2 Chronicles 29: Hezekiah cleanses the house of Yahweh

In plain English: Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah.

Good to know: 2 Kings 18:2 gives the same age and the same twenty-nine years in Jerusalem, and says his mother's name was "Abi the daughter of Zechariah". This verse says Abijah. The text does not explain the two forms of the name.

In plain English: He did what was right in Yahweh's eyes, according to all that David his father had done.

In plain English: In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of Yahweh's house and repaired them.

In plain English: He brought in the priests and the Levites and gathered them into the open place on the east,

In plain English: and said to them, "Listen to me, you Levites! Now sanctify yourselves (or: make yourselves holy), and sanctify the house of Yahweh, the God of your fathers, and carry the filthiness (or: the impurity) out of the holy place.

In plain English: For our fathers were unfaithful. They did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh our God, and they forsook him. They turned their faces away from Yahweh's dwelling place, and turned their backs (literally: gave a back).

In plain English: They also shut the doors of the porch, put out the lamps, and did not burn incense or offer burnt offerings in the holy place to the God of Israel.

In plain English: So the wrath of Yahweh was on Judah and Jerusalem, and he has made them something to be tossed back and forth (or: a terror), a horror and a hissing, as you see with your own eyes.

The Hebrew word: "Tossed back and forth" is zevaah, which the dictionary gives as "agitation, fear". The word-by-word meaning given for it in this verse is "a terror", listed under the related entry zaavah, which the dictionary gives as "agitation, maltreatment". The next two words are "a horror" and "a hissing".

How it is translated: This Bible says "tossed" for this word in 5 of the 6 verses that use it.

What changes: Read as "tossed back and forth", Yahweh has made them something that is shaken about. Read as "a terror", he has made them something that frightens those who see it. The text does not say which.

In plain English: Look, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity because of this.

In plain English: Now it is in my heart (literally: with my heart) to make a covenant with Yahweh, the God of Israel, so that the burning of his anger may turn back from us.

In plain English: My sons, do not be negligent now, for Yahweh has chosen you to stand before him, to serve him, and to be his servants and burn incense."

In plain English: Then the Levites arose: Mahath the son of Amasai, and Joel the son of Azariah, of the descendants of the Kohathites; and of the descendants 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;

In plain English: and of the descendants of Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeuel; and of the descendants of Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah;

In plain English: and of the descendants of Heman, Jehuel and Shimei; and of the descendants of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel.

In plain English: They gathered their brothers, sanctified themselves, and went in to cleanse Yahweh's house, as the king had commanded, by the words of Yahweh.

In plain English: The priests went into the inner part of Yahweh's house to cleanse it, and brought out all the uncleanness they found in Yahweh's temple into the court of Yahweh's house. The Levites received it and carried it out to the brook Kidron, outside.

In plain English: They began on the first day of the first month to sanctify. On the eighth day of the month they came to Yahweh's porch, and they sanctified Yahweh's house in eight days. On the sixteenth day of the first month they finished.

In plain English: Then they went in to King Hezekiah, within the palace, and said, "We have cleansed all Yahweh's house, the altar of burnt offering with all its vessels, and the table of the show bread (literally: the table of the row) with all its vessels.

In plain English: We have also prepared and sanctified all the vessels that King Ahaz rejected (or: threw away) in his reign, in his unfaithfulness. Look, they are before Yahweh's altar."

In plain English: Hezekiah the king rose early, gathered the officials of the city, and went up to Yahweh's house.

In plain English: They brought seven young bulls, seven rams, seven lambs and seven male goats (literally: he-goats of goats) for a sin offering for the kingdom, for the sanctuary and for Judah. He told the priests, the descendants of Aaron, to offer them on Yahweh's altar.

In plain English: They slaughtered the cattle, and the priests took the blood and sprinkled it on the altar. They slaughtered the rams and sprinkled the blood on the altar. They slaughtered the lambs and sprinkled the blood on the altar.

In plain English: They brought near the male goats for the sin offering before the king and the assembly, and they laid their hands on them.

In plain English: The priests slaughtered them and made a sin offering with their blood on the altar, to make atonement for all Israel, for the king had said that the burnt offering and the sin offering were for all Israel.

In plain English: He stationed the Levites in Yahweh's house with cymbals, stringed instruments and harps, according to the command of David and of Gad the king's seer and of Nathan the prophet, for the commandment was by the hand of Yahweh, by the hand of his prophets.

In plain English: The Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets.

In plain English: Hezekiah told them to offer the burnt offering on the altar. At the time the burnt offering began, the song of Yahweh began too, with the trumpets and the instruments of David king of Israel.

In plain English: All the assembly bowed down, the song was sung, and the trumpets were blown. All this went on until the burnt offering was finished.

In plain English: When they had finished offering, the king and all who were with him bowed down and worshiped.

In plain English: Hezekiah the king and the officials told the Levites to praise Yahweh with the words of David and of Asaph the seer. They praised him with joy, and they bowed low and worshiped.

In plain English: Then Hezekiah answered and said, "Now you have consecrated yourselves (literally: filled your hand) to Yahweh. Come near and bring sacrifices and thank offerings to Yahweh's house." The assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and every person with a willing heart brought burnt offerings.

The Hebrew words: "Consecrated yourselves" is word for word "filled your hand", from male, which the dictionary gives as "to fill", and yad, "a hand". This Bible gives the sense "consecrated yourselves". The text does not explain the phrase.

What changes: Read word for word, Hezekiah says they have filled their hand to Yahweh. Read as this Bible gives it, he says they have consecrated themselves. Either way, he then tells them to come near and bring sacrifices.

In plain English: The number of the burnt offerings that the assembly brought was seventy bulls, one hundred rams and two hundred lambs. All these were for a burnt offering to Yahweh.

In plain English: The consecrated things (or: holy offerings) were six hundred head of cattle and three thousand sheep.

In plain English: But the priests were too few, and they could not skin all the burnt offerings. So their brothers the Levites helped them until the work was finished, and until the priests had sanctified themselves, for the Levites were more upright in heart to sanctify themselves than the priests.

In plain English: There were also burnt offerings in abundance, with the fat of the peace offerings and with the drink offerings for each burnt offering. So the service of Yahweh's house was set in order.

In plain English: Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced over what God had prepared for the people, for the thing had happened suddenly.