Category: 2 Chronicles

[27:1] Jotham became king at the age of twenty-five, and he ruled in Jerusalem for sixteen years. His mother was Jerushah, the daughter of Zadok.

[27:2] He did what was pleasing to the Lord, just as his father had done; but unlike his father he did not sin by burning incense in the Temple. The people, however, went on sinning.

[27:3] It was Jotham who built the North Gate of the Temple and did extensive work on the city wall in the area of Jerusalem called Ophel.

[27:4] In the mountains of Judah he built cities, and in the forests he built forts and towers.

[27:5] He fought against the king of Ammon and his army and defeated them. Then he forced the Ammonites to pay him the following tribute each year for three years: four tons of silver, fifty thousand bushels of wheat, and fifty thousand bushels of barley.

[27:6] Jotham grew powerful because he faithfully obeyed the Lord his God.

[27:7] The other events of Jotham's reign, his wars, and his policies, are all recorded in The History of the Kings of Israel and Judah.

[27:8] Jotham was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he ruled in Jerusalem for sixteen years.

[27:9] He died and was buried in David's City and his son Ahaz succeeded him as king.

[28:1] Ahaz became king at the age of twenty, and he ruled in Jerusalem for sixteen years. He did not follow the good example of his ancestor King David; instead, he did what was not pleasing to the Lord

[28:2] and followed the example of the kings of Israel. He had metal images of Baal made,

[28:3] burned incense in Hinnom Valley, and even sacrificed his own sons as burnt offerings to idols, imitating the disgusting practice of the people whom the Lord had driven out of the land as the Israelites advanced.

[28:4] At the pagan places of worship, on the hills, and under every shady tree Ahaz offered sacrifices and burned incense.

[28:7] An Israelite soldier named Zichri killed King Ahaz' son Maaseiah, the palace administrator Azrikam, and Elkanah, who was second in command to the king.

[28:8] Even though the Judeans were their own relatives, the Israelite army captured 200,000 women and children as prisoners and took them back to Samaria, along with large amounts of loot.

[28:9] A man named Oded, a prophet of the Lord, lived in the city of Samaria. He met the returning Israelite army with its Judean prisoners as it was about to enter the city, and he said, “The Lord God of your ancestors was angry with Judah and let you defeat them, but now he has heard of the vicious way you slaughtered them.

[28:10] And now you intend to make the men and women of Jerusalem and Judah your slaves. Don't you know that you also have committed sins against the Lord your God?

[28:11] Listen to me! These prisoners are your brothers and sisters. Let them go, or the Lord will punish you in his anger.”

[28:12] Four of the leading men of the Northern Kingdom, Azariah son of Jehohanan, Berechiah son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai also opposed the actions of the army.

[28:13] They said, “Don't bring those prisoners here! We have already sinned against the Lord and made him angry enough to punish us. Now you want to do something that will increase our guilt.”

[28:14] So then the army handed the prisoners and the loot over to the people and their leaders,

[28:15] and the four men were appointed to provide the prisoners with clothing from the captured loot. They gave them clothes and sandals to wear, gave them enough to eat and drink, and put olive oil on their wounds. Those who were too weak to walk were put on donkeys, and all the prisoners were taken back to Judean territory at Jericho, the city of palm trees. Then the Israelites returned home to Samaria.

[28:18] At this same time the Philistines were raiding the towns in the western foothills and in southern Judah. They captured the cities of Beth Shemesh, Aijalon, and Gederoth, and the cities of Soco, Timnah, and Gimzo with their villages, and settled there permanently.

[28:19] Because King Ahaz of Judah had violated the rights of his people and had defied the Lord, the Lord brought troubles on Judah.

[28:20] The Assyrian emperor, instead of helping Ahaz, opposed him and caused him trouble.

[28:21] So Ahaz took the gold from the Temple, the palace, and the homes of the leaders of the people, and gave it to the emperor, but even this did not help.

[28:22] When his troubles were at their worst, that man Ahaz sinned against the Lord more than ever.

[28:23] He offered sacrifices to the gods of the Syrians, who had defeated him. He said, “The Syrian gods helped the kings of Syria, so if I sacrifice to them, they may help me too.” This brought disaster on him and on his nation.

[28:24] In addition, he took all the Temple equipment and broke it in pieces. He closed the Temple and set up altars in every part of Jerusalem.

[28:25] In every city and town in Judah he built pagan places of worship, where incense was to be burned to foreign gods. In this way he brought on himself the anger of the Lord, the God of his ancestors.

[28:26] All the other events of his reign, from beginning to end, are recorded in The History of the Kings of Judah and Israel.

[28:27] King Ahaz died and was buried in Jerusalem, but not in the royal tombs. His son Hezekiah succeeded him as king.

[29:1] Hezekiah became king of Judah at the age of twenty-five, and he ruled in Jerusalem for twenty-nine years. His mother was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah.

[29:2] Following the example of his ancestor King David, he did what was pleasing to the Lord.

[29:3] In the first month of the year after Hezekiah became king, he reopened the gates of the Temple and had them repaired.

[29:4] He assembled a group of priests and Levites in the east courtyard of the Temple

[29:5] and spoke to them there. He said, “You Levites are to consecrate yourselves and purify the Temple of the Lord, the God of your ancestors. Remove from the Temple everything that defiles it.

[29:6] Our ancestors were unfaithful to the Lord our God and did what was displeasing to him. They abandoned him and turned their backs on the place where he dwells.

[29:7] They closed the doors of the Temple, let the lamps go out, and failed to burn incense or offer burnt offerings in the Temple of the God of Israel.

[29:8] Because of this the Lord has been angry with Judah and Jerusalem, and what he has done to them has shocked and frightened everyone. You know this very well.

[29:9] Our fathers were killed in battle, and our wives and children have been taken away as prisoners.

[29:10] “I have now decided to make a covenant with the Lord, the God of Israel, so that he will no longer be angry with us.

[29:11] My sons, do not lose any time. You are the ones that the Lord has chosen to burn incense to him and to lead the people in worshiping him.” – From the clan of Kohath, Mahath son of Amasai and Joel son of Azariah – From the clan of Merari, Kish son of Abdi and Azariah son of Jehallelel – From the clan of Gershon, Joah son of Zimmah and Eden son of Joah – From the clan of Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeuel – From the clan of Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah – From the clan of Heman, Jehuel and Shimei – From the clan of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel

[29:15] These men assembled their fellow Levites, and they all made themselves ritually clean. Then, as the king had commanded them to do, they began to make the Temple ritually clean, according to the Law of the Lord.

[29:16] The priests went inside the Temple to purify it, and they carried out into the Temple courtyard everything that was ritually unclean. From there the Levites took it all outside the city to Kidron Valley.

[29:17] The work was begun on the first day of the first month, and by the eighth day they had finished it all, including the entrance room to the Temple. Then they worked for the next eight days, until the sixteenth of the month, preparing the Temple for worship.

[29:18] The Levites made the following report to King Hezekiah: “We have completed the ritual purification of the whole Temple, including the altar for burnt offerings, the table for the sacred bread, and all their equipment.

[29:19] We have also brought back all the equipment which King Ahaz took away during those years he was unfaithful to God, and we have rededicated it. It is all in front of the Lord's altar.”

[29:20] Without delay King Hezekiah assembled the leading men of the city, and together they went to the Temple.

[29:21] As an offering to take away the sins of the royal family and of the people of Judah and to purify the Temple, they took seven bulls, seven sheep, seven lambs, and seven goats. The king told the priests, who were descendants of Aaron, to offer the animals as sacrifices on the altar.

[29:22] The priests killed the bulls first, then the sheep, and then the lambs, and sprinkled the blood of each sacrifice on the altar.

[29:23] Finally they took the goats to the king and to the other worshipers, who laid their hands on them.

[29:24] Then the priests killed the goats and poured their blood on the altar as a sacrifice to take away the sin of all the people, for the king had commanded that burnt offerings and sin offerings be made for all Israel.

[29:25] The king followed the instructions that the Lord had given to King David through Gad, the king's prophet, and through the prophet Nathan; he stationed Levites in the Temple, with harps and cymbals,

[29:26] instruments like those that King David had used. The priests also stood there with trumpets.

[29:27] Hezekiah gave the order for the burnt offering to be presented; and as the offering began, the people sang praise to the Lord, and the musicians began to play the trumpets and all the other instruments.

[29:28] Everyone who was there joined in worship, and the singing and the rest of the music continued until all the sacrifices had been burned.

[29:29] Then King Hezekiah and all the people knelt down and worshiped God.

[29:30] The king and the leaders of the nation told the Levites to sing to the Lord the songs of praise that were written by David and by Asaph the prophet. So everyone sang with great joy as they knelt and worshiped God.

[29:31] Hezekiah said to the people, “Now that you are ritually clean, bring sacrifices as offerings of thanksgiving to the Lord.” They obeyed, and some of them also voluntarily brought animals to be sacrificed as burnt offerings.

[29:32] They brought 70 bulls, 100 sheep, and 200 lambs as burnt offerings for the Lord;

[29:33] they also brought 600 bulls and 3,000 sheep as sacrifices for the people to eat.

[29:34] Since there were not enough priests to kill all these animals, the Levites helped them until the work was finished. By then more priests had made themselves ritually clean. (The Levites were more faithful in keeping ritually clean than the priests were.)

[29:35] In addition to offering the sacrifices that were burned whole, the priests were responsible for burning the fat that was offered from the sacrifices which the people ate, and for pouring out the wine that was presented with the burnt offerings. And so worship in the Temple was begun again.

[29:36] King Hezekiah and the people were happy, because God had helped them to do all this so quickly.

[30:4] The king and the people were pleased with their plan,

[30:5] so they invited all the Israelites, from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, to come together in Jerusalem and celebrate the Passover according to the Law, in larger numbers than ever before.

[30:6] Messengers went out at the command of the king and his officials through all Judah and Israel with the following invitation: “People of Israel, you have survived the Assyrian conquest of the land. Now return to the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and he will return to you.

[30:7] Do not be like your ancestors and your Israelite relatives who were unfaithful to the Lord their God. As you can see, he punished them severely.

[30:8] Do not be stubborn as they were, but obey the Lord. Come to the Temple in Jerusalem, which the Lord your God has made holy forever, and worship him so that he will no longer be angry with you.

[30:9] If you return to the Lord, then those who have taken your relatives away as prisoners will take pity on them and let them come back home. The Lord your God is kind and merciful, and if you return to him, he will accept you.”

[30:10] The messengers went to every city in the territory of the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far north as the tribe of Zebulun, but people laughed at them and made fun of them.

[30:11] Still, there were some from the tribes of Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun who were willing to come to Jerusalem.

[30:12] God was also at work in Judah and united the people in their determination to obey his will by following the commands of the king and his officials.