Study Desk

They brought seven bulls, and seven rams, and seven lambs, and seven male goats, for a sin-offering for the kingdom and for the sanctuary and for Yehudah. He commanded the Kohanim the sons of Aharon to offer them on the altar of the LORD.

They brought near the male goats for the sin-offering before the king and the assembly; and they laid their hands on them:

and the Kohanim killed them, and they made a sin-offering with their blood on the altar, to make atonement for all Yisra'el; for the king commanded [that] the burnt offering and the sin-offering [should be made] for all Yisra'el.

He set the Levites in the house of the LORD with cymbals, with psalteries, and with harps, according to the mitzvah of David, and of Gad the king's seer, and Natan the prophet; for the mitzvah was of the LORD by his prophets.

The number of the burnt offerings which the assembly brought was seventy bulls, one hundred rams, and two hundred lambs: all these were for a burnt offering to the LORD.

But the Kohanim were too few, so that they could not flay all the burnt offerings: therefore their brothers the Levites helped them, until the work was ended, and until the Kohanim had sanctified themselves; for the Levites were more upright in heart to sanctify themselves than the Kohanim.

Also the burnt offerings were in abundance, with the fat of the peace-offerings, and with the drink-offerings for every burnt offering. So the service of the house of the LORD was set in order.

Hizkiyahu rejoiced, and all the people, because of that which God had prepared for the people: for the thing was done suddenly.

For the king had taken counsel, and his princes, and all the assembly in Yerushalayim, to keep the Pesach in the second month.

For they could not keep it at that time, because the Kohanim had not sanctified themselves in sufficient number, neither had the people gathered themselves together to Yerushalayim.

So they established a decree to make proclamation throughout all Yisra'el, from Be'er-Sheva even to Dan, that they should come to keep the Pesach to the LORD, the God of Yisra'el, at Yerushalayim: for they had not kept it in great numbers in such sort as it is written.

For if you turn again to the LORD, your brothers and your children shall find compassion before those who led them captive, and shall come again into this land: for the LORD your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you, if you return to him.

They arose and took away the altars that were in Yerushalayim, and all the altars for incense took they away, and cast them into the brook Kidron.

For there were many in the assembly who had not sanctified themselves: therefore the Levites had the charge of killing the Pesachim for everyone who was not clean, to sanctify them to the LORD.

For a multitude of the people, even many of Efrayim and Menashsheh, Yissakhar and Zevulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet did they eat the Pesach otherwise than it is written. For Hizkiyahu had prayed for them, saying, The good the LORD pardon everyone

Hizkiyahu spoke comfortably to all the Levites who had good understanding [in the service] of the LORD. So they ate throughout the feast for the seven days, offering sacrifices of peace-offerings, and making confession to the LORD, the God of their fathers.

For Hizkiyahu king of Yehudah did give to the assembly for offerings one thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep; and the princes gave to the assembly a thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep: and a great number of Kohanim sanctified themselves.

So there was great joy in Yerushalayim; for since the time of Shlomo the son of David king of Yisra'el there was not the like in Yerushalayim.

Hizkiyahu appointed the courses of the Kohanim and the Levites after their courses, every man according to his service, both the Kohanim and the Levites, for burnt offerings and for peace-offerings, to minister, and to give thanks, and to praise in the gates of the camp of the LORD.

[He appointed] also the king's portion of his substance for the burnt-offerings, [to wit], for the morning and evening burnt offerings, and the burnt offerings for the Shabbatot, and for the new moons, and for the set feasts, as it is written in the law of the LORD.