Standing there before them were 70 men of the elders of the house of Israel, Jaazaniah son of Shaphan standing in their midst, each man with his censer in his hand. A thick cloud of incense went up.
So Hilkiah the kohen, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe—she was living in the Second Quarter of Jerusalem—and spoke with her.
It came to pass in the eighteenth year of King Josiah that the king sent Shaphan son of Azaliah, son of Meshullam the scribe, to the House of Adonai, saying.
Hilkiah the kohen gadol said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found a scroll of the Torah in the House of Adonai.” So Hilkiah gave the scroll to Shaphan who read it.
Now as for the people that were left in the land of Judah, whom King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had left, he appointed over them Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan.
But when he became strong, his heart grew so haughty that he acted corruptly. For he trespassed against Adonai his God by entering into the Temple of Adonai to burn incense upon the altar of incense.
Then Uzziah, who had a censer in his hand ready to burn incense, became angry. While he was raging at the kohanim tza'arat broke out on his forehead right in front of the kohanim in the House of Adonai, beside the incense altar.
A carpenter stretches out a line; he marks it with a pencil; he shapes it with planes; he marks it with a compass; he shapes it like the figure of a man —like the beauty of a man— so that it may sit in a shrine.
For they have forsaken Me and have alienated this place, by burning sacrifices in it to other gods, which neither they nor their forefathers, nor the kings of Judah have known. They have also filled this place with the blood of innocents.
by the hand of Elasah son of Shaphan, and Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom King Zedekiah of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, saying,
Then Baruch read from the scroll the words of Jeremiah in the House of Adonai, in the chamber of Gemariah son of the scribe Shaphan, in the upper court at the entry of the New Gate of the House of Adonai, in the ears of all the people.
“The incense-burning that you offered in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem—you and your fathers, your kings, your officials, and the people of the land—Adonai did remember them, they did come into His heart.
I will go to the distinguished and speak to them. Surely they know the way of Adonai, the ordinance of their God. But they too had broken the yoke and torn off the bonds.
So I went in and saw, behold, every detestable image of creeping things and beasts and all the idols of the house of Israel, engraved on the surrounding walls.
kill off old men, young men and girls, little children and women. But touch no one who has the mark. Begin at My Sanctuary.” Then they began with the elders who were before the House.
Adonai said to Moses, “Bring me 70 of the elders of Israel whom you know to be elders of the people and their leaders. Take them to the Tent of Meeting, so they may stand with you there.
Adonai descended in the cloud and spoke with him. He took some of the Ruach that was on him and placed it on each of the 70 elders. It so happened that when the Ruach first rested on them, they prophesied—but never again.
Each man will take his censer and you are to put incense into them—250 censers total. You are to present it before Adonai, you and Aaron each presenting his censer.”
Now after these things, the Lord assigned seventy others and sent them out by twos before Him into every town and place where He Himself was about to go.