1map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
2tnHeb “at that time.”
3tnHeb “and the thing was proper in the eyes of.”
4tnHeb “and they caused to stand a word to cause a voice to pass through.”
5tn The words “summoning the people” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
6tnHeb “because not for abundance had they done as written.”
7tnHeb “the runners.”
8tnHeb “and according to the command of the king, saying.”
9tn The jussive with vav conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.
10tnHeb “to the survivors who are left to you from the palm of the kings of Assyria.”
11tnHeb “fathers” (also in vv. 19, 22).
12tnHeb “and he made them a devastation” (or, perhaps, “an object of horror”).
13tnHeb “don’t stiffen your neck” (a Hebrew idiom for being stubborn).
14tnHeb “give a hand.” On the meaning of the idiom here, see HALOT 387 s.v. I יָד 2.
15tnHeb “so that the rage of his anger might turn from you.” The jussive with vav conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.
16tnHeb “turn [his] face from you.”
17tnHeb “and they were mocking them and ridiculing them.”
18tnHeb “also in Judah the hand of God was to give to them one heart to do the command of the king and the officials by the word of the Lord.”
19tn The Hebrew text adds here, “a very large assembly.” This has not been translated to avoid redundancy with the expression “a huge crowd” at the beginning of the verse.
20tnHeb “and they arose and removed the altars which were in Jerusalem, and all the incense altars they removed and threw into the Kidron Valley.”
21tnHeb “from the hand of the Levites.”
22tnHeb “were over the slaughter of.”
23tnHeb “of everyone not pure to consecrate to the Lord.”
24tnHeb “without what is written.”
25tnHeb “make atonement for.”
26tnHeb “everyone [who] has prepared his heart to seek God.”
27tnHeb “and not according to the purification of the holy place.”
28tnHeb “listened.”
29tnHeb “healed.”
30tnHeb “and they were praising the Lord day by day, the Levites and the priests with instruments of strength to the Lord.” The phrase בִּכְלֵי־עֹז (bikhley-’oz, “with instruments of strength”) might refer to loud sounding musical instruments (NASB “with loud instruments”; NEB “with unrestrained fervour”). The present translation assumes an emendation to בְּכָל־עֹז (b˙khol-’oz, “with all strength”); see 1 Chr 13:8, as well as HALOT 805 s.v. I עֹז and BDB 739 s.v. עֹז).
31tnHeb “and Hezekiah spoke to the heart of all the Levites.” On the meaning of the idiom “speak to the heart of” here, see HALOT 210 s.v. II דבר 8.d.
32tnHeb “who demonstrated skill [with] good skill for the Lord.”
33tnHeb “and they ate [during] the appointed time [for] seven days.” מוֹעֵד (mo’ed, “appointed time”) is probably an adverbial accusative of time referring to the festival. However, some understand it as metonymically referring to the food eaten during the festival. See BDB 417 s.v.
34tn The Hebrew term צֹאן (ts’on, translated “sheep” twice in this verse) denotes smaller livestock in general; depending on context it can refer to sheep only or goats only, but their is nothing in the immediate context here to specify one or the other.
35tnHeb “the assembly.” The pronoun “them” has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy.
36tnHeb “they rejoiced.”
37tnHeb “and there was great joy in Jerusalem, for from the days of Solomon son of David, king of Israel, there was nothing like this in Jerusalem.”
38tnHeb “and it was heard with their voice.” BDB 1034 s.v. שָׁמַע Niph.4 interprets this to mean “hearing was granted to their voice.” It is possible that the name יְהוָה (y˙hvah, “the Lord”) has been accidentally omitted.