1 Ezequias começou a reinar quando tinha vinte e cinco anos de idade, e reinou vinte e nove anos em Jerusalém. Sua mãe chamava-se Abia, filha de Zacarias.2 Ele fez o que era reto aos olhos de Jeová, conforme tudo o que tinha feito Davi, seu pai.3 No primeiro ano do seu reinado, no primeiro mês, abriu as portas da casa de Jeová, e as reparou.4 Fez vir os sacerdotes e os levitas, e ajuntou-os na praça do oriente,5 e disse-lhes: Ouvi-me levitas; santificai-vos agora, e santificai a casa de Jeová, Deus de vossos pais, e tirai do santo lugar toda a imundícia.6 Pois nossos pais transgrediram e fizeram o mal, à vista de Jeová nosso Deus, e, deixando-o, apartaram os seus rostos da habitação de Jeová, e lhe deram as costas.7 Também fecharam as portas do pórtico, apagaram as lâmpadas e não queimaram incenso e não ofereceram holocaustos no santo lugar ao Deus de Israel.8 Pelo que a ira de Jeová veio sobre Judá e sobre Jerusalém, entregando-os para servirem de terror, admiração e vaias, como vós o estais vendo com os vossos olhos.9 Eis que nossos pais caíram à espada, e por isso nossas filhas e nossas mulheres estão em cativeiro.10 Agora estou resolvido a fazer uma aliança com Jeová, Deus de Israel, para que se desvie de nós o furor da sua ira.11 Filhos meus, não sejais negligentes, porque Jeová vos escolheu para estardes diante dele a fim de o servir, e para lhe serdes ministros e queimardes incenso.12 Então se levantaram os levitas: Maate, filho de Amasai, e Joel, filho de Azarias, dos filhos dos coatitas; e dos filhos de Merari: Quis, filho de Abdi, e Azarias, filho de Jealelel; e dos gersonitas: Joá, filho de Zima, e Éden, filho de Joá;13 e dos filhos de Elisafã: Sinri e Jeuel; e dos filhos de Asafe: Zacarias e Matanias;14 e dos de Hemã: Jeuel e Simei; e dos filhos de Jedutum: Semaías e Uziel.15 Congregaram a seus irmãos, e santificaram-se e entraram segundo a ordem que o rei deu pelas palavras de Jeová, para purificarem a casa de Jeová.16 Os sacerdotes entraram na parte anterior da casa de Jeová para a purificarem, e tiraram fora, para o átrio da casa de Jeová, toda a imundícia que acharam no templo de Jeová. Os levitas tomaram-na para a levarem fora à torrente de Cedrom.17 Ora começaram esta santificação no primeiro dia do primeiro mês, e ao oitavo dia do mês chegaram ao pórtico de Jeová, e em oito dias santificaram a casa de Jeová. No décimo sexto dia do mês acabaram.18 Então foram ter com o rei Ezequias dentro do palácio, e lhe disseram: Acabamos de purificar toda a casa de Jeová, e o altar do holocausto, juntamente com todos os seus vasos, e a mesa dos pães da proposição com todos os seus vasos.19 Também todos os vasos que o rei Acaz no seu reinado lançou fora quando transgrediu, temo-los preparado e santificado; e eis que estão diante do altar de Jeová.20 O rei Ezequias levantou-se cedo, ajuntou os príncipes da cidade, e subiu à casa de Jeová.21 Trouxeram sete novilhos, sete carneiros, sete cordeiros e sete bodes como oferta pelo pecado a favor do reino, do santuário e de Judá. Ordenou aos sacerdotes, filhos de Aarão, que os oferecessem sobre o altar de Jeová.22 Mortos os novilhos, os sacerdotes tomaram o sangue, e o aspergiram sobre o altar; mataram os carneiros e aspergiram o sangue sobre o altar e mataram os cordeiros e aspergiram o sangue sobre o altar.23 Trouxeram diante do rei e da congregação os bodes como oferta pelo pecado; e impuseram-lhes as mãos;24 os sacerdotes os mataram, e com o sangue fizeram uma oferta pelo pecado sobre o altar, para expiação de todo o Israel. Porque o rei ordenou que se fizesse o holocausto e a oferta pelo pecado por todo o Israel.25 Também estabeleceu os levitas na casa de Jeová, com címbalos, alaúdes e harpas segundo o mandamento do rei Davi, de Gade, vidente do rei, e do profeta Natã, pois o mandamento veio da parte de Jeová por meio dos seus profetas.26 Os levitas puseram-se em pé, tendo eles os instrumentos de Davi, e os sacerdotes as trombetas.27 Ezequias ordenou que se oferecesse o holocausto sobre o altar. Quando começou o holocausto, começou também o cântico de Jeová, ao som das trombetas e dos instrumentos de Davi, rei de Israel.28 Toda a congregação adorava, e os cantores cantavam, e as trombetas soavam; tudo isso continuou até se acabar o holocausto.29 Tendo eles acabado de fazer a oferta, o rei, e todos os que estavam com ele, prostraram-se e adoraram.30 Além disso Ezequias, o rei, e os príncipes ordenaram aos levitas que cantassem louvores a Jeová nas palavras de Davi, e do vidente Asafe. Eles cantaram louvores com alegria, e se prostraram e adoraram.31 Então Ezequias respondeu e disse: Agora que estais consagrados a Jeová; aproximai-vos e trazei sacrifícios e ofertas em ação de graças à casa de Jeová. A congregação trouxe sacrifícios e ofertas em ação de graças; e todos os que estavam de boa vontade, trouxeram holocaustos.32 O número dos holocaustos que a congregação trouxe, foi este: setenta novilhos, cem carneiros, e duzentos cordeiros, todos oferecidos em holocaustos a Jeová.33 As coisas consagradas foram seiscentos bois e três mil ovelhas.34 Os sacerdotes, porém, eram demasiado poucos, de sorte que não podiam esfolar todos os holocaustos. Os levitas, seus irmãos, ajudaram-nos até se acabar a obra, e até terem santificado os sacerdotes, porque estavam mais bem dispostos a se santificarem do que os sacerdotes.35 Além disso os holocaustos eram abundantes, juntamente com a gordura das ofertas pacíficas, e com as ofertas de libação para cada holocausto. Assim se estabeleceu o serviço da casa de Jeová.36 Regozijou-se Ezequias, e todo o povo, por causa daquilo que Deus tinha preparado para o povo. Isso se fez de improviso.

1 Now Ezechias began to reign, when he was five and twenty years old, and he reigned nine and twenty years in Jerusalem: the name of his mother was Abia, the daughter of Zacharias.2 And he did that which was pleasing in the sight of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done.3 In the first year and month of his reign he opened the doors of the house of the Lord, and repaired them.4 And he brought the priests and the Levites, and assembled them in the east street.5 And he said to them: Hear me, ye Levites, and be sanctified, purify the house of the Lord the God of your fathers, and take away all filth out of the sanctuary.6 Our fathers have sinned and done evil in the sight of the Lord God, forsaking him: they have turned away their faces from the tabernacle of the Lord, and turned their backs.7 They have shut up the doors that were in tile porch, and put out the lamps. and have not burnt incense, nor offered holocausts in the sanctuary of the God of Israel.8 Therefore the wrath of the Lord hath been stirred up against Juda and Jerusalem, and he hath delivered them to trouble, and to destruction, and to be hissed at, as you see with your eyes.9 Behold, our fathers are fallen by the sword, our sons, and our daughters, and wives are led away captives for this wickedness.10 Now therefore I have a mind that we make a covenant with the Lord the God of Israel, and he will turn away the wrath of his indignation from us.11 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.12 Then the Levites arose, Mahath the son of Amasai, and Joel the son of Azarias, of the sons of Caath: and of the sons of Merari, Cis the son of Abdi, and Azarias the son of Jalaleel. And of the sons of Gerson, Joah the son of Zemma, and Eden the son of Joah.13 And of the sons of Elisaphan, Samri, and Jahiel. Also of the sons of Asaph, Zacharias, and Mathanias.14 And of the sons of Heman, Jahiel, and Semei: and of the sons of Idithun, Semeias, and Oziel.15 And they gathered together their brethren, and sanctified themselves, and went in according to the commandment of the king, and the precept of the Lord, to purify the house of God.16 And the priests went into the temple of the Lord to sanctify it, and brought out all the uncleanness that they found within to the entrance of the house of the Lord, and the Levites took it away, and carried it out abroad to the torrent Cedron.17 And they began to cleanse on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the same month they came into the porch of the temple of the Lord, and they purified the temple in eight days, and on the sixteenth day of the same month they finished what they had begun.18 And they went is to king Ezechias, and said to him: We have sanctified all the house of the Lord, and the altar of holocaust, and the vessels thereof, and the table of proposition with all its vessels,19 And all the furniture of the temple, which king Achaz in his reign had defiled, after his transgression; and behold they are all set forth before the altar of the Lord.20 And king Ezechias rising early, assembled all the rulers of the city, and went up into the house of the Lord:21 And they offered together seven bullocks, and seven rams, and seven lambs, and seven he goats for sin, for the kingdom, for the sanctuary, for Juda: and he spoke to the priests the sons of Aaron, to offer them upon the altar of the Lord.22 Therefore they killed the bullocks, and the priests took the blood, and poured it upon the altar; they killed also the rams, and their blood they poured also upon the altar, and they killed the lambs, and poured the blood upon the altar.23 And they brought the he goats for sin before the king, and the whole multitude, and they laid their hand upon them:24 And the priests immolated them, and sprinkled their blood before the altar for an expiation of all Israel: for the king had commanded that the holocaust and the sin offering should be made for all Israel.25 And he set the Levites in the house of the Lord with cymbals, and psalteries, and harps according to the regulation of David the king, and of Gad the seer, and of Nathan the prophet: for it was the commandment of the Lord by the hand of his prophets.26 And the Levites stood, with the instruments of David, and the priests with trumpets.27 And Ezechias commanded that they should offer holocausts upon the altar: and when the holocausts were offered, they began to sing praises to the Lord, and to sound with trumpets, and divers instruments which David the king of Israel had prepared.28 And all the multitude adored, and the singers, and the trumpeters, were in their office till the holocaust was finished.29 And when the oblation was ended, the king, and all that were with him bowed down and adored.30 And Ezechias and the princes commanded the Levites to praise the Lord with the words of David, and Asaph the seer: and they praised him with great joy, and bowing the knee adored.31 And Ezechias added, and said: You have filled your hands to the Lord, come and offer victims, and praises in the house of the Lord. And all the multitude offered victims, and praises, and holocausts with a devout mind.32 And the number of the holocausts which the multitude offered, was seventy bullocks, a hundred rams, and two hundred lambs.33 And they consecrated to the Lord six hundred oxen, and three thousand sheep.34 But the priests were few, and were not enough to flay the holocausts: wherefore the Levites their brethren helped them, till the work was ended, and priests were sanctified, for the Levites are sanctified with an easier rite than the priests.35 So there were many holocausts, and the fat of peace offerings, and the libations of holocausts: and the service of the house of the Lord was completed.36 And Ezechias, and all the people rejoiced because the ministry of the Lord was accomplished. For the resolution of doing this thing was taken suddenly.