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pered whithersoever he went forth; and he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and served him not. He smote the Philistines, even unto Gaza and the borders thereof, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city.†

He also opened the doors of the house of Jehovah, 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 yourselves, and sanctify the house of Jehovah, the 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 Jehovah, our God, and have forsaken him, and have turned away their faces from the habitation of Jehovah, and turned their backs. 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 Jehovah was upon Judah and Jerusalem; and he hath delivered them to trouble, to astonishment, and to hissing, as ye see with your eyes. 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 Jehovah, the God of Israel, that his fierce wrath may turn away from us. My sons, be not now negligent, for Jehovah hath chosen you to stand before him, to serve him; and that ye should minister unto him, and burn incense.‡

The Levites having sanctified themselves, proceeded to cleanse the house of Jehovah, and the altar of burnt offerings with all the vessels thereof, and the shewbread table, with all the vessels thereof; and having prepared and sanctified all

* See 2 Kings, xvi. 7.

+ 2 Kings, xviii. 4-S.

2 Chron. xxix. 3-11.

the vessels which king Ahaz, in his reign, had cast away in his transgression, and placed them before Jehovah, Hezekiah rose early and gathered the rulers of the city, and went up to the house of Jehovah, and offered the burnt offerings; and arranged the Levites and priests according to the commandment of David, and of Gad, his seer, and of Nathan, the prophet. And all the congregation worshipped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded; and all this continued until the burnt offering was finished. And when they had made an end of offering, the king and all that were present with him, bowed themselves and worshipped. Moreover, Hezekiah, the king, and the princes, commanded the Levites to sing praise unto Jehovah, 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 Jehovah, come near and bring sacrifices and thank offerings into the house of Jehovah. And the congregation brought in sacrifices and thank offerings; and as many as were of a free heart, burnt offerings. 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 Jehovah. And the consecrated things were six hundred oxen, and three thousand sheep; but the priests were too few, so that they could not slay 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. 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 for the house of Jehovah was set in order. And

Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people, that God had prepared the people, for the thing was done suddenly.*

Not satisfied with restoring the worship of the true God amongst his own subjects only, Hezekiah invited all Israel, as well as Judah, with Ephraim and Manasseh, to come to the house of Jehovah, at Jerusalem, to keep the passover unto Jehovah, God of Israel. So they established a decree to make proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba even to Dan, that they should come to keep the passover unto Jehovah, the God of Israel, at Jerusalem; for they had not done it of a long time in such sort as it was written. 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 Jehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and he will return to the remnant of you, that are escaped out of the hand of the kings of Assyria. And be ye not like your fathers, and like your brethren, which trespassed against Jehovah, the God of their fathers; who, therefore, gave them up to desolation, as ye see. Now be ye not stiffnecked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves unto Jehovah, and enter into his sanctuary, which he hath sanctified for ever, and serve Jehovah, your God, that the fierceness of his wrath may turn away from you. For if ye turn again unto Jehovah, your brethren and your children shall find compassion before them that lead them captive, so that they shall come again into this land; for Jehovah, your God, is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you, if ye return unto him. So the posts passed from city to city,

* 2 Chron. xxix. 12-36. "What amazing power and influence has God lodged with kings! They can sway a whole empire nearly as they please; and when they declare themselves in behalf of religion, they have the people uniformly on their side." A. CLARKE.

+ Or couriers.

through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, even unto Zebulun; but they laughed them to scorn and mocked them. Nevertheless, divers of Asher, and Manasseh, and of Zebulun, humbled themselves, and came to Jerusalem. Also in Judah, the hand of God was to give them one heart to do the commandment of the king, and of the princes, by the word of Jehovah. And there assembled at Jerusalem, much people to keep the feast of unleavened bread, in the second month, a very great congregation. And they arose and took away the altars that were in Jerusalem, and all the altars for incense took they away, and cast them into the brook Kidron. Then they killed the passover on the fourteenth day of the month; and the priests and the Levites were ashamed, and sanctified themselves, and brought in the burnt offerings into the house of Jehovah; and they stood in their place, after their manner, according to the law of Moses, the man of God; the priests sprinkled the blood which they received of the hand of the Levites. For there were many in the congregation that were not sanctified; therefore the Levites had the charge of the killing of the passovers, for every one that was not clean, to sanctify them unto Jehovah. For a multitude of the people, even many of Ephraim, and Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet did they eat the passover otherwise than it was written but Hezekiah prayed for them, saying; The good Jehovah pardon every one that prepareth his heart to seek God, Jehovah, the God of his fathers, though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary; and Jehovah hearkened unto Hezekiah and healed the people. And the children of Israel, that were present at Jerusalem, kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days, with great gladness; and the Levites and the priests praised Jehovah day by day, singing with loud instruments, unto Jehovah. And Hezekiah spake comfortably unto all the Levites that

taught the good knowledge of Jehovah; and they did eat throughout the feast seven days, offering peace offerings, and making confession to Jehovah, the God of their fathers. And the whole assembly took counsel to keep other seven days; and they kept other seven days with gladness. For Hezekiah, king of Judah, did give to the congregation a thousand bullocks and seven thousand sheep; and the princes gave to the congregation a thousand bullocks and ten thousand sheep; and a great number of priests sanctified themselves. And all the congregation of Judah, with the priests and the Levites, and all the congregation that came out of Israel, and the strangers that came out of the land of Israel, that dwelt in Judah, rejoiced: so there was great joy in Jerusalem; for since the time of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel, there was not the like in Jerusalem. Then the priests the Levites arose and blessed the people; and their voice was heard, and their prayer came up to his holy dwelling place, even unto heaven. Now when all this was finished, all Israel that were present, went out to the cities of Judah, and brake the images in pieces, and cut down the groves, and threw down the high places and the altars out of all Judah and Benjamin, in Ephraim also, and Manasseh, until they had utterly destroyed them all. Then all the children of Israel returned, every man to his possession, into their own cities.*

This monarch also appointed the courses of the priests and Levites, and commanded a provision to be made for them, and which was brought in, in great abundance; and when he and the princes saw the heaps, they blessed Jehovah, and his people Israel; after which he settled the genealogy of the priests and Levites. And thus did Hezekiah throughout all Judah, and wrought that which was good, and right, and truth, before

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