2 Chronicles · Chapter 29

[ edit] Ezechias þanne beganne to regnen, whanne he was of fyue and twenty ȝeer, and nyne and twenty ȝeer he regnede in Jeruſalem; name of his modir, Abia, þe douȝter of Zacharye. And he dide þat was pleſaunt in þe ſiȝt of þe Lord, aftir alle þingus þat Dauid, his fadir, hadde done. In þat ȝeer and þe firſt moneþ of his regne he opnede þe ȝate leues of þe hous of þe Lord, and he enſtorede hem; and brouȝte to þe preſtis and þe Leuytis, and gaderede hem in to þe eſte ſtrete, and ſeide to hem, Heeriþ me, Leuytis, and beþ halowed; clenſiþ þe hous of þe Lord God of oure faders, and doþ awey alle vnclenneſſe fro þe ſeyntuarye.

Oure fadirs ſynneden, and diden euyl in þe ſiȝte of þe Lord oure God, forſakyng hym; þei turneden awei þeir faces fro þe tabernacle of þe Lord oure God, and ȝeuen bac. Þei cloſeden þe dores þat weren in þe ȝate hous, and quencheden þe lanterns; and encenſe þei brenneden not, and brent ſacrifices þei offreden not in þe ſeyntuarye of God of Irael. And ſo þe woodneſſe of þe Lord is ſterid vpon Judam and Jeruſalem; and he toke hem in to diſtourblynge, and into deþ, and in to whiſtlyng, as ȝe beholden wiþ ȝoure eeȝen. Lo! oure fadirs fellen wiþ ſwerdis; oure ſonus, and oure douȝters, and oure wijues ben lad caityf for þis hidous gilt.

Nowe þanne it pleſiþ to me, þat we gon in peſe couenaunt wiþ þe Lord God of Irael, and he do awey fro us þe woodneſſe of his wraþ. My ſonus, williþ not diſpiſen; þe Lord chees ȝou, þat ȝe ſtonden beforn hym, and mynyſtren to hym, and heryen hym, and brennen to hym encenſe.

Þanne þe Leuytis ryſen, Maaþ, þe ſone of Amazie, and Joel, þe ſone of Azarie, of þe ſonis of Caaþ; bot of þe ſonus of Merery, Ciz, þe ſone of Abday, and Azarias, þe ſone of Jalalael; of þe ſonus forſoþe of Jerſan, Joha, þe ſone of Zemma, and Hedem, þe ſone of Joha; and forſoþe of þe ſonus of Elizaphan, Zamry, and Jahiel; of þe ſonus alſo of Aſaph, Zacharias, and Maþanyas; alſo of þe ſonus of Heman, Jahiel, and Semei; bot and of þe ſonus of Yditum, Semeyas, and Oziel. And þei gadreden þeir breþeren, and ben halowed, and gon in, after þe maundement of þe kyng, and þe heſte of þe Lord, þat þei clenſen þe hous of þe Lord.

And þe preſtis gon in to þe temple of þe Lord, þat þei halowen it, beeren out al þe vnclenneſſe, þat wiþ inne þei hadden foundyn in þe veſtiarie of þe hous of þe Lord; þe whiche token þe Leuytis, and beeren out wiþ out forþ to þe ſtreme of Cedron. And þei begunnen þe firſt day of þe firſt moneþ to clenſen, and in þe eyȝþe day of þe ſame moneþ þei wenten in to þe ȝate hous of þe temple of þe Lord, and þei purgedyn þe temple eiȝte days; and in þe ſixtenþe day of þe ſame moneþ, þat þei hadden begunnen, þei fulfilden.

And þei wenten in to Ezechie, þe kyng; and ſeyden to hym, We han halowed al þe hous of þe Lord, and þe auter of brent ſacrifice of hym, and his veſſels, alſo and þe borde of propoſicyoun wiþ alle his veſſels, and alle þe purtenauncis of þe temple, þat kyng Achaz in his rewme hadde polutide, after þat he hadde treſpaſſede; and loo! leid out ben alle þingus before þe auter of þe Lord. And Ezechie, þe kyng, rijſyng erly, gadered in oon alle princis of þe cytee, and he ſteiȝede up in to þe hous of þe Lord; and þei offreden to gyder boolis ſeuen, and weþeris ſeuen, and lombis ſeuen, and geet ſeuen, for þe ſynne, for þe rewme, for þe ſeyntuarye, for Juda.

And he ſeide to þe preſtis, ſonis of Aaron, þat þei ſchulden offren vpon þe auter of þe Lord. Þanne þei ſlewen boolis, and þe preſtis token þe blood, and heldyn it vpon þe auter; alſo þei ſlewen weþers, and of hem þe blood þei heldyn vpon þe auter; and þei offreden lombis, and helden vpon þe auter þe blood. And þei applieden þe geet for þe ſynne before þe kyng and al þe multitude, and þei putten þeir hondis vpon hem; and þe preſtis offreden hem, and þei ſprengden þe blood of hem beforn þe auter, for þe ſynne of al Irael. Forſoþe for al Irael þe kyng hadde comaundide, þat þere ſchulde be don brent ſacrifice, and for ſynne.

And he ordeynde Leuytis in þe hous of þe Lord, wiþ cymbales, and ſawtrees, and harpis, aftir þe diſpoſicyoun of king Dauid, and of Gad, ſeear, and of Naþan, þe prophete; forſoþe þe heſte of þe Lord it was bi þe hond of his prophetis. And þe Leuytis ſtoden, holdyng þe orgnys of Dauid; and preſtis þe trumpis. And Ezechias comaundide, þat þer ſchulden ben offred brent ſacrifices vpon þe auter; and whanne þei ſchulden offren brent ſacrifices, þei begunnen to ſyngen preyſyngis to þe Lord, and ſown wiþ trumpis, and in dyuerſe orgnys, þat Dauid, king of Irael, hadde maad redy to ſown wiþ.

Al þe puple forſoþe honourynge, þe ſyngers and þo þat helden trumpis weren in þeir offices, to þe tyme þat þe brent ſacrifices weren ful eendid. And whanne þe offryng was eendid, þe kyng is ful bowed, and alle þat weren wiþ hym, and þei honoureden. And Ezechias comaundide and þe princis to Leuytis, þat þei ſchulden preyſen þe Lord wiþ þe wordis of Dauid, and of Aſaph, ſeear; þe whiche preyſeden wiþ grete gladneſſe, and þe knee ful bowede, þei honourden. Ezechias forſoþe þes alſo addide, Ȝe han fulfild ȝoure hondis to þe Lord; commiþ neeȝ, and offriþ ſacrifices and preyſingis in þe hous of þe Lord. Þanne al þe multitude offride ooſtis, and preyſingis, and brent ſacrifices, wiþ deuout mynde.

Forſoþe þe noumbre of þe brent ſacrifices, þat þe multitude offride, was þis; boolis ſeuenty, weþers an hundriþ, lombis two hundriþ. Alſo þei haloweden to þe Lord oxes ſexe hundriþ, and ſcheep þre þouſand. Þe preſtis forſoþe weren fewe, and myȝten not ſuffice þat þei drawen of þe ſkynnes of þe brent ſacrifices; wherfore and þe Leuitis þeir breþeren helpiden hem, to þe tyme þat þe werc were fulfild, and þe biſchopis weren halowed; þe Leuytis forſoþe wiþ liȝter rijt ben halowed þanne þe preſtis. Þer weren þanne many brent ſacrifices, and talowes of peſible þingus, and liquours offryngis of brent ſacrifices, and þe herying of þe hous of þe Lord is ful eendid.

And Ezechie is glad, and al þe puple wiþ hym, forþi þat þe ſeruyce of þe Lord was ful eendid; forſoþe of ſodenly it pleſide þat to ben don.