Study Desk

"And now you intend to subjugate the people of Judah and Jerusalem as male and female slaves for yourselves. But are you yourselves not guilty of transgressions against the LORD your God?

"Now therefore, hear me and return the captives whom you have captured from your brothers (fellow descendants of Israel, i.e. Jacob), for the burning anger of the LORD is against you."

and said to them, "You must not bring the captives in here; for we are guilty before the LORD already, and what you intend to do will add more to our sins and our guilt. For our guilt is so great that His burning anger is against Israel."

At that time King Ahaz sent word to the king of Assyria [to ask him] for help.

For the Edomites had come again and attacked Judah and led away captives.

For the LORD humbled Judah because of Ahaz king of Israel, for Ahaz had allowed unrestrained and undisciplined behavior in Judah and had been very unfaithful to the LORD.

For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus, which had defeated him, and he said, "Since the gods of the kings of Aram (Syria) helped them, I will sacrifice to them so that they may help me." But they became the ruin and downfall of him and all of Israel.

Then Ahaz collected the utensils of the house of God and he cut them in pieces; and he shut the doors of the house of the LORD and made altars for himself in every corner of Jerusalem.

"For our fathers have been unfaithful and have done evil in the sight of the LORD our God, and they have abandoned Him and have turned their faces away from the dwelling place of the LORD, and have turned their backs [toward Him].

"For behold, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity because of this.

"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."

The priests went into the inner part of the house of the LORD to cleanse it, and every unclean thing they found in the temple of the LORD they brought out to the courtyard of the LORD'S house. Then the Levites received it to take out to the Kidron Valley [for disposal].

Now they began the consecration on the first [day] of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they came to the porch of the LORD. Then for eight days they consecrated the house of the LORD, and on the sixteenth day of the first month they finished.

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

Then they brought the male goats for the sin offering before the king and the assembly, and they laid their hands on them [to symbolize the transference of their sin].

The priests slaughtered them and cleansed the altar from sin with their blood to atone for all Israel, because the king commanded that the burnt offering and the sin offering be made for all Israel.

Hezekiah stationed the Levites in the house of the LORD with cymbals, with harps, and with lyres, in accordance with the command of David [his ancestor] and of Gad the king's seer, and of Nathan the prophet; for the command was from the LORD through His prophets.

The number of the burnt offerings which the assembly brought was 70 bulls, 100 rams, and 200 lambs. All these were for a burnt offering to the LORD.

But there were too few priests and they were unable to skin all the burnt offerings; so until the other priests had consecrated themselves, their brothers, the Levites, helped them until the work was done. For the Levites were more upright in heart and more conscientious than the priests in consecrating themselves.

There were also many burnt offerings with the fat of the peace offerings and with the drink offerings for the burnt offerings. So the service of the house of the LORD was established again.