2 Chronicles 29

1  HEZEKIAH BEGAN to reign when he was twenty-five years old, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother was Abijah daughter of Zechariah.2  And he did right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that David his father [forefather] had done.3  In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the Lord [which his father had closed] and repaired them.4  He brought together the priests and Levites in the square on the east5  And said to them, Levites, hear me! Now sanctify (purify and make free from sin) yourselves and the house of the Lord, the God of your fathers, and carry out the filth from the Holy Place.6  For our fathers have trespassed and have done what was evil in the sight of the Lord our God, and they have forsaken Him and have turned away their faces from the dwelling place of the Lord and have turned their backs.7  Also they have closed the doors of the porch and put out the lamps, and they have not burned incense or offered burnt offerings in the place holy to the God of Israel. 8  Therefore the wrath of the Lord was upon Judah and Jerusalem, and He has delivered them to be a terror and a cause of trembling, to be an astonishment, and a hissing, as you see with your own eyes.9  For, behold, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons, our daughters, and our wives are in captivity for this.10  Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the Lord, the God of Israel, that His fierce anger may turn away from us.11  My sons, do not now be negligent, for the Lord has chosen you to stand in His presence, to serve Him, to be His ministers, and to burn incense to Him.12  Then the Levites arose: Mahath son of Amasai, Joel son of Azariah, of the sons of the Kohathites; of the sons of Merari: Kish son of Abdi, Azariah son of Jehallelel; of the Gershonites: Joah son of Zimmah and Eden son of Joah;13  Of the sons of Elizaphan: Shimri and Jeiel; of the sons of Asaph: Zechariah, and Mattaniah;14  Of the sons of Heman: Jehiel and Shimei; and of the sons of Jeduthun: Shemaiah and Uzziel.15  They gathered their brethren and sanctified themselves and went in, as the king had commanded by the words of the Lord, to cleanse the house of the Lord.16  The priests went into the inner part of the house of the Lord to cleanse it, and brought out all the uncleanness they found in the temple of the Lord into the court of the Lord’s house. And the Levites carried it out to the brook Kidron.17  They began on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day they came to the porch of the Lord. Then for eight days they sanctified the house of the Lord, and on the sixteenth day they finished.18  Then they went to King Hezekiah and said, We have cleansed all the house of the Lord and the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils and the showbread table with all its utensils.19  Moreover, all the utensils which King Ahaz in his reign cast away when he was transgressing [faithless] we have made ready and sanctified; and behold, they are before the altar of the Lord.20  Then King Hezekiah rose early and gathered the officials of the city and went up to the house of the Lord.21  They brought seven each of bulls, rams, lambs, and he-goats for a sin offering for the kingdom, the sanctuary, and Judah. He commanded the priests, the sons of Aaron, to offer them on the Lord’s altar.22  So they killed the bulls, and the priests received the blood and dashed it against the altar. Likewise, when they had killed the rams and then the lambs, they dashed the blood against the altar.23  Then the he-goats for the sin offering were brought before the king and the assembly, and they laid their hands on them.24  The priests killed them and made a sin offering with their blood upon the altar to make atonement for all Israel, for the king commanded that the burnt offering and sin offering be made for all Israel.25  Hezekiah stationed the Levites in the Lord’s house with cymbals, harps, and lyres, as David [his forefather] and Gad the king’s seer and Nathan the prophet had commanded; for the commandment was from the Lord through His prophets.26  The Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets.27  Hezekiah commanded to offer the burnt offering upon the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the song of the Lord began also with the trumpets and with the instruments ordained by King David of Israel.28  And all the congregation worshiped, the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded; all this continued until the burnt offering was finished.29  When they had stopped offering, the king and all present with him bowed themselves and worshiped.30  Also King Hezekiah and the princes ordered the Levites to sing praises to the Lord with the words of David and of Asaph the seer. And they sang praises with gladness and bowed themselves and worshiped.31  Then Hezekiah said, Now you have consecrated yourselves to the Lord; come near and bring sacrifices and thank offerings into the house of the Lord. And the assembly brought in sacrifices and thank offerings, and as many as were of a willing heart brought burnt offerings.32  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 the Lord.33  And the consecrated things were 600 oxen and 3,000 sheep.34  But the priests were too few and could not skin all the burnt offerings. So until the other priests had sanctified themselves, their Levite kinsmen helped them until the work was done, for the Levites were more upright in heart than the priests in sanctifying themselves.35  Also the burnt offerings were in abundance, with the fat of the peace offerings, and the drink offerings for every burnt offering. So the service of the Lord’s house was set in order.36  Thus Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people, because of what God had prepared for the people, for it was done suddenly.

2 Chronicles 29

Hezekiah Consecrates the Temple

1 Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem.s His mother was Abijah,t the daughter of Zechariah.

2 He did what the Lord approved, just as his ancestor David had done.t
3 In the first month of the first year of his reign, he opened the doors of the Lord’s temple and repaired them.4 He brought in the priests and Levites and assembled them in the square on the east side.5 He said to them: “Listen to me, you Levites! Now consecrate yourselves, so you can consecrate the temple of the Lord God of your ancestors!t Remove from the sanctuary what is ceremonially unclean!6 For our fathers were unfaithful; they did what is evil in the sight oft the Lord our God and abandoned him! They turnedt away from the Lord’s dwelling place and rejected him.t7 They closed the doors of the temple porch and put out the lamps; they did not offer incense or burnt sacrifices in the sanctuary of the God of Israel.8 The Lord was angry at Judah and Jerusalem and made them an appalling object of horror at which people hiss out their scorn,t as you can see with your own eyes.9 Look, our fathers died violentlyt and our sons, daughters, and wives were carried offt because of this.10 Now I intendt to make a covenant with the Lord God of Israel, so that he may relent from his raging anger.t

11 My sons, do not be negligent now, for the Lord has chosen you to serve in his presence and offer sacrifices.”t

12 The following Levites prepared to carry out the king’s orders:t
From the Kohathites: Mahath son of Amasai and Joel son of Azariah;
from the Merarites: Kish son of Abdi and Azariah son of Jehallelel;
from the Gershonites: Joah son of Zimmah and Eden son of Joah;

13 from the descendants of Elizaphan: Shimri and Jeiel;
from the descendants of Asaph: Zechariah and Mattaniah;

14 from the descendants of Heman: Jehiel and Shimei;
from the descendants of Jeduthun: Shemaiah and Uzziel.
15 They assembled their brothers and consecrated themselves. Then they went in to purify the Lord’s temple, just as the king had ordered, in accordance with the wordt of the Lord.16 The priests then entered the Lord’s temple to purify it; they brought out to the courtyard of the Lord’s temple every ceremonially unclean thing they discovered inside.t The Levites took them out to the Kidron Valley.17 On the first day of the first month they began consecrating; by the eighth day of the month they reached the porch of the Lord’s temple.t For eight more days they consecrated the Lord’s temple. On the sixteenth day of the first month they were finished.18 They went to King Hezekiah and said: “We have purified the entire temple of the Lord, including the altar of burnt sacrifice and all its equipment, and the table for the Bread of the Presence and all its equipment.

19 We have prepared and consecrated all the items that King Ahaz removed during his reign when he acted unfaithfully. They are in front of the altar of the Lord.”
20 Early the next morning King Hezekiah assembled the city officials and went up to the Lord’s temple.21 They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven goats as a sin offering for the kingdom, the sanctuary, and Judah.s The kingt told the priests, the descendants of Aaron, to offer burnt sacrifices on the altar of the Lord.22 They slaughtered the bulls, and the priests took the blood and splashed it on the altar. Then they slaughtered the rams and splashed the blood on the altar; next they slaughtered the lambs and splashed the blood on the altar.23 Finally they brought the goats for the sin offering before the king and the assembly, and they placed their hands on them.

24 Then the priests slaughtered them. They offered their blood as a sin offering on the altar to make atonement for all Israel, because the king had decreedt that the burnt sacrifice and sin offering were for all Israel.
25 King Hezekiaht stationed the Levites in the Lord’s temple with cymbals and stringed instruments, just as David, Gad the king’s prophet,t and Nathan the prophet had ordered. (The Lord had actually given these orders through his prophets.)26 The Levites hadt David’s musical instruments and the priests had trumpets.27 Hezekiah ordered the burnt sacrifice to be offered on the altar. As they began to offer the sacrifice, they also began to sing to the Lord, accompanied by the trumpets and the musical instruments of King David of Israel.

28 The entire assembly worshiped, as the singers sang and the trumpeters played. They continued until the burnt sacrifice was completed.
29 When the sacrifices were completed, the king and all who were with him bowed down and worshiped.30 King Hezekiah and the officials told the Levites to praise the Lord, using the psalmst of David and Asaph the prophet.t So they joyfully offered praise and bowed down and worshiped.

31 Hezekiah said, “Now you have consecrated yourselvest to the Lord. Come and bring sacrifices and thank offeringst to the Lord’s temple.” So the assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and whoever desired to do sot brought burnt sacrifices.
32 The assembly brought a total of 70 bulls, 100 rams, and 200 lambs as burnt sacrifices to the Lord,t33 and 600 bulls and 3,000 sheept were consecrated.34 But there were not enough priests to skin all the animals,t so their brothers, the Levites, helped them until the work was finished and the priests could consecrate themselves. (The Levites had been more conscientious about consecrating themselves than the priests.)t35 There was a large number of burnt sacrifices, as well as fat from the peace offerings and drink offerings that accompanied the burnt sacrifices. So the service of the Lord’s temple was reinstituted.t

36 Hezekiah and all the people were happy about what God had donet for them,t for it had been done quickly.t