Chapter 10
CHAPTER XXVIII. Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. But he did not that which was right in the sight of the LORD, like David his father. For he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made also molten images for Balaam. Moreover he burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burnt his children in the fire after the abominations of the heathen whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel.
He sacrificed also, and burnt incense in the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree. Wherefore the LORD his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria, and they smote him, and carried away a great multitude of them captives, and brought them to Damascus. And he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who smote him with a great slaughter. For Pekah, the son of Ramaliah, slew in Judah an hundred and twenty thousand in one day, which were all valiant men, because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers. And Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, slew Messiah, the king's son, and Azricam, the governor of the house, and Elkanah, that was next to the king.
And the children of Israel carried away captive of their brethren two hundred thousand women, sons, and daughters, and took also away much spoil from them, and brought the spoil to Samaria. But a prophet of the LORD was there, whose name was Oded. And he went out before the hosts that came to Samaria, and said unto them, Behold, because the LORD God of your fathers was wroth with Judah, he hath delivered them into your hand. And ye have slain them in a rage that reacheth up unto heaven. And now ye purpose to keep unto the children of Judah Jerusalem for bondmen and bondwomen unto you?
But are there not with you, even with you, sins against the LORD your God? Now hear me therefore, and deliver the captives again, which ye have taken captive of your brethren. For the fierce wrath of the LORD is upon you. Then certain of the heads of the children of Ephraim, Azariah, the son of Johanan, Berkoriah, the son of Meshilomoth, and Jehizakiah, the son of Shalom, and Amasa, the son of Hadlai, stood up against them that came from the war, and said unto them, Ye shall not bring in the captives thither?
For whereas we have offended against the LORD already, ye intend to add more to our sins and to our trespass? For our trespass is great, and there is fierce wrath against Israel. So the armed men left the captives and the spoil before the princes and all the congregation. And the men, which were expressed by name, rose up and took the captives, and with the spoil clothed all that were naked among them, and arrayed them, and shod them, and gave them to eat and to drink, and anointed them,
and carried all the feeble of them upon Asas, and brought them to Jericho, the city of palm trees, to their brethren. Then they returned to Samaria. At that time did King Ahaz send unto the kings of Assyria to help him. For again the Edomites had come and smitten Judah, and carried away captives. The Philistines also had invaded the cities of the low country, and of the south of Judah,
and had taken Beth Shemesh, and Ajalon, and Gedaroth, and Shoko, with the villages thereof, and Temna, with the villages thereof, Gizmo also, and the villages thereof, and they dwelt there. For the Lord brought Judah low because of Ahaz, king of Israel. For he made Judah naked, and transgressor against the Lord, until Gath-pil-neser, king of Assyria, came unto him, and distressed him, but strengthened him not.
For Ahaz took away a portion out of the house of the Lord, and out of the house of the king, and of the princes, and gave it unto the king of Assyria, but he helped him not. And in the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against the Lord. This is that king Ahaz. For he sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus, which smote him.
And he said, Because the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, therefore will I sacrifice to them, that they may help me. But they were the ruin of him, and all Israel. And Ahaz gathered together the vessels of the house of God, and cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God,
and shut up the doors of the house of the Lord. And he made him altars in every corner of Jerusalem. And in every several city of Judah he made high places to burn incense unto other gods, and provoke to anger the Lord God of his fathers. Now the rest of his acts, and of all his ways,
first and last, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, even in Jerusalem. But they brought him not into the sepulchers of the kings of Israel. And Hezekiah, his son, reigned in his stead.
Chapter 29 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 Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord,
according to all that David his father had done. He, in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them. And he brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them together into the east street,
and said unto them, Hear me, ye Levites, sanctify now yourselves, and sanctify the house of the Lord God of your fathers. Carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place.
For our fathers have transgressed, and done that which was evil in the eyes of the Lord our God, and have forsaken him, and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the Lord, and turned their backs.
Also 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, wherefore the wrath of the Lord was upon Judah and Jerusalem,
and he hath delivered them to trouble, to astonishment, and to hissing, as ye see with your eyes. For lo,
our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons, and our daughters, and our wives are in captivity for this. Now it is in mine heart
to make a covenant with the Lord God of Israel, that his fierce wrath may turn away from us. My sons, be not now negligent, for the Lord hath chosen you
to stand before him, to serve him, and that ye should minister unto him, and burn incense. Then the Levites arose,
Mahath, the son of Amasseh, and Joel, the son of Azariah, of the sons of
Deco-Hathites, and of the sons of Merari, Kish, the son of
Abdi, and Azariah, the son of Jehieliel, and of the Gershonites,
Joah, the son of Zimah, and Eden, the son of Joah,
and of the sons of Elias, Than, Shemri, and Jeiel,
and of the sons of Asaph, Zechariah, and Mataniah, and of the sons of
Heman, Jehiel, and Shemai, and of the sons of Jeduthun,
Shemaiah, and Uziel. And they gathered their brethren and sanctified themselves, and came,
according to the commandment of the king, by the words of the Lord, to cleanse the house of the Lord. And the priest went into the inner part of the house of the Lord
to cleanse it, and brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of the Lord into the court of the house of the Lord. And the Levites took it
to carry it out abroad into the brook Kidron. Now 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 the Lord. So they sanctified the house of the Lord in eight days, and in the sixteenth day of the first month they made an end.
Then they went to Hezekiah the king and said, We have cleansed all the house of the Lord and the altar of burnt offering with all the vessels thereof,
and the showbread table with all the vessels thereof. Moreover, all the vessels which King Ahaz in his reign did cast away
in his transgression have we prepared and sanctified, and behold, they are before the altar
of the Lord. Then Hezekiah the king rose early and gathered the rulers of the city and went up to the house of the Lord,
and 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 the Lord. So they killed the bullocks, and the priests received the blood and sprinkled it on the altar.
Likewise, when they had killed the rams, they sprinkled the blood upon the altar. They killed also the lambs,
and they sprinkled the blood upon the altar. And they brought forth the he goats for the sin offering
before the king and the congregation, and they laid their hands upon them, and the priests killed them. They made reconciliation
with their blood upon the altar to make an atonement for all Israel, for the king commanded
that the burnt offering and the sin offering should be made for all Israel. And he set the Levites
in the house of the Lord with cymbals and psalteries and with harps according to the commandment of David
and of Gad the king's seer and Nathan the prophet. For so was the commandment of the Lord by his prophets.
And the Levites stood with the instruments of David and the priests with the trumpets and Hezekiah commanded
to offer the burnt offering upon the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the song of the Lord began also
with the trumpets and with the instruments ordained by David king. of Israel. And all the congregation worshipped
and the singers sang and the trumpeters sounded and all this continued until the burnt offering was finished.
And when they had made an end of offering and the king and all that were present with him bowed themselves
and worshipped. moreover, Hezekiah the king and the princes commanded the Levites
to sing praise unto the Lord with the words of David and of Asaph the seer. And they sang praises
with gladness and they bowed their heads and worshipped. Then Hezekiah answered and said,
Now ye have consecrated yourselves unto the Lord. Come near and bring sacrifices and thank offerings
into the house of the Lord. And the congregation brought in sacrifices and thank offerings and as many as were
of a free heart burnt offerings. And the number of the burnt offerings which the congregation
brought was threescore and ten bullocks and hundred rams, two hundred lambs.
All these were for a burnt offering to the Lord. And the consecrated things were six hundred oxen
and three thousand sheep. But 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 other priests had sanctified themselves. For the Levites
were more upright in heart to sanctify themselves than the priests. And 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 the Lord
was set in order. And Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people
that God had prepared, the people, for the thing was done suddenly.
Chapter 30 and Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah and wrote letters
also to Ephraim and Manasseh that they should come to the house of the Lord
at Jerusalem to keep the Passover unto the Lord God of Israel.
For the king had taken counsel and his princes and all the congregation in Jerusalem
to keep the Passover in the second month, for they could not keep it at that time. Because the priests
had not sanctified themselves sufficiently, neither had the people gathered themselves together to Jerusalem.
And the thing pleased the king and all the congregation. So, they established
a decree to make proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba even to Dan,
that they should come to keep the Passover unto the Lord God of Israel
at Jerusalem, for they had not done it for a long time in such sort
as it was written. So, the post went with the letters from the king
and his princes throughout all Israel and Judah, and according to the commandment
of the king, saying, Ye children of Israel, turn again unto the Lord God
of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. And he will return to you
the remnant of you that are escaped out of the hand of the kings of Assyria.
And be not ye like your fathers and like your brethren which trespassed against the Lord God
of their fathers, who therefore gave them up to desolation as ye see.
Now, be ye not stiff-necked as your fathers were, but yield yourselves
unto the Lord and enter into his sanctuary which he hath sanctified for ever,
and serve the Lord your God that the fierceness of his wrath may turn away
from you. For, if ye turn again unto the Lord, your brethren
and your children shall find compassion before them that lead them captive so that they shall
come again into this land. For the Lord your God is gracious
and merciful and will not turn away his face from you
if ye return unto him. So, the post passed
from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh even unto Zebulun,
but they laughed them to scorn and mock them. Nevertheless,
divers of Asher and Manasseh and Zebulun humbled themselves and came
to Jerusalem. Also in Judah the hand of God was to give them one heart
to do the commandment of the king and of the princes by the word
of the Lord. And there assembled at Jerusalem much people
to keep the feast of unleavened bread in the second month, a very great
congregation. And they arose and took away the altars that were
in Jerusalem and all the altars of incense took they away and cast them
into the brook Kedron. And they killed the
Passover on the fourteenth day of the second month and the priest
and the Levites were ashamed and sanctified themselves and brought
in the burnt offerings into the house of the Lord
and they stood in their place after their manner according to the law
of Moses the man of God. The priest sprinkled the blood
which they received of the hand of the Levites for there were many in the
congregation that were not sanctified. Therefore the Levites
had the charge of the killing of the Passovers for every one that was not
clean to sanctify them unto the Lord. For a multitude
of the people even many of Ephraim and Manasseh Issachar
and Zebulun had not cleansed themselves yet did they eat the Passover
otherwise than it was written. But Hezekiah
prayed for them saying the good Lord pardon every one
that prepareth his heart to seek God the Lord God of his fathers
though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary.
And the Lord hearkened to Hezekiah and healed the people
and the children of Israel that were present at Jerusalem kept the feast
of unleavened bread seven days with great gladness. and the Levites and the priests
praised the Lord day by day singing with loud instruments unto the Lord
and Hezekiah spake comfortably unto all the Levites that taught the good knowledge
of the Lord and they did eat throughout the feast seven days offering peace offerings
and making confession to the Lord God of their fathers and the whole assembly took counsel
to keep other seven days and they kept other seven days with gladness.
For Hezekiah king of Judah did give to the congregation a thousand bullocks
and seven thousand sheep and the princes gave to the congregation a thousand bullocks and ten thousand sheep
and a great number of priests sanctified themselves and all the congregation of Judah
with the priests and the Levites and all the congregation that came out of Israel
and the strangers that came out of the land of Israel and that dwelt
in Judah rejoiced. So there was great joy in Jerusalem
for since the time of Solomon the son of David king of Israel there was not
the like in Jerusalem. Then the priests and Levites arose
and blessed the people and their voice was heard and their prayer
came up to His holy dwelling place even unto heaven. End of chapter 30 Recording by Simon
