The Bible, Douay-Rheims Part 266

29:22. Therefore they killed the bullocks, and the priests took the blood, and poured it upon the altar; they killed also the rams, and their blood they poured also upon the altar, and they killed the lambs, and poured the blood upon the altar.

29:23. And they brought the he goats for sin before the king, and the whole mult.i.tude, and they laid their hand upon them:

29:24. And the priests immolated them, and sprinkled their blood before the altar for an expiation of all Israel: for the king had commanded that the holocaust and the sin offering should be made for all Israel.

29:25. And he set the Levites in the house of the Lord with cymbals, and psalteries, and harps according to the regulation of David the king, and of Gad the seer, and of Nathan the prophet: for it was the commandment of the Lord by the hand of his prophets.

29:26. And the Levites stood, with the instruments of David, and the priests with trumpets.

29:27. And Ezechias commanded that they should offer holocausts upon the altar: and when the holocausts were offered, they began to sing praises to the Lord, and to sound with trumpets, and divers instruments which David the king of Israel had prepared.

29:28. And all the mult.i.tude adored, and the singers, and the trumpeters, were in their office till the holocaust was finished.

29:29. And when the oblation was ended, the king, and all that were with him bowed down and adored.

29:30. And Ezechias and the princes commanded the Levites to praise the Lord with the words of David, and Asaph the seer: and they praised him with great joy, and bowing the knee adored.

29:31. And Ezechias added, and said: You have filled your hands to the Lord, come and offer victims, and praises in the house of the Lord. And all the mult.i.tude offered victims, and praises, and holocausts with a devout mind.

29:32. And the number of the holocausts which the mult.i.tude offered, was seventy bullocks, a hundred rams, and two hundred lambs.

29:33. And they consecrated to the Lord six hundred oxen, and three thousand sheep.

29:34. But the priests were few, and were not enough to flay the holocausts: wherefore the Levites their brethren helped them, till the work was ended, and priests were sanctified, for the Levites are sanctified with an easier rite than the priests.

29:35. So there were many holocausts, and the fat of peace offerings, and the libations of holocausts: and the service of the house of the Lord was completed.

29:36. And Ezechias, and all the people rejoiced because the ministry of the Lord was accomplished. For the resolution of doing this thing was taken suddenly.

2 Paralipomenon Chapter 30

Ezechias inviteth all Israel to celebrate the pasch; the solemnity is kept fourteen days.

30:1. And Ezechias sent to all Israel and Juda: and he wrote letters to Ephraim and Mana.s.ses, that they should come to the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, and keep the phase to the Lord the G.o.d of Israel,

30:2. For the king, taking counsel, and the princes, and all the a.s.sembly of Jerusalem, decreed to keep the phase the second month.

30:3. For they could not keep it in its time; because there were not priests enough sanctified, and the people was not as yet gathered together to Jerusalem.

The host of heaven... The sun, moon, and stars.

30:4. And the thing pleased the king, and all the people.

30:5. And they decreed to send messengers to all Israel from Bersabee even to Dan, that they should come, and keep the phase to the Lord the G.o.d of Israel in Jerusalem: for many had not kept it as it is prescribed by the law.

30:6. And the posts went with letters by commandment of the king, and his princes, to all Israel and Juda, proclaiming according to the king's orders: Ye children of Israel, turn again to the Lord the G.o.d of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Israel: and he will return to the remnant of you that have escaped the hand of the king of the a.s.syrians.

30:7. Be not like your fathers, and brethren, who departed from the Lord the G.o.d of their fathers, and he hath given them up to destruction, as you see.

30:8. Harden not your necks, as your fathers did: yield yourselves to the Lord, and come to his sanctuary, which he hath sanctified forever: serve the Lord the G.o.d of your fathers, and the wrath of his indignation shall be turned away from you.

30:9. For if you turn again to the Lord, your brethren, and children shall find mercy before their masters, that have led them away captive, and they shall return into this land: for the Lord your G.o.d is merciful, and will not turn away his face from you, if you return to him.

30:10. So the posts went speedily from city to city, through the land of Ephraim, and of Mana.s.ses, even to Zabulon, whilst they laughed at them and mocked them.

30:11. Nevertheless some men of Aser, and of Mana.s.ses, and of Zabulon, yielding to the counsel, came to Jerusalem.

30:12. But the hand of G.o.d was in Juda, to give them one heart to do the word of the Lord, according to the commandment of the king, and of the princes.

30:13. And much people were a.s.sembled to Jerusalem to celebrate the solemnity of the unleavened bread in the second month:

30:14. And they arose and destroyed the altars that were in Jerusalem, and took away all things in which incense was burnt to idols and cast them into the torrent Cedron.

30:15. And they immolated the phase on the fourteenth day of the second month. And the priests and the Levites being at length sanctified offered holocausts in the house of the Lord.

30:16. And they stood in their order according to the disposition and law of Moses the man of G.o.d: but the priests received the blood which was to be poured out, from the hands of the Levites,

30:17. Because a great number was not sanctified: and therefore the Levites immolated the phase for them that came not in time to be sanctified to the Lord.

30:18. For a great part of the people from Ephraim, and Mana.s.ses, and Issachar, and Zabulon, that had not been sanctified, ate the phase otherwise than it is written: and Ezechias prayed for them, saying: The Lord who is good will shew mercy,

30:19. To all them, who with their whole heart, seek the Lord the G.o.d of their fathers: and will not impute it to them that they are not sanctified.

30:20. And the Lord heard him, and was merciful to the people.

30:21. And the children of Israel, that were found at Jerusalem, kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with great joy, praising the Lord every day, the Levites also, and the priests, with instruments that agreed to their office.

30:22. And Ezechias spoke to the heart of all the Levites, that had good understanding concerning the Lord: and they ate during the seven days of the solemnity, immolating victims of peace offerings, and praising the Lord the G.o.d of their fathers.

30:23. And it pleased the whole mult.i.tude to keep other seven days: which they did with great joy.

30:24. For Ezechias the king of Juda had given to the mult.i.tude a thousand bullocks, and seven thousand sheep: and the princes had given the people a thousand bullocks, and ten thousand sheep: and a great number of priests was sanctified.

30:25. And all the mult.i.tude of Juda with the priests and Levites, and all the a.s.sembly, that came out of Israel; and the proselytes of the land of Israel, and that dwelt in Juda were full of joy.

30:26. And there was a great solemnity in Jerusalem, such as had not been in that city since the time of Solomon the son of David king of Israel.

30:27. And the priests and the Levites rose up and blessed the people: and their voice was heard: and their prayer came to the holy dwelling place of heaven.

2 Paralipomenon Chapter 31

Idolatry is abolished; and provisions made for the ministers.

31:1. And when these things had been duly celebrated, all Israel that were found in the cities of Juda, went out, and they broke the idols, and cut down the groves, demolished the high places, and destroyed the altars, not only out of all Juda and Benjamin, but out of Ephraim also and Mana.s.ses, till they had utterly destroyed them: then all the children of Israel returned to their possessions and cities.

31:2. And Ezechias appointed companies of the priests, and the Levites, by their courses, every man in his own office, to wit, both of the priests, and of the Levites, for holocausts, and for peace offerings, to minister, and to praise, and to sing in the gates of the camp of the Lord.

31:3. And the king's part was, that of his proper substance the holocaust should be offered always morning and evening, and on the sabbaths, and the new moons and the other solemnities, as it is written in the law of Moses.