28:2. But walked in the ways of the kings of Israel; moreover also he cast statues for Baalim.
28:3. It was he that burnt incense in the valley of Benennom, and consecrated his sons in the fire according to the manner of the nations, which the Lord slew at the coming of the children of Israel.
28:4. He sacrificed also, and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree.
28:5. And the Lord his G.o.d delivered him into the hands of the king of Syria, who defeated him, and took a great booty out of his kingdom, and carried it to Damascus: he was also delivered into the hands of the king of Israel, who overthrew him with a great slaughter.
28:6. For Phacee the son of Romelia slew of Juda a hundred and twenty thousand in one day, all valiant men, because they had forsaken the Lord the G.o.d of their fathers.
28:7. At the same time Zechri a powerful man of Ephraim, slew Maasias the king"s son, and Ezricam the governor of his house, and Elcana who was next to the king.
28:8. And the children of Israel carried away of their brethren two hundred thousand women, boys, and girls, and an immense booty: and they brought it to Samaria.
28:9. At that time there was a prophet of the Lord there, whose name was Oded: and he went out to meet the army that came to Samaria, and said to them: Behold the Lord the G.o.d of your fathers being angry with Juda, hath delivered them into your hands, and you have butchered them cruelly, so that your cruelty hath reached up to heaven.
28:10. Moreover you have a mind to keep under the children of Juda and Jerusalem for your bondmen and bondwomen, which ought not to be done: for you have sinned in this against the Lord your G.o.d.
28:11. But hear ye my counsel, and release the captives that you have brought of your brethren, because a great indignation of the Lord hangeth over you.
28:12. Then some of the chief men of the sons of Ephraim, Azarias the son of Johanan, Barachias the son of Mosollamoth, Ezechias the son of Sellum, and Amasa the son of Adali, stood up against them that came from the war.
28:13. And they said to them: You shall not bring in the captives. .h.i.ther, lest we sin against the Lord. Why will you add to our sins, and heap up upon our former offences? for the sin is great, and the fierce anger of the Lord hangeth over Israel.
28:14. So the soldiers left the spoils, and all that they had taken, before the princes and all the mult.i.tude.
28:15. And the men, whom we mentioned above, rose up and took the captives, and with the spoils clothed all them that were naked: and when they had clothed and shod them, and refreshed them with meat and drink, and anointed them because of their labour, and had taken care of them, they set such of them as could not walk, and were feeble, upon beasts, and brought them to Jericho the city of palm trees to their brethren, and they returned to Samaria.
28:16. At that time king Achaz sent to the king of the a.s.syrians asking help.
28:17. And the Edomites came and slew many of Juda, and took a great booty.
28:18. The Philistines also spread themselves among the cities of the plains, and to the south of Juda: and they took Bethsames, and Aialon, and Gaderoth, and Socho, and Thamnan, and Gamzo, with their villages, and they dwelt in them.
28:19. For the Lord had humbled Juda because of Achaz the king of Juda, for he had stripped it of help, and had contemned the Lord.
For he had stripped it of help... That is, Achaz stripped the kingdom of Juda of the divine a.s.sistance by his wickedness, and by his introducing idolatry.
28:20. And he brought against him Thelgathphalnasar king of the a.s.syrians, who also afflicted him, and plundered him without any resistance.
28:21. And Achaz stripped the house of the Lord, and the house of the kings, and of the princes, and gave gifts to the king of the a.s.syrians, and yet it availed him nothing.
28:22. Moreover also in the time of his distress he increased contempt against the Lord: king Achaz himself by himself,
28:23. Sacrificed victims to the G.o.ds of Damascus that struck him, and he said: The G.o.ds of the kings of Syria help them, and I will appease them with victims, and they will help me; whereas on the contrary they were the ruin of him, and of all Israel.
28:24. Then Achaz having taken away all the vessels of the house of G.o.d, and broken them, shut up the doors of the temple of G.o.d, and made himself altars in all the corners of Jerusalem.
28:25. And in all the cities of Juda he built altars to burn frankincense, and he provoked the Lord the G.o.d of his fathers to wrath.
28:26. But the rest of his acts, and all his works first and last are written in the book of the kings of Juda and Israel.
28:27. And Achaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of Jerusalem: for they received him not into the sepulchres of the kings of Israel. And Ezechias his son reigned in his stead.
2 Paralipomenon Chapter 29
Ezechias purifieth the temple, and restoreth religion.
29:1. 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.
29:2. And he did that which was pleasing in the sight of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done.
29:3. In the first year and month of his reign he opened the doors of the house of the Lord, and repaired them.
29:4. And he brought the priests and the Levites, and a.s.sembled them in the east street.
29:5. And he said to them: Hear me, ye Levites, and be sanctified, purify the house of the Lord the G.o.d of your fathers, and take away all filth out of the sanctuary.
29:6. Our fathers have sinned and done evil in the sight of the Lord G.o.d, forsaking him: they have turned away their faces from the tabernacle of the Lord, and turned their backs.
29:7. They have shut up the doors that were in the porch, and put out the lamps, and have not burnt incense, nor offered holocausts in the sanctuary of the G.o.d of Israel.
29:8. 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.
29:9. Behold, our fathers are fallen by the sword, our sons, and our daughters, and wives are led away captives for this wickedness.
29:10. Now therefore I have a mind that we make a covenant with the Lord the G.o.d of Israel, and he will turn away the wrath of his indignation from us.
29:11. 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.
29:12. 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.
29:13. And of the sons of Elisaphan, Samri, and Jahiel. Also of the sons of Asaph, Zacharias, and Mathanias.
29:14. And of the sons of Heman, Jahiel, and Semei: and of the sons of Idithun, Semeias, and Oziel.
29:15. 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 G.o.d.
29:16. 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.
29:17. 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.
29:18. And they went in 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,
29:19. 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.
29:20. And king Ezechias rising early, a.s.sembled all the rulers of the city, and went up into the house of the Lord:
29:21. 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.