on the first day of the first month, and by the eighth day of the month they reached the portico of the Lord. For eight more days they consecrated the temple of the Lord itself, finishing on the sixteenth day of the first month.

18 Then they went in to King Hezekiah and reported: “We have purified the entire temple of the Lord, the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the table for setting out the consecrated bread, with all its articles. 19 We have prepared and consecrated all the articles(V) that King Ahaz removed in his unfaithfulness while he was king. They are now in front of the Lord’s altar.”

20 Early the next morning King Hezekiah gathered the city officials together and went up to the temple of the Lord. 21 They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven male lambs and seven male goats(W) as a sin offering[a](X) for the kingdom, for the sanctuary and for Judah. The king commanded the priests, the descendants of Aaron, to offer these on the altar of the Lord. 22 So they slaughtered the bulls, and the priests took the blood and splashed it against the altar; next they slaughtered the rams and splashed their blood against the altar; then they slaughtered the lambs and splashed their blood(Y) against the altar. 23 The goats(Z) for the sin offering were brought before the king and the assembly, and they laid their hands(AA) on them. 24 The priests then slaughtered the goats and presented their blood on the altar for a sin offering to atone(AB) for all Israel, because the king had ordered the burnt offering and the sin offering for all Israel.(AC)

25 He stationed the Levites in the temple of the Lord with cymbals, harps and lyres in the way prescribed by David(AD) and Gad(AE) the king’s seer and Nathan the prophet; this was commanded by the Lord through his prophets. 26 So the Levites stood ready with David’s instruments,(AF) and the priests with their trumpets.(AG)

27 Hezekiah gave the order to sacrifice the burnt offering on the altar. As the offering began, singing to the Lord began also, accompanied by trumpets and the instruments(AH) of David king of Israel. 28 The whole assembly bowed in worship, while the musicians played and the trumpets sounded. All this continued until the sacrifice of the burnt offering(AI) was completed.

29 When the offerings were finished, the king and everyone present with him knelt down and worshiped.(AJ) 30 King Hezekiah and his officials ordered the Levites to praise the Lord with the words of David and of Asaph the seer. So they sang praises with gladness and bowed down and worshiped.

31 Then Hezekiah said, “You have now dedicated yourselves to the Lord. Come and bring sacrifices(AK) and thank offerings to the temple of the Lord.” So the assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and all whose hearts were willing(AL) brought burnt offerings.

32 The number of burnt offerings(AM) the assembly brought was seventy bulls, a hundred rams and two hundred male lambs—all of them for burnt offerings to the Lord. 33 The animals consecrated as sacrifices amounted to six hundred bulls and three thousand sheep and goats. 34 The priests, however, were too few to skin all the burnt offerings;(AN) so their relatives the Levites helped them until the task was finished and until other priests had been consecrated,(AO) for the Levites had been more conscientious in consecrating themselves than the priests had been. 35 There were burnt offerings in abundance, together with the fat(AP) of the fellowship offerings(AQ) and the drink offerings(AR) that accompanied the burnt offerings.

So the service of the temple of the Lord was reestablished. 36 Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced at what God had brought about for his people, because it was done so quickly.(AS)

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 29:21 Or purification offering; also in verses 23 and 24

Hezekiah Reigns in Judah(A)

29 Hezekiah (B)became king when he was twenty-five years old, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was [a]Abijah the daughter of Zechariah. And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David had done.

Hezekiah Cleanses the Temple

In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he (C)opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them. Then he brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them in the East Square, and said to them: “Hear me, Levites! Now [b]sanctify yourselves, (D)sanctify the house of the Lord God of your fathers, and carry out the rubbish from the holy place. For our fathers have trespassed and done evil in the eyes of the Lord our God; they have forsaken Him, have (E)turned their faces away from the [c]dwelling place of the Lord, and turned their backs on Him. (F)They have also shut up the doors of the vestibule, put out the lamps, and have not burned incense or offered burnt offerings in the holy place to the God of Israel. Therefore the (G)wrath of the Lord fell upon Judah and Jerusalem, and He has (H)given them up to trouble, to desolation, and to (I)jeering, as you see with your (J)eyes. For indeed, because of this (K)our fathers have fallen by the sword; and our sons, our daughters, and our wives are in captivity.

10 “Now it is in my heart to make (L)a covenant with the Lord God of Israel, that His fierce wrath may turn away from us. 11 My sons, do not be negligent now, for the Lord has (M)chosen you to stand before Him, to serve Him, and that you should minister to Him and burn incense.”

12 Then these Levites arose: (N)Mahath the son of Amasai and Joel the son of Azariah, of the sons of the (O)Kohathites; of the sons of Merari, Kish the son of Abdi and Azariah the son of Jehallelel; of the Gershonites, Joah the son of Zimmah and Eden the son of Joah; 13 of the sons of Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeiel; of the sons of Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah; 14 of the sons of Heman, Jehiel and Shimei; and of the sons of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel.

15 And they gathered their brethren, (P)sanctified[d] themselves, and went according to the commandment of the king, at the words of the Lord, (Q)to cleanse the house of the Lord. 16 Then the priests went into the inner part of the house of the Lord to cleanse it, and brought out all the debris that they found in the temple of the Lord to the court of the house of the Lord. And the Levites took it out and carried it to the Brook (R)Kidron.

17 Now they began to [e]sanctify on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they came to the vestibule of the Lord. So they sanctified the house of the Lord in eight days, and on the sixteenth day of the first month they finished.

18 Then they went in to King Hezekiah and said, “We have cleansed all the house of the Lord, the altar of burnt offerings with all its articles, and the table of the showbread with all its articles. 19 Moreover all the articles which King Ahaz in his reign had (S)cast aside in his transgression we have prepared and [f]sanctified; and there they are, before the altar of the Lord.”

Hezekiah Restores Temple Worship

20 Then King Hezekiah rose early, gathered the rulers of the city, and went up to the house of the Lord. 21 And they brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats for a (T)sin offering for the kingdom, for the sanctuary, and for Judah. Then he commanded the priests, the sons of Aaron, to offer them on the altar of the Lord. 22 So they killed the bulls, and the priests received the blood and (U)sprinkled it on the altar. Likewise they killed the rams and sprinkled the blood on the altar. They also killed the lambs and sprinkled the blood on the altar. 23 Then they brought out the male goats for the sin offering before the king and the assembly, and they laid their (V)hands on them. 24 And the priests killed them; and they presented their blood on the altar as a sin offering (W)to make an atonement for all Israel, for the king commanded that the burnt offering and the sin offering be made for all Israel.

25 (X)And he stationed the Levites in the house of the Lord with cymbals, with stringed instruments, and with harps, (Y)according to the commandment of David, of (Z)Gad the king’s seer, and of Nathan the prophet; (AA)for thus was the commandment of the Lord by His prophets. 26 The Levites stood with the instruments (AB)of David, and the priests with (AC)the trumpets. 27 Then Hezekiah commanded them to offer the burnt offering on the altar. And when the burnt offering began, (AD)the song of the Lord also began, with the trumpets and with the instruments of David king of Israel. 28 So all the assembly worshiped, the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded; all this continued until the burnt offering was finished. 29 And when they had finished offering, (AE)the king and all who were present with him bowed and worshiped. 30 Moreover King Hezekiah and the leaders commanded the Levites to sing praise to the Lord with the words of David and of Asaph the seer. So they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads and worshiped.

31 Then Hezekiah answered and said, “Now that you have consecrated yourselves to the Lord, come near, and bring sacrifices and (AF)thank offerings into the house of the Lord.” So the assembly brought in sacrifices and thank offerings, and as many as were of a (AG)willing heart brought burnt offerings. 32 And 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 The consecrated things were six hundred bulls and three thousand sheep. 34 But the priests were too few, so that they could not skin all the burnt offerings; therefore (AH)their brethren the Levites helped them until the work was ended and until the other priests had [g]sanctified themselves, (AI)for the Levites were (AJ)more diligent in (AK)sanctifying themselves than the priests. 35 Also the burnt offerings were in abundance, with (AL)the fat of the peace offerings and with (AM)the drink offerings for every burnt offering.

So the service of the house of the Lord was set in order. 36 Then Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced that God had prepared the people, since the events took place so suddenly.