2 Chronicles 30:27

THE MESSAGE

The priests and Levites had the last word: they stood and blessed the people. And God listened, listened as the ascending sound of their prayers entered his holy heaven.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then the priests and the Levites stood to bless the people, and God heard them, and their prayer came into his holy dwelling place in heaven.

Hebrew Names Version
Then the Kohanim the Levites arose and blessed the people: and their voice was heard, and their prayer came up to his holy habitation, even to heaven.

King James Version
Then the priests the Levites arose and blessed the people: and their voice was heard, and their prayer came up to his holy dwelling place, even unto heaven.

English Standard Version
Then the priests and the Levites arose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard, and their prayer came to his holy habitation in heaven.

New Century Version
The priests and Levites stood up and blessed the people, and God heard them because their prayer reached heaven, his holy home.

New English Translation
The priests and Levites got up and pronounced blessings on the people. The Lord responded favorably to them as their prayers reached his holy dwelling place in heaven.

Amplified Bible
Then the priests and Levites stood and blessed the people; and their voice was heard and their prayer came up to His holy dwelling place, to heaven.

New American Standard Bible
Then the Levitical priests stood and blessed the people; and their voice was heard and their prayer came to His holy dwelling place, to heaven.

World English Bible
Then the priests the Levites arose and blessed the people: and their voice was heard, and their prayer came up to his holy habitation, even to heaven.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Then the Priests and the Leuites arose, and blessed the people, and their voyce was heard, and their prayer came vp vnto heauen, to his holy habitation.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then the Levitical priests arose and blessed the people; and their voice was heard and their prayer came to His holy habitation, to heaven.

Berean Standard Bible
Then the priests and the Levites stood to bless the people, and God heard their voice, and their prayer came into His holy dwelling place in heaven.

Contemporary English Version
The priests and Levites asked God to bless the people, and from his home in heaven, he did.

Complete Jewish Bible
Then the cohanim, who were L'vi'im, stood up and blessed the people; [ Adonai ] heard their voice, and their prayer came up to the holy place where he lives, heaven.

Darby Translation
And the priests the Levites arose and blessed the people; and their voice was heard, and their prayer came up to his holy habitation, to the heavens.

Easy-to-Read Version
The priests and the Levites stood up and asked God to bless the people, and he heard them. Their prayer came up to heaven, the holy place where he lives.

George Lamsa Translation
Then the priests and the Levites arose and blessed the people of Israel; and the LORD heard their voice, and their prayer came up to his holy dwelling place, even to heaven.

Good News Translation
The priests and the Levites asked the Lord 's blessing on the people. In his home in heaven God heard their prayers and accepted them.

Lexham English Bible
Then the priests and the Levites arose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard, and their prayer came to his holy dwelling place in the heavens.

Literal Translation
And the priests, the Levites, rose up and blessed the people, and their voice was heard, and their prayer came to His holy dwelling place, to Heaven.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And the prestes and Leuites stode vp and blessed the people, and their voyce was herde, and their prayer came in to his holy habitacion in heauen.

American Standard Version
Then the priests the Levites arose and blessed the people: and their voice was heard, and their prayer came up to his holy habitation, even unto heaven.

Bible in Basic English
Then the priests and the Levites gave the people a blessing: and the voice of their prayer went up to the holy place of God in heaven.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the priestes and the Leuites arose, and blessed the people: and their voyce was heard [of the Lorde,] and their prayer came vp vnto heauen his holy dwelling place.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Then the priests the Levites arose and blessed the people; and their voice was heard [of the LORD], and their prayer came up to His holy habitation, even unto heaven.

King James Version (1611)
Then the Priests the Leuites arose, and blessed the people: and their voice was heard, and their prayer came vp to his holy dwelling place, euen vnto heauen.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Then the priests the Levites rose up and blessed the people: and their voice was heard, and their prayer came into his holy dwelling-place, even into heaven.

English Revised Version
Then the priests the Levites arose and blessed the people: and their voice was heard, and their prayer came up to his holy habitation, even unto heaven.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Sotheli preestis and dekenes rysyden, and blessiden the puple; and the vois of hem was herd, and the preier cam in to the hooli dwelling place of heuene.

Update Bible Version
Then the Levitical priests arose and blessed the people: and their voice was heard, and their prayer came up to his holy habitation, even to heaven.

Webster's Bible Translation
Then the priests the Levites arose and blessed the people: and their voice was heard, and their prayer ascended to his holy dwelling-place, [even] to heaven.

New King James Version
Then the priests, the Levites, arose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard; and their prayer came up to His holy dwelling place, to heaven.

New Living Translation
Then the priests and Levites stood and blessed the people, and God heard their prayer from his holy dwelling in heaven.

New Life Bible
Then the religious leaders and Levites stood and prayed that good would come to the people. And their voice was heard. Their prayer came to the Lord's holy place in heaven.

New Revised Standard
Then the priests and the Levites stood up and blessed the people, and their voice was heard; their prayer came to his holy dwelling in heaven.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then rose up the priests the Levites, and blessed the people, and there was a hearkening unto their voice, - and their prayer entered into his holy dwelling-place, even into the heavens.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And the priests and the Levites rose up and blessed the people: and their voice was heard: and their prayer came to the holy dwelling place of heaven.

Revised Standard Version
Then the priests and the Levites arose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard, and their prayer came to his holy habitation in heaven.

Young's Literal Translation
and the priests, the Levites, rise and bless the people, and their voice is heard, and their prayer cometh in to His holy habitation, to the heavens.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then the Levitical priests arose and blessed the people; and their voice was heard and their prayer came to His holy dwelling place, to heaven.

Contextual Overview

²¹All the Israelites present in Jerusalem celebrated the Passover (Feast of Unraised Bread) for seven days, celebrated exuberantly. The Levites and priests praised God day after day, filling the air with praise sounds of percussion and brass. Hezekiah commended the Levites for the superb way in which they had led the people in the worship of God . When the feast and festival—that glorious seven days of worship, the making of offerings, and the praising of God , the God of their ancestors—were over, the tables cleared and the floors swept, they all decided to keep going for another seven days! So they just kept on celebrating, and as joyfully as they began. Hezekiah king of Judah gave one thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep for the congregation's worship; the officials gave an additional one thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep. And there turned out to be plenty of consecrated priests—qualified and well-prepared. The whole congregation of Judah, the priests and Levites, the congregation that came in from Israel, and the resident aliens from both Israel and Judah, were all in on the joyous celebration. Jerusalem was bursting with joy—nothing like this had taken place in Jerusalem since Solomon son of David king of Israel had built and dedicated The Temple. The priests and Levites had the last word: they stood and blessed the people. And God listened, listened as the ascending sound of their prayers entered his holy heaven. ²³ Then Hezekiah invited all of Israel and Judah, with personal letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, to come to The Temple of God in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover to Israel's God. The king and his officials and the congregation in Jerusalem had decided to celebrate Passover in the second month. They hadn't been able to celebrate it at the regular time because not enough of the priests were yet personally prepared and the people hadn't had time to gather in Jerusalem. Under these circumstances, the revised date was approved by both king and people and they sent out the invitation from one end of the country to the other, from Beersheba in the south to Dan in the north: "Come and celebrate the Passover to Israel's God in Jerusalem." No one living had ever celebrated it properly. The king gave the orders, and the couriers delivered the invitations from the king and his leaders throughout Israel and Judah. The invitation read: "O Israelites! Come back to God , the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, so that he can return to you who have survived the predations of the kings of Assyria. Don't repeat the sins of your ancestors who turned their backs on God , the God of their ancestors who then brought them to ruin—you can see the ruins all around you. Don't be pigheaded as your ancestors were. Clasp God 's outstretched hand. Come to his Temple of holy worship, consecrated for all time. Serve God , your God. You'll no longer be in danger of his hot anger. If you come back to God , your captive relatives and children will be treated compassionately and allowed to come home. Your God is gracious and kind and won't snub you—come back and he'll welcome you with open arms." So the couriers set out, going from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, as far north as Zebulun. But the people poked fun at them, treated them as a joke. But not all; some from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun weren't too proud to accept the invitation and come to Jerusalem. It was better in Judah—God worked powerfully among them to make it unanimous, responding to the orders sent out by the king and his officials, orders backed up by the word of God . It turned out that there was a tremendous crowd of people when the time came in the second month to celebrate the Passover (sometimes called the Feast of Unraised Bread). First they went to work and got rid of all the pagan altars that were in Jerusalem—hauled them off and dumped them in the Kidron Valley. Then, on the fourteenth day of the second month, they slaughtered the Passover lambs. The priests and Levites weren't ready; but now, embarrassed in their laziness, they consecrated themselves and brought Whole-Burnt-Offerings to The Temple of God . Ready now, they stood at their posts as designated by The Revelation of Moses the holy man; the priests sprinkled the blood the Levites handed to them. Because so many in the congregation had not properly prepared themselves by consecration and so were not qualified, the Levites took charge of the slaughter of the Passover lambs so that they would be properly consecrated to God . There were a lot of people, especially those from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, who did not eat the Passover meal because they had not prepared themselves adequately. Hezekiah prayed for these as follows: "May God who is all good, pardon and forgive everyone who sincerely desires God , the God of our ancestors. Even—especially!—these who do not meet the literal conditions stated for access to The Temple." God responded to Hezekiah's prayer and healed the people. All the Israelites present in Jerusalem celebrated the Passover (Feast of Unraised Bread) for seven days, celebrated exuberantly. The Levites and priests praised God day after day, filling the air with praise sounds of percussion and brass. Hezekiah commended the Levites for the superb way in which they had led the people in the worship of God . When the feast and festival—that glorious seven days of worship, the making of offerings, and the praising of God , the God of their ancestors—were over, the tables cleared and the floors swept, they all decided to keep going for another seven days! So they just kept on celebrating, and as joyfully as they began. ²⁴Hezekiah king of Judah gave one thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep for the congregation's worship; the officials gave an additional one thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep. And there turned out to be plenty of consecrated priests—qualified and well-prepared. The whole congregation of Judah, the priests and Levites, the congregation that came in from Israel, and the resident aliens from both Israel and Judah, were all in on the joyous celebration. Jerusalem was bursting with joy—nothing like this had taken place in Jerusalem since Solomon son of David king of Israel had built and dedicated The Temple. ²⁷ The priests and Levites had the last word: they stood and blessed the people. And God listened, listened as the ascending sound of their prayers entered his holy heaven.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the priests: Numbers 6:23-26, Deuteronomy 10:8

their prayer: 1 Kings 8:30, 1 Kings 8:39, Acts 10:4

his holy dwelling place: Heb. the habitation of his holiness, Deuteronomy 26:15, Psalms 68:5, Isaiah 57:15, Isaiah 63:15, Isaiah 66:1

Reciprocal: Exodus 39:43 - blessed them Numbers 8:22 - after that 2 Samuel 6:18 - as soon 1 Kings 8:66 - joyful 1 Chronicles 16:2 - he blessed 2 Chronicles 6:21 - thy dwelling place 2 Chronicles 35:18 - neither did Psalms 18:6 - my cry Psalms 102:1 - let my Psalms 119:169 - Let my cry Isaiah 9:16 - led of them Jeremiah 25:30 - his holy Jonah 2:7 - my prayer Zechariah 2:13 - his holy habitation Malachi 1:9 - beseech Philippians 3:1 - rejoice Hebrews 7:7 - the less

Cross-References

Genesis 18:3
He said, "Master, if it please you, stop for a while with your servant. I'll get some water so you can wash your feet. Rest under this tree. I'll get some food to refresh you on your way, since your travels have brought you across my path." They said, "Certainly. Go ahead."

Genesis 30:2
Jacob got angry with Rachel and said, "Am I God? Am I the one who refused you babies?"

Genesis 33:15
Esau said, "Let me at least lend you some of my men." "There's no need," said Jacob. "Your generous welcome is all I need or want."

Genesis 34:11
Shechem then spoke for himself, addressing Dinah's father and brothers: "Please, say yes. I'll pay anything. Set the bridal price as high as you will—the sky's the limit! Only give me this girl for my wife."

Genesis 47:25
They said, "You've saved our lives! Master, we're grateful and glad to be slaves to Pharaoh."

Numbers 11:11
Moses said to God , "Why are you treating me this way? What did I ever do to you to deserve this? Did I conceive them? Was I their mother? So why dump the responsibility of this people on me? Why tell me to carry them around like a nursing mother, carry them all the way to the land you promised to their ancestors? Where am I supposed to get meat for all these people who are whining to me, ‘Give us meat; we want meat.' I can't do this by myself—it's too much, all these people. If this is how you intend to treat me, do me a favor and kill me. I've seen enough; I've had enough. Let me out of here."

Ruth 2:13
She said, "Oh sir, such grace, such kindness—I don't deserve it. You've touched my heart, treated me like one of your own. And I don't even belong here!"

1 Samuel 16:22
Saul sent word back to Jesse: "Thank you. David will stay here. He's just the one I was looking for. I'm very impressed by him."

Isaiah 65:8
God 's Message: "But just as one bad apple doesn't ruin the whole bushel, there are still plenty of good apples left. So I'll preserve those in Israel who obey me. I won't destroy the whole nation. I'll bring out my true children from Jacob and the heirs of my mountains from Judah. My chosen will inherit the land, my servants will move in. The lush valley of Sharon in the west will be a pasture for flocks, And in the east, the valley of Achor, a place for herds to graze. These will be for the people who bothered to reach out to me, who wanted me in their lives, who actually bothered to look for me.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then the priests the Levites arose,.... The priests who were of the tribe of Levi; for there were some in Israel that were not, but were made of any of the people, as in the times of Jeroboam; though some supply the copulative "and"; so the Targum: "and blessed the people"; which was the proper work and business of the priests to do; though, while they were blessing, the Levites might be singing:

and their voice was heard; meaning not by the people, though undoubtedly it was, but by the Lord; the Targum is,

"their prayer was heard or received;''

for the blessing was delivered in a petitionary way, Numbers 6:24, and was no other than a request that God would bless them, which he did:

and their prayer came up to his holy dwellingplace, even unto heaven; see Psalms 3:4 by what means it was known their prayer was heard and accepted cannot be said; there might be some visible token of it, as the people were dismissed, and departed.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Chronicles 30:27. And their voice was heard — God accepted the fruits of that pious disposition which himself had infused.

And their prayer came up — As the smoke of their sacrifices ascended to the clouds, so did their prayers, supplications, and thanksgivings, ascend to the heavens. The Targum says: "Their prayer came up to the dwelling-place of his holy shechinah, which is in heaven." Israel now appeared to be in a fair way of regaining what they had lost; but alas, how soon were all these bright prospects beclouded for ever!

It is not for the want of holy resolutions and heavenly influences that men are not saved but through their own unsteadiness; they do not persevere, they forget the necessity of continuing in prayer, and thus the Holy Spirit is grieved, departs from them, and leaves them to their own darkness and hardness of heart. When we consider the heavenly influences which many receive who draw back to perdition, and the good fruits which for a time they bore, it is blasphemy to say they had no genuine or saving grace; they had it, they showed it, they trifled with it, sinned against it, continued in their rebellions, and therefore are lost.