Discovery Box2 Chronicles 26:1--32:33 
Context26:1 All the people of Judah took Uzziah, 1 who was sixteen years old, and made him king in his father Amaziah’s place. 26:2 Uzziah 2 built up Elat and restored it to Judah after King Amaziah 3 had passed away. 4
26:3 Uzziah was sixteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for fifty-two years in Jerusalem. 5 His mother’s name was Jecholiah, who was from Jerusalem. 26:4 He did what the Lord approved, just as his father Amaziah had done. 6 26:5 He followed 7 God during the lifetime of 8 Zechariah, who taught him how to honor God. As long as he followed 9 the Lord, God caused him to succeed. 10
26:6 Uzziah attacked 11 the Philistines and broke down the walls of Gath, Jabneh, and Ashdod. He built cities in the region of Ashdod and throughout Philistine territory. 12 26:7 God helped him in his campaigns 13 against the Philistines, the Arabs living in Gur Baal, and the Meunites. 26:8 The Ammonites paid tribute to Uzziah and his fame reached 14 the border of Egypt, for he grew in power.
26:9 Uzziah built and fortified towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, Valley Gate, and at the Angle. 15 26:10 He built towers in the desert and dug many cisterns, for he owned many herds in the lowlands 16 and on the plain. He had workers in the fields and vineyards in the hills and in Carmel, 17 for he loved agriculture. 18
26:11 Uzziah had an army of skilled warriors trained for battle. They were organized by divisions according to the muster rolls made by Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the officer under the authority of Hananiah, a royal official. 26:12 The total number of family leaders who led warriors was 2,600. 26:13 They commanded an army of 307,500 skilled and able warriors who were ready to defend 19 the king against his enemies. 26:14 Uzziah supplied shields, spears, helmets, breastplates, bows, and slingstones for the entire army. 26:15 In Jerusalem he made war machines carefully designed to shoot arrows and large stones from the towers and corners of the walls. He became very famous, for he received tremendous support and became powerful. 20
26:16 But once he became powerful, his pride destroyed him. 21 He disobeyed 22 the Lord his God. He entered the Lord’s temple to offer incense on the incense altar. 26:17 Azariah the priest and eighty other brave priests of the Lord followed him in. 26:18 They confronted 23 King Uzziah and said to him, “It is not proper for you, Uzziah, to offer incense to the Lord. That is the responsibility of the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who are consecrated to offer incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have disobeyed 24 and the Lord God will not honor you!” 26:19 Uzziah, who had an incense censer in his hand, became angry. While he was ranting and raving 25 at the priests, a skin disease 26 appeared on his forehead right there in front of the priests in the Lord’s temple near the incense altar. 26:20 When Azariah the high priest and the other priests looked at 27 him, there was a skin disease on his forehead. They hurried him out of there; even the king 28 himself wanted to leave quickly because the Lord had afflicted him. 26:21 King Uzziah suffered from a skin disease until the day he died. He lived in separate quarters, 29 afflicted by a skin disease and banned from the Lord’s temple. His son Jotham was in charge of the palace and ruled over the people of the land.
26:22 The rest of the events of Uzziah’s reign, from start to finish, were recorded by the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz. 30 26:23 Uzziah passed away 31 and was buried near his ancestors 32 in a cemetery 33 belonging to the kings. (This was because he had a skin disease.) 34 His son Jotham replaced him as king.
27:1 Jotham was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. 35 His mother was Jerusha the daughter of Zadok. 27:2 He did what the Lord approved, just as his father Uzziah had done. 36 (He did not, however, have the audacity to enter the temple.) 37 Yet the people were still sinning.
27:3 He built the Upper Gate to the Lord’s temple and did a lot of work on the wall in the area known as Ophel. 38 27:4 He built cities in the hill country of Judah and fortresses and towers in the forests.
27:5 He launched a military campaign 39 against the king of the Ammonites and defeated them. That year the Ammonites paid him 100 talents 40 of silver, 10,000 kors 41 of wheat, and 10,000 kors 42 of barley. The Ammonites also paid this same amount of annual tribute the next two years. 43
27:6 Jotham grew powerful because he was determined to please the Lord his God. 44 27:7 The rest of the events of Jotham’s reign, including all his military campaigns and his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll of the kings of Israel and Judah. 45 27:8 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. 27:9 Jotham passed away 46 and was buried in the City of David. 47 His son Ahaz replaced him as king.
28:1 Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. 48 He did not do what pleased the Lord, in contrast to his ancestor David. 49 28:2 He followed in the footsteps of 50 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, 51 a horrible sin practiced by the nations 52 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 53 defeated him and deported many captives to Damascus. 54 He was also handed over to the king of Israel, who thoroughly defeated him. 55 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. 56 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 57 back to Samaria. 58
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. 59 28:10 And now you are planning 60 to enslave 61 the people 62 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!” 63 28:12 So some of 64 the Ephraimite family leaders, Azariah son of Jehochanan, Berechiah son of Meshillemoth, Jechizkiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai confronted 65 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? 66 Our guilt is already great and the Lord is very angry at Israel.” 67 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. 68 So they clothed them, supplied them with sandals, gave them food and drink, and provided them with oil to rub on their skin. 69 They put the ones who couldn’t walk on donkeys. 70 They brought them back to their brothers at Jericho, 71 the city of the date palm trees, and then returned to Samaria.
28:16 At that time King Ahaz asked the king 72 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 73 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 74 Judah because of King Ahaz of Israel, 75 for he encouraged Judah to sin and was very 76 unfaithful to the Lord. 28:20 King Tiglath-pileser 77 of Assyria came, but he gave him more trouble than support. 78 28:21 Ahaz gathered riches 79 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. 80 He reasoned, 81 “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. 82 28:27 Ahaz passed away 83 and was buried in the City of David; 84 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. 85 His mother was Abijah, 86 the daughter of Zechariah. 29:2 He did what the Lord approved, just as his ancestor David had done. 87
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! 88 Remove from the sanctuary what is ceremonially unclean! 29:6 For our fathers were unfaithful; they did what is evil in the sight of 89 the Lord our God and abandoned him! They turned 90 away from the Lord’s dwelling place and rejected him. 91 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, 92 as you can see with your own eyes. 29:9 Look, our fathers died violently 93 and our sons, daughters, and wives were carried off 94 because of this. 29:10 Now I intend 95 to make a covenant with the Lord God of Israel, so that he may relent from his raging anger. 96 29:11 My sons, do not be negligent now, for the Lord has chosen you to serve in his presence and offer sacrifices.” 97
29:12 The following Levites prepared to carry out the king’s orders: 98
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 99 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. 100 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. 101 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. 102 The king 103 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 104 that the burnt sacrifice and sin offering were for all Israel.
29:25 King Hezekiah 105 stationed the Levites in the Lord’s temple with cymbals and stringed instruments, just as David, Gad the king’s prophet, 106 and Nathan the prophet had ordered. (The Lord had actually given these orders through his prophets.) 29:26 The Levites had 107 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 108 of David and Asaph the prophet. 109 So they joyfully offered praise and bowed down and worshiped. 29:31 Hezekiah said, “Now you have consecrated yourselves 110 to the Lord. Come and bring sacrifices and thank offerings 111 to the Lord’s temple.” So the assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and whoever desired to do so 112 brought burnt sacrifices.
29:32 The assembly brought a total of 70 bulls, 100 rams, and 200 lambs as burnt sacrifices to the Lord, 113 29:33 and 600 bulls and 3,000 sheep 114 were consecrated. 29:34 But there were not enough priests to skin all the animals, 115 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.) 116 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. 117 29:36 Hezekiah and all the people were happy about what God had done 118 for them, 119 for it had been done quickly. 120
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 121 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 122 time because not enough priests had consecrated themselves and the people had not assembled in Jerusalem. 30:4 The proposal seemed appropriate to 123 the king and the entire assembly. 30:5 So they sent an edict 124 throughout Israel from Beer Sheba to Dan, summoning the people 125 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. 126 30:6 Messengers 127 delivered the letters from the king and his officials throughout Israel and Judah.
This royal edict read: 128 “O Israelites, return to the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, so he may return 129 to you who have been spared from the kings of Assyria. 130 30:7 Don’t be like your fathers and brothers who were unfaithful to the Lord God of their ancestors, 131 provoking him to destroy them, 132 as you can see. 30:8 Now, don’t be stubborn 133 like your fathers! Submit 134 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. 135 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 136 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. 137 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. 138 30:13 A huge crowd assembled in Jerusalem to observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the second month. 139 30:14 They removed the altars in Jerusalem; they also removed all the incense altars and threw them into the Kidron Valley. 140
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. 141 30:17 Because many in the assembly had not consecrated themselves, the Levites slaughtered 142 the Passover lambs of all who were ceremonially unclean and could not consecrate their sacrifice to the Lord. 143 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. 144 For Hezekiah prayed for them, saying: “May the Lord, who is good, forgive 145 30:19 everyone who has determined to follow God, 146 the Lord God of his ancestors, even if he is not ceremonially clean according to the standards of the temple.” 147 30:20 The Lord responded favorably 148 to Hezekiah and forgave 149 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. 150 30:22 Hezekiah expressed his appreciation to all the Levites, 151 who demonstrated great skill in serving the Lord. 152 They feasted for the seven days of the festival, 153 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 154 for the assembly, while the officials supplied them 155 with 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep. Many priests consecrated themselves. 30:25 The celebration included 156 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. 157 30:27 The priests and Levites got up and pronounced blessings on the people. The Lord responded favorably to them 158 as their prayers reached his holy dwelling place in heaven.
31:1 When all this was over, the Israelites 159 who were in the cities of Judah went out and smashed the sacred pillars, cut down the Asherah poles, and demolished 160 all the high places and altars throughout Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh. 161 Then all the Israelites returned to their own homes in their cities. 162
31:2 Hezekiah appointed the divisions of the priests and Levites to do their assigned tasks 163 – to offer burnt sacrifices and present offerings and to serve, give thanks, and offer praise in the gates of the Lord’s sanctuary. 164
31:3 The king contributed 165 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 166 in the law of the Lord. 31:4 He ordered 167 the people living in Jerusalem 168 to contribute the portion prescribed for the priests and Levites so they might be obedient 169 to the law of the Lord. 31:5 When the edict was issued, 170 the Israelites freely contributed 171 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 172 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. 173 31:7 In the third month they began piling their contributions in heaps 174 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. 175
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, 176 31:12 they brought in the contributions, tithes, 177 and consecrated items that had been offered. 178 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 179 according to their divisions, regardless of age. 180 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. 181 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, 182 men were assigned 183 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. 184
32:1 After these faithful deeds were accomplished, King Sennacherib of Assyria invaded Judah. He besieged the fortified cities, intending to seize them. 185 32:2 When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had invaded and intended to attack Jerusalem, 186 32:3 he consulted with his advisers and military officers about stopping up the springs 187 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. 188 They reasoned, 189 “Why should the kings of Assyria come and find plenty of water?” 32:5 Hezekiah 190 energetically rebuilt 191 every broken wall. He erected towers and an outer wall, 192 and fortified the terrace of the City of David. 193 He made many weapons and shields.
32:6 He appointed military officers over the army 194 and assembled them in the square at the city gate. He encouraged them, 195 saying, 32:7 “Be strong and brave! Don’t be afraid and don’t panic 196 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. 197 32:8 He has with him mere human strength, 198 but the Lord our God is with us to help us and fight our battles!” The army 199 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 200 to Jerusalem. The message was for King Hezekiah of Judah and all the people of 201 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? 202 32:11 Hezekiah says, “The Lord our God will rescue us from the power 203 of the king of Assyria.” But he is misleading you and you will die of hunger and thirst! 204 32:12 Hezekiah is the one who eliminated 205 the Lord’s 206 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 207 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? 208 32:14 Who among all the gods of these nations whom my predecessors annihilated was able to rescue his people from my power? 209 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 210 can your gods rescue 211 you from my power?’”
32:16 Sennacherib’s 212 servants further insulted 213 the Lord God and his servant Hezekiah. 32:17 He wrote letters mocking the Lord God of Israel and insulting him with these words: 214 “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.” 215 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 216 and he wiped out all the soldiers, princes, and officers in the army of the king of Assyria. So Sennacherib 217 returned home humiliated. 218 When he entered the temple of his god, some of his own sons 219 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. 220 He made them secure on every side. 221 32:23 Many were bringing presents 222 to the Lord in Jerusalem and precious gifts to King Hezekiah of Judah. From that time on he was respected by 223 all the nations.
32:24 In those days Hezekiah was stricken with a terminal illness. 224 He prayed to the Lord, who answered him and gave him a sign confirming that he would be healed. 225 32:25 But Hezekiah was ungrateful; he had a proud attitude, provoking God to be angry at him, as well as Judah and Jerusalem. 226 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. 227
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. 228 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. 229 32:29 He built royal cities 230 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. 231 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, 232 God left him alone to test him, in order to know his true motives. 233
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. 234 32:33 Hezekiah passed away 235 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. 236 His son Manasseh replaced him as king.
1 tn The parallel account in 2 Kgs 15:1-8 has the variant spelling “Azariah.”
2 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Uzziah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
3 tn Heb “after the king”; the referent (Amaziah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
4 tn “slept with his fathers.”
5 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
6 tn Heb “he did what was proper in the eyes of the
7 tn Heb “sought.”
8 tn Heb “in the days of.”
9 tn Heb “in the days of his seeking.”
10 tn Or “prosper.”
11 tn Heb “went out and fought.”
12 tn Heb “in Ashdod and among the Philistines.”
13 tn The words “in his campaigns” are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons
14 tn Heb “and his name went to.”
15 tn On the meaning of the Hebrew word מִקְצוֹעַ (miqtsoa’), see HALOT 628 s.v. עַ(וֹ)מִקְצֹ. The term probably refers to an “angle” or “corner” somewhere on the eastern wall of Jerusalem.
16 tn Heb “Shephelah.”
17 tn Heb “workers and vinedressers in the hills and in Carmel.” The words “he had” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
18 tn Heb “for a lover of the ground he [was].”
19 tn Heb “help.”
20 tn Heb “and his name went out to a distant place, for he did extraordinarily to be helped until he was strong.”
21 tn Heb “his heart was high [i.e., proud] to destroy.”
22 tn Or “was unfaithful to.”
23 tn Heb “stood against.”
24 tn Or “been unfaithful.”
25 tn Heb “angry.”
26 tn Traditionally “leprosy,” but this was probably a skin disorder of some type, not leprosy (technically known today as Hansen’s disease). See 2 Kgs 5:1.
27 tn Heb “turned toward.”
28 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
29 tn The precise meaning of בֵּית הַחָפְשִׁית (bet hakhafshiyt, “house of [?]”) is uncertain. NASB, NIV, NRSV all have “in a separate house”; NEB has “in his own house…relieved of all duties.” For a discussion of various proposals, see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 166-67.
30 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Uzziah, the former and the latter, Isaiah son of Amoz, the prophet, recorded.”
31 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
32 tn Heb “fathers.”
33 tn Heb “a field of burial.”
34 tn Heb “for they said, ‘He had a skin disease.’”
35 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
36 tn Heb “he did what was proper in the eyes of the
37 tn Heb “except he did not enter the house of the
38 tn Heb “wall of Ophel.” See HALOT 861 s.v. II עֹפֶל.
39 tn Heb “he fought with.”
40 tn The Hebrew word כִּכַּר (kikar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or, by extension, to a standard unit of weight. According to the older (Babylonian) standard the “talent” weighed 130 lbs. (58.9 kg), but later this was lowered to 108.3 lbs. (49.1 kg). More recent research suggests the “light” standard talent was 67.3 lbs. (30.6 kg). Using this as the standard for calculation, the weight of the silver was 6,730 lbs. (3,060 kg).
41 sn As a unit of dry measure a kor was roughly equivalent to six bushels (about 220 liters).
42 tn Heb “10,000 kors of wheat and 10,000 of barley.” The unit of measure of the barley is omitted in the Hebrew text, but is understood to be “kors,” the same as the measures of wheat.
43 tn Heb “This the sons of Ammon brought to him, and in the second year and the third.”
44 tn Heb “because he established his ways before the
45 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Jotham, and his battles and his ways, look, they are written on the scroll of the kings of Israel and Judah.”
46 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
47 sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
48 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
49 tn Heb “and he did not do what was proper in the eyes of the
50 tn Heb “he walked in the ways of.”
51 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.
52 tn Heb “like the abominable practices of the nations.”
53 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Syrians) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
54 tn Heb “and took captive from him a great captivity and brought [them] to Damascus.”
55 tn Heb “who struck him down with a great striking.”
56 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 9, 25).
57 tn Heb “the loot.” The pronoun (“it”) has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy.
58 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
59 tn Heb “and you killed them with anger [that] reaches as far as heaven.”
60 tn Heb “saying.”
61 tn Heb “to enslave as male servants and female servants.”
62 tn Heb “sons.”
63 tn Heb “for the rage of the anger of the
64 tn Heb “men from.”
65 tn Heb “arose against.”
66 tn Heb “for to the guilt of the
67 tn Heb “for great is [the] guilt to us and rage of anger is upon Israel.”
68 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.”
69 tn Heb “and poured oil on them.”
70 tn Heb “and they led them on donkeys, with respect to everyone stumbling.”
71 map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.
72 tc Most Hebrew
73 tn Heb “Shephelah.”
74 tn Or “subdued.”
75 sn That is, “of Judah.” Frequently in 2 Chronicles “Israel” is substituted for “Judah.”
76 tn The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verbal form to emphasize the degree of Ahaz’s unfaithfulness.
77 tn Heb “Tilgath-pilneser,” a variant spelling of Tiglath-pileser.
78 tn Heb “and he caused him distress and did not strengthen him.”
79 tn Heb “divided up,” but some read חִלֵּץ (khillets, “despoiled”).
80 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.
81 tn Heb “said.”
82 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.”
83 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
84 sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
85 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
86 tn The parallel passage in 2 Kgs 18:2 has “Abi.”
87 tn Heb “he did what was proper in the eyes of the
88 tn Heb “fathers.”
89 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
90 tn Heb “turned their faces.”
91 tn Heb “and turned the back.”
92 tn Heb “and he made them [an object] of dread and devastation and hissing.”
93 tn Heb “fell by the sword.”
94 tn Heb “are in captivity.”
95 tn Heb “now it is with my heart.”
96 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.
97 tn Heb “to stand before him to serve him and to be his servants and sacrificers.”
98 tn Heb “and the Levites arose.”
99 tn Heb “words” (plural).
100 tn Heb “in the temple of the
101 tn Heb “porch of the
102 sn Perhaps these terms refer metonymically to the royal court, the priests and Levites, and the people, respectively.
103 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
104 tn Heb “said.”
105 tn Heb “he”; the referent (King Hezekiah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
106 tn Or “seer.”
107 tn Heb “stood with” (i.e., stood holding).
108 tn Heb “with the words.”
109 tn Or “seer.”
110 tn Heb “filled your hand.”
111 tn Or “tokens of thanks.”
112 tn Heb “and all who were willing of heart.”
113 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
114 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.
115 tn Heb “the burnt sacrifices.”
116 tn Heb “for the Levites were more pure of heart to consecrate themselves than the priests.”
117 tn Or “established.”
118 tn Heb “prepared.”
119 tn Heb “the people.” The pronoun “they” has been used here for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy.
120 tn Heb “for quickly was the matter.”
121 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
122 tn Heb “at that time.”
123 tn Heb “and the thing was proper in the eyes of.”
124 tn Heb “and they caused to stand a word to cause a voice to pass through.”
125 tn The words “summoning the people” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
126 tn Heb “because not for abundance had they done as written.”
127 tn Heb “the runners.”
128 tn Heb “and according to the command of the king, saying.”
129 tn The jussive with vav conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.
130 tn Heb “to the survivors who are left to you from the palm of the kings of Assyria.”
131 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 19, 22).
132 tn Heb “and he made them a devastation” (or, perhaps, “an object of horror”).
133 tn Heb “don’t stiffen your neck” (a Hebrew idiom for being stubborn).
134 tn Heb “give a hand.” On the meaning of the idiom here, see HALOT 387 s.v. I יָד 2.
135 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.
136 tn Heb “turn [his] face from you.”
137 tn Heb “and they were mocking them and ridiculing them.”
138 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
139 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.
140 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.”
141 tn Heb “from the hand of the Levites.”
142 tn Heb “were over the slaughter of.”
143 tn Heb “of everyone not pure to consecrate to the
144 tn Heb “without what is written.”
145 tn Heb “make atonement for.”
146 tn Heb “everyone [who] has prepared his heart to seek God.”
147 tn Heb “and not according to the purification of the holy place.”
148 tn Heb “listened.”
149 tn Heb “healed.”
150 tn Heb “and they were praising the
151 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.
152 tn Heb “who demonstrated skill [with] good skill for the
153 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.
154 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.
155 tn Heb “the assembly.” The pronoun “them” has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy.
156 tn Heb “they rejoiced.”
157 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.”
158 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
159 tn Heb “all Israel.”
160 tn Or “tore down.”
161 tn Heb “the high places and the altars from all Judah and Benjamin and in Ephraim and in Manasseh until finished.”
162 tn Heb “and the sons of Israel returned, each to his possession to their cities.”
163 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.”
164 tn Heb “in the gates of the encampments of the
165 tn Heb “the portion of the king [was].”
166 tn Heb “as written.”
167 tn Heb “said to.”
168 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
169 tn Heb “might hold firmly.”
170 tn Heb “and when the word spread out.”
171 tn Heb “the sons of Israel multiplied.”
172 tn Heb “and the sons of Israel and Judah.”
173 tn Heb “heaps, heaps.” Repetition of the noun draws attention to the large number of heaps.
174 tn Heb “they began the heaps, to establish.”
175 tn Heb “they blessed the
176 tn Heb “and they prepared.”
177 tn Heb “tenth.”
178 tn Heb “and holy things in faithfulness.”
179 tn Heb “to their brothers.”
180 tn Heb “like great, like small” (i.e., old and young alike).
181 tn Heb “in addition enrolling them by males from a son of three years and upwards, to everyone who enters the house of the
182 tn Heb “the priests in the fields of the pastureland of their cities in every city and city.”
183 tn Heb “designated by names.”
184 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.”
185 tn Heb “and he said to break into them for himself.”
186 tn Heb “and his face was for war against Jerusalem.”
map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
187 tn Heb “the waters of the springs.”
188 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.
189 tn Heb “land, saying.”
190 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Hezekiah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
191 tn Heb “strengthened himself and built.”
192 tn Heb “and outside the wall another one.”
193 sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
194 tn Heb “and he placed officers of war over the people.”
195 tn Heb “he spoke to their heart[s].”
196 tn Or perhaps, “and don’t be discouraged.”
197 tn Heb “for with us [is] a greater [one] than with him.”
198 tn Heb “With him is an arm of flesh.”
199 tn Or “people.”
200 tn Heb “servants.”
201 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.
202 tn Heb “On what are you trusting that [you] are living during the siege in Jerusalem.”
203 tn Heb “hand.”
204 tn Heb “Is not Hezekiah misleading you to give you over to die by hunger and thirst, saying, ‘The
205 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.
206 tn Heb “his”; the referent (the
207 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.
208 tn Heb “hand.”
209 tn Heb “hand.”
210 tn Heb “how much less.”
211 tn The verb is plural, suggesting that the preceding אֱלֹהֵיכֶם (’elohekhem) be translated “your gods,” rather than “your God.”
212 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Sennacherib) has been specified in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
213 tn Heb “spoke against.”
214 tn Heb “and speaking against him, saying.”
215 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.”
216 tn Or “an angel.”
217 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Sennacherib) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
218 tn Heb “and he returned with shame of face to his land.”
219 tn Heb “and some from those who went out from him, from his inward parts.”
220 tn Heb “and from the hand of all.”
221 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.
222 tn Or perhaps, “offerings.”
223 tn Heb “lifted up in the eyes of.”
224 tn Heb “was sick to the point of dying.”
225 tn Heb “and he spoke to him and a sign he gave to him.”
226 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.”
map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
227 tn Heb “and Hezekiah humbled himself in the height of his heart, he and the residents of Jerusalem, and the anger of the
228 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.
229 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.
230 tn Heb “and cities he made for himself.”
231 sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
232 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].”
233 tn Heb “to know all [that was] in his heart.”
234 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.”
235 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
236 tn Heb “and honor they did to him in his death, all Judah and the residents of Jerusalem.”
