2 Tawarikh 28:1--33:25
Konteks28:1 Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. 1 He did not do what pleased the Lord, in contrast to his ancestor David. 2 28:2 He followed in the footsteps of 3 the kings of Israel; he also made images of the Baals. 28:3 He offered sacrifices in the Valley of Ben-Hinnom and passed his sons through the fire, 4 a horrible sin practiced by the nations 5 whom the Lord drove out before the Israelites. 28:4 He offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.
28:5 The Lord his God handed him over to the king of Syria. The Syrians 6 defeated him and deported many captives to Damascus. 7 He was also handed over to the king of Israel, who thoroughly defeated him. 8 28:6 In one day King Pekah son of Remaliah of Israel killed 120,000 warriors in Judah, because they had abandoned the Lord God of their ancestors. 9 28:7 Zikri, an Ephraimite warrior, killed the king’s son Maaseiah, Azrikam, the supervisor of the palace, and Elkanah, the king’s second-in-command. 28:8 The Israelites seized from their brothers 200,000 wives, sons, and daughters. They also carried off a huge amount of plunder and took it 10 back to Samaria. 11
28:9 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. 12 28:10 And now you are planning 13 to enslave 14 the people 15 of Judah and Jerusalem. Yet are you not also guilty before the Lord your God? 28:11 Now listen to me! Send back those you have seized from your brothers, for the Lord is very angry at you!” 16 28:12 So some of 17 the Ephraimite family leaders, Azariah son of Jehochanan, Berechiah son of Meshillemoth, Jechizkiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai confronted 18 those returning from the battle. 28:13 They said to them, “Don’t bring those captives here! Are you planning on making us even more sinful and guilty before the Lord? 19 Our guilt is already great and the Lord is very angry at Israel.” 20 28:14 So the soldiers released the captives and the plunder before the officials and the entire assembly. 28:15 Men were assigned to take the prisoners and find clothes among the plunder for those who were naked. 21 So they clothed them, supplied them with sandals, gave them food and drink, and provided them with oil to rub on their skin. 22 They put the ones who couldn’t walk on donkeys. 23 They brought them back to their brothers at Jericho, 24 the city of the date palm trees, and then returned to Samaria.
28:16 At that time King Ahaz asked the king 25 of Assyria for help. 28:17 The Edomites had again invaded and defeated Judah and carried off captives. 28:18 The Philistines had raided the cities of Judah in the lowlands 26 and the Negev. 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. 28:19 The Lord humiliated 27 Judah because of King Ahaz of Israel, 28 for he encouraged Judah to sin and was very 29 unfaithful to the Lord. 28:20 King Tiglath-pileser 30 of Assyria came, but he gave him more trouble than support. 31 28:21 Ahaz gathered riches 32 from the Lord’s temple, the royal palace, and the officials and gave them to the king of Assyria, but that did not help.
28:22 During his time of trouble King Ahaz was even more unfaithful to the Lord. 28:23 He offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus whom he thought had defeated him. 33 He reasoned, 34 “Since the gods of the kings of Damascus helped them, I will sacrifice to them so they will help me.” But they caused him and all Israel to stumble. 28:24 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. 28:25 In every city throughout Judah he set up high places to offer sacrifices to other gods. He angered the Lord God of his ancestors.
28:26 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. 35 28:27 Ahaz passed away 36 and was buried in the City of David; 37 they did not bring him to the tombs of the kings of Israel. His son Hezekiah replaced him as king.
29:1 Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. 38 His mother was Abijah, 39 the daughter of Zechariah. 29:2 He did what the Lord approved, just as his ancestor David had done. 40
29:3 In the first month of the first year of his reign, he opened the doors of the Lord’s temple and repaired them. 29:4 He brought in the priests and Levites and assembled them in the square on the east side. 29:5 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! 41 Remove from the sanctuary what is ceremonially unclean! 29:6 For our fathers were unfaithful; they did what is evil in the sight of 42 the Lord our God and abandoned him! They turned 43 away from the Lord’s dwelling place and rejected him. 44 29:7 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. 29:8 The Lord was angry at Judah and Jerusalem and made them an appalling object of horror at which people hiss out their scorn, 45 as you can see with your own eyes. 29:9 Look, our fathers died violently 46 and our sons, daughters, and wives were carried off 47 because of this. 29:10 Now I intend 48 to make a covenant with the Lord God of Israel, so that he may relent from his raging anger. 49 29:11 My sons, do not be negligent now, for the Lord has chosen you to serve in his presence and offer sacrifices.” 50
29:12 The following Levites prepared to carry out the king’s orders: 51
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;
29:13 from the descendants of Elizaphan: Shimri and Jeiel;
from the descendants of Asaph: Zechariah and Mattaniah;
29:14 from the descendants of Heman: Jehiel and Shimei;
from the descendants of Jeduthun: Shemaiah and Uzziel.
29:15 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 52 of the Lord. 29:16 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. 53 The Levites took them out to the Kidron Valley. 29:17 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. 54 For eight more days they consecrated the Lord’s temple. On the sixteenth day of the first month they were finished. 29:18 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. 29:19 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.”
29:20 Early the next morning King Hezekiah assembled the city officials and went up to the Lord’s temple. 29:21 They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven goats as a sin offering for the kingdom, the sanctuary, and Judah. 55 The king 56 told the priests, the descendants of Aaron, to offer burnt sacrifices on the altar of the Lord. 29:22 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. 29:23 Finally they brought the goats for the sin offering before the king and the assembly, and they placed their hands on them. 29:24 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 57 that the burnt sacrifice and sin offering were for all Israel.
29:25 King Hezekiah 58 stationed the Levites in the Lord’s temple with cymbals and stringed instruments, just as David, Gad the king’s prophet, 59 and Nathan the prophet had ordered. (The Lord had actually given these orders through his prophets.) 29:26 The Levites had 60 David’s musical instruments and the priests had trumpets. 29:27 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. 29:28 The entire assembly worshiped, as the singers sang and the trumpeters played. They continued until the burnt sacrifice was completed.
29:29 When the sacrifices were completed, the king and all who were with him bowed down and worshiped. 29:30 King Hezekiah and the officials told the Levites to praise the Lord, using the psalms 61 of David and Asaph the prophet. 62 So they joyfully offered praise and bowed down and worshiped. 29:31 Hezekiah said, “Now you have consecrated yourselves 63 to the Lord. Come and bring sacrifices and thank offerings 64 to the Lord’s temple.” So the assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and whoever desired to do so 65 brought burnt sacrifices.
29:32 The assembly brought a total of 70 bulls, 100 rams, and 200 lambs as burnt sacrifices to the Lord, 66 29:33 and 600 bulls and 3,000 sheep 67 were consecrated. 29:34 But there were not enough priests to skin all the animals, 68 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.) 69 29:35 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. 70 29:36 Hezekiah and all the people were happy about what God had done 71 for them, 72 for it had been done quickly. 73
30:1 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 74 and observe a Passover celebration for the Lord God of Israel. 30:2 The king, his officials, and the entire assembly in Jerusalem decided to observe the Passover in the second month. 30:3 They were unable to observe it at the regular 75 time because not enough priests had consecrated themselves and the people had not assembled in Jerusalem. 30:4 The proposal seemed appropriate to 76 the king and the entire assembly. 30:5 So they sent an edict 77 throughout Israel from Beer Sheba to Dan, summoning the people 78 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. 79 30:6 Messengers 80 delivered the letters from the king and his officials throughout Israel and Judah.
This royal edict read: 81 “O Israelites, return to the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, so he may return 82 to you who have been spared from the kings of Assyria. 83 30:7 Don’t be like your fathers and brothers who were unfaithful to the Lord God of their ancestors, 84 provoking him to destroy them, 85 as you can see. 30:8 Now, don’t be stubborn 86 like your fathers! Submit 87 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. 88 30:9 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 89 if you return to him.”
30:10 The messengers journeyed from city to city through the land of Ephraim and Manasseh as far as Zebulun, but people mocked and ridiculed them. 90 30:11 But some men from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. 30:12 In Judah God moved the people to unite and carry out the edict the king and the officers had issued at the Lord’s command. 91 30:13 A huge crowd assembled in Jerusalem to observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the second month. 92 30:14 They removed the altars in Jerusalem; they also removed all the incense altars and threw them into the Kidron Valley. 93
30:15 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. 30:16 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. 94 30:17 Because many in the assembly had not consecrated themselves, the Levites slaughtered 95 the Passover lambs of all who were ceremonially unclean and could not consecrate their sacrifice to the Lord. 96 30:18 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. 97 For Hezekiah prayed for them, saying: “May the Lord, who is good, forgive 98 30:19 everyone who has determined to follow God, 99 the Lord God of his ancestors, even if he is not ceremonially clean according to the standards of the temple.” 100 30:20 The Lord responded favorably 101 to Hezekiah and forgave 102 the people.
30:21 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. 103 30:22 Hezekiah expressed his appreciation to all the Levites, 104 who demonstrated great skill in serving the Lord. 105 They feasted for the seven days of the festival, 106 and were making peace offerings and giving thanks to the Lord God of their ancestors.
30:23 The entire assembly then decided to celebrate for seven more days; so they joyfully celebrated for seven more days. 30:24 King Hezekiah of Judah supplied 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep 107 for the assembly, while the officials supplied them 108 with 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep. Many priests consecrated themselves. 30:25 The celebration included 109 the entire assembly of Judah, the priests, the Levites, the entire assembly of those who came from Israel, the resident foreigners who came from the land of Israel, and the residents of Judah. 30:26 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. 110 30:27 The priests and Levites got up and pronounced blessings on the people. The Lord responded favorably to them 111 as their prayers reached his holy dwelling place in heaven.
31:1 When all this was over, the Israelites 112 who were in the cities of Judah went out and smashed the sacred pillars, cut down the Asherah poles, and demolished 113 all the high places and altars throughout Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh. 114 Then all the Israelites returned to their own homes in their cities. 115
31:2 Hezekiah appointed the divisions of the priests and Levites to do their assigned tasks 116 – to offer burnt sacrifices and present offerings and to serve, give thanks, and offer praise in the gates of the Lord’s sanctuary. 117
31:3 The king contributed 118 some of what he owned for burnt sacrifices, including the morning and evening burnt sacrifices and the burnt sacrifices made on Sabbaths, new moon festivals, and at other appointed times prescribed 119 in the law of the Lord. 31:4 He ordered 120 the people living in Jerusalem 121 to contribute the portion prescribed for the priests and Levites so they might be obedient 122 to the law of the Lord. 31:5 When the edict was issued, 123 the Israelites freely contributed 124 the initial portion of their grain, wine, olive oil, honey, and all the produce of their fields. They brought a tenth of everything, which added up to a huge amount. 31:6 The Israelites and people of Judah 125 who lived in the cities of Judah also contributed a tenth of their cattle and sheep, as well as a tenth of the holy items consecrated to the Lord their God. They brought them and placed them in many heaps. 126 31:7 In the third month they began piling their contributions in heaps 127 and finished in the seventh month. 31:8 When Hezekiah and the officials came and saw the heaps, they praised the Lord and pronounced blessings on his people Israel. 128
31:9 When Hezekiah asked the priests and Levites about the heaps, 31:10 Azariah, the head priest from the family of Zadok, said to him, “Since the contributions began arriving in the Lord’s temple, we have had plenty to eat and have a large quantity left over. For the Lord has blessed his people, and this large amount remains.” 31:11 Hezekiah ordered that storerooms be prepared in the Lord’s temple. When this was done, 129 31:12 they brought in the contributions, tithes, 130 and consecrated items that had been offered. 131 Konaniah, a Levite, was in charge of all this, assisted by his brother Shimei. 31:13 Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismakiah, Mahath, and Benaiah worked under the supervision of Konaniah and his brother Shimei, as directed by King Hezekiah and Azariah, the supervisor of God’s temple.
31:14 Kore son of Imnah, a Levite and the guard on the east side, was in charge of the voluntary offerings made to God and disbursed the contributions made to the Lord and the consecrated items. 31:15 In the cities of the priests, Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah faithfully assisted him in making disbursements to their fellow priests 132 according to their divisions, regardless of age. 133 31:16 They made disbursements to all the males three years old and up who were listed in the genealogical records – to all who would enter the Lord’s temple to serve on a daily basis and fulfill their duties as assigned to their divisions. 134 31:17 They made disbursements to the priests listed in the genealogical records by their families, and to the Levites twenty years old and up, according to their duties as assigned to their divisions, 31:18 and to all the infants, wives, sons, and daughters of the entire assembly listed in the genealogical records, for they faithfully consecrated themselves. 31:19 As for the descendants of Aaron, the priests who lived in the outskirts of all their cities, 135 men were assigned 136 to disburse portions to every male among the priests and to every Levite listed in the genealogical records.
31:20 This is what Hezekiah did throughout Judah. He did what the Lord his God considered good and right and faithful. 31:21 He wholeheartedly and successfully reinstituted service in God’s temple and obedience to the law, in order to follow his God. 137
32:1 After these faithful deeds were accomplished, King Sennacherib of Assyria invaded Judah. He besieged the fortified cities, intending to seize them. 138 32:2 When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had invaded and intended to attack Jerusalem, 139 32:3 he consulted with his advisers and military officers about stopping up the springs 140 outside the city, and they supported him. 32:4 A large number of people gathered together and stopped up all the springs and the stream that flowed through the district. 141 They reasoned, 142 “Why should the kings of Assyria come and find plenty of water?” 32:5 Hezekiah 143 energetically rebuilt 144 every broken wall. He erected towers and an outer wall, 145 and fortified the terrace of the City of David. 146 He made many weapons and shields.
32:6 He appointed military officers over the army 147 and assembled them in the square at the city gate. He encouraged them, 148 saying, 32:7 “Be strong and brave! Don’t be afraid and don’t panic 149 because of the king of Assyria and this huge army that is with him! We have with us one who is stronger than those who are with him. 150 32:8 He has with him mere human strength, 151 but the Lord our God is with us to help us and fight our battles!” The army 152 was encouraged by the words of King Hezekiah of Judah.
32:9 Afterward King Sennacherib of Assyria, while attacking Lachish with all his military might, sent his messengers 153 to Jerusalem. The message was for King Hezekiah of Judah and all the people of 154 Judah who were in Jerusalem. It read: 32:10 “This is what King Sennacherib of Assyria says: ‘Why are you so confident that you remain in Jerusalem while it is under siege? 155 32:11 Hezekiah says, “The Lord our God will rescue us from the power 156 of the king of Assyria.” But he is misleading you and you will die of hunger and thirst! 157 32:12 Hezekiah is the one who eliminated 158 the Lord’s 159 high places and altars and then told Judah and Jerusalem, “At one altar you must worship and offer sacrifices.” 32:13 Are you not aware of what I and my predecessors 160 have done to all the nations of the surrounding lands? Have the gods of the surrounding lands actually been able to rescue their lands from my power? 161 32:14 Who among all the gods of these nations whom my predecessors annihilated was able to rescue his people from my power? 162 32:15 Now don’t let Hezekiah deceive you or mislead you like this. Don’t believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to rescue his people from my power or the power of my predecessors. So how 163 can your gods rescue 164 you from my power?’”
32:16 Sennacherib’s 165 servants further insulted 166 the Lord God and his servant Hezekiah. 32:17 He wrote letters mocking the Lord God of Israel and insulting him with these words: 167 “The gods of the surrounding nations could not rescue their people from my power. Neither can Hezekiah’s god rescue his people from my power.” 168 32:18 They called out loudly in the Judahite dialect to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, trying to scare and terrify them so they could seize the city. 32:19 They talked about the God of Jerusalem as if he were one of the man-made gods of the nations of the earth.
32:20 King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz prayed about this and cried out to heaven. 32:21 The Lord sent a messenger 169 and he wiped out all the soldiers, princes, and officers in the army of the king of Assyria. So Sennacherib 170 returned home humiliated. 171 When he entered the temple of his god, some of his own sons 172 struck him down with the sword. 32:22 The Lord delivered Hezekiah and the residents of Jerusalem from the power of King Sennacherib of Assyria and from all the other nations. 173 He made them secure on every side. 174 32:23 Many were bringing presents 175 to the Lord in Jerusalem and precious gifts to King Hezekiah of Judah. From that time on he was respected by 176 all the nations.
32:24 In those days Hezekiah was stricken with a terminal illness. 177 He prayed to the Lord, who answered him and gave him a sign confirming that he would be healed. 178 32:25 But Hezekiah was ungrateful; he had a proud attitude, provoking God to be angry at him, as well as Judah and Jerusalem. 179 32:26 But then Hezekiah and the residents of Jerusalem humbled themselves and abandoned their pride, and the Lord was not angry with them for the rest of Hezekiah’s reign. 180
32:27 Hezekiah was very wealthy and greatly respected. He made storehouses for his silver, gold, precious stones, spices, and all his other valuable possessions. 181 32:28 He made storerooms for the harvest of grain, wine, and olive oil, and stalls for all his various kinds of livestock and his flocks. 182 32:29 He built royal cities 183 and owned a large number of sheep and cattle, for God gave him a huge amount of possessions.
32:30 Hezekiah dammed up the source of the waters of the Upper Gihon and directed them down to the west side of the City of David. 184 Hezekiah succeeded in all that he did. 32:31 So when the envoys arrived from the Babylonian officials to visit him and inquire about the sign that occurred in the land, 185 God left him alone to test him, in order to know his true motives. 186
32:32 The rest of the events of Hezekiah’s reign, including his faithful deeds, are recorded in the vision of the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz, included in the Scroll of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 187 32:33 Hezekiah passed away 188 and was buried on the ascent of the tombs of the descendants of David. All the people of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem buried him with great honor. 189 His son Manasseh replaced him as king.
33:1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned for fifty-five years in Jerusalem. 190 33:2 He did evil in the sight of 191 the Lord and committed the same horrible sins practiced by the nations 192 whom the Lord drove out ahead of the Israelites. 33:3 He rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had destroyed; he set up altars for the Baals and made Asherah poles. He bowed down to all the stars in the sky 193 and worshiped 194 them. 33:4 He built altars in the Lord’s temple, about which the Lord had said, “Jerusalem will be my permanent home.” 195 33:5 In the two courtyards of the Lord’s temple he built altars for all the stars in the sky. 33:6 He passed his sons through the fire 196 in the Valley of Ben-Hinnom and practiced divination, omen reading, and sorcery. He set up a ritual pit to conjure up underworld spirits and appointed magicians to supervise it. 197 He did a great amount of evil in the sight of the Lord and angered him. 198 33:7 He put an idolatrous image he had made in God’s temple, about which God had said to David and to his son Solomon, “This temple in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, will be my permanent home. 199 33:8 I will not make Israel again leave the land I gave to their ancestors, 200 provided that they carefully obey all I commanded them, the whole law, the rules and regulations given to Moses.” 33:9 But Manasseh misled the people of 201 Judah and the residents of Jerusalem so that they sinned more than the nations whom the Lord had destroyed ahead of the Israelites.
33:10 The Lord confronted 202 Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention. 33:11 So the Lord brought against them the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria. They seized Manasseh, put hooks in his nose, 203 bound him with bronze chains, and carried him away to Babylon. 33:12 In his pain 204 Manasseh 205 asked the Lord his God for mercy 206 and truly 207 humbled himself before the God of his ancestors. 208 33:13 When he prayed to the Lord, 209 the Lord 210 responded to him 211 and answered favorably 212 his cry for mercy. The Lord 213 brought him back to Jerusalem to his kingdom. Then Manasseh realized that the Lord is the true God.
33:14 After this Manasseh 214 built up the outer wall of the City of David 215 on the west side of the Gihon in the valley to the entrance of the Fish Gate and all around the terrace; he made it much higher. He placed army officers in all the fortified cities in Judah.
33:15 He removed the foreign gods and images from the Lord’s temple and all the altars he had built on the hill of the Lord’s temple and in Jerusalem; he threw them outside the city. 33:16 He erected the altar of the Lord and offered on it peace offerings and thank offerings. He told the people of 216 Judah to serve the Lord God of Israel. 33:17 The people continued to offer sacrifices at the high places, but only to the Lord their God.
33:18 The rest of the events of Manasseh’s reign, including his prayer to his God and the words the prophets 217 spoke to him in the name of the Lord God of Israel, are recorded 218 in the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 33:19 The Annals of the Prophets include his prayer, give an account of how the Lord responded to it, record all his sins and unfaithful acts, and identify the sites where he built high places and erected Asherah poles and idols before he humbled himself. 219 33:20 Manasseh passed away 220 and was buried in his palace. His son Amon replaced him as king.
33:21 Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned for two years in Jerusalem. 221 33:22 He did evil in the sight of 222 the Lord, just like his father Manasseh had done. He offered sacrifices to all the idols his father Manasseh had made, and worshiped 223 them. 33:23 He did not humble himself before the Lord as his father Manasseh had done. 224 Amon was guilty of great sin. 225 33:24 His servants conspired against him and killed him in his palace. 33:25 The people of the land executed all who had conspired against King Amon, and they 226 made his son Josiah king in his place.
[28:1] 1 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[28:1] 2 tn Heb “and he did not do what was proper in the eyes of the
[28:2] 3 tn Heb “he walked in the ways of.”
[28:3] 4 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.
[28:3] 5 tn Heb “like the abominable practices of the nations.”
[28:5] 6 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Syrians) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[28:5] 7 tn Heb “and took captive from him a great captivity and brought [them] to Damascus.”
[28:5] 8 tn Heb “who struck him down with a great striking.”
[28:6] 9 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 9, 25).
[28:8] 10 tn Heb “the loot.” The pronoun (“it”) has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy.
[28:8] 11 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[28:9] 12 tn Heb “and you killed them with anger [that] reaches as far as heaven.”
[28:10] 14 tn Heb “to enslave as male servants and female servants.”
[28:11] 16 tn Heb “for the rage of the anger of the
[28:12] 18 tn Heb “arose against.”
[28:13] 19 tn Heb “for to the guilt of the
[28:13] 20 tn Heb “for great is [the] guilt to us and rage of anger is upon Israel.”
[28:15] 21 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.”
[28:15] 22 tn Heb “and poured oil on them.”
[28:15] 23 tn Heb “and they led them on donkeys, with respect to everyone stumbling.”
[28:15] 24 map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.
[28:16] 25 tc Most Hebrew
[28:18] 26 tn Heb “Shephelah.”
[28:19] 28 sn That is, “of Judah.” Frequently in 2 Chronicles “Israel” is substituted for “Judah.”
[28:19] 29 tn The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verbal form to emphasize the degree of Ahaz’s unfaithfulness.
[28:20] 30 tn Heb “Tilgath-pilneser,” a variant spelling of Tiglath-pileser.
[28:20] 31 tn Heb “and he caused him distress and did not strengthen him.”
[28:21] 32 tn Heb “divided up,” but some read חִלֵּץ (khillets, “despoiled”).
[28:23] 33 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.
[28:26] 35 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.”
[28:27] 36 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[28:27] 37 sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
[29:1] 38 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[29:1] 39 tn The parallel passage in 2 Kgs 18:2 has “Abi.”
[29:2] 40 tn Heb “he did what was proper in the eyes of the
[29:6] 42 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[29:6] 43 tn Heb “turned their faces.”
[29:6] 44 tn Heb “and turned the back.”
[29:8] 45 tn Heb “and he made them [an object] of dread and devastation and hissing.”
[29:9] 46 tn Heb “fell by the sword.”
[29:9] 47 tn Heb “are in captivity.”
[29:10] 48 tn Heb “now it is with my heart.”
[29:10] 49 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.
[29:11] 50 tn Heb “to stand before him to serve him and to be his servants and sacrificers.”
[29:12] 51 tn Heb “and the Levites arose.”
[29:15] 52 tn Heb “words” (plural).
[29:16] 53 tn Heb “in the temple of the
[29:17] 54 tn Heb “porch of the
[29:21] 55 sn Perhaps these terms refer metonymically to the royal court, the priests and Levites, and the people, respectively.
[29:21] 56 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[29:25] 58 tn Heb “he”; the referent (King Hezekiah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[29:26] 60 tn Heb “stood with” (i.e., stood holding).
[29:30] 61 tn Heb “with the words.”
[29:31] 63 tn Heb “filled your hand.”
[29:31] 64 tn Or “tokens of thanks.”
[29:31] 65 tn Heb “and all who were willing of heart.”
[29:32] 66 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
[29:33] 67 tn The Hebrew term צֹאן (ts’on) 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.
[29:34] 68 tn Heb “the burnt sacrifices.”
[29:34] 69 tn Heb “for the Levites were more pure of heart to consecrate themselves than the priests.”
[29:35] 70 tn Or “established.”
[29:36] 72 tn Heb “the people.” The pronoun “they” has been used here for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy.
[29:36] 73 tn Heb “for quickly was the matter.”
[30:1] 74 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[30:3] 75 tn Heb “at that time.”
[30:4] 76 tn Heb “and the thing was proper in the eyes of.”
[30:5] 77 tn Heb “and they caused to stand a word to cause a voice to pass through.”
[30:5] 78 tn The words “summoning the people” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[30:5] 79 tn Heb “because not for abundance had they done as written.”
[30:6] 80 tn Heb “the runners.”
[30:6] 81 tn Heb “and according to the command of the king, saying.”
[30:6] 82 tn The jussive with vav conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.
[30:6] 83 tn Heb “to the survivors who are left to you from the palm of the kings of Assyria.”
[30:7] 84 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 19, 22).
[30:7] 85 tn Heb “and he made them a devastation” (or, perhaps, “an object of horror”).
[30:8] 86 tn Heb “don’t stiffen your neck” (a Hebrew idiom for being stubborn).
[30:8] 87 tn Heb “give a hand.” On the meaning of the idiom here, see HALOT 387 s.v. I יָד 2.
[30:8] 88 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.
[30:9] 89 tn Heb “turn [his] face from you.”
[30:10] 90 tn Heb “and they were mocking them and ridiculing them.”
[30:12] 91 tn Heb “also in Judah the hand of God was to give to them one heart to do the command of the king and the officials by the word of the
[30:13] 92 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.
[30:14] 93 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.”
[30:16] 94 tn Heb “from the hand of the Levites.”
[30:17] 95 tn Heb “were over the slaughter of.”
[30:17] 96 tn Heb “of everyone not pure to consecrate to the
[30:18] 97 tn Heb “without what is written.”
[30:18] 98 tn Heb “make atonement for.”
[30:19] 99 tn Heb “everyone [who] has prepared his heart to seek God.”
[30:19] 100 tn Heb “and not according to the purification of the holy place.”
[30:20] 101 tn Heb “listened.”
[30:21] 103 tn Heb “and they were praising the
[30:22] 104 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.
[30:22] 105 tn Heb “who demonstrated skill [with] good skill for the
[30:22] 106 tn Heb “and they ate [during] the appointed time [for] seven days.” מוֹעֵד (mo’ed, “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.
[30:24] 107 tn The Hebrew term צֹאן (ts’on, translated “sheep” twice in this verse) denotes smaller livestock in general; depending on context it can refer to sheep only or goats only, but their is nothing in the immediate context here to specify one or the other.
[30:24] 108 tn Heb “the assembly.” The pronoun “them” has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy.
[30:25] 109 tn Heb “they rejoiced.”
[30:26] 110 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.”
[30:27] 111 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 (yÿhvah, “the
[31:1] 112 tn Heb “all Israel.”
[31:1] 114 tn Heb “the high places and the altars from all Judah and Benjamin and in Ephraim and in Manasseh until finished.”
[31:1] 115 tn Heb “and the sons of Israel returned, each to his possession to their cities.”
[31:2] 116 tn Heb “and Hezekiah appointed the divisions of the priests and the Levites according to their divisions, each in accordance with his service for the priests and for the Levites.”
[31:2] 117 tn Heb “in the gates of the encampments of the
[31:3] 118 tn Heb “the portion of the king [was].”
[31:3] 119 tn Heb “as written.”
[31:4] 121 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[31:4] 122 tn Heb “might hold firmly.”
[31:5] 123 tn Heb “and when the word spread out.”
[31:5] 124 tn Heb “the sons of Israel multiplied.”
[31:6] 125 tn Heb “and the sons of Israel and Judah.”
[31:6] 126 tn Heb “heaps, heaps.” Repetition of the noun draws attention to the large number of heaps.
[31:7] 127 tn Heb “they began the heaps, to establish.”
[31:8] 128 tn Heb “they blessed the
[31:11] 129 tn Heb “and they prepared.”
[31:12] 131 tn Heb “and holy things in faithfulness.”
[31:15] 132 tn Heb “to their brothers.”
[31:15] 133 tn Heb “like great, like small” (i.e., old and young alike).
[31:16] 134 tn Heb “in addition enrolling them by males from a son of three years and upwards, to everyone who enters the house of the
[31:19] 135 tn Heb “the priests in the fields of the pastureland of their cities in every city and city.”
[31:19] 136 tn Heb “designated by names.”
[31:21] 137 tn Heb “and in all the work which he began with regard to the service of the house of God and with respect to the law and with respect to the commandment, to seek his God; with all his heart he acted and he succeeded.”
[32:1] 138 tn Heb “and he said to break into them for himself.”
[32:2] 139 tn Heb “and his face was for war against Jerusalem.”
[32:2] map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[32:3] 140 tn Heb “the waters of the springs.”
[32:4] 141 tn Heb “and they closed up all the springs and the stream that flows in the midst of the land.” Here אָרֶץ (’arets, “land”) does not refer to the entire land, but to a smaller region like a district.
[32:4] 142 tn Heb “land, saying.”
[32:5] 143 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Hezekiah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[32:5] 144 tn Heb “strengthened himself and built.”
[32:5] 145 tn Heb “and outside the wall another one.”
[32:5] 146 sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
[32:6] 147 tn Heb “and he placed officers of war over the people.”
[32:6] 148 tn Heb “he spoke to their heart[s].”
[32:7] 149 tn Or perhaps, “and don’t be discouraged.”
[32:7] 150 tn Heb “for with us [is] a greater [one] than with him.”
[32:8] 151 tn Heb “With him is an arm of flesh.”
[32:9] 154 tn Heb “all Judah.” The words “the people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” here by metonymy for the people of Judah.
[32:10] 155 tn Heb “On what are you trusting that [you] are living during the siege in Jerusalem.”
[32:11] 157 tn Heb “Is not Hezekiah misleading you to give you over to die by hunger and thirst, saying, ‘The
[32:12] 158 tn Heb “Did not he, Hezekiah, eliminate…?” This rhetorical question presupposes a positive reply (“yes, he did”) and so has been translated here as a positive statement.
[32:12] 159 tn Heb “his”; the referent (the
[32:13] 160 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 14, 15), but in this context the term does not necessarily refer to Sennacherib’s ancestors, but to his predecessors on the Assyrian throne.
[32:15] 163 tn Heb “how much less.”
[32:15] 164 tn The verb is plural, suggesting that the preceding אֱלֹהֵיכֶם (’elohekhem) be translated “your gods,” rather than “your God.”
[32:16] 165 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Sennacherib) has been specified in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
[32:16] 166 tn Heb “spoke against.”
[32:17] 167 tn Heb “and speaking against him, saying.”
[32:17] 168 tn Heb “Like the gods of the nations of the lands who did not rescue their people from my hand, so the god of Hezekiah will not rescue his people from my hand.”
[32:21] 170 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Sennacherib) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[32:21] 171 tn Heb “and he returned with shame of face to his land.”
[32:21] 172 tn Heb “and some from those who went out from him, from his inward parts.”
[32:22] 173 tn Heb “and from the hand of all.”
[32:22] 174 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “and he led him from all around.” However, the present translation assumes an emendation to וַיָּנַח לָהֶם מִסָּבִיב (vayyanakh lahem missaviv, “and he gave rest to them from all around”). See 2 Chr 15:15 and 20:30.
[32:23] 175 tn Or perhaps, “offerings.”
[32:23] 176 tn Heb “lifted up in the eyes of.”
[32:24] 177 tn Heb “was sick to the point of dying.”
[32:24] 178 tn Heb “and he spoke to him and a sign he gave to him.”
[32:25] 179 tn Heb “but not according to the benefit [given] to him did Hezekiah repay, for his heart was high, and there was anger against him and against Judah and Jerusalem.”
[32:25] map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[32:26] 180 tn Heb “and Hezekiah humbled himself in the height of his heart, he and the residents of Jerusalem, and the anger of the
[32:27] 181 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “and shields and all the desirable items.” The present translation assumes an emendation of מָגִנִּים (maginnim, “shields”) to מִגְדָּנִים (migdanim, “precious items”). See v. 23.
[32:28] 182 tn Heb “and stalls for all beasts and beasts, and flocks for the stalls.” The repetition of בְהֵמָה (bÿhemah, “beast”) here indicates various kinds of livestock.
[32:29] 183 tn Heb “and cities he made for himself.”
[32:30] 184 sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
[32:31] 185 tn Heb “and when the envoys of the officials of Babylon, who sent to him to inquire concerning the sign which was in the land, [arrived].”
[32:31] 186 tn Heb “to know all [that was] in his heart.”
[32:32] 187 tn Heb “and the rest of the deeds of Hezekiah and his faithful acts, behold, they are written in the vision of Isaiah son of Amoz the prophet upon the scroll of the kings of Judah and Israel.”
[32:33] 188 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[32:33] 189 tn Heb “and honor they did to him in his death, all Judah and the residents of Jerusalem.”
[33:1] 190 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[33:2] 191 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[33:2] 192 tn Heb “like the abominable practices of the nations.”
[33:3] 193 tn The phrase כָל צְבָא הֲַשָּׁמַיִם (khol tsÿva’ hashamayim), traditionally translated “all the host of heaven,” refers to the heavenly lights, including stars and planets. In 1 Kgs 22:19 these heavenly bodies are pictured as members of the Lord’s royal court or assembly, but many other texts view them as the illegitimate objects of pagan and Israelite worship.
[33:4] 195 tn Heb “In Jerusalem my name will be permanently.”
[33:6] 196 tn Or “he sacrificed his sons in the fire.” This may refer to child sacrifice, though some interpret it as a less drastic cultic practice (NEB, NASV “made his sons pass through 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.
[33:6] 197 tn Heb “and he set up a ritual pit, along with a conjurer.” Hebrew אוֹב (’ov, “ritual pit”) refers to a pit used by a magician to conjure up underworld spirits. In 1 Sam 28:7 the witch of Endor is called a בַּעֲלַת אוֹב (ba’alat ’ov, “owner of a ritual pit”). See H. Hoffner, “Second Millennium Antecedents to the Hebrew ’OñBù,” JBL 86 (1967): 385-401.
[33:6] 198 tn Heb “and he multiplied doing what is evil in the eyes of the
[33:7] 199 tn Heb “In this house and in Jerusalem, which I chose from all the tribes of Israel, I will place my name permanently” (or perhaps “forever”).
[33:8] 200 tn Heb “I will not again make the feet of Israel wander from the land which I established for their fathers.”
[33:9] 201 tn Heb “misled Judah.” The words “the people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” here by metonymy for the people of Judah.
[33:10] 202 tn Heb “spoke to.”
[33:11] 203 tn Heb “and they seized him with hooks.”
[33:12] 205 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Manasseh) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[33:12] 206 tn Heb “appeased the face of the
[33:13] 209 tn Heb “him”; the referent (the
[33:13] 210 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the
[33:13] 211 tn Heb “was entreated by him,” or “allowed himself to be entreated by him.”
[33:13] 213 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the
[33:14] 214 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Manasseh) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[33:14] 215 sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
[33:16] 216 tn Heb “told Judah.” The words “the people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” here by metonymy for the people of Judah.
[33:18] 218 tn Heb “look, they are.”
[33:19] 219 tn Heb “and his prayer and being entreated by him, and all his sin and his unfaithfulness and the places where he built high places and set up Asherah poles and idols before he humbled himself – behold, they are written on the words of his seers.”
[33:20] 220 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[33:21] 221 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[33:22] 222 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[33:23] 224 tn Heb “as Manasseh his father had humbled himself.”
