For Yahweh had brought Judah low, because of Ahaz king of Israel, - for he had given the rein in Judah, and, been grievously unfaithful, with Yahweh.

For Ahaz took away a portion out of the house of Yahweh, and out of the house of the king, and the rulers, - and gave unto the king of Assyria, but he helped him not.

And, in the time of his distress, he yet further acted unfaithfully with Yahweh, - he, King Ahaz!

And Ahaz gathered together the utensils of the house of God, and brake away the fittings of the house of God, and shut up the doors of the house of Yahweh, - and made for himself altars at every corner in Jerusalem;

and, in every several city of Judah, made he high places, for burning incense unto other gods, - and provoked Yahweh, God of his fathers.

And he did that which was right in the eyes of Yahweh, - according to all that, David his father, had done.

He, in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of Yahweh, and repaired them.

and said unto them, Hear me, O Levites! Now, hallow yourselves, and hallow the house of Yahweh, God of your fathers, and take forth the impure thing out of the holy place.

For our fathers have acted unfaithfully and done the thing that was wicked in the eyes of Yahweh our God, and have forsaken him,-and have turned round their faces from the habitation of Yahweh, and have offered their backs.

Thus hath it come to pass, that, the wrath of Yahweh, hath been upon Judah and Jerusalem, - and he hath delivered them up as a terror and as an astonishment and as hissing, even as, ye, can see with your own eyes.

Now, is it near my heart, to solemnise a covenant unto Yahweh, God of Israel, - that he may turn from him the glow of his anger.

My sons! now, do not be faulty, - for, of you, hath Yahweh made choice, to stand before him, and to wait upon him, and to be his attendants and burners of incense.

and they gathered together their brethren, who hallowed themselves, and came in according to the command of the king, in the things of Yahweh, - to purify the house of Yahweh.

So the priests entered into the inner part of the house of Yahweh, to make purification, and they brought out every unclean thing which they found in the temple of Yahweh, into the court of the house of Yahweh, - where the Levites received it, to carry it forth to the Kidron ravine outside.

And they began, on the first of the first month, to hallow, - and, on the eighth day of the month, they came to the porch of Yahweh, so they hallowed the house of Yahweh in eight days, - and, on the sixteenth day of the first month, they finished.

Then came they in unto Hezekiah the king, and said, We have purified all the house of Yahweh, - the altar of ascending-sacrifice, and all the utensils thereof, and the table for setting in array, and all the utensils thereof.

And, all the utensils which King Ahaz in his reign rejected when he acted unfaithfully, have we made ready and hallowed, - and, there they are, before the altar of Yahweh.

So Hezekiah the king rose up early, and gathered together the rulers of the city, - and went up to the house of Yahweh.

And they brought in seven bullocks, and seven rams, and seven young sheep, and seven he-goats for bearing sin, for the kingdom and for the sanctuary and for Judah, - and he bade the sons of Aaron, the priests, cause them to ascend upon the altar of Yahweh.

And he caused the Levites to stand in the house of Yahweh, with cymbals and with harps and with lyres, by the commandment of David, and of Gad the seer of the king, and of Nathan the prophet, - for, by the hand of Yahweh, came the commandment by the hand of his prophets.

And Hezekiah gave word, to cause the ascending-sacrifice to go up on the altar, - and, when the ascending-sacrifice began, the singing unto Yahweh began, and the trumpets, even under the direction of the instruments of David, king of Israel.

And Hezekiah the king and the rulers gave word to the Levites, to offer praise unto Yahweh, in the words of David, and of Asaph the seer, - so they offered praise right joyfully, and bent their heads and bowed themselves in prostration.

Then responded Hezekiah and said - Now, have ye consecrated yourselves unto Yahweh. Draw near, and bring in sacrifices and thank-offerings unto the house of Yahweh,-So the convocation brought sacrifices and thank-offerings, and, everyone of a willing heart, brought ascending-sacrifices.

And it came to pass that, the number of ascending-sacrifices which the convocation brought, was - seventy bullocks, and a hundred rams, and two hundred young sheep, - as an ascending-sacrifice unto Yahweh, all these.

Moreover also, the ascending-sacrifices, were in abundance, with the fat portions of the peace-offerings, and with the drink-offerings to every ascending-sacrifice,-thus was established the service of the house of Yahweh.

Then sent Hezekiah unto all Israel and Judah, moreover also, letters, wrote he unto Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come unto the house of Yahweh, in Jerusalem, - to keep a passover unto Yahweh, God of Israel.

So they established a decree, to make proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beer-sheba even unto Dan, that they should come in to keep a passover unto Yahweh the God of Israel, in Jerusalem, - for, not for a long time, had they kept it as written.

The runners, therefore, went with letters from the hand of the king and his rulers, throughout all Israel and Judah, and according to the commandment of the king, saying, - Ye sons of Israel, return ye unto Yahweh, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, and he will return unto the remnant, that which is left to you, out of the hand of the kings of Assyria.

And be not ye like your fathers, or like your brethren, who acted unfaithfully with Yahweh, God of your fathers, - who therefore delivered them up for an astonishment, as, ye yourselves, can see.

Now, do not stiffen your neck, like your fathers, - stretch forth the hand unto Yahweh, and enter into his sanctuary which he hath hallowed unto times age-abiding, and serve Yahweh your God, that he may turn from you the glow of his anger.

For, by your returning unto Yahweh, your brethren and your children, shall find compassion before their captors, so as to return unto this land. For, gracious and compassionate, is Yahweh your God, and will not turn away his face from you, if ye will return unto him.

Also, upon Judah, came the hand of God, to give them one heart, - to keep the commandment of the king and the rulers, as the word of Yahweh.

Then slaughtered they the passover, on the fourteenth of the second month, - and, the priests and the Levites, were put to shame, and hallowed themselves, and brought in the ascending-sacrifices of the house of Yahweh.

For there were many in the convocation, who had not hallowed themselves, - but, the Levites, were over the slaughtering of the passover-lambs, for every one who was, not pure, to hallow him unto Yahweh.

For, the multitude of the people, many out of Ephraim and Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun, had not purified themselves, for they did eat the passover, otherwise than as was written, - for Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, May Yahweh the Good, put a propitiatory-covering about

every one who hath prepared, his heart, to seek God, even Yahweh, God of his fathers, - though not according to the purification of the sanctuary!

And Yahweh hearkened unto Hezekiah, and healed the people.

And so the sons of Israel who were found in Jerusalem kept the festival of unleavened cakes seven days, with great rejoicing, - and the Levites and the priests, were offering praise unto Yahweh day by day, with loud instruments, unto Yahweh.

And Hezekiah spake unto the heart of all the Levites who were giving good instruction respecting Yahweh, - and they did eat the appointed feast seven days, sacrificing the peace-offerings, and offering praise unto Yahweh, God of their fathers.

And Hezekiah appointed the courses of the priests, and the Levites, over their courses, every man according to the requirements of his service, both priests and Levites, for ascending-sacrifice and for peace-offerings, - to be in attendance and to give thanks and to offer praise, in the gates of the camps of Yahweh;

also the portion of the king out of his own substance, for the ascending-sacrifices, - even for the ascending-sacrifices of the morning and of the evening, and the ascending-sacrifices for the sabbaths, and for the new moons and for the appointed feasts, - as written in the law of Yahweh.

And he bade the people who were dwelling in Jerusalem give the portion of the priests and the Levites, - to the end they might persevere in the law of Yahweh.

And, as for the sons of Israel and Judah who were dwelling in the cities of Judah, even they, a tithe of oxen, and sheep, and a tithe of hallowed things, which had been hallowed unto Yahweh their God, did bring in and pile up - heaps, heaps.

And Hezekiah and the rulers came, and saw the heaps, - and blessed Yahweh, and his people Israel.

And Azariah, the chief priest of the house of Zadok, spake unto him, - and said - From the time of beginning to bring in, the heave-offering, into the house of Yahweh - to eat and to be full, there hath still been left, even to this abundance. For, Yahweh, hath blessed his people, and, that which is left, is this great plenty.

Then Hezekiah gave word to prepare chambers, in the house of Yahweh, and they prepared them;

And, Kore, son of Imnah the Levite, the door-keeper on the east, was over the freewill offerings of God, - to give the heave-offering of Yahweh, and the most holy things.

besides registering them by males, from three years old and upward, unto every one that entered into the house of Yahweh, in the need of a day upon its day, - by their service, in their watches, according to their courses:

And Hezekiah did thus, throughout all Judah, - and he did that which was good and right and faithful, before Yahweh his God.

with him, is an arm of flesh, but, with us, is Yahweh our God, to help us, and to fight our battles. And the people leaned upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

Is not, Hezekiah, persuading you, so as to deliver you up to die with hunger and with thirst, saying, - Yahweh our God, will deliver us out of the hand of the king of Assyria?

And, yet more, spake his servants, against Yahweh, God, - and against Hezekiah his servant.

Letters, also wrote he, to scoff at Yahweh God of Israel, and to speak against him, saying, Like the gods of the nations of the countries, who delivered not their people out of my hand, so, shall the god of Hezekiah not deliver his people out of my hand.

So Yahweh sent a messenger, who cut off every hero of valour, and chief ruler and captain, in the camp of the king of Assyria, - and he returned with shame of face to his own land, and, when he entered the house of his god, then, the issue of his own body - there, caused him to fall by the sword.

Thus did Yahweh save Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem out of the hand of Sennacherib king of Assyria, and out of the hand of every one, - and gave them rest on every side.

And, many, were bringing in a present unto Yahweh, to Jerusalem, and precious things, unto Hezekiah king of Judah, - so that he was exalted in the eyes of all the nations, from thenceforth.

In those days, was Hezekiah sick unto death, - and, when he prayed unto Yahweh, he was entreated of him and, a wonderful token, he gave him.

Then Hezekiah humbled himself, for the uplifting of his heart, he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, - so that the wrath of Yahweh came not upon them, in the days of Hezekiah.

And he did the thing that was wicked in the eyes of Yahweh,-according to the abominable ways of the nations, whom Yahweh dispossessed from before the sons of Israel.

and built altars in the house of Yahweh, - as to which Yahweh had said, In Jerusalem, shall be my Name, unto times age-abiding.

Yea he built altars unto all the army of the heavens, - in the two courts of the house of Yahweh.

And, he, caused his sons to pass through the fire, in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and practised hidden arts and used divination, and practised sorcery, and appointed a necromancer, and a wizard, - he exceeded in doing the thing that was wicked in the eyes of Yahweh, to provoke him to anger;

And so Manasseh led astray Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, - to commit wickedness beyond the nations which Yahweh had destroyed from before the sons of Israel.

And Yahweh spake unto Manasseh and unto his people, but they did not give ear.

So Yahweh brought in upon them, the captains of the army that belonged to the king of Assyria, and they captured Manasseh with hooks, - and bound him captive with a pair of bronze fetters, and took him away to Babylon.

But, in his distress, he appeased the face of Yahweh his God, - and humbled himself greatly, before the God of his fathers;

and, when he prayed unto him, then was he entreated of him, and hearkened unto his supplication, and brought him back to Jerusalem, unto his own kingdom, and so Manasseh came to know, that, Yahweh, is God.

And he removed the gods of the foreigner and the image, out of the house of Yahweh, and all the altars that he had built in the mountain of the house of Yahweh, and in Jerusalem, - and he cast them forth outside the city.

And he built the altar of Yahweh, and sacrificed thereon peace-offerings, and thanksgiving sacrifices,-and gave word to Judah to serve Yahweh, God of Israel.

Howbeit, still were, the people, sacrificing in the high places, - only unto Yahweh their God.

But, the rest of the story of Manasseh, and his prayer unto his God, and the story of the seers who spake unto him in the name of Yahweh God of Israel, there they are, in the story of the kings of Israel:

And he did the thing that was wicked in the eyes of Yahweh, as Manasseh his father had done, - and, unto all the images which Manasseh his father had made, Amon offered sacrifice, and did serve them.

But he did not humble himself before Yahweh as Manasseh his father humbled himself, - for, he, Amon, made guilt abound.

And he did that which was right, in the eyes of Yahweh, - and walked in the ways of David his father, and turned not aside, to the right hand or to the left.

And, in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purified the land and the house, he sent Shaphan son of Azaliah and Maaseiah the ruler of the city and Joah son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of Yahweh his God.

And the overseers in the house of Yahweh, delivered it into the hand of the doer of the work, - yea they delivered it to the doers of the work, because they were working in the house of Yahweh, in searching and repairing the house:

Now, as they were taking out the silver which had been brought into the house of Yahweh, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of Yahweh, by the hand of Moses.

Then spake up Hilkiah, and said unto Shaphan the scribe, The Book of the Law, have I found, in the house of Yahweh, - and Hilkiah gave the book unto Shaphan.

and they have poured out the silver, that was found in the house of Yahweh, and have delivered it into the hand of the overseers, and into the hand of the doers of the work.

Go, enquire of Yahweh for me, and for the remnant in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book which hath been found, - for great is the wrath of Yahweh, which hath been poured out upon us, because our fathers, kept not, the word of Yahweh, to do according to all that is written in this book.

And she said unto them, Thus, saith Yahweh God of Israel, - Say ye unto the man who hath sent you unto me:

Thus, saith Yahweh, Behold me bringing in calamity upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof,-even all the curses that are written in the book which they have read before the king of Judah:

But, unto the king of Judah, who hath sent you to enquire of Yahweh, thus, shall ye say unto him, - Thus, saith Yahweh God of Israel, As touching the words which thou hast heard:

Because tender was thy heart, and thou didst humble thyself before God when thou heardest his words against this place and against the inhabitants thereof, and didst humble thyself before me, and didst rend thy clothes and weep before me, therefore, I also, have heard, is the declaration of Yahweh.

And the king went up to the house of Yahweh - and all the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem - and the priests and the Levites, and all the people, from the great even unto the small, - and he read in their ears, all the words of the book of the covenant, which had been found in the house of Yahweh.

And the king stood in his place, and solemnised the covenant before Yahweh, to walk after Yahweh, and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes, with all his heart and with all his soul, - to perform the words of the covenant that are written in this book.

And Josiah removed all the abominations, out of all the lands which belonged to the sons of Israel, and caused all that were present in Jerusalem to serve, yea to serve, Yahweh their God, - all his days, turned they not aside from following Yahweh, God of their fathers.

And Josiah kept, in Jerusalem, a passover unto Yahweh, - and they slaughtered the passover, on the fourteenth of the first month.

And he set the priests over their charges, - and encouraged them unto the service of the house of Yahweh;

and said to the Levites who gave instruction to all Israel as to the things which were hallowed unto Yahweh, Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon son of David king of Israel did build, it is not yours as a burden on the shoulder, - Now, serve ye Yahweh your God, and his people Israel;

So slaughter ye the passover, - and hallow yourselves, and prepare for your brethren, that they may do according to the word of Yahweh, by the hand of Moses.

Then they removed the ascending-sacrifice, that they might give them - by the divisions of each ancestral house - unto the sons of the people, to offer unto Yahweh, as it is written in the Book of Moses, - and, in like manner, with the bullocks.

Thus was all the service of Yahweh prepared on that day; to keep the passover, and to offer up the ascending-sacrifice, upon the altar of Yahweh, - according to the commandment of King Josiah.

But, the rest of the story of Josiah, and his lovingkindness, - according to that which is written in the law of Yahweh:

Twenty-five years old, was Jehoiakim when he began to reign, and, eleven years, reigned he in Jerusalem, - and he did the thing that was wicked in the eyes of Yahweh his God.

And, some of the utensils of the house of Yahweh, did Nebuchadnezzar carry to Babylon, - and put them in his own temple in Babylon.

Eight years old, was Jehoiachin when he began to reign, and, three months and ten days, reigned he in Jerusalem, and he did the thing that was wicked in the eyes of Yahweh;

and, when the year came round, King Nebuchadnezzar sent, and carried him to Babylon, with the precious utensils of the house of Yahweh, - and made Zedekiah his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem.

And he did the thing that was wicked in the eyes of Yahweh his God,-he humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet, from the mouth of Yahweh.

Moreover also - against King Nebuchadnezzar, he rebelled, who had made him swear by God,-and he stiffened his neck, and emboldened his heart, from turning unto Yahweh, God of Israel.