19 July - 2 Kings 18:1-8, 2 Chronicles 29-31 And Psalm 48

Jude Sat Dec 29, 2018 5:19 pm

My soul doth magnify my YAH, and my spirit hath rejoiced in EL my Saviour; For HE that is mighty hath done to me great things; and Holy is HIS Name. Now unto HIM who is ever present in my helpless estate; who is able to keep me from falling and to present me faultless before the presence of His Glory with exceeding joy, unto the King Eternal, Immortal, Invisible, the only wise EL our Saviour be honour and glory and majesty, dominion and power both now and for ever Halleluyah!

2 KINGS 18:1-8

1And it came to be in the third year of Hoshĕa son of Ělah, sovereign of Yisra’ĕl, that Ḥizqiyah son of Aḥaz, sovereign of Yehuḏah, began to reign.

2He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Yerushalayim. And his mother’s name was Aḇi, daughter of Zeḵaryah.

3And he did what was right in the eyes of יהוה, according to all that his father Dawiḏ did.

4He took away the high places and broke the pillars, and cut down the Ashĕrah, and broke in pieces the bronze serpent which Mosheh had made, for until those days the children of Yisra’ĕl burned incense to it, and called it Neḥushtan.

5He put his trust in יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl, and after him was none like him among all the sovereigns of Yehuḏah, nor who were before him,

6and he clung to יהוה. He did not turn away from following Him, but guarded His commands, which יהוה had commanded Mosheh.

7And יהוה was with him – wherever he went he acted wisely. And he rebelled against the sovereign of Ashshur and did not serve him.

8He smote the Philistines, as far as Azzah and its borders – from watchtower unto the walled city.

2 CHRONICLES 29

1Ḥizqiyahu began to reign when he was twenty-five years old, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Yerushalayim. And his mother’s name was Aḇiyah the daughter of Zeḵaryahu.

2And he did what was right in the eyes of יהוה, according to all that his father Dawiḏ did.

3In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the House of יהוה and repaired them,

4and brought in the priests and the Lĕwites, and gathered them in the open place to the east.

5And he said to them, “Listen to me, O Lĕwites! Now set yourselves apart, set apart the House of יהוה Elohim of your fathers, and remove the uncleanness from the set-apart place.

6“For our fathers have trespassed and have done evil in the eyes of יהוה our Elohim, and have forsaken Him, and have turned their faces away from the Dwelling Place of יהוה, and have given their backs.

7“And they have shut the doors of the porch, and put out the lamps, and they have not burned incense or offered burnt offerings in the set-apart place to the Elohim of Yisra’ĕl.

8“Therefore the wrath of יהוה fell upon Yehuḏah and Yerushalayim, and He has given them up for a trembling, for an astonishment, and for a hissing, as you see with your eyes.

9“And see, because of this our fathers have fallen by the sword. And our sons, and our daughters, and our wives are in captivity for this.

10“Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl, so that the heat of His wrath turns away from us.

11“My sons, do not be slack, for יהוה has chosen you to stand before Him, to serve Him, and to be attendants for Him and burn incense.”

12And the Lĕwites rose up: Maḥath son of Amasai and Yo’ĕl son of Azaryahu, of the sons of the Qehathites; and of the sons of Merari, Qish son of Aḇdi and Azaryahu son of Yehallel’ĕl; and of the Gĕreshonites, Yo’aḥ son of Zimmah and Ěḏen son of Yo’aḥ;

13and of the sons of Elitsaphan, Shimri and Ye‛i’ĕl; and of the sons of Asaph, Zeḵaryahu and Mattanyahu;

14and of the sons of Hĕman, Yeḥi’ĕl and Shim‛i; and of the sons of Yeḏuthun, Shemayah and Uzzi’ĕl.

15And they gathered their brothers, and set themselves apart, and went according to the command of the sovereign, at the words of יהוה, to cleanse the House of יהוה.

16And the priests came into the inner part of the House of יהוה to cleanse it, and brought out all the uncleanness they found in the Hĕḵal of יהוה to the courtyard of the House of יהוה. Then the Lĕwites received it to take it outside to the wadi Qiḏron.

17And they began to set apart on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they came to the porch of יהוה. And they set apart the House of יהוה in eight days, and on the sixteenth day of the first month they had finished.

18Then they came in to Sovereign Ḥizqiyahu and said, “We have cleansed all the House of יהוה, and the altar of burnt offerings with all its utensils, and the table of the showbread with all its utensils.

19“And all the utensils which Sovereign Aḥaz in his reign had pushed aside, when he trespassed, we have prepared and set apart. And see, they are before the altar of יהוה.”

20And Sovereign Ḥizqiyahu rose up early, and gathered the heads of the city, and went up to the House of יהוה.

21And they brought seven bulls, and seven rams, and seven lambs, and seven male goats for a sin offering for the reign, for the set-apart place, and for Yehuḏah. And he said to the priests, the sons of Aharon, to offer them on the altar of יהוה.

22So they slaughtered the bulls, and the priests received the blood and sprinkled it on the altar. And they slaughtered the rams and sprinkled the blood on the altar. And they slaughtered the lambs and sprinkled the blood on the altar.

23And they brought out the male goats of the sin offering before the sovereign and the assembly, and they laid their hands on them,

24and the priests slaughtered them, and with their blood made a sin offering on the altar, to make an atonement for all Yisra’ĕl, for the sovereign said that the burnt offering and the sin offering is for all Yisra’ĕl.

25And he appointed the Lĕwites in the House of יהוה with cymbals, with harps, and with lyres, according to the command of Dawiḏ, and of Gaḏ, seer of the sovereign, and of Nathan the prophet, for the command was by the hand of יהוה, by the hand of His prophets.

26And the Lĕwites stood with the instruments of Dawiḏ, and the priests with the trumpets.

27And Ḥizqiyahu gave the order to offer the burnt offering on the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the singing unto יהוה began, with the trumpets and with the instruments of Dawiḏ sovereign of Yisra’ĕl.

28And all the assembly were bowing, and the singers singing, and the trumpeters blowing – all this until the burnt offering was completed.

29And at the completion of the offering, the sovereign and all who were present with him bowed and worshipped.

30And Sovereign Ḥizqiyahu and the rulers ordered the Lĕwites to sing praise to יהוה with the words of Dawiḏ and of Asaph the seer. And they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads and worshipped.

31And Ḥizqiyahu responded and said, “Now that you have ordained yourselves to יהוה, come near, and bring slaughterings and thank offerings into the House of יהוה.” And the assembly brought in slaughterings and thank offerings, and all those whose hearts were so moved brought burnt offerings.

32And the number of the burnt offerings which the assembly brought was seventy bulls, one hundred rams, two hundred lambs – all these for a burnt offering to יהוה.

33And the set-apart gifts were six hundred bulls and three thousand sheep.

34Only, the priests were too few, and were unable to skin all the burnt offerings, so their brothers the Lĕwites helped them until the work was completed and until the other priests had set themselves apart, for the Lĕwites were more upright of heart to set themselves apart, than the priests.

35And there were also many burnt offerings, with the fat of the peace offerings and with the drink offerings for every burnt offering. Thus the service of the House of יהוה was re-established.

36And Ḥizqiyahu and all the people rejoiced that Elohim had prepared the people, because the matter came about so suddenly.

2 CHRONICLES 30

1And Ḥizqiyahu sent to all Yisra’ĕl and Yehuḏah, and he also wrote letters to Ephrayim and Menashsheh, to come to the House of יהוה at Yerushalayim, to perform the Passover to יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl.

2But the sovereign and his leaders and all the assembly in Yerushalayim had taken counsel to perform the Passover in the second month.

3For they were unable to perform it at its time, because not enough priests had set themselves apart, and the people had not gathered at Yerushalayim.

4And the matter was right in the eyes of the sovereign and in the eyes of all the assembly.

5And they settled the matter, to send a call to all Yisra’ĕl, from Be’ĕrsheḇa to Dan, to come to perform a Passover to יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl at Yerushalayim, since they had not done it for a long time, as it is written.

6And the runners went to all Yisra’ĕl and Yehuḏah with the letters from the sovereign and his leaders, and spoke according to the command of the sovereign, “Children of Yisra’ĕl, turn back to יהוה Elohim of Aḇraham, Yitsḥaq, and Yisra’ĕl, so that He returns to the remnant of you who have escaped from the hand of the sovereigns of Ashshur.

7“And do not be like your fathers and like your brothers, who trespassed against יהוה Elohim of their fathers, so that He gave them up to ruin, as you see.

8“Now do not stiffen your neck, like your fathers, stretch forth the hand to יהוה, and come to His set-apart place, which He has set apart forever, and serve יהוה your Elohim, so that His burning wrath turns away from you.

9“For if you turn back to יהוה, your brothers and your children shall be shown compassion by their captors, even to return to this land. For יהוה your Elohim shows favour and compassion, and does not turn His face from you if you turn back to Him.”

10And the runners passed from city to city throughout the land of Ephrayim and Menashsheh, as far as Zeḇulun. But they were laughing at them and mocking them.

11Some from Ashĕr and Menashsheh and from Zeḇulun, however, humbled themselves and came to Yerushalayim.

12Also the hand of Elohim was on Yehuḏah to give them one heart to do the command of the sovereign and the rulers, at the word of יהוה.

13And many people, a very great assembly, gathered at Yerushalayim to perform the Festival of Unleavened Bread in the second month.

14And they rose up and removed the altars that were in Yerushalayim, and they removed all the incense altars and threw them into the wadi Qiḏron.

15Then they slaughtered the Passover on the fourteenth day of the second month. And the priests and the Lĕwites were ashamed, and set themselves apart, and brought the burnt offerings to the House of יהוה.

16And they stood in their place according to their right-ruling. According to the Torah of Mosheh, the man of Elohim, the priests sprinkled the blood from the hand of the Lĕwites.

17For many in the assembly had not set themselves apart. Therefore the Lĕwites were over the slaughter of the Passover for everyone who was not clean, to set them apart to יהוה.

18For many of the people, many from Ephrayim and Menashsheh, Yissasḵar and Zeḇulun, had not been cleansed, yet they ate the Passover contrary to what was written. But Ḥizqiyahu prayed for them, saying, “יהוה who is good, provide atonement for everyone

19who has prepared his heart to seek Elohim, יהוה Elohim of his fathers, though he is not cleansed according to the cleansing of the set-apart place.”

20And יהוה listened to Ḥizqiyahu and healed the people.

21And the children of Yisra’ĕl who were in Yerushalayim performed the Festival of Unleavened Bread seven days with great joy. And the Lĕwites and the priests praised יהוה day by day, with instruments of praise before יהוה.

22And Ḥizqiyahu spoke to the heart of all the Lĕwites, those having good understanding concerning יהוה. So they ate what was appointed, seven days, slaughtering peace offerings and making confession to יהוה Elohim of their fathers.

23And all the assembly took counsel to perform another seven days, and they performed it another seven days with joy.

24For Ḥizqiyahu sovereign of Yehuḏah presented to the assembly a thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep, and the rulers presented to the assembly a thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep. And a great number of priests set themselves apart.

25And all the assembly of Yehuḏah rejoiced, and the priests and Lĕwites, and all the assembly who had come from Yisra’ĕl, and the sojourners who came from the land of Yisra’ĕl, and those who dwelt in Yehuḏah.

26And there came to be great joy in Yerushalayim, for since the days of Shelomoh son of Dawiḏ, the sovereign of Yisra’ĕl, the like of this had not been in Yerushalayim.

27And the priests, the Lĕwites, rose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard. And their prayer came up to His set-apart dwelling place, to heaven.

2 CHRONICLES 31

1And at the completion of all this, all Yisra’ĕl who were present went out to the cities of Yehuḏah and broke down the pillars, and cut down the Ashĕrim, and tore down the high places and the altars, from all Yehuḏah, and Binyamin, and in Ephrayim and Menashsheh, even to completion. Then all the children of Yisra’ĕl returned to their own cities, each to his possession.

2And Ḥizqiyahu appointed the divisions of the priests and of the Lĕwites according to their divisions, each according to his service of the priests and Lĕwites for burnt offerings and peace offerings, to serve and to give thanks, and to praise in the gates of the camp of יהוה.

3And the sovereign appointed a portion of his possessions for the burnt offerings, for the morning and evening burnt offerings, and the burnt offerings for the Sabbaths and for the New Moons and for the appointed times, as it is written in the Torah of יהוה.

4And he said to the people, those who dwelt in Yerushalayim, to give the portion for the priests and the Lĕwites, so that they are strengthened in the Torah of יהוה.

5And as the word spread, the children of Yisra’ĕl brought large quantities of the first-fruits of grain and wine, and oil and honey, and of all the increase of the field. And they brought in the tithe of all, a large amount.

6And the children of Yisra’ĕl and Yehuḏah, those who dwelt in the cities of Yehuḏah, brought the tithe of cattle and sheep. Even the tithe of set-apart gifts which were set apart to יהוה their Elohim were brought in, and they gave heaps, heaps.

7In the third month they began to pile up the heaps, and they finished in the seventh month.

8And Ḥizqiyahu and the leaders came and saw the heaps, and they blessed יהוה and His people Yisra’ĕl.

9And Ḥizqiyahu asked the priests and the Lĕwites about the heaps.

10And Azaryahu the chief priest, from the house of Tsaḏoq, answered him and said, “Since they began to bring the offerings into the House of יהוה, we have had enough to eat and have plenty left, for יהוה has blessed His people. And this great amount is left over.”

11And Ḥizqiyahu ordered them to prepare rooms in the House of יהוה, and they prepared them.

12Then they brought in the contribution, and the tithes, and the set-apart gifts, trustworthily. And Konanyahu the Lĕwite was leader over them, and Shim‛i his brother was the next.

13And Yeḥi’ĕl, and Azazyahu, and Naḥath, and Asah’ĕl, and Yerimoth, and Yozaḇaḏ, and Eli’ĕl, and Yismaḵyahu, and Maḥath, and Benayahu were overseers under the hand of Konanyahu and Shim‛i his brother, by order of Ḥizqiyahu the sovereign and Azaryahu the ruler of the House of Elohim.

14And Qorĕ son of Yimnah the Lĕwite, the keeper of the East Gate, was over the voluntary offerings to Elohim, to distribute the offerings of יהוה and the most set-apart gifts.

15And under his hand were Ěḏen, and Minyamin, and Yĕshua, and Shemayahu, Amaryahu, and Sheḵanyahu, in the cities of the priests, to distribute trustworthily to their brothers by divisions, to the great as well as the small.

16Besides those males from three years old and up who were written in the genealogy, they distributed to everyone who entered the House of יהוה his daily portion for the work of his service, by his division,

17and to the priests who were written in the genealogy according to their father’s house, and to the Lĕwites from twenty years old upward, by their duties in their divisions,

18and to all listed in the genealogy, their little ones and their wives, their sons and daughters, all the company of them. For in their trustworthiness they set themselves apart in set-apartness.

19And for the sons of Aharon the priests, who were in the fields of the open land of their cities, in each and every city, there were men who were called by name to distribute portions to all the males among the priests and to all who were listed by genealogies among the Lĕwites.

20And Ḥizqiyahu did this in all Yehuḏah, and he did what was good and what was right and what was true before יהוה his Elohim.

21And in every work that he began in the service of the House of Elohim, in the Torah and in the command, to seek his Elohim, with all his heart, he did and prospered.

PSALM 48

1Great is יהוה, and greatly to be praised In the city of our Elohim, His set-apart mountain.

2Pretty on high, The joy of all the earth, Is Mount Tsiyon on the sides of the north, The city of the great Sovereign.

3Elohim is in her citadels; He is known as her refuge.

4For look, the sovereigns met, They passed by together.

5They saw, so they marvelled; They were alarmed, they hastened away.

6Trembling took hold of them there, Pain, as of a woman in labour,

7With an east wind You break the ships of Tarshish.

8As we have heard, so we have seen In the city of יהוה of hosts, In the city of our Elohim, Elohim establishes her forever. Selah.

9We have thought, O Elohim, of Your kindness, In the midst of Your Hĕḵal.

10According to Your Name, O Elohim, So is Your praise to the ends of the earth; Your right hand is filled with righteousness.

11Let Mount Tsiyon rejoice, Let the daughters of Yehuḏah exult, Because of Your right-rulings.

12Walk about Tsiyon, And go all around her. Count her towers;

13Set your heart upon her rampart; Go through her citadels; So that you report it to the coming generation.

14For this Elohim is our Elohim, Forever and ever; He Himself leads us, Even to death.