2 Chronicles 29

Hezekiah Reigns in Judah

1 Hezekiah began to reign when he was twenty-five years old, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abijaht the daughter of Zechariah.2 And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done.

Hezekiah Cleanses the Temple

3 In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them.4 He brought in the priests and the Levites and assembled them in the square on the east5 and said to them, "Hear me, Levites! Now consecrate yourselves, and consecrate the house of the Lord, the God of your fathers, and carry out the filth from the Holy Place.6 For our fathers have been unfaithful and have done what was evil in the sight of the Lord our God. They have forsaken him and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the Lord and turned their backs.7 They also shut the doors of the vestibule and put out the lamps and have not burned incense or offered burnt offerings in the Holy Place to the God of Israel.8 Therefore the wrath of the Lord came on Judah and Jerusalem, and he has made them an object of horror, of astonishment, and of hissing, as you see with your own eyes.9 For behold, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and 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, in order 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 minister to him and to be his ministers and make offerings to him."

12 Then the Levites arose, Mahath the son of Amasai, and Joel the son of Azariah, of the sons of the Kohathites; and of the sons of Merari, Kish the son of Abdi, and Azariah the son of Jehallelel; and of the Gershonites, Joah the son of Zimmah, and Eden the son of Joah;13 and of the sons of Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeuel; and of the sons of Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah;14 and of the sons of Heman, Jehuel and Shimei; and of the sons of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel.15 They gathered their brothers and consecrated 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 they brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of the Lord into the court of the house of the Lord. And the Levites took it and carried it out to the brook Kidron.17 They began to consecrate on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they came to the vestibule of the Lord. Then for eight days they consecrated the house of the Lord, and on the sixteenth day of the first month they finished.18 Then they went in to Hezekiah the king and said, "We have cleansed all the house of the Lord, the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the table for the showbread and all its utensils.19 All the utensils that King Ahaz discarded in his reign when he was faithless, we have made ready and consecrated, and behold, they are before the altar of the Lord."

Hezekiah Restores Temple Worship

20 Then Hezekiah the king rose early and gathered the officials of the city and went up to the house of the Lord.21 And they brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats for a sin offering for the kingdom and for the sanctuary and for Judah. And he commanded the priests, the sons of Aaron, to offer them on the altar of the Lord.22 So they slaughtered the bulls, and the priests received the blood and threw it against the altar. And they slaughtered the rams, and their blood was thrown against the altar. And they slaughtered the lambs, and their blood was thrown against the altar.23 Then the goats for the sin offering were brought to the king and the assembly, and they laid their hands on them,24 and the priests slaughtered them and made a sin offering with their blood on the altar, to make atonement for all Israel. For the king commanded that the burnt offering and the sin offering should be made for all Israel.

25 And he stationed the Levites in the house of the Lord with cymbals, harps, and lyres, according to the commandment of David and of Gad the king's seer and of Nathan the prophet, 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 Then Hezekiah commanded that the burnt offering be offered on the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the song to the Lord began also, and the trumpets, accompanied by the instruments of David king of Israel.28 The whole assembly worshiped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded. All this continued until the burnt offering was finished.29 When the offering was finished, the king and all who were present with him bowed themselves and worshiped.30 And Hezekiah the king and the officials commanded 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 they bowed down and worshiped.

31 Then Hezekiah said, "You have now consecrated yourselves tot the Lord. Come near; bring sacrifices and thank offerings to the house of the Lord." And the assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and all who were of a willing heart brought burnt offerings.32 The number of the burnt offerings that 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 offerings were 600 bulls and 3,000 sheep.34 But the priests were too few and could not flay all the burnt offerings, so until other priests had consecrated themselves, their brothers the Levites helped them, until the work was finished—for the Levites were more upright in heart than the priests in consecrating themselves.35 Besides the great number of burnt offerings, there was the fat of the peace offerings, and there were the drink offerings for the burnt offerings. Thus the service of the house of the Lord was restored.36 And Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced because God had prepared for the people, for the thing came about 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