17 And Azariah the priest went |ple of the LORD. And the people in after him, and with him fourscore did yet corruptly. priests of the LORD, that were valiant men:

8 He was five and twenty years f 21 And Uzziah the king was a old when he began to reign, and feper unto the day of his death, and reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem, dwelt in a several house, being af 9 ¶ And Jotham slept with his leper; for he was cut off from the fathers, and they buried him in the house of the LORD: and Jotham his city of David and Ahaz his son son was over the king's house, judg-reigned in his stead. ing the people of the land.

prophet, the son of Amoz, write. he reigned sixteen years in Jerusa23 So Uzziah slept with his fa-lem: but he did not that which was thers, and they buried him with his right in the sight of the LORD, like fathers in the field of the burial David his father: which belonged to the kings; for they said, He is a leper: and Jotham his son reigned in his stead. CHAP. XXVII.

4 He sacrificed also and burnt e 2 And he did that which was right incense in the high places, and on in the sight of the LORD, according the hills, and under every green to all that his father Uzziah did: tree.

howbeit, he entered not into the tem-f 5 Wherefore the LORD his God

delivered him into the hand of the | not bring in the captives hither: for

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.

f6¶ For Pekah the son of Remafiah slew in Judah a hundred and twenty thousand in one day, which were all valiant men; because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers.

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. f 14 So the armed men left the captives and the spoil before the princes and all the congregation. d 15 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 asses, and brought them to Jericho, the city of palm-trees, to their brethren: then 8 And the children of Israel car-they returned to Samaria. ried 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.

7 And Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, slew Maaseiah the king's son, and Azrikam the governor of the house, and Elkanah that was next to the king.

f 9 But a prophet of the LORD was there, whose name was Oded: and he went out before the host 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 hea

ven.

f 16 ¶ At that time did king Ahaz send unto the kings of Assyria to help him.

17 For again the Edomites had come and smitten Judah, and carried away captives. g 18 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 Gederoth, and Shocho with the villages thereof, and Timnah with the villages thereof, Gimzo also and the villages thereof: and they dwelt there.

c 10 And now ye purpose to keep c 19 For the LORD brought Judah under the children of Judah and low because of Ahaz king of Israel: Jerusalem for bondmen and bond-for he made Judah naked, and women unto you but are there not transgressed sore against the LORD. with you, even with you, sins against 20 And Tilgath-pilneser king of the LORD your God? Assyria came unto him, and distressed him, but strengthened him not.

w11 Now hear me therefore, and deliver the captives again, which 21 For Ahaz took away a portion ye have taken captive of your bre-out of the house of the LORD, and thren for the fierce wrath of the LORD is upon you.

f 12 Then certain of the heads of the children of Ephraim, Azariah the son of Johanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, and Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai, stood up against them that came from the war,

13 And said unto them, Ye shall

out of the house of the king, and of the princes, and gave it unto the king of Assyria: but he helped him not.

ƒ 22 ¶ And in the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against the LORD: this is that king Ahaz.

23 For he sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus, which smote him:

and he said, Because the gods of the | have forsaken him, and have turned kings of Syria help them, therefore away their faces from the habitawill I sacrifice to them, that they tion of the LORD, and turned their may help me. But they were the backs. ruin of him, and of all Israel. f 24 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 Jeru-LORD was upon Judah and Jerusasalem. lem, and he hath delivered them to

7 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. 8 Wherefore the wrath of the

t 25 And in every several city of trouble, to astonishment, and to hissJudah he made high places to burning, as ye see with your eyes. incense unto other gods, and pro- 9 For lo, our fathers have fallen voked to anger the LORD God of by the sword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity for this.

his fathers.
f26 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.

27 And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, even in Jerusalem: but they brought him not into the sepulchres of the kings of Israel and Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead.

CHAP. XXIX.

c 10 Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the LORD God of Israel, that his fierce wrath may turn away from us.

d 11 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.

f 12 Then the Levites arose,

HEZEKIAH began to reign Mahath the son of Amasai, and

when he was five and twen-Joel the son of Azariah, of the sons ty years old, and he reigned nine of the Kohathites and of the sons and twenty years in Jerusalem. And of Merari, Kish the son of Abdi, his mother's name was Abijah the and Azariah the son of Jehalelel: daughter of Zechariah.

and of the Gershonites; Joah the son of Zimmah, and Eden the son

c 2 And he did that which was
right in the sight of the LORD, ac-of Joah:
cording to all that David his father
had done.

f3 He, in the first year of his
reign, in the first month, opened the
doors of the house of the LORD, and
repaired them.

4 And he brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them together into the east street,

13 And of the sons of Elizaphan; Shimri, and Jeiel and of the sons of Asaph; Zachariah, and Mattaniah :

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

d 15 And they gathered their bred 5 And said unto them, Hear me, thren, and sanctified themselves, and ye Levites Sanctify now your-came according to the commandselves, and sanctify the house of the ment of the king, by the words of LORD God of your fathers, and car- the LORD, to cleanse the house of ry forth the filthiness out of the holy the LORD. place.

6 For our fathers have trespassed, and done that which was evil in the eyes of the LORD our God, and

16 And the priests 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

CHAPTER XXIX.

temple of the LORD into the court offering and the sin-offering should of the house of the LORD. And the be made for all Israel. Levites took it, to carry it out abroad f 25 And he set the Levites in the house of the LORD with cymbals, into the brook Kidron. f17 Now they began on the first day with psalteries, and with harps, acof the first mouth to sanctify, and on cording to the commandment of Dathe eighth day of the month came vid, and of Gad the king's seer, and they to the porch of the LORD: so Nathan the prophet: for so was the they sanctified the house of the commandment of the LORD by his LORD, in eight days; and in the prophets. sixteenth day of the first month they made an end.

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

18 Then they went in to Heze27 And Hezekiah commanded to kiah the king, and said, We have cleansed all the house of the LORD, offer the burnt-offering upon the aland the altar of burnt-offering, with tar. And when the burnt-offering all the vessels thereof, and the shew-began, the song of the LORD began bread table, with all the vessels also with the trumpets, and with the instruments ordained by David king thereof. of Israel.

19 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.

f 20 T Then Hezekiah the king rose early, and gathered the rulers of the city, and went up to the house of the LORD.

28 And all the congregation worshipped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded: and all this continued until the burnt-offering

was finished.

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

L 21 And they brought seven bul-d 30 Moreover, Hezekiah the king locks, and seven rams, and seven and the princes commanded the Lelambs, and seven he-goats, for a sin-vites to sing praise unto the LORD offering for the kingdom, and for the with the words of David, and of sanctuary, and for Judah. And he Asaph the seer. And they sang commanded the priests the sons of praises with gladness, and they bowAaron to offer them on the altar of ed their heads and worshipped. c 31 Then Hezekiah answered and the LORD. 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.

22 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. t 23 And they brought forth the he- f 32 And the number of the burntgoats for the sin-offering before the offerings, which the congregation king and the congregation; and brought, was threescore and ten bullocks, a hundred rams, and two hunthey laid their hands upon them: t 24 And the priests killed them, dred lambs: all these were for a and they made reconciliation with burnt-offering to the LORD. 33 And the consecrated things, their blood upon the altar, to make an atonement for all Israel: for the were six hundred oxen and three king commanded that the burnt-thousand sheep.

Z z

541

34 But the priests were too few, you that are escaped out of the so that they could not flay all the hand of the kings of Assyria. burnt-offerings: wherefore their e 7 And be not ye like your fathers, brethren the Levites did help them and like your brethren, which trestill the work was ended, and until passed against the Lord God of their the other priests had sanctified them- fathers, who therefore gave them up selves for the Levites were more to desolation, as ye see. upright in heart to sanctify themselves e 8 Now be ye not stiff-necked, as than the priests. 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. t 9 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

f 35 And also the burnt-offerings were in abundance, with the fat of the peace-offerings, and the drinkofferings for every burnt-offering. So the service of the house of the LORD was set in order.

t 36 And Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people, that God had prepared the people: for the thing was done suddenly.

CHAP. XXX.

AND Hezekiah sent to all

Is

gracious and merciful, and will not

rael and Judah, and wrote turn away his face from you, if ye letters also to Ephraim and Manas- return unto him. seh, that they should come to the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, to keep the passover unto the LORD God of Israel.

12 For the king had taken counsel, and his princes, and all the congregation in Jerusalem, to keep the passover in the second month.

c 10 So the posts passed from city
to city through the country of E-
phraim and Manasseh even unto Ze-
bulun: but they laughed them to
scorn, and mocked them.
c 11 Nevertheless, divers of Asher
and Manasseh and of Zebulun
humbled themselves, and came to

3 For they could not keep it at Jerusalem. that time, because the priests had not t 12 Also in Judah the hand of God sanctified themselves sufficiently, was to give them one heart to do the neither had the people gathered commandment of the king and of themselves together to Jerusalem. the princes, by the word of the LORD.

4 And the thing pleased the king and all the congregation. g 5 So they established a decree to make proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beer-sheba 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 of a long time in such sort as it was written.

f13 ¶ And there assembled at Jerusalem much people to keep the feast of unleavened bread in the second month, a very great congregation.

14 And they arose and took away the altars that were in Jerusalem, and all the altars for incense took they away, and cast them into the b 6 So the posts went with the let-brook Kidron. ters from the king and his princes 15 Then they killed the passover throughout all Israel and Judah, and on the fourteenth day of the second according to the commandment of month: and the priests and the Lethe king, saying, Ye children of Is-vites were ashamed, and sanctified rael, turn again unto the LORD God themselves, and brought in the of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and burnt-offerings into the house of the he will return to the remnant of LORD.