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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.[a] The king[b] 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[c] that the burnt sacrifice and sin offering were for all Israel.

25 Hezekiah[d] stationed the Levites in the Lord’s temple with cymbals and stringed instruments just as David, Gad the king’s prophet,[e] and Nathan the prophet had ordered. (The Lord had actually given these orders through his prophets.) 26 The Levites had[f] 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[g] of David and Asaph the prophet.[h] So they joyfully offered praise and bowed down and worshiped. 31 Hezekiah said, “Now you have consecrated yourselves[i] to the Lord. Come and bring sacrifices and thank offerings[j] to the Lord’s temple.” So the assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and whoever desired to do so[k] brought burnt sacrifices.

32 The assembly brought a total of 70 bulls, 100 rams, and 200 lambs as burnt sacrifices to the Lord,[l] 33 and 600 bulls and 3,000 sheep[m] were consecrated. 34 But there were not enough priests to skin all the animals,[n] 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.)[o] 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.[p] 36 Hezekiah and all the people were happy about what God had done[q] for them,[r] for it had been done quickly.[s]

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 29:21 sn Perhaps these terms refer metonymically to the royal court, the priests and Levites, and the people, respectively.
  2. 2 Chronicles 29:21 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  3. 2 Chronicles 29:24 tn Heb “said.”
  4. 2 Chronicles 29:25 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Hezekiah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  5. 2 Chronicles 29:25 tn Or “seer.”
  6. 2 Chronicles 29:26 tn Heb “stood with” (i.e., stood holding).
  7. 2 Chronicles 29:30 tn Heb “with the words.”
  8. 2 Chronicles 29:30 tn Or “seer.”
  9. 2 Chronicles 29:31 tn Heb “filled your hand.”
  10. 2 Chronicles 29:31 tn Or “tokens of thanks.”
  11. 2 Chronicles 29:31 tn Heb “and all who were willing of heart.”
  12. 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.”
  13. 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.
  14. 2 Chronicles 29:34 tn Heb “the burnt sacrifices.”
  15. 2 Chronicles 29:34 tn Heb “for the Levites were more pure of heart to consecrate themselves than the priests.”
  16. 2 Chronicles 29:35 tn Or “established.”
  17. 2 Chronicles 29:36 tn Heb “prepared.”
  18. 2 Chronicles 29:36 tn Heb “the people.” The pronoun “them” has been used here for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy.
  19. 2 Chronicles 29:36 tn Heb “for quickly was the matter.”

Hezekiah Brings an Offering

20 Then King Hezekiah arose early and gathered the princes of the city and went up to the house of Yahweh. 21 And they brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats (A)for a sin offering for the kingdom, the sanctuary, and Judah. And he ordered the priests, the sons of Aaron, to offer them on the altar of Yahweh. 22 So they slaughtered the bulls, and the priests took the blood and splashed it on the altar. They also slaughtered the rams and splashed the blood on the altar; they slaughtered the lambs also and (B)splashed the blood on the altar. 23 Then they had the male goats of the sin offering approach before the king and the assembly, and (C)they laid their hands on them. 24 And the priests slaughtered them and purged the altar with their blood (D)to atone for all Israel, for the king ordered the burnt offering and the sin offering for all Israel.

25 (E)He then caused the Levites to stand in the house of Yahweh with cymbals, with harps, and with lyres, (F)according to the command of David and of (G)Gad the king’s seer, and of (H)Nathan the prophet; for the command was from Yahweh by the hand of His prophets. 26 And the Levites stood with (I)the musical instruments of David, and (J)the priests with the trumpets. 27 Then Hezekiah said to offer the burnt offering on the altar. When the burnt offering began, (K)the song to Yahweh also began with the trumpets, [a]accompanied by the instruments of David, king of Israel. 28 While the whole assembly worshiped, the singers also sang and the trumpets sounded; all this continued until the burnt offering was completed.

29 Now at the completion of the burnt offerings, (L)the king and all who were present with him bowed down and worshiped. 30 Moreover, King Hezekiah and the officials ordered the Levites to sing praises to Yahweh with the words of David and Asaph the seer. (M)So they sang praises with gladness, and bowed down and worshiped.

31 Then Hezekiah answered and said, “(N)Now that you have [b]become ordained to Yahweh, approach and bring sacrifices and thank offerings to the house of Yahweh.” And the assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and (O)all those who were willing of heart brought burnt offerings. 32 And the number of the burnt offerings which the assembly brought was 70 bulls, 100 rams, and 200 lambs; all these were for a burnt offering to Yahweh. 33 And the holy things were 600 bulls and 3,000 sheep. 34 But the priests were too few, so that they were unable to skin all the burnt offerings; (P)therefore their brothers the Levites helped them until the work was completed and until the other priests had set themselves apart as holy. For (Q)the Levites were more upright of heart to set themselves apart as holy than the priests. 35 There were also [c](R)many burnt offerings with (S)the fat of the peace offerings and with (T)the drink offerings for the burnt offerings. Thus the service of the house of Yahweh was established again. 36 Then Hezekiah and all the people were glad over what God had prepared for the people, because the thing came about suddenly.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 29:27 Lit and according to the authority of the instruments
  2. 2 Chronicles 29:31 Lit filled your hands
  3. 2 Chronicles 29:35 Lit the burnt offerings to an abundance