2Chronicles:28-31

---

Seeker Overlay ON

* 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 Baalim . * 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 , and 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 Remaliah 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 Maaseiah the king 's son , and Azrikam 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 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 heaven . * And now ye purpose to keep under the children of Judah and 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 , 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 , * And said unto them , Ye shall not bring in the captives hither : 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 asses , 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 Bethshemesh , 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 . * For the LORD brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel ; for he made Judah naked , and transgressed sore against the LORD . * And Tilgathpilneser 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 help them , therefore will I sacrifice to them , that they may help me . But they were the ruin of him , and of 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 provoked 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 sepulchres of the kings of Israel : and Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead . * 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 , and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place . * For our fathers have trespassed , 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 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 Jehalelel : and of the Gershonites ; Joah the son of Zimmah , and Eden the son of Joah : * And of the sons of Elizaphan ; Shimri , and Jeiel : and of the sons of Asaph ; Zechariah , and Mattaniah : * And of the sons of Heman ; Jehiel , and Shimei : and of the sons of Jeduthun ; Shemaiah , and Uzziel . * 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 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 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 in 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 shewbread 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 , and 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 , with 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 , 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 , an hundred rams , and 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 . * 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 of a long time in such sort as it was written . * So the posts 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 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 stiffnecked , 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 posts passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh even unto Zebulun : but they laughed them to scorn , and mocked them . * Nevertheless divers of Asher and Manasseh and of 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 for incense took they away , and cast them into the brook Kidron . * Then they killed the passover on the fourteenth day of the second month : and the priests 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 priests 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 the Levites arose and blessed the people : and their voice was heard , and their prayer came up to his holy dwelling place , even unto heaven . * Now when all this was finished , all Israel that were present went out to the cities of Judah , and brake the images in pieces , and cut down the groves , and threw down the high places and the altars out of all Judah and Benjamin , in Ephraim also and Manasseh , until they had utterly destroyed them all . Then all the children of Israel returned , every man to his possession , into their own cities . * And Hezekiah appointed the courses of the priests and the Levites after their courses , every man according to his service , the priests and Levites for burnt offerings and for peace offerings , to minister , and to give thanks , and to praise in the gates of the tents of the LORD . * He appointed also the king 's portion of his substance for the burnt offerings , to wit , for the morning and evening burnt offerings , and the burnt offerings for the sabbaths , and for the new moons , and for the set feasts , as it is written in the law of the LORD . * Moreover he commanded the people that dwelt in Jerusalem to give the portion of the priests and the Levites , that they might be encouraged in the law of the LORD . * And as soon as the commandment came abroad , the children of Israel brought in abundance the firstfruits of corn , wine , and oil , and honey , and of all the increase of the field ; and the tithe of all things brought they in abundantly . * And concerning the children of Israel and Judah , that dwelt in the cities of Judah , they also brought in the tithe of oxen and sheep , and the tithe of holy things which were consecrated unto the LORD their God , and laid them by heaps . * In the third month they began to lay the foundation of the heaps , and finished them in the seventh month . * And when Hezekiah and the princes came and saw the heaps , they blessed the LORD , and his people Israel . * Then Hezekiah questioned with the priests and the Levites concerning the heaps . * And Azariah the chief priest of the house of Zadok answered him , and said , Since the people began to bring the offerings into the house of the LORD , we have had enough to eat , and have left plenty : for the LORD hath blessed his people ; and that which is left is this great store . * Then Hezekiah commanded to prepare chambers in the house of the LORD ; and they prepared them , * And brought in the offerings and the tithes and the dedicated things faithfully : over which Cononiah the Levite was ruler , and Shimei his brother was the next . * And Jehiel , and Azaziah , and Nahath , and Asahel , and Jerimoth , and Jozabad , and Eliel , and Ismachiah , and Mahath , and Benaiah , were overseers under the hand of Cononiah and Shimei his brother , at the commandment of Hezekiah the king , and Azariah the ruler of the house of God . * And Kore the son of Imnah the Levite , the porter toward the east , was over the freewill offerings of God , to distribute the oblations of the LORD , and the most holy things . * And next him were Eden , and Miniamin , and Jeshua , and Shemaiah , Amariah , and Shecaniah , in the cities of the priests , in their set office , to give to their brethren by courses , as well to the great as to the small : * Beside their genealogy of males , from three years old and upward , even unto every one that entereth into the house of the LORD , his daily portion for their service in their charges according to their courses ; * Both to the genealogy of the priests by the house of their fathers , and the Levites from twenty years old and upward , in their charges by their courses ; * And to the genealogy of all their little ones , their wives , and their sons , and their daughters , through all the congregation : for in their set office they sanctified themselves in holiness : * Also of the sons of Aaron the priests , which were in the fields of the suburbs of their cities , in every several city , the men that were expressed by name , to give portions to all the males among the priests , and to all that were reckoned by genealogies among the Levites . * And thus did Hezekiah throughout all Judah , and wrought that which was good and right and truth before the LORD his God . * And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God , and in the law , and in the commandments , to seek his God , he did it with all his heart , and prospered . * After these things , and the establishment thereof , Sennacherib king of Assyria came , and entered into Judah , and encamped against the fenced cities , and thought to win them for himself .

---