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2 Chronicles 27-30
New English Translation

Jotham’s Reign

27 Jotham was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother[a] was Jerusha the daughter of Zadok. 2 He did what the Lord approved, just as his father Uzziah had done.[b] (He did not, however, have the audacity to enter the temple.)[c] Yet the people were still sinning.

3 He built the Upper Gate to the Lord’s temple and did a lot of work on the wall in the area known as Ophel.[d] 4 He built cities in the hill country of Judah and fortresses and towers in the forests.

5 He launched a military campaign[e] against the king of the Ammonites and defeated them. That year the Ammonites paid him 100 talents[f] of silver, 10,000 cors[g] of wheat, and 10,000 cors[h] of barley. The Ammonites also paid this same amount of annual tribute the next two years.[i]

6 Jotham grew powerful because he was determined to please the Lord his God.[j] 7 The rest of the events of Jotham’s reign, including all his military campaigns and his accomplishments, are recorded in the Scroll of the Kings of Israel and Judah.[k] 8 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. 9 Jotham passed away[l] and was buried in the City of David.[m] His son Ahaz replaced him as king.

Ahaz’s Reign

28 Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. He did not do what pleased the Lord, in contrast to his ancestor David.[n] 2 He followed in the footsteps of[o] the kings of Israel; he also made images of the Baals. 3 He offered sacrifices in the Valley of Ben Hinnom and passed his sons through the fire,[p] a horrible sin practiced by the nations[q] whom the Lord drove out before the Israelites. 4 He offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.

5 The Lord his God handed him over to the king of Syria. The Syrians[r] defeated him and deported many captives to Damascus.[s] He was also handed over to the king of Israel, who thoroughly defeated him.[t] 6 In one day Pekah son of Remaliah killed 120,000 warriors in Judah, because they had abandoned the Lord God of their ancestors.[u] 7 Zikri, an Ephraimite warrior, killed the king’s son Maaseiah, Azrikam, the supervisor of the palace, and Elkanah, the king’s second-in-command. 8 The Israelites seized from their brothers 200,000 wives, sons, and daughters. They also carried off a huge amount of plunder and took it[v] back to Samaria.

9 Oded, a prophet of the Lord, was there. He went to meet the army as they arrived in Samaria and said to them: “Look, because the Lord God of your ancestors was angry with Judah he handed them over to you. You have killed them so mercilessly that God has taken notice.[w] 10 And now you are planning[x] to enslave[y] the people[z] of Judah and Jerusalem. Yet are you not also guilty before the Lord your God? 11 Now listen to me! Send back those you have seized from your brothers, for the Lord is very angry at you!”[aa] 12 So some of[ab] the Ephraimite family leaders, Azariah son of Jehochanan, Berechiah son of Meshillemoth, Jechizkiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai confronted[ac] those returning from the battle. 13 They said to them, “Don’t bring those captives here! Are you planning on making us even more sinful and guilty before the Lord?[ad] Our guilt is already great, and the Lord is very angry at Israel.”[ae] 14 So the soldiers released the captives and the plunder before the officials and the entire assembly. 15 Men were assigned to take the prisoners and find clothes among the plunder for those who were naked.[af] So they clothed them, supplied them with sandals, gave them food and drink, and provided them with oil to rub on their skin.[ag] They put the ones who couldn’t walk on donkeys.[ah] They brought them back to their brothers at Jericho, the city of date palm trees, and then returned to Samaria.

16 At that time King Ahaz asked the king[ai] of Assyria for help. 17 The Edomites had again invaded and defeated Judah and carried off captives. 18 The Philistines had raided the cities of Judah in the foothills[aj] and the Negev.[ak] They captured and settled in Beth Shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Soco and its surrounding villages, Timnah and its surrounding villages, and Gimzo and its surrounding villages. 19 The Lord humiliated[al] Judah because of King Ahaz of Israel,[am] for he encouraged Judah to sin and was very[an] unfaithful to the Lord. 20 King Tiglath-Pileser[ao] of Assyria came, but he gave him more trouble than support.[ap] 21 Ahaz gathered riches[aq] from the Lord’s temple, the royal palace, and the officials and gave them to the king of Assyria, but that did not help.

22 During his time of trouble King Ahaz was even more unfaithful to the Lord. 23 He offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus whom he thought had defeated him.[ar] He reasoned,[as] “Since the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, I will sacrifice to them so they will help me.” But they caused him and all Israel to stumble. 24 Ahaz gathered the items in God’s temple and removed them. He shut the doors of the Lord’s temple and erected altars on every street corner in Jerusalem. 25 In every city throughout Judah he set up high places to offer sacrifices to other gods. He angered the Lord God of his ancestors.

26 The rest of the events of Ahaz’s reign, including his accomplishments from start to finish, are recorded in the Scroll of the Kings of Judah and Israel.[at] 27 Ahaz passed away[au] and was buried in the city of Jerusalem; they did not bring him to the tombs of the kings of Israel. His son Hezekiah replaced him as king.

Hezekiah Consecrates the Temple

29 Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother[av] was Abijah,[aw] the daughter of Zechariah. 2 He did what the Lord approved, just as his ancestor David had done.[ax]

3 In the first month of the first year of his reign, he opened the doors of the Lord’s temple and repaired them. 4 He brought in the priests and Levites and assembled them in the square on the east side. 5 He said to them: “Listen to me, you Levites! Now consecrate yourselves, so you can consecrate the temple of the Lord God of your ancestors.[ay] Remove from the sanctuary what is ceremonially unclean. 6 For our fathers were unfaithful; they did what is evil in the sight of[az] the Lord our God and abandoned him. They turned away[ba] from the Lord’s dwelling place and rejected him.[bb] 7 They closed the doors of the temple porch and put out the lamps; they did not offer incense or burnt sacrifices in the sanctuary of the God of Israel. 8 The Lord was angry at Judah and Jerusalem and made them an appalling object of horror at which people hiss out their scorn,[bc] as you can see with your own eyes. 9 Look, our fathers died violently[bd] and our sons, daughters, and wives were carried off[be] because of this. 10 Now I intend[bf] to make a covenant with the Lord God of Israel, so that he may relent from his raging anger.[bg] 11 My sons, do not be negligent now, for the Lord has chosen you to stand in his presence, to minister to him,[bh] to be his ministers,[bi] and offer sacrifices.”[bj]

12 The following Levites prepared to carry out the king’s orders:[bk]

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 son of Joah;

13 from the descendants of Elizaphan: Shimri and Jeiel;

from the descendants of Asaph: Zechariah and Mattaniah;

14 from the descendants of Heman: Jehiel and Shimei;

from the descendants of Jeduthun: Shemaiah and Uzziel.

15 They assembled their brothers and consecrated themselves. Then they went in to purify the Lord’s temple, just as the king had ordered, in accordance with the word[bl] of the Lord. 16 The priests then entered the Lord’s temple to purify it; they brought out to the courtyard of the Lord’s temple every ceremonially unclean thing they discovered inside.[bm] The Levites took them out to the Kidron Valley. 17 On the first day of the first month they began consecrating; by the eighth day of the month they reached the porch of the Lord’s temple.[bn] For eight more days they consecrated the Lord’s temple. On the sixteenth day of the first month they were finished. 18 They went to King Hezekiah and said: “We have purified the entire temple of the Lord, including the altar of burnt sacrifice and all its equipment, and the table for the Bread of the Presence and all its equipment. 19 We have prepared and consecrated all the items that King Ahaz removed during his reign when he acted unfaithfully. They are in front of the altar of the Lord.”

20 Early the next morning King Hezekiah assembled the city officials and went up to the Lord’s temple. 21 They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven goats as a sin offering for the kingdom, the sanctuary, and Judah.[bo] The king[bp] told the priests, the descendants of Aaron, to offer burnt sacrifices on the altar of the Lord. 22 They slaughtered the bulls, and the priests took the blood and splashed it on the altar. Then they slaughtered the rams and splashed the blood on the altar; next they slaughtered the lambs and splashed the blood on the altar. 23 Finally they brought the goats for the sin offering before the king and the assembly, and they placed their hands on them. 24 Then the priests slaughtered them. They offered their blood as a sin offering on the altar to make atonement for all Israel, because the king had decreed[bq] that the burnt sacrifice and sin offering were for all Israel.

25 Hezekiah[br] stationed the Levites in the Lord’s temple with cymbals and stringed instruments just as David, Gad the king’s prophet,[bs] and Nathan the prophet had ordered. (The Lord had actually given these orders through his prophets.) 26 The Levites had[bt] David’s musical instruments and the priests had trumpets. 27 Hezekiah ordered the burnt sacrifice to be offered on the altar. As they began to offer the sacrifice, they also began to sing to the Lord, accompanied by the trumpets and the musical instruments of King David of Israel. 28 The entire assembly worshiped, as the singers sang and the trumpeters played. They continued until the burnt sacrifice was completed.

29 When the sacrifices were completed, the king and all who were with him bowed down and worshiped. 30 King Hezekiah and the officials told the Levites to praise the Lord, using the psalms[bu] of David and Asaph the prophet.[bv] So they joyfully offered praise and bowed down and worshiped. 31 Hezekiah said, “Now you have consecrated yourselves[bw] to the Lord. Come and bring sacrifices and thank offerings[bx] to the Lord’s temple.” So the assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and whoever desired to do so[by] brought burnt sacrifices.

32 The assembly brought a total of 70 bulls, 100 rams, and 200 lambs as burnt sacrifices to the Lord,[bz] 33 and 600 bulls and 3,000 sheep[ca] were consecrated. 34 But there were not enough priests to skin all the animals,[cb] so their brothers, the Levites, helped them until the work was finished and the priests could consecrate themselves. (The Levites had been more conscientious about consecrating themselves than the priests.)[cc] 35 There was a large number of burnt sacrifices, as well as fat from the peace offerings and drink offerings that accompanied the burnt sacrifices. So the service of the Lord’s temple was reinstituted.[cd] 36 Hezekiah and all the people were happy about what God had done[ce] for them,[cf] for it had been done quickly.[cg]

Hezekiah Observes the Passover

30 Hezekiah sent messages throughout Israel and Judah; he even wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, summoning them to come to the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem and observe a Passover celebration for the Lord God of Israel. 2 The king, his officials, and the entire assembly in Jerusalem decided to observe the Passover in the second month. 3 They were unable to observe it at the regular[ch] time because not enough priests had consecrated themselves and the people had not assembled in Jerusalem. 4 The proposal seemed appropriate to[ci] the king and the entire assembly. 5 So they sent an edict[cj] throughout Israel from Beer Sheba to Dan, summoning the people[ck] to come and observe a Passover for the Lord God of Israel in Jerusalem, for they had not observed it on a nationwide scale as prescribed in the law.[cl] 6 Messengers[cm] delivered the letters from the king and his officials throughout Israel and Judah.

This royal edict read:[cn] “O Israelites, return to the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, so he may return[co] to you who have been spared from the kings of Assyria.[cp] 7 Don’t be like your fathers and brothers who were unfaithful to the Lord God of their ancestors,[cq] provoking him to destroy them,[cr] as you can see. 8 Now, don’t be stubborn[cs] like your fathers. Submit[ct] to the Lord and come to his sanctuary which he has permanently consecrated. Serve the Lord your God so that he might relent from his raging anger.[cu] 9 For if you return to the Lord, your brothers and sons will be shown mercy by their captors and return to this land. The Lord your God is merciful and compassionate; he will not reject you[cv] if you return to him.”

10 The messengers journeyed from city to city through the land of Ephraim and Manasseh as far as Zebulun, but people mocked and ridiculed them.[cw] 11 But some men from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. 12 In Judah God moved the people to unite[cx] and carry out the edict of the king and the officers in keeping with the Lord’s message. 13 A huge crowd assembled in Jerusalem to observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the second month.[cy] 14 They removed the altars in Jerusalem; they also removed all the incense altars and threw them into the Kidron Valley.[cz]

15 They slaughtered the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the second month. The priests and Levites were ashamed, so they consecrated themselves and brought burnt sacrifices to the Lord’s temple. 16 They stood at their posts according to the regulations outlined in the law of Moses, the man of God. The priests were splashing the blood as the Levites handed it to them.[da] 17 Because many in the assembly had not consecrated themselves, the Levites slaughtered[db] the Passover lambs of all who were ceremonially unclean and could not consecrate their sacrifice to the Lord.[dc] 18 The majority of the many people from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun were ceremonially unclean, yet they ate the Passover in violation of what is prescribed in the law.[dd] For Hezekiah prayed for them, saying: “May the Lord, who is good, forgive[de] 19 everyone who has determined to follow God,[df] the Lord God of his ancestors, even if he is not ceremonially clean according to the standards of the temple.”[dg] 20 The Lord responded favorably[dh] to Hezekiah and forgave[di] the people.

21 The Israelites who were in Jerusalem observed the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days with great joy. The Levites and priests were praising the Lord every day with all their might.[dj] 22 Hezekiah expressed his appreciation to all the Levites,[dk] who demonstrated great skill in serving the Lord.[dl] They feasted for the seven days of the festival,[dm] and were making peace offerings and giving thanks to the Lord God of their ancestors.

23 The entire assembly then decided to celebrate for seven more days; so they joyfully celebrated for seven more days. 24 King Hezekiah of Judah supplied 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep[dn] for the assembly, while the officials supplied them[do] with 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep. Many priests consecrated themselves. 25 The celebration included[dp] the entire assembly of Judah, the priests, the Levites, the entire assembly of those who came from Israel, the resident foreigners[dq] who came from the land of Israel, and those who were residents of Judah. 26 There was a great celebration in Jerusalem, unlike anything that had occurred in Jerusalem since the time of King Solomon son of David of Israel.[dr] 27 The priests and Levites got up and pronounced blessings on the people. The Lord responded favorably to them[ds] as their prayers reached his holy dwelling place in heaven.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 27:1 tn Heb “the name of his mother.”
  2. 2 Chronicles 27:2 tn Heb “he did what was proper in the eyes of the Lord, according to all which Uzziah his father had done.”
  3. 2 Chronicles 27:2 tn Heb “except he did not enter the house of the Lord.”
  4. 2 Chronicles 27:3 tn Heb “wall of Ophel.” See HALOT 861 s.v. II עֹפֶל.
  5. 2 Chronicles 27:5 tn Heb “he fought with.”
  6. 2 Chronicles 27:5 tn The Hebrew word כִּכַּר (kikkar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or, by extension, to a standard unit of weight. According to the older (Babylonian) standard the “talent” weighed 130 lbs. (58.9 kg), but later this was lowered to 108.3 lbs. (49.1 kg). More recent research suggests the “light” standard talent was 67.3 lbs. (30.6 kg). Using this as the standard for calculation, the weight of the silver was 6,730 lbs. (3,060 kg).
  7. 2 Chronicles 27:5 sn As a unit of dry measure a cor was roughly equivalent to six bushels (about 220 liters).
  8. 2 Chronicles 27:5 tn Heb “10,000 cors of wheat and 10,000 of barley.” The unit of measure of the barley is omitted in the Hebrew text, but is understood to be “cors,” the same as the measures of wheat.
  9. 2 Chronicles 27:5 tn Heb “This the sons of Ammon brought to him, and in the second year and the third.”
  10. 2 Chronicles 27:6 tn Heb “because he established his ways before the Lord his God.”
  11. 2 Chronicles 27:7 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Jotham, and his battles and his ways, look, they are written on the scroll of the kings of Israel and Judah.”
  12. 2 Chronicles 27:9 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
  13. 2 Chronicles 27:9 sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
  14. 2 Chronicles 28:1 tn Heb “and he did not do what was proper in the eyes of the Lord, like David his father.”
  15. 2 Chronicles 28:2 tn Heb “he walked in the ways of.”
  16. 2 Chronicles 28:3 sn This may refer to child sacrifice, though some interpret it as a less drastic cultic practice (NEB “burnt his sons in the fire”; NASB “burned his sons in the fire”; NIV “sacrificed his sons in the fire”; NRSV “made his sons pass through fire”). For discussion see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 266-67.
  17. 2 Chronicles 28:3 tn Heb “like the abominable practices of the nations.”
  18. 2 Chronicles 28:5 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Syrians) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  19. 2 Chronicles 28:5 tn Heb “and took captive from him a great captivity and brought [them] to Damascus.”
  20. 2 Chronicles 28:5 tn Heb “who struck him down with a great striking.”
  21. 2 Chronicles 28:6 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 9, 25).
  22. 2 Chronicles 28:8 tn Heb “the loot.” The pronoun (“it”) has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy.
  23. 2 Chronicles 28:9 tn Heb “and you killed them with anger [that] reaches as far as heaven.”
  24. 2 Chronicles 28:10 tn Heb “saying.”
  25. 2 Chronicles 28:10 tn Heb “to enslave as male servants and female servants.”
  26. 2 Chronicles 28:10 tn Heb “sons.”
  27. 2 Chronicles 28:11 tn Heb “for the rage of the anger of the Lord is upon you.”
  28. 2 Chronicles 28:12 tn Heb “men from.”
  29. 2 Chronicles 28:12 tn Heb “arose against.”
  30. 2 Chronicles 28:13 tn Heb “for to the guilt of the Lord upon us you are saying to add to our sins and our guilty deeds.”
  31. 2 Chronicles 28:13 tn Heb “for great is [the] guilt to us and rage of anger is upon Israel.”
  32. 2 Chronicles 28:15 tn Heb “and the men who were designated by names arose and took the captives and all their naked ones they clothed from the loot.”
  33. 2 Chronicles 28:15 tn Heb “and poured oil on them.”
  34. 2 Chronicles 28:15 tn Heb “and they led them on donkeys, with respect to everyone stumbling.”
  35. 2 Chronicles 28:16 tc Most Hebrew mss read the plural, “kings,” but one Hebrew ms, the LXX and Vulgate read the singular “king.” Note the singular in v. 20.
  36. 2 Chronicles 28:18 sn The foothills (שְׁפֵלָה, shephelah) are the region between the Judean hill country and the Mediterranean coastal plain.
  37. 2 Chronicles 28:18 sn The Negev is an area of central, southern Judah, south of the hill country and Beer Sheba and west of the rift valley.
  38. 2 Chronicles 28:19 tn Or “subdued.”
  39. 2 Chronicles 28:19 sn That is, “of Judah.” Frequently in 2 Chronicles “Israel” is substituted for “Judah.”
  40. 2 Chronicles 28:19 tn The infinitive absolute precedes the cognate nominal form to emphasize the degree of Ahaz’s unfaithfulness.
  41. 2 Chronicles 28:20 tn Heb “Tilgath-Pilneser,” a variant spelling of Tiglath-Pileser.
  42. 2 Chronicles 28:20 tn Heb “and he caused him distress and did not strengthen him.”
  43. 2 Chronicles 28:21 tn Heb “divided up,” but some read חִלֵּץ (khillets, “despoiled”).
  44. 2 Chronicles 28:23 tn Heb “the gods of Damascus, the ones who had defeated him.” The words “he thought” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The perspective is that of Ahaz, not the narrator! Another option is that “the kings” has been accidentally omitted after “gods of.” See v. 23b.
  45. 2 Chronicles 28:23 tn Heb “said.”
  46. 2 Chronicles 28:26 tn Heb “As for the rest of his events, and all his ways, the former and the latter, look, they are written on the scroll of the kings of Judah and Israel.”
  47. 2 Chronicles 28:27 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
  48. 2 Chronicles 29:1 tn Heb “the name of his mother.”
  49. 2 Chronicles 29:1 tn The parallel passage in 2 Kgs 18:2 has “Abi.”
  50. 2 Chronicles 29:2 tn Heb “he did what was proper in the eyes of the Lord, according to all which David his father had done.”
  51. 2 Chronicles 29:5 tn Heb “fathers.”
  52. 2 Chronicles 29:6 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
  53. 2 Chronicles 29:6 tn Heb “turned their faces.”
  54. 2 Chronicles 29:6 tn Heb “and turned the back.”
  55. 2 Chronicles 29:8 tn Heb “and he made them [an object] of dread and devastation and hissing.”
  56. 2 Chronicles 29:9 tn Heb “fell by the sword.”
  57. 2 Chronicles 29:9 tn Heb “are in captivity.”
  58. 2 Chronicles 29:10 tn Heb “now it is with my heart.”
  59. 2 Chronicles 29:10 tn Heb “so that the rage of his anger might turn from us.” The jussive with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding statement of intention.
  60. 2 Chronicles 29:11 tn That is, to conduct the religious rituals directed to the Lord.
  61. 2 Chronicles 29:11 tn That is, to be his ministers for the nation.
  62. 2 Chronicles 29:11 tn Heb “ones who cause [sacrifices] to go up in smoke.” The Hiphil form of קָטַר (qatar) can refer specifically to offering incense (e.g. 2 Chr 26:19; 32:12), but it may also be a general word for making sacrifices (e.g. 1 Chr 6:49). If it refers to burning incense, then the altar of incense in the Holy place of the tabernacle may be in view. Otherwise it is more general (they sacrifice animals later in this chapter, 2 Chr 29:21-24) and includes making sacrifices as well as offering incense.
  63. 2 Chronicles 29:12 tn Heb “and the Levites arose.”
  64. 2 Chronicles 29:15 tn Heb “words” (plural).
  65. 2 Chronicles 29:16 tn Heb “in the temple of the Lord.”
  66. 2 Chronicles 29:17 tn Heb “porch of the Lord.”
  67. 2 Chronicles 29:21 sn Perhaps these terms refer metonymically to the royal court, the priests and Levites, and the people, respectively.
  68. 2 Chronicles 29:21 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  69. 2 Chronicles 29:24 tn Heb “said.”
  70. 2 Chronicles 29:25 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Hezekiah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  71. 2 Chronicles 29:25 tn Or “seer.”
  72. 2 Chronicles 29:26 tn Heb “stood with” (i.e., stood holding).
  73. 2 Chronicles 29:30 tn Heb “with the words.”
  74. 2 Chronicles 29:30 tn Or “seer.”
  75. 2 Chronicles 29:31 tn Heb “filled your hand.”
  76. 2 Chronicles 29:31 tn Or “tokens of thanks.”
  77. 2 Chronicles 29:31 tn Heb “and all who were willing of heart.”
  78. 2 Chronicles 29:32 tn Heb “and the number of burnt sacrifices which the assembly brought was seventy bulls, one hundred rams, two hundred lambs; for a burnt sacrifice to the Lord were all these.”
  79. 2 Chronicles 29:33 tn The Hebrew term צֹאן (tsoʾn) denotes smaller livestock in general; depending on context it can refer to sheep only or goats only, but there is nothing in the immediate context here to specify one or the other.
  80. 2 Chronicles 29:34 tn Heb “the burnt sacrifices.”
  81. 2 Chronicles 29:34 tn Heb “for the Levites were more pure of heart to consecrate themselves than the priests.”
  82. 2 Chronicles 29:35 tn Or “established.”
  83. 2 Chronicles 29:36 tn Heb “prepared.”
  84. 2 Chronicles 29:36 tn Heb “the people.” The pronoun “them” has been used here for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy.
  85. 2 Chronicles 29:36 tn Heb “for quickly was the matter.”
  86. 2 Chronicles 30:3 tn Heb “at that time.”
  87. 2 Chronicles 30:4 tn Heb “and the thing was proper in the eyes of.”
  88. 2 Chronicles 30:5 tn Heb “and they caused to stand a word to cause a voice to pass through.”
  89. 2 Chronicles 30:5 tn The words “summoning the people” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons, with the summons being the "voice" that passed throughout Israel.
  90. 2 Chronicles 30:5 tn Heb “because not for abundance had they done as written.”
  91. 2 Chronicles 30:6 tn Heb “the runners.”
  92. 2 Chronicles 30:6 tn Heb “and according to the command of the king, saying.”
  93. 2 Chronicles 30:6 tn The jussive with vav conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.
  94. 2 Chronicles 30:6 tn Heb “to the survivors who are left to you from the palm of the kings of Assyria.”
  95. 2 Chronicles 30:7 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 19, 22).
  96. 2 Chronicles 30:7 tn Heb “and he made them a devastation” (or, perhaps, “an object of horror”).
  97. 2 Chronicles 30:8 tn Heb “don’t stiffen your neck” (a Hebrew idiom for being stubborn).
  98. 2 Chronicles 30:8 tn Heb “give a hand.” On the meaning of the idiom here, see HALOT 387 s.v. I יָד 2.
  99. 2 Chronicles 30:8 tn Heb “so that the rage of his anger might turn from you.” The jussive with vav conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.
  100. 2 Chronicles 30:9 tn Heb “turn [his] face from you.”
  101. 2 Chronicles 30:10 tn Heb “and they were mocking them and ridiculing them.”
  102. 2 Chronicles 30:12 tn Heb “the hand of God was [such as] to give them one heart.”
  103. 2 Chronicles 30:13 tn The Hebrew text adds here, “a very large assembly.” This has not been translated to avoid redundancy with the expression “a huge crowd” at the beginning of the verse.
  104. 2 Chronicles 30:14 tn Heb “and they arose and removed the altars which were in Jerusalem, and all the incense altars they removed and threw into the Kidron Valley.”
  105. 2 Chronicles 30:16 tn Heb “from the hand of the Levites.”
  106. 2 Chronicles 30:17 tn Heb “were over the slaughter of.”
  107. 2 Chronicles 30:17 tn Heb “of everyone not pure to consecrate to the Lord.”
  108. 2 Chronicles 30:18 tn Heb “without what is written.”
  109. 2 Chronicles 30:18 tn Heb “make atonement for.”
  110. 2 Chronicles 30:19 tn Heb “everyone [who] has prepared his heart to seek God.”
  111. 2 Chronicles 30:19 tn Heb “and not according to the purification of the holy place.”
  112. 2 Chronicles 30:20 tn Heb “listened.”
  113. 2 Chronicles 30:20 tn Heb “healed.”
  114. 2 Chronicles 30:21 tn Heb “and they were praising the Lord day by day, the Levites and the priests with instruments of strength to the Lord.” The phrase בִּכְלֵי־עֹז (bikhle ʿoz, “with instruments of strength”) might refer to loud sounding musical instruments (NASB “with loud instruments”; NEB “with unrestrained fervour”). The present translation assumes an emendation to בְּכָל־עֹז (bekhol ʿoz, “with all strength”); see 1 Chr 13:8, as well as HALOT 805 s.v. I עֹז and BDB 739 s.v. עֹז).
  115. 2 Chronicles 30:22 tn Heb “and Hezekiah spoke to the heart of all the Levites.” On the meaning of the idiom “speak to the heart of” here, see HALOT 210 s.v. II דבר 8.d.
  116. 2 Chronicles 30:22 tn Heb “who demonstrated skill [with] good skill for the Lord.”
  117. 2 Chronicles 30:22 tn Heb “and they ate [during] the appointed time [for] seven days.” מוֹעֵד (moʿed, “appointed time”) is probably an adverbial accusative of time referring to the festival. However, some understand it as metonymically referring to the food eaten during the festival. See BDB 417 s.v.
  118. 2 Chronicles 30:24 tn The Hebrew term צֹאן (tsoʾn, translated “sheep” twice in this verse) denotes smaller livestock in general; depending on context it can refer to sheep only or goats only, but there is nothing in the immediate context here to specify one or the other.
  119. 2 Chronicles 30:24 tn Heb “the assembly.” The pronoun “them” has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy.
  120. 2 Chronicles 30:25 tn Heb “they rejoiced.”
  121. 2 Chronicles 30:25 sn The term גֵּר (ger) refers to a foreign resident, but with different social implications in different settings. In Mosaic Law the resident foreigner was essentially a naturalized citizen and convert to worshiping the God of Israel (see Exod 12:19, 48; Deut 29:10-13). Here the term refers to those who had immigrated (or fled as refugees) from the conquered northern kingdom as well as those already residents of the southern kingdom of Judah.
  122. 2 Chronicles 30:26 tn Heb “and there was great joy in Jerusalem, for from the days of Solomon son of David, king of Israel, there was nothing like this in Jerusalem.”
  123. 2 Chronicles 30:27 tn Heb “and it was heard with their voice.” BDB 1034 s.v. שָׁמַע Niph.4 interprets this to mean “hearing was granted to their voice.” It is possible that the name יְהוָה (yehvah, “the Lord”) has been accidentally omitted.
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Acts 8:1-25
New English Translation

8 1 And Saul agreed completely with killing[a] him.

Saul Begins to Persecute the Church

Now on that day a great[b] persecution began[c] against the church in Jerusalem, and all[d] except the apostles were forced to scatter throughout the regions[e] of Judea and Samaria. 2 Some[f] devout men buried Stephen and made loud lamentation[g] over him.[h] 3 But Saul was trying to destroy[i] the church; entering one house after another, he dragged off[j] both men and women and put them in prison.[k]

Philip Preaches in Samaria

4 Now those who had been forced to scatter went around proclaiming the good news of the word. 5 Philip went down to the main city of Samaria[l] and began proclaiming[m] the Christ[n] to them. 6 The crowds were paying attention with one mind to what Philip said,[o] as they heard and saw the miraculous signs[p] he was performing. 7 For unclean spirits,[q] crying with loud shrieks, were coming out of many who were possessed,[r] and many paralyzed and lame people were healed. 8 So there was[s] great joy[t] in that city.

9 Now in that city was a man named Simon, who had been practicing magic[u] and amazing the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great. 10 All the people,[v] from the least to the greatest, paid close attention to him, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called ‘Great.’”[w] 11 And they paid close attention to him because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic. 12 But when they believed Philip as he was proclaiming the good news about the kingdom of God[x] and the name of Jesus Christ,[y] they began to be baptized,[z] both men and women. 13 Even Simon himself believed, and after he was baptized, he stayed close to[aa] Philip constantly, and when he saw the signs and great miracles that were occurring, he was amazed.[ab]

14 Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word[ac] of God, they sent[ad] Peter and John to them. 15 These two[ae] went down and prayed for them so that they would receive the Holy Spirit. 16 (For the Spirit[af] had not yet come upon[ag] any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)[ah] 17 Then Peter and John placed their hands on the Samaritans,[ai] and they received the Holy Spirit.[aj]

18 Now Simon, when he saw that the Spirit[ak] was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, offered them money, 19 saying, “Give me this power[al] too, so that everyone I place my hands on may receive the Holy Spirit.” 20 But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you,[am] because you thought you could acquire[an] God’s gift with money! 21 You have no share or part[ao] in this matter[ap] because your heart is not right before God! 22 Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord[aq] that he may perhaps forgive you for the intent of your heart.[ar] 23 For I see that you are bitterly envious[as] and in bondage to sin.” 24 But Simon replied,[at] “You pray to the Lord for me so that nothing of what you have said may happen to[au] me.”

25 So after Peter and John[av] had solemnly testified[aw] and spoken the word of the Lord,[ax] they started back to Jerusalem, proclaiming[ay] the good news to many Samaritan villages[az] as they went.[ba]

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Footnotes

  1. Acts 8:1 tn The term ἀναίρεσις (anairesis) can refer to murder (BDAG 64 s.v.; 2 Macc 5:13; Josephus, Ant. 5.2.12 [5.165]).
  2. Acts 8:1 tn Or “severe.”
  3. Acts 8:1 tn Grk “Now there happened on that day a great persecution.” It is less awkward to say in English “Now on that day a great persecution began.”
  4. Acts 8:1 sn All. Given that the Jerusalem church is still active after this and that the Hellenists are the focus of Acts 6-8, it is possible to argue that only the Hellenistic Christians were forced to scatter.
  5. Acts 8:1 tn Or “countryside.”
  6. Acts 8:2 tn “Some” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.
  7. Acts 8:2 sn Made loud lamentation. For someone who was stoned to death, lamentation was normally not allowed (m. Sanhedrin 6:6). The remark points to an unjust death.
  8. Acts 8:2 tn Or “mourned greatly for him.”
  9. Acts 8:3 tn Or “began to harm [the church] severely.” If the nuance of this verb is “destroy,” then the imperfect verb ἐλυμαίνετο (elumaineto) is best translated as a conative imperfect as in the translation above. If instead the verb is taken to mean “injure severely” (as L&N 20.24), it should be translated in context as an ingressive imperfect (“began to harm the church severely”). Either option does not significantly alter the overall meaning, since it is clear from the stated actions of Saul in the second half of the verse that he intended to destroy or ravage the church.
  10. Acts 8:3 tn The participle σύρων (surōn) has been translated as an finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
  11. Acts 8:3 tn BDAG 762 s.v. παραδίδωμι 1.b has “εἰς φυλακήν put in prison Ac 8:3.”
  12. Acts 8:5 tn The word “main” is supplied in the translation to clarify that “Samaria” is not the name of the city (at least in NT times). See both BDAG 912 s.v. Σαμάρεια, and L&N 93.568.sn The main city of Samaria most likely refers to the principal city of Samaria, rebuilt by Herod the Great as Sebaste in honor of Augustus (J. Boehmer, “Studien zur Geographie Palästinas bes. im Neuen Testament,” ZNW 9 [1908]: 216-18; D. Gill and C. Gempf, eds., The Book of Acts in its Graeco-Roman Setting, 272). This is the best option if the article before “city” is taken as original. If the reading without the article is taken as autographic, then another city may be in view: Gitta, the hometown of Simon Magus according to Justin Martyr (cf. C. K. Barrett, Acts [ICC], 1:402-3; F. F. Bruce, Acts [NICNT], 165).
  13. Acts 8:5 tn The imperfect ἐκήρυσσεν (ekērussen) has been translated as an ingressive, since this is probably the first time such preaching took place.
  14. Acts 8:5 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”sn See the note on Christ in 2:31.
  15. Acts 8:6 tn Grk “to what was being said by Philip,” a passive construction that has been changed to active voice in the translation.
  16. Acts 8:6 tn Here the following context indicates the miraculous nature of the signs mentioned. This term appears 13 times in Acts, but only twice more after Acts 8:13 (i.e., 14:3; 15:12).
  17. Acts 8:7 sn The expression unclean spirits refers to evil supernatural spirits which were ceremonially unclean, and which caused the persons possessed by them to be ceremonially unclean.
  18. Acts 8:7 tn Grk “For [in the case of] many who had unclean spirits, they were coming out, crying in a loud voice.”
  19. Acts 8:8 tn Grk “and there came about,” but this is somewhat awkward in English.
  20. Acts 8:8 sn Great joy. The reason for eschatological joy was that such events pointed to God’s decisive deliverance (Luke 7:22-23). Note how the acts of healing extend beyond the Twelve here.
  21. Acts 8:9 tn On the idiom προϋπῆρχεν μαγεύων (proupērchen mageuōn) meaning “had been practicing magic” see BDAG 889 s.v. προϋπάρχω.
  22. Acts 8:10 tn Grk “all of them”; the referent (the people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  23. Acts 8:10 tn Or “This man is what is called the Great Power of God.” The translation “what is called the Great Power of God” is given by BDAG 263 s.v. δύναμις 5, but the repetition of the article before καλουμένη μεγάλη (kaloumenē megalē) suggests the translation “the power of God that is called ‘Great.’”
  24. Acts 8:12 sn The kingdom of God is also what Jesus preached; see Acts 1:3. The term reappears in Acts 14:22; 19:8; 28:23, 31. The nature of the kingdom of God in the NT and in Jesus’ teaching has long been debated by interpreters and scholars, with discussion primarily centering around the nature of the kingdom (earthly, heavenly, or both) and the kingdom’s arrival (present, future, or both). An additional major issue concerns the relationship between the kingdom of God and the person and work of Jesus himself. See also Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21.
  25. Acts 8:12 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
  26. Acts 8:12 tn The imperfect verb ἐβαπτίζοντο (ebaptizonto) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.
  27. Acts 8:13 tn Or “he kept close company with.”
  28. Acts 8:13 sn He was amazed. Now Simon, the one who amazed others, is himself amazed, showing the superiority of Philip’s connection to God. Christ is better than anything the culture has to offer.
  29. Acts 8:14 tn Or “message.”
  30. Acts 8:14 sn They sent. The Jerusalem church with the apostles was overseeing the expansion of the church, as the distribution of the Spirit indicates in vv. 15-17.
  31. Acts 8:15 tn Grk “who.” The relative pronoun was replaced by the phrase “these two” and a new sentence was begun in the translation at this point to improve the English style.
  32. Acts 8:16 tn Grk “For he”; the referent (the Spirit) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  33. Acts 8:16 tn Or “fallen on.”
  34. Acts 8:16 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
  35. Acts 8:17 tn Grk “on them”; the referent (the Samaritans) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  36. Acts 8:17 sn They received the Holy Spirit. It is likely this special distribution of the Spirit took place because a key ethnic boundary was being crossed. Here are some of “those far off” of Acts 2:38-40.
  37. Acts 8:18 tc Most witnesses (P45,74 A* C D E Ψ 33 1739 M latt sy bo) here read “the Holy Spirit” (τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, to pneuma to hagion), while a few key mss have simply τὸ πνεῦμα (א Ac B sa mae). Although it is possible that some scribes omitted τὸ ἅγιον because of its perceived superfluity (note vv. 15, 17, 19), it is far more likely that others added the adjective out of pious motives.
  38. Acts 8:19 tn Or “ability”; Grk “authority.”
  39. Acts 8:20 tn Grk “May your silver together with you be sent into destruction.” This is a strong curse. The gifts of God are sovereignly bestowed and cannot be purchased.
  40. Acts 8:20 tn Or “obtain.”
  41. Acts 8:21 tn The translation “share or part” is given by L&N 63.13.
  42. Acts 8:21 tn Since the semantic range for λόγος (logos) is so broad, a number of different translations could be given for the prepositional phrase here. Something along the lines of “in this thing” would work well, but is too colloquial for the present translation.
  43. Acts 8:22 tn Or “and implore the Lord.”
  44. Acts 8:22 tn Grk “that if possible the intent of your heart may be forgiven you.” The passive construction is somewhat awkward in contemporary English and has thus been converted to an active construction in the translation.
  45. Acts 8:23 tn Grk “in the gall of bitterness,” an idiom meaning to be particularly envious or resentful of someone. In this case Simon was jealous of the apostles’ power to bestow the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands, and wanted that power for himself. The literal phrase does not convey this to the modern reader, and in fact some modern translations have simply rendered the phrase as involving bitterness, which misses the point of the envy on Simon’s part. See L&N 88.166. The OT images come from Deut 29:17-18 and Isa 58:6.
  46. Acts 8:24 tn Grk “Simon answered and said.”sn Given that Simon does not follow Peter’s call for repentance, many interpreters read this reply as flippant rather than sincere. But the exact nature of Simon’s reply is not entirely clear.
  47. Acts 8:24 tn Grk “may come upon.”
  48. Acts 8:25 tn Grk “after they”; the referents (Peter and John) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
  49. Acts 8:25 tn The verb διαμαρτύρομαι (diamarturomai) can mean “warn,” and could be taken to refer specifically to the warning given to Simon in the preceding verses. However, a more general reference is more likely, referring to parting exhortations from Peter and John to the entire group of believers.
  50. Acts 8:25 sn The word of the Lord is a technical expression in OT literature, often referring to a divine prophetic utterance (e.g., Gen 15:1, Isa 1:10, Jonah 1:1). In the NT it occurs 15 times: 3 times as ῥῆμα τοῦ κυρίου (rhēma tou kuriou; Luke 22:61, Acts 11:16, 1 Pet 1:25) and 12 times as λόγος τοῦ κυρίου (logos tou kuriou; here and in Acts 13:44, 48, 49; 15:35, 36; 16:32; 19:10, 20; 1 Thess 1:8; 4:15; 2 Thess 3:1). As in the OT, this phrase focuses on the prophetic nature and divine origin of what has been said.
  51. Acts 8:25 tn Grk “they were returning to Jerusalem and were proclaiming.” The first imperfect is taken ingressively and the second is viewed iteratively (“proclaiming…as they went”).
  52. Acts 8:25 sn By proclaiming the good news to many Samaritan villages, the apostles now actively share in the broader ministry the Hellenists had started.
  53. Acts 8:25 tn “As they went” is not in the Greek text, but is implied by the imperfect tense (see tn above).
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