2 Chronicles 29 – NIRV & JCB

New International Reader’s Version

2 Chronicles 29:1-36

Hezekiah Purifies the Temple

1Hezekiah was 25 years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for 29 years. His mother’s name was Abijah. She was the daughter of Zechariah. 2Hezekiah did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as King David had done.

3In the first month of Hezekiah’s first year as king, he opened the doors of the Lord’s temple. He repaired them. 4He brought the priests and Levites in. He gathered them together in the open area on the east side of the temple. 5He said, “Levites, listen to me! Set yourselves apart to the Lord. Set apart the temple of the Lord. He’s the God of your people who lived long ago. Remove anything ‘unclean’ from the temple. 6Our people weren’t faithful. They did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord our God. They deserted him. They turned their faces away from the place where he lives. They turned their backs on him. 7They also shut the doors of the temple porch. They put the lamps out. They didn’t burn incense at the temple. They didn’t sacrifice burnt offerings there to the God of Israel. 8So the Lord has become angry with Judah and Jerusalem. He has made them look so bad that everyone is shocked when they see them. They laugh at them. You can see it with your own eyes. 9That’s why our fathers have been killed by swords. That’s why our sons and daughters and wives have become prisoners. 10So I’m planning to make a covenant with the Lord, the God of Israel. Then he’ll stop being angry with us. 11My sons, don’t fail to obey the Lord. He has chosen you to stand in front of him and work for him. He wants you to serve him and burn incense to him.”

12Here are the Levites who went to work.

Mahath and Joel were from the family line of Kohath.

Mahath was the son of Amasai. Joel was the son of Azariah.

Kish and Azariah were from the family line of Merari.

Kish was the son of Abdi. Azariah was the son of Jehallelel.

Joah and Eden were from the family line of Gershon.

Joah was the son of Zimmah. Eden was the son of Joah.

13Shimri and Jeiel were from the family line of Elizaphan.

Zechariah and Mattaniah were from the family line of Asaph.

14Jehiel and Shimei were from the family line of Heman.

Shemaiah and Uzziel were from the family line of Jeduthun.

15All these Levites gathered the other Levites together. They set themselves apart to the Lord. Then they went in to purify the Lord’s temple. That’s what the king had ordered them to do. They did what the Lord told them to. 16The priests went into the Lord’s temple to make it pure. They brought out to the temple courtyard everything that was “unclean.” They had found “unclean” things in the Lord’s temple. The Levites took them and carried them out to the Kidron Valley. 17On the first day of the first month they began to set everything in the temple apart to the Lord. By the eighth day of the month they reached the Lord’s porch. For eight more days they set the Lord’s temple itself apart to him. They finished on the 16th day of the first month.

18Then they went to King Hezekiah. They reported, “We’ve purified the whole temple of the Lord. That includes the altar for burnt offerings and all its tools. It also includes the table for the holy bread and all its objects. 19We’ve prepared all the things King Ahaz had removed. We’ve set them apart to the Lord. Ahaz had removed them while he was king. He wasn’t faithful to the Lord. Those things are now in front of the Lord’s altar.”

20Early the next morning King Hezekiah gathered together the city officials. They all went up to the Lord’s temple. 21They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven male lambs and seven male goats with them. They sacrificed the animals as a sin offering for the kingdom, for the temple and for Judah. The king commanded the priests to offer them on the Lord’s altar. The priests were from the family line of Aaron. 22They killed the bulls. Then they splashed the blood against the altar. Next they killed the rams and splashed the blood against the altar. Then they killed the lambs and splashed the blood against the altar. 23The goats for the sin offering were brought to the king and the whole community. They placed their hands on them. 24Then the priests killed the goats. They put the blood on the altar as a sin offering. It paid for the sin of the whole nation of Israel. The king had ordered the burnt offering and the sin offering for the whole nation.

25Hezekiah stationed the Levites in the Lord’s temple. They had cymbals, harps and lyres. They did everything in the way King David, his prophet Gad, and Nathan the prophet had required. The Lord had given commands about all these things through his prophets. 26So the Levites stood ready with David’s musical instruments. And the priests had their trumpets ready.

27Hezekiah gave the order to sacrifice the burnt offering on the altar. The offering began. Singing to the Lord also began. The singing was accompanied by the trumpets and by the instruments of David. He had been king of Israel. 28The whole community bowed down. They worshiped the Lord. At the same time the musicians played their musical instruments. The priests blew their trumpets. All of that continued until the burnt offering had been sacrificed.

29So the offerings were finished. King Hezekiah got down on his knees. He worshiped the Lord. So did everyone who was with him. 30The king and his officials ordered the Levites to praise the Lord. They used the words of David and Asaph the prophet. They sang praises with joy. They bowed down and worshiped the Lord.

31Then Hezekiah said, “You have set yourselves apart to the Lord. Come and bring sacrifices and thank offerings to his temple.” So the whole community brought sacrifices and thank offerings. Everyone who wanted to brought burnt offerings.

32The whole community brought 70 bulls, 100 rams and 200 male lambs. They brought all of them as burnt offerings to the Lord. 33The total number of animals set apart as sacrifices to the Lord was 600 bulls and 3,000 sheep and goats. 34But there weren’t enough priests to skin all the burnt offerings. So their relatives, the Levites, helped them. They worked until the task was finished. By that time other priests had been set apart to the Lord. The Levites had been more careful than the priests when they set themselves apart. 35There were large numbers of burnt offerings, along with the drink offerings and the fat from the friendship offerings. They were offered along with the burnt offerings.

So the service of the Lord’s temple was started up again. 36Hezekiah and all the people were filled with joy. That’s because everything had been done so quickly. God had provided for his people in a wonderful way.

Japanese Contemporary Bible

歴代誌Ⅱ 29:1-36

29

ユダの王ヒゼキヤ

1ヒゼキヤは二十五歳でユダの王となり、二十九年間エルサレムで治めました。母はゼカリヤの娘アビヤでした。 2彼の治世は、父祖ダビデがそうであったように、主の目にかなうものでした。

3その第一年の第一の月、ヒゼキヤ王は神殿の扉を開けて、内部を修理しました。 4-5それから、祭司とレビ人たちを神殿の東側の広場に呼び集めて言いました。「レビ人たち、聞きなさい。まず、あなたがた自身の身をきよめ、それから、あなたがたの父祖の神、主の神殿をきよめなさい。聖所から、ちりあくたをすべて掃き出しなさい。 6というのも、私たちの父たちが主の前に大きな罪を犯し、主と神殿を捨て去り、それらに背を向けたからだ。 7神殿の扉は閉ざされ、絶やしてはならないともしびの火は消え、香もたかれず、焼き尽くすいけにえもささげられなかった。 8それで、主の怒りがユダとエルサレムに下り、今も見るとおり、主は私たちを、恐れと驚きとあざけりの的となさったのだ。 9父は戦死し、妻子は捕虜になっている。 10私は、主の燃える怒りが去るように、イスラエルの神、主と契約を結びたいと思う。 11さあみんな、これ以上、大切な務めを怠ってはならない。主はあなたがたを選んでご自分に仕えさせ、香をたく務めに任じてくださったのだから。」

12-14そこでレビ人たちは、それぞれの務めに就きました。ケハテ氏族からはアマサイの子マハテとアザルヤの子ヨエル、メラリ氏族からはアブディの子キシュとエハレルエルの子アザルヤ、ゲルション氏族からはジマの子ヨアフとヨアフの子エデン、エリツァファン氏族からはシムリとエイエル、アサフ氏族からはゼカリヤとマタヌヤ、ヘマン氏族からはエヒエルとシムイ、エドトン氏族からはシェマヤとウジエル。

15彼らは次々に身内のレビ人を集め、まず自分自身の身をきよめてから、主に代わって語った王の命令どおり、宮きよめの仕事に取りかかりました。 16祭司たちが神殿の中をきよめ、その中にあった汚れたものや壊れたものを全部、神殿の庭に持ち出すと、レビ人がそれをキデロン川へ運びました。 17これが始まったのは第一の月の一日(ユダヤ暦による。太陽暦では三月中旬)で、その月の八日には神殿の庭のきよめをすませ、さらに八日間にわたって神殿自体をきよめて、十六日に終わりました。

18それから彼らは王宮に戻り、ヒゼキヤ王に報告しました。「ただ今、神殿のきよめを完了しました。焼き尽くすいけにえの祭壇と付属の器具、供えのパンの机と付属の器具も、すべてきよめました。 19また、アハズ王が神殿を閉じた時に取り除いたすべての器具を整え、きよめました。みな祭壇のそばにあります。」

20翌朝早く、王は町の首長を従えて神殿に上りました。 21その時、この国と神殿のためにささげる、罪の赦しのためのいけにえとして、雄の子牛七頭、雄羊七頭、子羊七頭、雄やぎ七頭が用意され、王はアロンの子孫である祭司に命じて、いけにえを主の祭壇にささげさせました。 22雄の子牛が殺されると、祭司はその血を取って祭壇に注ぎかけました。雄羊や子羊の場合も同じでした。 23罪の赦しのためのいけにえ用の雄やぎが、王と役人たちの前に引いて来られると、彼らはその雄やぎの上に手を置きました。 24それから、祭司はこの雄やぎを殺し、血を祭壇に注いで罪の赦しのためのいけにえとし、王が命じたとおり、イスラエル全国民のために贖いをしました。焼き尽くすいけにえと罪の赦しのためのいけにえをイスラエル全国民のためにささげるように、王から指示してあったからです。

25-26王は、神殿に仕えるレビ人に、シンバル、琴、竪琴を持たせて管弦楽団を編成しました。これは主のことばを受けた、ダビデおよび預言者ガドとナタンの意向に従ったものでした。祭司はラッパによる吹奏隊を引き受けました。 27そこで王は、焼き尽くすいけにえを祭壇にささげるよう命じました。いけにえをささげ始めると、シンバルや琴、竪琴がいっせいに賛美歌を演奏し、それに合わせてラッパが吹き鳴らされました。 28この式が終わるまで、歌とラッパに合わせて、全会衆が主を礼拝しました。 29いけにえをささげ終わると、王と側近たちは主を伏し拝みました。 30それから王は、ダビデと預言者アサフの詩を主の前で歌うように、レビ人に命じました。彼らは喜んで主を賛美し、一同はひれ伏して礼拝しました。

31そののち、ヒゼキヤは言いました。「きよめの儀式はこれで終了した。さあ、今度は、あなたがたの感謝のいけにえを持って来なさい。」そこで各地から集まった人々は、感謝のいけにえを持って来ました。中には進んで、焼き尽くすいけにえを持って来る人もいました。 32-33焼き尽くすいけにえは全部で、雄の子牛が七十頭、雄羊が百頭、子羊が二百頭でした。さらに聖なるささげ物として、牛六百頭、羊三千頭が加えられました。 34ただし、焼き尽くすいけにえの用意をする祭司の手が足りなかったので、彼らの兄弟であるレビ人がその仕事をしました。このあとも彼らは、さらに多くの祭司が加えられるまで仕事を手伝いました。レビ人は、祭司よりも早く身をきよめて準備していたのです。 35たくさんの焼き尽くすいけにえ、そのための注ぎのぶどう酒、それに、多くの和解のいけにえがありました。このようにして、神殿での奉仕が再開され、いけにえがささげられるようになりました。 36ヒゼキヤとすべての民は、神がこのようにすばやく事を運んでくださったことを心から喜びました。