Ch 34-36 edits/corrections

14-2CH.usfm

@@ -1801,23 +1801,23 @@ hundred male lambs to be completely burned on the altar.
 \c 34
 \p
 \v 1 Josiah was eight years old when he became the king of Judah. He ruled from Jerusalem for thirty-one years.
-\v 2 He did things that were pleasing to Yahweh, and conducted his life like his ancestor King David had done. He fully obeyed all the laws of God.
+\v 2 He did things that were pleasing to Yahweh and conducted his life as his ancestor King David had done. He fully obeyed all the laws of God.
 \p
-\v 3 When he had been ruling for almost eight years, while he was still a boy, he began to worship God as his ancestor King David had done. Four years later, he began to get rid of all the houses that were built on the hills for idol worship, and they were all around Jerusalem and in other places in Judah. They also took down the poles that were to give honor the goddess Asherah and the carved idols and metal statues of gods.
+\v 3 When he had been ruling for almost eight years, while he was still a boy, he began to worship God as his ancestor King David had done. Four years later, he began to get rid of all the houses that were built for idol worship on the hills all around Jerusalem and in other places in Judah. They also took down the poles that were to honor the goddess Asherah, as well as the carved idols and metal statues of gods.
 
 \s5
-\v 4 While he directed them, his workers tore down the altars where people worshiped Baal. They smashed the altars that were near those altars, where people burned incense. They smashed the poles to honor the goddess Asherah and the idols carved from wood or stone and metal statues. They smashed them to bits and scattered the bits over the graves of those who had offered sacrifices to them.
+\v 4 While he directed them, his workers tore down the altars where people worshiped Baal. They smashed the altars that were near those altars, where people burned incense. They smashed the poles to honor the goddess Asherah and the idols carved from wood or stone and the metal statues. They smashed them to bits and scattered the bits over the graves of those who had offered sacrifices to them.
 \v 5 They burned the bones of the priests who had offered sacrifices; they burned them on their own altars. In that way Josiah caused Jerusalem and other places in Judah to be acceptable places to worship Yahweh again.
 
 \s5
 \v 6 In the towns in the tribes of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, and as far north as the tribe of Naphtali and in the ruins around all those towns,
-\v 7 Josiah's workers tore down the pagan altars and the poles to honor the goddess Asherah, and crushed the idols to powder, idols that craftsmen had carved. They also smashed to pieces all the altars for burning incense throughout Israel. Then Josiah returned to Jerusalem.
+\v 7 Josiah's workers tore down the pagan altars and the poles to honor the goddess Asherah and crushed the idols to powder—idols that craftsmen had carved. They also smashed to pieces all the altars for burning incense throughout Israel. Then Josiah returned to Jerusalem.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 8 When Josiah had been ruling for almost eighteen years, he decided to do something else to cause the land and the temple to be acceptable places to worship Yahweh. So he sent Shaphan son of Azaliah and Maaseiah the governor of the city and Joah son of Joahaz, the secretary, to repair the temple of Yahweh.
 \p
-\v 9 They went to Hilkiah the high priest and gave him the money that had been brought to the temple. That was the money that the descendants of Levi who guarded the doors of the temple had collected from the people of the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim and other places in Israel, and also from all the people in Jerusalem and other places in the tribes of Judah and Benjamin—all the people of the land who survived.
+\v 9 They went to Hilkiah the high priest and gave him the money that had been brought to the temple. That was the money that the descendants of Levi who guarded the doors of the temple had collected from the people of the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim and other places in Israel and also from all the people in Jerusalem and other places in the tribes of Judah and Benjamin—all the people of the land who survived.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1827,7 +1827,7 @@ hundred male lambs to be completely burned on the altar.
 \s5
 \p
 \v 12 The workers did their work faithfully. Their supervisors were Jahath and Obadiah, who were descendants of Levi's son Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam, who were descendants of Levi's son Kohath. All the descendants of Levi, who played musical instruments well,
-\v 13 supervised all the workers as they did their various jobs. Some of the descendants of Levi were secretaries; some kept records, and some guarded the temple gates.
+\v 13 supervised all the workers as they did their various jobs. Some of the descendants of Levi were secretaries; some kept records and some guarded the temple gates.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1844,11 +1844,11 @@ hundred male lambs to be completely burned on the altar.
 
 \s5
 \v 20 Then he gave these instructions to Hilkiah, to Shaphan's son Ahikam, to Micah's son Abdon, to Shaphan, and to Asaiah, the king's special advisor:
-\v 21 "Go and ask Yahweh for me, and for all his people who are still alive in Judah and Israel, about what is written in this scroll that has been found. Because it is clear that Yahweh is very angry with us because our ancestors disobeyed what Yahweh said; they did not obey the laws that are written on this scroll."
+\v 21 "Go and ask Yahweh—for me and for all his people who are still alive in Judah and Israel—about what is written in this scroll that has been found, because it is clear that Yahweh is very angry with us because our ancestors disobeyed what Yahweh said; they did not obey the laws that are written on this scroll."
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 22 So Hilkiah and the others went to consult a woman whose name was Huldah, who was a prophetess who lived in the Second District of Jerusalem. Her husband Shallum son of Tikvah, took care of the robes that were worn in the temple.
+\v 22 So Hilkiah and the others went to consult a woman whose name was Huldah, who was a prophetess who lived in the Second District of Jerusalem. Her husband Shallum son of Tikvah took care of the robes that were worn in the temple.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1858,8 +1858,8 @@ hundred male lambs to be completely burned on the altar.
 
 \s5
 \v 26 The king of Judah sent you to inquire what I, Yahweh, want. Go and tell him that this is what I, Yahweh, the God whom you Israelites worship, say about what you read:
-\v 27 'Because you heeded what was written in the scroll, and you humbled yourself when you heard what I said to warn about what would happen to this city and the people who live here, and because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have listened to you.
-\v 28 So I will allow you to die in peace, without seeing me punish this place and the people living in it.'"
+\v 27 'Because you heeded what was written in the scroll and you humbled yourself when you heard what I said to warn about what would happen to this city and the people who live here, and because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have listened to you.
+\v 28 So I will allow you to die in peace without seeing me punish this place and the people living in it.'"
 \p So they took her reply back to the king.
 
 \s5
@@ -1868,7 +1868,7 @@ hundred male lambs to be completely burned on the altar.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 31 Then the king stood next to the pillar at the entrance to the temple, where kings stood when they announced something important, and while Yahweh was listening, he repeated his promise to sincerely obey, with his entire inner being, Yahweh and all his commands and regulations and decrees that were written on the scroll.
+\v 31 Then the king stood next to the pillar at the entrance to the temple where kings stood when they announced something important. While Yahweh was listening, he repeated his promise to sincerely obey, with his entire inner being, Yahweh and all his commands and regulations and decrees that were written on the scroll.
 \p
 \v 32 Then the king said that everyone who lived in Jerusalem and from the tribe of Benjamin should promise that they also would obey those laws. And they did that, agreeing that they would obey the agreement that God, whom their ancestors had worshiped, had made with them.
 
@@ -1880,7 +1880,7 @@ hundred male lambs to be completely burned on the altar.
 \c 35
 \p
 \v 1 Josiah commanded that the people should celebrate the Passover Festival in Jerusalem. So they slaughtered the lambs for the Passover on the 14th day of the first month.
-\v 2 Josiah assigned to the priests to the tasks that they should perform at the temple, and encouraged them do their work well.
+\v 2 Josiah assigned to the priests the tasks that they should perform at the temple and encouraged them do their work well.
 
 \s5
 \v 3 The descendants of Levi were the ones who taught all the Israelite people; they had been set apart for Yahweh. Josiah said to them, "Put the sacred chest in the temple that the workers of David's son King Solomon of Israel built. But carry it on poles; do not carry it on your shoulders. And do well your work for Yahweh your God and for his Israelite people.
@@ -1900,13 +1900,13 @@ hundred male lambs to be completely burned on the altar.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 10 Everything for the Passover was arranged: The priests and the other descendants of Levi stood in their places in their groups, as the king had commanded.
+\v 10 Everything for the Passover was arranged: The priests and the other descendants of Levi stood in their places in their groups as the king had commanded.
 \v 11 Then they slaughtered the Passover lambs. The priests sprinkled the blood from the bowls that were handed to them, while the other descendants of Levi removed the skins from the animals.
 \v 12 They set aside the animals to be completely burned on the altar, in order to give them to the various family groups to offer to Yahweh, obeying the instructions that were written in the laws God gave Moses. They did the same thing with the cattle.
 
 \s5
-\v 13 Obeying those regulations, they roasted over the fire the lambs for the Passover. And they boiled the meat of the sacred offerings in pots and kettles and pans, and served the meat immediately to all the people who were there.
-\v 14 After that, they prepared meat for themselves and for the priests, because the priests were busy until nighttime, sacrificing the offerings to be completely burned and burning the fat parts of the offerings. So the descendants of Levi prepared meat for themselves and for the priests, who were descendants of Aaron, the first high priest.
+\v 13 Obeying those regulations, they roasted over the fire the lambs for the Passover, they boiled the meat of the sacred offerings in pots and kettles and pans, and they immediately served the meat to all the people who were there.
+\v 14 After that, they prepared meat for themselves and for the priests because the priests were busy until nighttime, sacrificing the offerings to be completely burned and burning the fat parts of the offerings. So the descendants of Levi prepared meat for themselves and for the priests, who were descendants of Aaron the first high priest.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1918,13 +1918,13 @@ hundred male lambs to be completely burned on the altar.
 \v 17 The Israelites who were there celebrated the Passover on that day, and for seven days they celebrated the Festival of Unleavened Bread.
 
 \s5
-\v 18 The Passover Festival had not been celebrated like that in Israel since the time that the prophet Samuel lived. And none of the kings of Israel had ever celebrated the Passover like Josiah did, along with the priests, the other descendants of Levi, and all the other people of Judah and Israel who were there with the people who lived in Jerusalem.
+\v 18 The Passover Festival had not been celebrated like that in Israel since the time that the prophet Samuel lived. And none of the kings of Israel had ever celebrated the Passover as Josiah did, along with the priests, the other descendants of Levi, and all the other people of Judah and Israel who were there with the people who lived in Jerusalem.
 \v 19 They celebrated this Passover Festival when Josiah had been ruling for almost eighteen years.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 20 After Josiah had done all those things to restore the worship at the temple, King Necho of Egypt went with his army to attack the city of Carchemish alongside the Euphrates River, and Josiah marched with his army to fight against them.
-\v 21 Necho sent some messengers to Josiah, to tell him, "You are the king of Judah, and there is certainly no reason for you to fight me; we are attacking the army of Babylonia. God has told me to hurry. So stop opposing God, who is for me. If you do not stop, God will get rid of you."
+\v 21 Necho sent some messengers to Josiah to tell him, "You are the king of Judah, and there is certainly no reason for you to fight me; we are attacking the army of Babylonia. God has told me to hurry. So stop opposing God, who is for me. If you do not stop, God will get rid of you."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1951,7 +1951,7 @@ hundred male lambs to be completely burned on the altar.
 \v 2 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became the king, but he ruled from Jerusalem for only three months.
 
 \s5
-\v 3 The king of Egypt captured him and prevented him from ruling any longer. He also forced the people of Judah to pay to him a tax of three and one-third metric tons of silver and thirty-three kilograms of gold.
+\v 3 The king of Egypt captured him and prevented him from ruling any longer. He also forced the people of Judah to pay him a tax of three and one-third metric tons of silver and thirty-three kilograms of gold.
 \v 4 The king of Egypt appointed Jehoahaz's younger brother Eliakim to be the king of Judah. He changed Eliakim's name to Jehoiakim. But Necho seized Jehoahaz and took him to Egypt.
 
 \s5
@@ -1976,7 +1976,7 @@ hundred male lambs to be completely burned on the altar.
 
 \s5
 \v 13 He would not return to Yahweh, the God that the people of Israel said that they worshiped. Zedekiah also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had forced him to solemnly promise using God's name to be loyal to him. Zedekiah became very stubborn.
-\v 14 Furthermore, all the leaders of the priests and also the people of Judah became more wicked again, doing all the disgusting things that the people of the other nations did, and causing the temple in Jerusalem that Yahweh had caused to be holy to become an unacceptable place to worship him.
+\v 14 Furthermore, all the leaders of the priests and also the people of Judah became more wicked again, doing all the disgusting things that the people of the other nations did and causing the temple in Jerusalem that Yahweh had caused to be holy to become an unacceptable place to worship him.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1992,12 +1992,12 @@ hundred male lambs to be completely burned on the altar.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 20 Nebuchadnezzar's soldiers took to Babylon the remaining people who had not been killed with their swords, Those people became the king's slaves and his son's slaves, until the army of Persia conquered Babylonia.
+\v 20 Nebuchadnezzar's soldiers took to Babylon the remaining people who had not been killed with their swords. Those people became the king's slaves and his son's slaves until the army of Persia conquered Babylonia.
 \v 21 Moses had said that every seventh year the people must not plant their fields; they must allow the soil to rest. But the people had not done that. So after the army of Babylonia destroyed Judah, the soil was allowed to rest. That continued for seventy years, fulfilling what Yahweh had told Jeremiah would happen.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 22 During the first year that Cyrus was the king of Persia, in order that what Yahweh told Jeremiah would happen would occur, Yahweh motivated Cyrus to write this and proclaim it throughout his kingdom:
+\v 22 During the first year that Cyrus was the king of Persia, so that what Yahweh told Jeremiah would happen would occur, Yahweh motivated Cyrus to write this and proclaim it throughout his kingdom:
 \p
 \v 23 "I, Cyrus, the king of Persia, declare that Yahweh, the God who rules in heaven, has enabled me to become the ruler of all the kingdoms of this world. And he has appointed me to command that my workers build a temple for him in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. I am allowing any of his people among you to go to Jerusalem. And I will pray that Yahweh will be with them."