A. C. 726. CHAPTER XIII. Reign of Hezekiah, 29 Years-from 726 to 698 36. SECTION I. Character of Hezekiah, and Reformation of Worship. 2 KINGS XVIII. ver. 1-7. 1 Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of xxviii. 27. & Judah began to reign. a 2 Chron. xxix. 1. He is called Exekias, Matt. i. 9. 36 The reign of Hezekiah may be considered more important than that of any other king of Judah. It comprises many remarkable events, miracles, and prophecies; for the better comprehension of which, I insert the following table from the second volume of Prideaux's Connection. HEZEKIAH 29 YEARS. 726 Hezekiah restores religion. 725 724 Salmaneser lays siege to Samaria. 723 722 721 Salmaneser takes Samaria-Kingdom of Israel extinguished. 720 ————————————————- maketh war on Tyre, and besieges it 5 years. 719 Sevechus succeedeth So in the kingdom of Egypt. 713 Mesodach Baladan's embassy to Hezekiah-Sennacherib invades Egypt. 712 711 710 Sennacherib on his return from Egypt, invades Judea—his army destroyed. 709 The Medes revolt from Sennacherib. 708 707 706 Sennacherib slain-Esarhaddon succeeds. 705 Tirhakah succeeds Sevechus in Egypt. 704 703 702 701 700 699 698 Hezekiah is succeeded by Manasseh. 2 Twenty and five years old was he when he began to A.C. 726. reign; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Abi, the daughter of Zachariah. 3 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father did. tues. 4¶ He removed the high places, and brake the * images, * Heb. staand cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen b Num. xxi. 9 serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the chil dren of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it +Ne- +That is, a hushtan. 5 He trusted in the LORD God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him. piece of brass. after him. 6 For he clave to the LORD, and departed not from Heb. from following him, but kept his commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses. 2 CHRONICLES XXIX. VER. 3, TO THE END. 3 He in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of the LORD, and repaired them. 4 And he brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them together into the east street, 5 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. 6 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. 7 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. Heb. given the neck. 8 Wherefore the wrath of the LORD was upon Judah and Jerusalem, and he hath delivered them to || trouble, to asto- | Heb. comnishment, and to hissing, as ye see with your eyes. 9 For, lo, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity for this. 10 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. 11 My sons, be not now negligent: for the LORD hath chosen you to stand before him, to serve him, and that should minister unto him, and † burn incense. motion. Or, be not & now deceived. c Num. xiv. ye xviii. 2,6. + Or, offer sa crifice. .A.C. 726. 12 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: 13 And of the sons of Elizaphan; Shimri, and Jeiel: and of the sons of Asaph; Zechariah, and Mattaniah : 14 And of the sons of Heman; Jehiel, and Shimei: and of the sons of Jeduthun; Shemaiah, and Uzziel. 15 And they gathered their brethren, and sanctified themselves, and came, according to the commandment of *Or, in the the king, * by the words of the LORD, to cleanse the house of the LORD. business of the LORD. 14. 16 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. 17 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. 18 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. 19 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. 20 ¶ Then Hezekiah the king rose early, and gathered the rulers of the city, and went up to the house of the LORD. 21 And they brought seven bullocks, and seven rams, d Lev, iv. 3, 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. 15. Heb. ix. 21. e 22 So they killed the bullocks, and the priests received e Lev. viii. 14, 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. + Heb. near. 23 And they brought forth the he goats for the sin offering before the king and the congregation; and they f Lev. iv. 15. laid their hands upon them: 24 And the priests killed them, and they made reconci- A.C.726. liation 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. xvi. 4. & xxv. 25 And he set the Levites in the house of the LORD 81 Chron. with cymbals, with psalteries, and with harps, according to 6. the commandment of David, and of Gad the king's seer, and Nathan the prophet: for so was the commandment * of Heb, by the the LORD by his prophets. 26 And the Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets. hand of the hand of. 27 And Hezekiah commanded to offer the burnt offering upon the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the Heb. in the song of the LORD began also with the trumpets, and with the § instruments ordained by David king of Israel. time. Heb. hands of instru ments. 28 And all the congregation worshipped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded: and all this continued Heb. song. until the burnt offering was finished. 29 And when they had made an end of offering, the king and all that were * present with him bowed themselves, and Heb. found. worshipped. 30 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 shipped. heads and wor 31 Then Hezekiah answered and said, Now ye have +consecrated yourselves unto the LORD, come near and +Or, filled bring sacrifices and thank offerings into the house of the your hand. LORD. And the congregation brought in sacrifices and thank offerings; and as many as were of a free heart burnt offerings. 32 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. 33 And the consecrated things were six hundred oxen and three thousand sheep. strengthened 34 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 Heb. the other priests had sanctified themselves: for the Levites them. were more upright in heart to sanctify themselves than the priests. 35 And also the burnt offerings were in abundance, with the fat of the peace offerings, and the drink offerings for A. C. 720. every burnt offering. So the service of the house of the LORD was set in order. 36 And Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people, that God had prepared the people: for the thing was done suddenly. 2 CHRONICLES XXX. 1 Hezekiah proclaimeth a solemn passover on the second month for Judah and Israel. 13 The assembly, having destroyed the altars of idolatry, keep the feast fourteen days. 27 The priests and Levites bless the people. 1 And Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, to keep the passover unto the LORD God of Israel. 2 For the king had taken counsel, and his princes, and all the congregation in Jerusalem, to keep the passover in h Numb. ix. the second month. 10, 11. Heb. was right in the eyes of the king. + Heb. from the hand, + Heb. harden not your necks. Heb. give the hand. 3 For they could not keep it at that time, because the priests had not sanctified themselves sufficiently, neither had the people gathered themselves together to Jerusalem. 4 And the thing* pleased the king and all the congrega tion. 5 So they established a decree to make proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beer-sheba even to Dan, that they should come to keep the passover unto the LORD God of Israel at Jerusalem: for they had not done it of a long time in such sort as it was written. 6 So the posts went with the letters + from the king and his princes throughout all Israel and Judah, and according to the commandment of the king, saying, Ye children of Israel, turn again unto the LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and he will return to the remnant of are escaped out of the hand of the kings of Assyria. you, that 7 And be not ye like your fathers, and like your brethren, which trespassed against the LORD God of their fathers, who therefore gave them up to desolation, as ye see. 8 Now be ye not stiffnecked, as your fathers were, but § yield yourselves unto the LORD, and enter into his sanctuary, which he hath sanctified for ever: and serve the LORD your God, that the fierceness of his wrath may turn away from you. 9 For if ye turn again unto the LORD, your brethren and your children shall find compassion before them that lead them captive, so that they shall come again into this ¡Ex. XXXIV. 6. land for the LORD your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you, if ye return unto him. |