2 Crônicas 29

Ezekias var fem og tyve År gammel, da han blev Konge, og han herskede ni og tyve År i Jerusalem. Hans Moder hed Abija og var en Datter af Zekarja.

Han gjorde, hvad der var ret i HERRENs Øjne, ganske som hans Fader David.

I sit første Regeringsårs første Måned lod han HERRENs Hus's Porte åbne og sætte i Stand.

Derpå lod han Præsterne og Leviterne komme, samlede dem på den åbne Plads mod Øst

Thi vore Fædre var troløse og gjorde, hvad der var ondt i HERREN vor Guds Øjne, de forlod ham, idet de vendte Ansigtet bort fra HERRENs Bolig og vendte den Ryggen;

de lukkede endog Forhallens Porte, slukkede Lamperne, brændte ikke Røgelse og bragte ikke Israels Gud Brændofre i Helligdommen.

Derfor kom HERRENs Vrede over Juda og Jerusalem, og han gjorde dem til Rædsel, Forfærdelse og Skændsel, som I kan se med egne Øjne.

Se, vore Fædre er faldet for Sværdet, vore Sønner, Døtre og Hustruer ført i Fangenskab for den Sags Skyld.

Men nu har jeg i Sinde at slutte en Pagt med HERREN, Israels Gud, for at hans glødende Vrede må vende sig fra os.

Da rejste følgende Leviter sig: Mahat, Amasajs Søn, og Joel, Azarjas Søn, af Kehatiternes Sønner; af Merariterne Kisj, Abdis Søn, og Azarja, Jehallel'els Søn; af Gersoniterne Joa, Zimmas Søn, og Eden, Joas Søn;

af Elizafans Sønner Sjimri og Je'uel; af Asafs Sønner Zekarja og Mattanja;

af Hemans Sønner Jehiel og Sjim'i; og af Jedutuns Sønner Sjemaja og Uzziel;

og de samlede deres Brødre, og de helligede sig og skred så efter Kongens Befaling til at rense HERRENs Hus i Henhold til HERRENs Forskrifter.

Og Præsterne gik ind i det indre af HERRENS Hus for at rense det, og alt det urene, de fandt i HERRENs Tempel, bragte de ud i HERRENs Hus's Forgård, hvor Leviterne tog imod det for at bringe det ud i Kedrons Dal.

På den første Dag i den første Måned begyndte de at hellige, og på den ottende Dag i Måneden var de kommet til HERRENs Forhal; så helligede de HERRENs Hus i otte Dage, og på den sekstende Dag i den første Måned var de færdige.

Næste Morgen tidlig samlede Kong Ezekias Byens Øverster og gik op til HERRENs Hus.

Derpå bragte man syv Tyre, syv Vædre, syv Lam og syv Gedebukke til Syndoffer for Riget, Helligdommen og Juda; og han bød Arons Sønner Præsterne ofre dem på HERRENs Alter.

De slagtede så Tyrene, og Præsterne tog imod Blodet og sprængte det på Alteret; så slagtede de Vædrene og sprængte Blodet på Alteret; så slagtede de Lammene og sprængte Blodet på Alteret;

endelig bragte de Syndofferbukkene frem for Kongen og Forsamlingen, og de lagde Hænderne på dem;

så slagtede Præsterne dem og bragte Blodet på Alteret som Syndoffer for at skaffe hele Israel Soning; thi Kongen havde sagt, at Brændofferet og Syndofferet skulde være for hele Israel.

Og han opstillede Leviterne ved HERRENs Hus med Cymbler, Harper og Citre efter Davids, Kongens Seer Gads og Profeten Natans Bud, thi Budet var givet af HERREN gennem hans Profeter.

Og Leviterne stod med Davids Instrumenter og Præsterne med Trompeterne.

Derpå bød Ezekias, at Brændofferet skulde ofres på Alteret, og samtidig med Ofringen begyndte også HERRENs Sang og Trompeterne, ledsaget af Kong David af Israels Instrumenter.

Da kastede hele Forsamlingen sig til Jorden, medens Sangen lød og Trompeterne klang, og alt dette varede, til man var færdig med Brændofferet.

Så snart man var færdig med Brændofferet, knælede Kongen og alle, der var hos ham, ned og tilbad.

Derpå bød Kong Ezekias og Øversterne Leviterne at lovsynge HERREN med Davids og Seeren Asafs Ord; og de sang Lovsangen med Jubel og bøjede sig og tilbad.

De Brændofre, Forsamlingen bragte, udgjorde 70 Stykker Hornkvæg, 100 Vædre og 200 Lam, alt som Brændofre til HERREN;

og Helligofrene udgjorde 600 Stykker Hornkvæg og 3000 Stykker Småkvæg.

Dog var Præsterne for få til at flå Huden af alle Brændofrene, derfor hjalp deres Brødre Leviterne dem, indtil Arbejdet var fuldført og Præsterne havde helliget sig; thi Leviterne viste redeligere Vilje til at hellige sig end Præsterne.

Desuden var der en Mængde Brændofre, hvortil kom Fedtstykkerne af Takofrene og Drikofrene til Brændofrene. Således bragtes Tjenesten i HERRENs Hus i Orden.

Og Ezekias og alt Folket glædede sig over, hvad Gud havde beredt Folkel, thi det hele var sket så hurtigt.

Hezekiah began to reign {when he was} five and twenty years old, and he reigned nine and twenty years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name {was} Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah.

And he did {that which was} right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father had done.

He in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of the LORD, and repaired them.

And he brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them together into the east street,

And said unto them, Hear me, ye Levites, sanctify now yourselves, and sanctify the house of the LORD God of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy {place}.

For our fathers have trespassed, and done {that which was} evil in the eyes of the LORD our God, and have forsaken him, and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the LORD, and turned {their} backs. {turned their...: Heb. given the neck}

Also they have shut up the doors of the porch, and put out the lamps, and have not burned incense nor offered burnt offerings in the holy {place} unto the God of Israel.

Wherefore the wrath of the LORD was upon Judah and Jerusalem, and he hath delivered them to trouble, to astonishment, and to hissing, as ye see with your eyes. {trouble: Heb. commotion}

For, lo, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives {are} in captivity for this.

Now {it is} in mine heart to make a covenant with the LORD God of Israel, that his fierce wrath may turn away from us.

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. {be not...: or, be not now deceived} {burn...: or, offer sacrifice}

Then the Levites arose, Mahath the son of Amasai, and Joel the son of Azariah, of the sons of the Kohathites: and of the sons of Merari, Kish the son of Abdi, and Azariah the son of Jehalelel: and of the Gershonites; Joah the son of Zimmah, and Eden the son of Joah:

And of the sons of Elizaphan; Shimri, and Jeiel: and of the sons of Asaph; Zechariah, and Mattaniah:

And of the sons of Heman; Jehiel, and Shimei: and of the sons of Jeduthun; Shemaiah, and Uzziel.

And they gathered their brethren, and sanctified themselves, and came, according to the commandment of the king, by the words of the LORD, to cleanse the house of the LORD. {by the words...: or, in the business of the LORD}

And the priests went into the inner part of the house of the LORD, to cleanse {it}, and brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of the LORD into the court of the house of the LORD. And the Levites took {it}, to carry {it} out abroad into the brook Kidron.

Now they began on the first {day} of the first month to sanctify, and on the eighth day of the month came they to the porch of the LORD: so they sanctified the house of the LORD in eight days; and in the sixteenth day of the first month they made an end.

Then they went in to Hezekiah the king, and said, We have cleansed all the house of the LORD, and the altar of burnt offering, with all the vessels thereof, and the shewbread table, with all the vessels thereof.

Moreover all the vessels, which king Ahaz in his reign did cast away in his transgression, have we prepared and sanctified, and, behold, they {are} before the altar of the LORD.

Then Hezekiah the king rose early, and gathered the rulers of the city, and went up to the house of the LORD.

And they brought seven bullocks, and seven rams, and seven lambs, and seven he goats, for a sin offering for the kingdom, and for the sanctuary, and for Judah. And he commanded the priests the sons of Aaron to offer {them} on the altar of the LORD.

So they killed the bullocks, and the priests received the blood, and sprinkled {it} on the altar: likewise, when they had killed the rams, they sprinkled the blood upon the altar: they killed also the lambs, and they sprinkled the blood upon the altar.

And they brought forth the he goats {for} the sin offering before the king and the congregation; and they laid their hands upon them: {forth: Heb. near}

And the priests killed them, and they made reconciliation with their blood upon the altar, to make an atonement for all Israel: for the king commanded {that} the burnt offering and the sin offering {should be made} for all Israel.

And he set the Levites in the house of the LORD with cymbals, with psalteries, and with harps, according to the commandment of David, and of Gad the king's seer, and Nathan the prophet: for {so was} the commandment of the LORD by his prophets. {commandment of the LORD: Heb. commandment by the hand of the LORD} {by: Heb. by the hand of}

And the Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets.

And Hezekiah commanded to offer the burnt offering upon the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the song of the LORD began {also} with the trumpets, and with the instruments {ordained} by David king of Israel. {when: Heb. in the time} {the instruments: Heb. hands of instruments}

And all the congregation worshipped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded: {and} all {this continued} until the burnt offering was finished. {singers: Heb. song}

And when they had made an end of offering, the king and all that were present with him bowed themselves, and worshipped. {present: Heb. found}

Moreover Hezekiah the king and the princes commanded the Levites to sing praise unto the LORD with the words of David, and of Asaph the seer. And they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads and worshipped.

Then Hezekiah answered and said, Now ye have consecrated yourselves unto the LORD, come near and bring sacrifices and thank offerings into the house of the LORD. And the congregation brought in sacrifices and thank offerings; and as many as were of a free heart burnt offerings. {consecrated...: or, filled your hand}

And the number of the burnt offerings, which the congregation brought, was threescore and ten bullocks, an hundred rams, {and} two hundred lambs: all these {were} for a burnt offering to the LORD.

And the consecrated things {were} six hundred oxen and three thousand sheep.

But the priests were too few, so that they could not flay all the burnt offerings: wherefore their brethren the Levites did help them, till the work was ended, and until the {other} priests had sanctified themselves: for the Levites {were} more upright in heart to sanctify themselves than the priests. {did help...: Heb. strengthened them}

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

And Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people, that God had prepared the people: for the thing was {done} suddenly.