1Ezechiáš začal kraľovať, keď mal dvadsaťpäť rokov a kraľoval dvadsaťdeväť rokov v Jeruzaleme. A meno jeho matky bolo Abia, dcéra Zachariášova. 2A robil to, čo je spravedlivé v očiach JeHoVaHových, všetko tak, ako robil Dávid, jeho otec. 3On hneď prvého roku svojho kraľovania, prvého mesiaca otvoril dvere domu JeHoVaHovho a opravil ich. 4A doviedol kňazov a Levitov a shromaždil ich do Východnej ulice. 5A povedal im: Počujte ma, Levitovia! teraz sa posväťte a posväťte dom JeHoVaHa, Boha svojich otcov, a vyneste nečistotu zo svätyne. 6Lebo naši otcovia hrešili dopúšťajúc sa nevernosti a robili to, čo je zlé, v očiach JeHoVaHa nášho Boha, a opustili ho a odvrátiac svoju tvár od príbytku JeHoVaHovho obrátili mu chrbát. 7Ba ešte aj zamkli dvere dvorany a zahasili lampy a kadiva nekadili ani neobetovali zápalnej obeti v svätyni Bohu Izraelovmu. 8Preto prišiel hnev JeHoVaHov na Júdu a na Jeruzalem, a vydal ich za postrk, za desnú púšť a za ostrý posmech, ako to vidíte na vlastné oči. 9A hľa, naši otcovia padli od meča, a naši synovia, naše dcéry a naše ženy sú pre to v zajatí. 10Preto teraz som si umienil, že učiním smluvu s JeHoVaHom, Bohom Izraelovým, aby sa odvrátila od nás páľa jeho hnevu. 11Moji synovia, neblúďte už teraz, ubezpečení. Lebo vás si vyvolil JeHoVaH, aby ste stáli pred ním slúžiac mu a aby ste mu svätoslúžili a kadili mu. 12Vtedy povstali Levitovia, Machat, syn Amasaiho, a Joel, syn Azariášov, zo synov Kehátovcov, a zo synov Meráriho: Kíš, syn Abdiho, a Azariáš, syn Jehallélov, a z Geršonovcov: Joach, syn Zimmu, a Éden, syn Joachov; 13zo synov Elicafánových: Šimri a Jehiel; zo synov Azafových: Zachariáš a Mataniáš; 14zo synov Hémanových: Jechiel a Šimei, a zo synov Jedutúnových: Šemaiáš a Uziel. 15A shromaždili svojich bratov a posvätili sa. A prišli podľa rozkazu kráľovho, založeného na slovách JeHoVaHových, aby vyčistili dom JeHoVaHov. 16Tak vošli kňazi do vnútra do domu JeHoVaHovho, aby ho vyčistili, a vyniesli všetku nečistotu, ktorú našli v chráme JeHoVaHovom, na dvor domu JeHoVaHovho, odkiaľ to brali Levitovia, aby to vyniesli von do potoka Kedrona. 17A začali posväcovať prvého dňa prvého mesiaca a ôsmeho dňa toho istého mesiaca vošli do dvorany JeHoVaHovej a posväcovali dom JeHoVaHov za osem dní a šestnásteho dňa toho istého prvého mesiaca dokončili. 18Vtedy vošli dnu ku kráľovi Ezechiášovi a riekli: Vyčistili sme celý dom JeHoVaHov aj oltár na zápaly jako aj všetky jeho nádoby i stôl predloženia i všetky jeho nádoby 19i všetky nádoby, ktoré bol odhodil kráľ Achaz po čas svojho kraľovania, keď hrešil robiac neverne, pripravili sme a posvätili, a hľa, sú pred oltárom JeHoVaHovým. 20Potom vstal kráľ Ezechiáš skoro ráno a shromaždil náčelníkov mesta a vyšiel hore do domu JeHoVaHovho. 21A doviedli sedem juncov, sedem baranov, sedem oviec a sedem kozlov na obeť za hriech, donesenú za kráľovstvo, za svätyňu a za Júdu. A povedal synom Áronovým, kňazom, aby obetovali zápaly na oltári JeHoVaHovom. 22A tak pobili voly, a kňazi berúc krv kropili na oltár. Potom pobili aj baranov a kropili ich krv na oltár; pobili aj ovce a kropili krv na oltár. 23Napokon doviedli kozlov obeti za hriech pred kráľa a pred shromaždenie, ktorí položili svoje ruky na nich. 24A pobili ich kňazi a ich krvou očistili oltár od hriechu, aby pokryli hriech celého Izraela, lebo za celého Izraela rozkázal kráľ obetovať zápal a obeť za hriech. 25A zase postavil Levitov do domu JeHoVaHovho s cymbalmi, s harfami a s citarami podľa príkazu Dávida a Gáda, vidiaceho kráľovho, a proroka Nátana, lebo to prikázanie bolo od JeHoVaHa, prikázané skrze jeho prorokov. 26A tak stáli Levitovia s nástrojami Dávidovými a kňazi s trúbami. 27A Ezechiáš rozkázal obetovať zápalnú obeť na oltári. A keď sa začala zápalná obeť, začal sa spev JeHoVaHov i trúbenie na trúby, a to poriadkom hudobných nástrojov Dávida, kráľa Izraelovho. 28A celé shromaždenie sa klaňalo, a speváci spievali, a trubači trúbili; to všetko sa tak dialo, kým sa len nedokončila zápalná obeť. 29A keď doobetovali zápalnú obeť, sklonili sa kráľ i všetci, ktorí sa nachádzali s ním, a klaňali sa. 30Krome toho rozkázal kráľ Ezechiáš i kniežatá Levitom, aby chválili JeHoVaHa slovami Dávida a vidiaceho Azafa. A chválili, až bola radosť, a skloniac hlavy klaňali sa. 31Vtedy odpovedal Ezechiáš a riekol: Teraz ste naplnili svoju ruku JeHoVaHovi, posvätili ste sa; pristúpte a doveďte bitné obeti aj obeti chvály do domu JeHoVaHovho. A tak dovádzalo shromaždenie bitné obeti a obeti chvály, i každý, kto bol ochotného srdca, zápalné obeti, 32takže bol počet zápalnej obeti, ktorú doviedlo shromaždenie, sedemdesiat volov, sto baranov a dvesto oviec, všetko to na zápalnú obeť JeHoVaHovi. 33A čo do iných posvätených vecí, obetované bolo šesťsto volov a drobného dobytka tri tisíce kusov. 34Len že kňazov bolo primálo, takže nemohli sami stiahnuť z kože všetky zápalné obeti, a preto im pomáhali ich bratia Leviti, až dokiaľ nebolo dielo dokončené, a dokiaľ sa neposvätili kňazi, lebo Leviti boli úprimnejšieho srdca a ochotnejší posvätiť sa než kňazi. 35K tomu ešte bolo množstvo zápalných obetí s tukmi pokojných obetí i s liatymi obeťami ku každému zápalu. A tak bola znova uvedená služba domu JeHoVaHovho do poriadku. 36A Ezechiáš sa radoval i všetok ľud nad tým, čo Bôh pripravil svojmu ľudu; lebo to všetko sa bolo rýchle stalo.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 HEZEKIAH'S GOOD REIGN. (
2Chr 29:1-2)
Hezekiah began to reign, &c.--(see on
2Kgs 18:1). His mother's name, which, in
2Kgs 18:2, appears in an abridged form, is here given in full.
3 HE RESTORES RELIGION. (
2Chr 29:3-11)
in the first year of his reign, in the first month--not the first month after his accession to the throne, but in Nisan, the first month of the sacred year, the season appointed for the celebration of the passover.
he opened the doors of the house of the Lord--which had been closed up by his father (
2Chr 28:24).
and repaired them--or embellished them (compare
2Kgs 18:16).
4 the east street--the court of the priests, which fronted the eastern gate of the temple. Assembling the priests and Levites there, he enjoined them to set about the immediate purification of the temple. It does not appear that the order referred to the removal of idols, for objects of idolatrous homage could scarcely have been put there, seeing the doors had been shut up [
2Chr 29:3]; but in its forsaken and desolate state the temple and its courts had been polluted by every kind of impurity.
6 our fathers have trespassed--Ahaz and the generation contemporary with him were specially meant, for they "turned away their faces from the habitation of the Lord," and whether or not they turned east to the rising sun, they abandoned the worship of God. They "shut up the doors of the porch," so that the sacred ritual was entirely discontinued.
8 Wherefore the wrath of the Lord was upon Judah and Jerusalem--This pious king had the discernment to ascribe all the national calamities that had befallen the kingdom to the true cause, namely, apostasy from God. The country had been laid waste by successive wars of invasion, and its resources drained. Many families mourned members of their household still suffering the miseries of foreign captivity; all their former prosperity and glory had fled; and to what was this painful and humiliating state of affairs to be traced, but to the manifest judgment of God upon the kingdom for its sins?
10 Now it is in mine heart to make a covenant with the Lord God--Convinced of the sin and bitter fruits of idolatry, Hezekiah intended to reverse the policy of his father, and to restore, in all its ancient purity and glory, the worship of the true God. His commencement of this resolution at the beginning of his reign attests his sincere piety. It also proves the strength of his conviction that righteousness exalteth a nation; for, instead of waiting till his throne was consolidated, he devised measures of national reformation at the beginning of his reign and vigorously faced all the difficulties which, in such a course, he had to encounter, after the people's habits had so long been moulded to idolatry. His intentions were first disclosed to this meeting of the priests and Levites--for the agency of these officials was to be employed in carrying them into effect.
12 THE HOUSE OF GOD CLEANSED. (2Ch. 29:12-36)
Then the Levites arose--Fourteen chiefs undertook the duty of collecting and preparing their brethren for the important work of cleansing the Lord's house. Beginning with the outer courts--that of the priests and that of the people--the cleansing of these occupied eight days, after which they set themselves to purify the interior; but as the Levites were not allowed to enter within the walls of the temple, the priest brought all the sweepings out to the porch, where they were received by the Levites and thrown into the brook Kedron. This took eight days more. At the end of this period they repaired to the palace and announced that not only had the whole of the sacred edifice, within and without, undergone a thorough purification, but all the vessels which the late king had taken away and applied to a common use in his palace, had been restored, "and sanctified."
20 Then Hezekiah the king rose early, and gathered the rulers of the city--His anxiety to enter upon the expiatory service with all possible despatch, now that the temple had been properly prepared for it, prevented his summoning all the representatives of Israel. The requisite number of victims having been provided, and the officers of the temple having sanctified themselves according to the directions of the law, the priests were appointed to offer sacrifices of atonement successively, for "the kingdom," that is, for the sins of the king and his predecessors; for "the sanctuary," that is, for the sins of the priests themselves and for the desecration of the temple; "and for Judah," that is, for the people who, by their voluntary consent, were involved in the guilt of the national apostasy. Animals of the kinds used in sacrifice were offered by sevens, that number indicating completeness. The Levites were ordered to praise God with musical instruments, which, although not originally used in the tabernacle, had been enlisted in the service of divine worship by David on the advice of the prophets Gad and Nathan, as well calculated to animate the devotions of the people. At the close of the special services of the occasion, namely, the offering of atonement sacrifices, the king and all civic rulers who were present joined in the worship. A grand anthem was sung (
2Chr 29:30) by the choir, consisting of some of the psalms of David and Asaph, and a great number of thank offerings, praise offerings, and freewill burnt offerings were presented at the invitation of the king.
31 Hezekiah . . . said, Now ye have consecrated yourselves unto the Lord, come near--This address was made to the priests as being now, by the sacrifice of the expiation offerings, anew consecrated to the service of God and qualified to resume the functions of their sacred office (
Exod 28:41;
Exod 29:32).
the congregation brought in--that is, the body of civic rulers present.
34 the priests were too few, . . . wherefore their brethren the Levites did help them--The skins of beasts intended as peace offerings might be taken off by the officers, because, in such cases, the carcass was not wholly laid upon the altar; but animals meant for burnt offerings which were wholly consumed by fire could be flayed by the priests alone, not even the Levites being allowed to touch them, except in cases of unavoidable necessity (
2Chr 35:11). The duty being assigned by the law to the priests (
Lev 1:6), was construed by consuetudinary practice as an exclusion of all others not connected with the Aaronic family.
for the Levites were more upright in heart to sanctify themselves than the priests--that is, displayed greater alacrity than the priests. This service was hastened by the irrepressible solicitude of the king. Whether it was that many of the priests, being absent in the country, had not arrived in time--whether from the long interruption of the public duties, some of them had relaxed in their wonted attentions to personal cleanliness, and had many preparations to make--or whether from some having participated in the idolatrous services introduced by Ahaz, they were backward in repairing to the temple--a reflection does seem to be cast upon their order as dilatory and not universally ready for duty (compare
2Chr 30:15). Thus was the newly consecrated temple reopened to the no small joy of the pious king and all the people.
