« | 2 Chronicles 29 | » |
1 Hezekiah began to reign when he was twenty-five years old, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah.
2 And he did that which was right in the eyes of LORD, according to all that David his father had done.
3 In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of LORD, and repaired them.
4 And he brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them together into the broad place on the east,
5 and said to them, Hear me, ye Levites. Now sanctify yourselves, and sanctify the house of LORD, the 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 sight of LORD our God, and have forsaken him, and have turned away their faces from the habitation of 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 to the God of Israel.
8 Therefore the wrath of LORD was upon Judah and Jerusalem, and he has delivered them to be tossed to and fro, to be an astonishment, and a 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 my heart to make a covenant with LORD, the God of Israel, that his fierce anger may turn away from us.
11 My sons, be not now negligent. For LORD has chosen you to stand before him, to minister to him, and that ye should be his ministers, and burn incense.
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 Jehallelel, and of the Gershonites, Joah the son of Zimmah, and Eden the son of Joah;
13 and of the sons of Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeuel, and of the sons of Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah,
14 and of the sons of Heman, Jehuel and Shimei, and of the sons of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel.
15 And they gathered their brothers, and sanctified themselves, and went in, according to the commandment of the king by the words of LORD, to cleanse the house of LORD.
16 And the priests went in to the inner part of the house of LORD to cleanse it, and brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of LORD into the court of the house of LORD. And the Levites took it, to carry it out abroad to 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 they came to the porch of LORD. And they sanctified the house of LORD in eight days, and on the sixteenth day of the first month they made an end.
18 Then they went in to Hezekiah the king within the palace, and said, We have cleansed all the house of LORD, and the altar of burnt-offering with all the vessels of it, and the table of showbread with all the vessels of it.
19 Moreover all the vessels, which king Ahaz in his reign cast away when he trespassed, we have prepared and sanctified. And, behold, they are before the altar of LORD.
20 Then Hezekiah the king arose early, and gathered the rulers of the city, and went up to the house of LORD.
21 And they brought seven bullocks, and seven rams, 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 LORD.
22 So they killed the bullocks. And the priests received the blood, and sprinkled it on the altar. And they killed the rams, and sprinkled the blood upon the altar. They also killed the lambs, and sprinkled the blood upon the altar.
23 And they brought near the he-goats for the sin-offering before the king and the assembly. And they laid their hands upon them,
24 and the priests killed them. And they made a sin-offering with their blood upon the altar, to make atonement for all Israel. For the king commanded that the burnt-offering and the sin-offering should be made for all Israel.
25 And he set the Levites in the house of LORD with cymbals, with psalteries, and with harps, according to the commandment of David, and of Gad the king's seer, and Nathan the prophet. For the commandment was of LORD by his prophets.
26 And the Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets.
27 And Hezekiah commanded to offer the burnt-offering upon the altar. And when the burnt-offering began, the song of LORD began also, and the trumpets, together with the instruments of David king of Israel.
28 And all the assembly worshipped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded. All this until the burnt-offering was finished.
29 And when they had made an end of offering, the king and all who were present with him bowed themselves and worshipped.
30 Moreover Hezekiah the king and the rulers commanded the Levites to sing praises to LORD with the words of David, and of Asaph the seer. And they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads and worshipped.
31 Then Hezekiah answered and said, Now ye have consecrated yourselves to LORD. Come near and bring sacrifices and thank-offerings into the house of LORD. And the assembly brought in sacrifices and thank-offerings; and as many as were of a willing heart brought burnt-offerings.
32 And the number of the burnt-offerings which the assembly brought was seventy bullocks, a hundred rams, and two hundred lambs. All these were for a burnt-offering to LORD.
33 And the consecrated things were six hundred oxen and three thousand sheep.
34 But the priests were too few, so that they could not skin all the burnt-offerings. Therefore their brothers the Levites helped them till the work was ended, and until the priests had sanctified themselves. For the Levites 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 with the drink-offerings for every burnt-offering. So the service of the house of LORD was set in order.
36 And Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people, because of that which God had prepared for the people; for the thing was done suddenly.
A Conservative Version (ACV)
A Conservative Version (ACV) of the Bible is a translation that aims to provide a conservative and literal interpretation of the biblical texts. Developed with a focus on maintaining fidelity to the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek manuscripts, the ACV emphasizes a word-for-word translation methodology. The goal is to preserve the subtleties and nuances of the original languages as accurately as possible. This approach results in a version of the Bible that seeks to remain true to the text's original meaning and context, appealing to readers who prioritize precision and doctrinal integrity.
The text of the Old Testament for A Conservative Version (ACV) came from the American Standard Version published in 1901. The main changes done for the ACV were the replacement of archaic words with more modern ones, except for the old English pronouns, which were kept because they are more communicative. The New Testament was translated from, The New Testament in the Original Greek According to the Byzantine-Majority Text form. That edition was compiled by Maurice A. Robinson and William G. Pierpont, and is of the Textus Receptus tradition from which came the King James Version.
The ACV was created in response to what its translators saw as a trend toward more liberal or dynamic-equivalence translations that prioritize readability over literal accuracy. The translators aimed to produce a text that adheres closely to the original languages, even if this makes the translation more challenging for contemporary readers. This reflects their belief in the importance of preserving the exact words and phrases used in the original scriptures. The ACV also employs traditional theological terminology and phrasing, avoiding modern slang and colloquial expressions in favor of language that conveys the gravity and solemnity of the biblical message.
While the ACV has found appreciation among conservative circles, it has faced criticism for its perceived rigidity and difficulty. Critics argue that its strict adherence to a word-for-word translation can make the text less readable and accessible, potentially alienating readers unfamiliar with the original languages or who prefer a more fluid translation. Despite these criticisms, the ACV remains a valued translation for those who prioritize a conservative and literal approach to Bible interpretation, supporting their doctrinal views with a text they believe closely reflects the original scriptures.