The Tanakh · JPS 1917 Translation

2 Chronicles 29

Jewish Publication Society 1917 · Ketuvim — the Writings

2 Chronicles chapter 29 — part of the Ketuvim — the Writings in the Jewish Bible. In the classic JPS 1917 translation it opens: “Hezekiah 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…” — the complete text of all 36 verses is below, free to read online.

1Hezekiah 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.

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

3He in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of HaShem, and repaired them.

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

5and said unto them: `Hear me, ye Levites: now sanctify yourselves, and sanctify the house of HaShem, the G-d of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place.

6For our fathers have acted treacherously, and done that which was evil in the sight of HaShem our G-d, and have forsaken Him, and have turned away their faces from the habitation of HaShem, and turned their backs.

7Also 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 G-d of Israel.

8Wherefore the wrath of HaShem was upon Judah and Jerusalem, and He hath delivered them to be a horror, an astonishment, and a hissing, as ye see with your eyes.

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

10Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with HaShem, the G-d of Israel, that His fierce anger may turn away from us.

11My sons, be not now negligent; for HaShem hath chosen you to stand before Him, to minister unto Him, and that ye should be His ministers, and offer unto Him.'

12Then 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;

13and of the sons of Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeiel; and of the sons of Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah;

14and of the sons of Heman, Jehiel and Shimei; and of the sons of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel.

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

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

17Now 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 HaShem; and they sanctified the house of HaShem in eight days; and on the sixteenth day of the first month they made an end.

18Then they went in to Hezekiah the king within the palace, and said: 'We have cleansed all the house of HaShem, even the altar of burnt-offering, with all the vessels thereof, and the table of showbread, with all the vessels thereof.

19Moreover all the vessels, which king Ahaz in his reign did cast away when he acted treacherously, have we prepared and sanctified; and, behold, they are before the altar of HaShem.'

20Then Hezekiah the king arose early, and gathered the princes of the city, and went up to the house of HaShem.

21And 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 HaShem.

22So they killed the bullocks, and the priests received the blood, and dashed it against the altar; and they killed the rams, and dashed the blood against the altar; they killed also the lambs, and dashed the blood against the altar.

23And they brought near the he-goats for the sin-offering before the king and the congregation, and they laid their hands upon them;

24and 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.

25And he set the Levites in the house of HaShem 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 HaShem by His prophets.

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

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

28And all the congregation prostrated themselves, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded; all this continued until the burnt-offering was finished.

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

30Moreover Hezekiah the king and the princes commanded the Levites to sing praises unto HaShem with the words of David, and of Asaph the seer. And they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads and prostrated themselves.

31Then Hezekiah answered and said: 'Now ye have consecrated yourselves unto HaShem, come near and bring sacrifices and thank-offerings into the house of HaShem.' And the congregation brought in sacrifices and thank-offerings; and as many as were of a willing heart brought burnt-offerings.

32And the number of the burnt-offerings, which the congregation brought, was threescore and ten bullocks, a hundred rams, and two hundred lambs; all these were for a burnt-offering to HaShem.

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

34But 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.

35And also the burnt-offerings were in abundance, with the fat of the peace-offerings, and the drink-offerings for every burnt-offering. So the service of the house of HaShem was firmly established.

36And Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people, because of that which G-d had prepared for the people; for the thing was done suddenly.

36 verses · JPS 1917 (public domain)

‹ 2 Chronicles 28 2 Chronicles 30 ›

Read, search & bookmark — free

This text opens instantly in the FourFaiths reader, with full-text search across every book, bookmarks saved in your browser, reading plans and a verse of the day. No account, no tracking — everything runs locally in your browser.

Open in the Tanakh reader →