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Sunday, November 16th, 2025
the Week of Proper 28 / Ordinary 33
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Read the Bible

New Century Version

2 Chronicles 29:11

My sons, don't waste any more time. The Lord chose you to stand before him, to serve him, to be his servants, and to burn incense to him."

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Minister, Christian;   Priest;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Kings;   Temple, the First;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Levites;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Hezekiah;   Levite;   Priest;   Temple;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Elect, Election;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Hezekiah;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Levites;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Chronicles, Books of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Hezekiah;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Kingdom of Judah;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Choose;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Hezekiah;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
My sons, don’t be negligent now, for the Lord has chosen you to stand in his presence, to serve him, and to be his ministers and burners of incense.”
Hebrew Names Version
My sons, don't be negligent now; for the LORD has chosen you to stand before him, to minister to him, and that you should be his ministers, and burn incense.
King James Version
My sons, be not now negligent: for the Lord hath chosen you to stand before him, to serve him, and that ye should minister unto him, and burn incense.
English Standard Version
My sons, do not now be negligent, for the Lord has chosen you to stand in his presence, to minister to him and to be his ministers and make offerings to him."
New English Translation
My sons, do not be negligent now, for the Lord has chosen you to serve in his presence and offer sacrifices."
Amplified Bible
"My sons, do not be negligent and careless now, for the LORD has chosen you to stand in His presence, to attend to His service, and to be His ministers and burn incense."
New American Standard Bible
"My sons, do not be negligent now, for the LORD has chosen you to stand before Him, to serve Him, and to be His ministers and burn incense."
World English Bible
My sons, don't be negligent now; for Yahweh has chosen you to stand before him, to minister to him, and that you should be his ministers, and burn incense.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Now my sonnes, be not deceiued: for the Lorde hath chosen you to stand before him, to serue him, and to be his ministers, and to burne incense.
Legacy Standard Bible
My sons, do not be at ease now, for Yahweh has chosen you to stand before Him, to minister to Him, and to be His ministers and offer offerings up in smoke."
Berean Standard Bible
Now, my sons, do not be negligent, for the LORD has chosen you to stand before Him, to serve Him, to minister before Him, and to burn incense."
Contemporary English Version
Let's not waste any time, my friends. You are the ones who were chosen to be the Lord 's priests and to offer him sacrifices.
Complete Jewish Bible
My sons, now is not a time for being negligent; for you are the ones Adonai chose to stand before him and serve him as his ministers, offering him incense."
Darby Translation
My sons, be not now negligent; for Jehovah has chosen you to stand before him, to do service unto him, and to be his ministers and incense-burners.
Easy-to-Read Version
So my sons, don't be lazy or waste any more time. The Lord chose you to serve him in the Temple and to burn incense."
George Lamsa Translation
My sons, be not now negligent; for the LORD has chosen you to stand before him, to serve him and to minister unto him and burn incense.
Good News Translation
My sons, do not lose any time. You are the ones that the Lord has chosen to burn incense to him and to lead the people in worshiping him."
Lexham English Bible
Now, my sons, do not be negligent, for Yahweh has chosen you to stand before him to serve him and to be his servants and incense burners."
Literal Translation
Now, my sons, do not be negligent, for Jehovah has chosen you to stand before His face, to serve Him and to be ministers and incense burners for Him.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Now my sonnes, be not ye negligent: for the LORDE hath chosen you to stode before him, and to be his mynisters and to burne incense vnto him.
American Standard Version
My sons, be not now negligent; for Jehovah hath chosen you to stand before him, to minister unto him, and that ye should be his ministers, and burn incense.
Bible in Basic English
My sons, take care now: for you have been marked out by the Lord to come before him and to be his servants, burning offerings to him.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Now therefore my sonnes, be not negligent: for the Lorde hath chosen you to stande before him, and for to minister and serue him, and to burne incense.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
My sons, be not now negligent; for the LORD hath chosen you to stand before Him, to minister unto Him, and that ye should be His ministers, and offer unto Him.'
King James Version (1611)
My sonnes, bee not now negligent: for the Lord hath chosen you to stand before him, to serue him, and that you should minister vnto him, and burne incense.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And now be not wanting to your duty, for the Lord has chosen you to stand before him to minister, and to be ministers and burners of incense to him.
English Revised Version
My sons, be not now negligent: for the LORD hath chosen you to stand before him, to minister unto him, and that ye should be his ministers, and burn incense.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
My sones, nyle ye be reccheles; the Lord hath chose you, that ye stonde bifor hym, and serue hym, that ye herie hym, and brenne encense to hym.
Update Bible Version
My sons, now don't be negligent; for Yahweh has chosen you to stand before him, to minister to him, and that you should be his ministers, and burn incense.
Webster's Bible Translation
My sons, be not now negligent: for the LORD hath chosen you to stand before him, to serve him, and that ye should minister to him, and burn incense.
New King James Version
My sons, do not be negligent now, for the LORD has chosen you to stand before Him, to serve Him, and that you should minister to Him and burn incense."
New Living Translation
My sons, do not neglect your duties any longer! The Lord has chosen you to stand in his presence, to minister to him, and to lead the people in worship and present offerings to him."
New Life Bible
My sons, take care now. For the Lord has chosen you to stand before Him, to do His work and to burn special perfume."
New Revised Standard
My sons, do not now be negligent, for the Lord has chosen you to stand in his presence to minister to him, and to be his ministers and make offerings to him."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
My sons! now, do not be faulty, - for, of you, hath Yahweh made choice, to stand before him, and to wait upon him, and to be his attendants and burners of incense.
Douay-Rheims Bible
My sons, be not negligent: the Lord hath chosen you to stand before him, and to minister to him, and to worship him, and to burn incense to him.
Revised Standard Version
My sons, do not now be negligent, for the LORD has chosen you to stand in his presence, to minister to him, and to be his ministers and burn incense to him."
Young's Literal Translation
My sons, be not now at rest, for on you hath Jehovah fixed to stand before Him, to serve Him, and to be to Him ministering and making perfume.'
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"My sons, do not be negligent now, for the LORD has chosen you to stand before Him, to minister to Him, and to be His ministers and burn incense."

Contextual Overview

1 Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he ruled twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah. 2 Hezekiah did what the Lord said was right, just as his ancestor David had done. 3 Hezekiah opened the doors of the Temple of the Lord and repaired them in the first month of the first year he was king. 4 Hezekiah brought in the priests and Levites and gathered them in the courtyard on the east side of the Temple. 5 Hezekiah said, "Listen to me, Levites. Make yourselves ready for the Lord 's service, and make holy the Temple of the Lord , the God of your ancestors. Remove from the Temple everything that makes it impure. 6 Our ancestors were unfaithful to God and did what the Lord said was wrong. They left the Lord and stopped worshiping at the Temple where he lives. They rejected him. 7 They shut the doors of the porch of the Temple, and they let the fire go out in the lamps. They stopped burning incense and offering burnt offerings in the holy place to the God of Israel. 8 So the Lord became very angry with the people of Judah and Jerusalem, and he punished them. Other people are frightened and shocked by what he did to them. So they insult the people of Judah. You know these things are true. 9 That is why our ancestors were killed in battle and our sons, daughters, and wives were taken captive. 10 Now I, Hezekiah, have decided to make an agreement with the Lord , the God of Israel, so he will not be angry with us anymore.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

negligent: or, deceived, Galatians 6:7, Galatians 6:8

the Lord: Numbers 3:6-9, Numbers 8:6-14, Numbers 18:2-6, Deuteronomy 10:8

burn incense: or, offer sacrifice, Numbers 16:35-40, Numbers 18:7

Reciprocal: Genesis 43:29 - God 1 Kings 1:2 - a young virgin 1 Kings 9:25 - he burnt 2 Chronicles 19:4 - brought Zechariah 3:1 - standing Luke 1:9 - his Colossians 4:17 - Take

Cross-References

Genesis 27:26
Then Isaac said to him, "My son, come near and kiss me."
Genesis 29:13
When Laban heard the news about his sister's son Jacob, he ran to meet him. Laban hugged him and kissed him and brought him to his house, where Jacob told Laban everything that had happened.
Genesis 29:14
Then Laban said, "You are my own flesh and blood." Jacob stayed there a month.
Genesis 29:15
Then Laban said to Jacob, "You are my relative, but it is not right for you to work for me without pay. What would you like me to pay you?"
Genesis 43:30
Then Joseph hurried off because he had to hold back the tears when he saw his brother Benjamin. So Joseph went into his room and cried there.
Genesis 45:2
Joseph cried so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and the people in the king's palace heard about it.
Exodus 4:27
Meanwhile the Lord said to Aaron, "Go out into the desert to meet Moses." When Aaron went, he met Moses at Sinai, the mountain of God, and kissed him.
Exodus 18:7
So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. After the two men asked about each other's health, they went into Moses' tent.
Romans 16:16
Greet each other with a holy kiss. All of Christ's churches send greetings to you.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

My sons,.... So, as the father of his people, he speaks of them in the most tender and affectionate manner:

be not now negligent; backward to this good work, slothful, sluggish, and remiss in it; according to Jarchi and Kimchi, the word has the signification of error, and the sense may be, do not continue in the error in which you have been, in neglecting the service of God:

for the Lord hath chosen you to stand before him, to serve him, and that ye should minister unto him, and burn incense; on the altar of incense, which was the work of the priests, and for which they were selected from the rest of their brethren; and Hezekiah's discourse was directed to them, as well as to the Levites, 2 Chronicles 29:4.


 
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