2 Tawarikh 28:1--30:27
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.
[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
