Aug 5th

So the priests went in to the inner part of the house of Yahweh to cleanse it, and every unclean thing which they found in the temple of Yahweh they brought out to the court of the house of Yahweh. Then the Levites received it to bring out to the Kidron valley, to an outer area.

Then they began to set it apart as holy on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they entered the porch of Yahweh. Then they set apart the house of Yahweh as holy in eight days, and completed it on the sixteenth day of the first month.

Then they went in to King Hezekiah and said, “We have cleansed the whole house of Yahweh, the altar of burnt offering with all of its utensils, and the table of showbread with all of its utensils.

Moreover, all the utensils which King Ahaz had rejected during his reign in his unfaithfulness, we have prepared and set apart as holy; and behold, they are before the altar of Yahweh.”

Then King Hezekiah arose early and gathered the princes of the city and went up to the house of Yahweh.

And they brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats for a sin offering for the kingdom, the sanctuary, and Judah. And he ordered the priests, the sons of Aaron, to offer them on the altar of Yahweh.

So they slaughtered the bulls, and the priests took the blood and splashed it on the altar. They also slaughtered the rams and splashed the blood on the altar; they slaughtered the lambs also and splashed the blood on the altar.

Then they had the male goats of the sin offering approach before the king and the assembly, and they laid their hands on them.

And the priests slaughtered them and purged the altar with their blood to atone for all Israel, for the king ordered the burnt offering and the sin offering for all Israel.

He then caused the Levites to stand in the house of Yahweh with cymbals, with harps, and with lyres, according to the command of David and of Gad the king’s seer, and of Nathan the prophet; for the command was from Yahweh by the hand of His prophets.

And the Levites stood with the musical instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets.

Then Hezekiah said to offer the burnt offering on the altar. When the burnt offering began, the song to Yahweh also began with the trumpets, accompanied by the instruments of David, king of Israel.

While the whole assembly worshiped, the singers also sang and the trumpets sounded; all this continued until the burnt offering was completed.

Now at the completion of the burnt offerings, the king and all who were present with him bowed down and worshiped.

Moreover, King Hezekiah and the officials ordered the Levites to sing praises to Yahweh with the words of David and Asaph the seer. So they sang praises with gladness, and bowed down and worshiped.

Then Hezekiah answered and said, “Now that you have become ordained to Yahweh, approach and bring sacrifices and thank offerings to the house of Yahweh.” And the assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and all those who were willing of heart brought burnt offerings.

And the number of the burnt offerings which the assembly brought was 70 bulls, 100 rams, and 200 lambs; all these were for a burnt offering to Yahweh.

And the holy things were 600 bulls and 3,000 sheep.

But the priests were too few, so that they were unable to skin all the burnt offerings; therefore their brothers the Levites helped them until the work was completed and until the other priests had set themselves apart as holy. For the Levites were more upright of heart to set themselves apart as holy than the priests.

There were also many burnt offerings with the fat of the peace offerings and with the drink offerings for the burnt offerings. Thus the service of the house of Yahweh was established again.

Then Hezekiah and all the people were glad over what God had prepared for the people, because the thing came about suddenly.

And Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of Yahweh at Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover to Yahweh, the God of Israel.

And the king and his princes and all the assembly in Jerusalem had taken counsel to celebrate the Passover in the second month,

since they could not celebrate it at that time, because the priests had not set themselves apart as holy in sufficient numbers, nor had the people been gathered to Jerusalem.

Thus the thing was right in the eyes of the king and in the eyes of all the assembly.

So they established a decree to make a proclamation pass throughout all Israel from Beersheba even to Dan, that they should come to celebrate the Passover to Yahweh, the God of Israel, at Jerusalem. For they had not celebrated it in great numbers as it was written.

And the couriers went throughout all Israel and Judah with the letters from the hand of the king and his princes, even according to the commandment of the king, saying, “O sons of Israel, return to Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that He may return to those of you who escaped and remain from the hand of the kings of Assyria.

Now do not be like your fathers and your brothers, who were unfaithful to Yahweh, the God of their fathers, so that He made them an object of horror, as you see.

Now do not stiffen your neck like your fathers, but give your hand to Yahweh and enter His sanctuary which He has set apart as holy forever, and serve Yahweh your God, that His burning anger may turn away from you.

For when you return to Yahweh, your brothers and your sons will find compassion before those who led them captive and will return to this land. For Yahweh your God is gracious and compassionate, and will not turn His face away from you if you return to Him.”

So the couriers passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far as Zebulun, but they were laughing at them to scorn and mocking them.

Nevertheless some men of Asher, Manasseh and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem.

The hand of God was also on Judah to give them one heart to do what the king and the princes commanded by the word of Yahweh.

Now many people were gathered at Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the second month, a very large assembly.

And they arose and took away the altars which were in Jerusalem; they also took away all the incense altars and cast them into the brook Kidron.

Then they slaughtered the Passover lambs on the fourteenth of the second month. And the priests and Levites were ashamed of themselves, and set themselves apart as holy and brought burnt offerings to the house of Yahweh.

And they stood at their stations according to the legal judgment for them, according to the law of Moses the man of God; the priests splashed the blood which they received from the hand of the Levites.

For there were many in the assembly who had not set themselves apart as holy; therefore, the Levites were over the slaughter of the Passover lambs for everyone who was unclean, in order to set them apart as holy to Yahweh.

For a multitude of the people, even many from Ephraim and Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover otherwise than what was written. For Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May Yahweh, who is good, atone

for everyone who prepares his heart to seek God, Yahweh, the God of his fathers, though not according to the rules of cleansing of the sanctuary.”

So Yahweh heard Hezekiah and healed the people.

And the sons of Israel present in Jerusalem celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days with great gladness, and the Levites and the priests praised Yahweh day after day with loud instruments to Yahweh.

Then Hezekiah spoke to the hearts of all the Levites who showed good insight in the things of Yahweh. So they ate for the appointed seven days, sacrificing peace offerings and giving thanks to Yahweh, the God of their fathers.

Then the whole assembly took counsel to determine to celebrate the feast another seven days, so they celebrated the seven days with gladness.

For Hezekiah king of Judah had contributed to the assembly 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep, and the princes had contributed to the assembly 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep; and a large number of priests set themselves apart as holy.

And all the assembly of Judah were glad, with the priests and the Levites and all the assembly that came from Israel, both the sojourners who came from the land of Israel and those living in Judah.

So there was great gladness in Jerusalem, because there was nothing like this in Jerusalem since the days of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel.

Then the Levitical priests arose and blessed the people; and their voice was heard and their prayer came to His holy habitation, to heaven.

And when they had been brought safely through to shore, then we learned that the island was called Malta.

And the natives showed us extraordinary affection; for because of the rain that had set in and because of the cold, they kindled a fire and received us all.

But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened itself on his hand.

And when the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they began saying to one another, “Undoubtedly this man is a murderer, and though he has been saved from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.”

However he shook the creature off into the fire and suffered no harm.

But they were waiting for him to soon swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But after they had waited a long time and had seen nothing unusual happen to him, changing their minds, they began to say that he was a god.

Now in the areas around that place were lands belonging to the leading man of the island, named Publius, who welcomed us and entertained us courteously three days.

And it happened that the father of Publius was lying afflicted with fever and dysentery; and Paul, going to see him and having prayed, laid his hands on him and healed him.

And after this had happened, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases were coming to him and being healed.

They also bestowed on us many honors of respect; and when we were setting sail, they supplied us with all we needed.

Now at the end of three months we set sail on an Alexandrian ship which had wintered at the island, and which had the Twin Brothers for its figurehead.

After we put into Syracuse, we stayed there for three days.

From there we sailed around and arrived at Rhegium, and after a day when a south wind sprang up, on the second day we came to Puteoli.

There we found some brothers, and were invited to stay with them for seven days; and thus we came to Rome.

And the brothers, when they heard about us, came from there as far as the Market of Appius and Three Inns to meet us. When Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage.

And when we entered Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier who was guarding him.

And it happened that after three days Paul called together those who were the leading men of the Jews, and when they came together, he began saying to them, “Brothers, though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans.

And when they had examined me, they were willing to release me because there was no ground for putting me to death.

But when the Jews objected, I was forced to appeal to Caesar, not that I had any accusation against my nation.

For this reason, therefore, I requested to see you and to speak with you, for I am wearing this chain for the sake of the hope of Israel.”

And they said to him, “We have neither received letters from Judea concerning you, nor have any of the brothers come here and reported or spoken anything bad about you.

But we desire to hear from you what you think; for concerning this sect, it is known to us that it is spoken against everywhere.”