2 Chronicles 29

King Hezekiah Rededicates the Temple—2 Kings 18:1–3

1 Hezekiah began to rule as king when he was 25 years old. He ruled for 29 years in Jerusalem. His mother was Abijah, daughter of Zechariah.

2 He did what the Lord considered right, as his ancestor David had done.
3 In the first month of his first year as king, he opened the doors of the Lord’s temple and repaired them.

4 He brought the priests and Levites together in the square on the east side of the temple.
5 He said to them, “Listen to me, Levites. Perform the ceremonies to make the temple of the Lord God of your ancestors holy. Remove anything that has been corrupted from the holy place.6 Our ancestors were unfaithful and did what the Lord our God considered evil. They deserted him. They turned away from the Lord’s tentt and turned their backs on him.7 They also shut the doors of the temple’s entrance hall, extinguished the lamps, and didn’t burn incense or sacrifice burnt offerings in the holy place to the God of Israel.8 So the Lord was angry with Judah and Jerusalem. He made them something that shocks and terrifies people and that people ridicule, as you can see with your own eyes.9 Our fathers were killed in battle, and our sons, daughters, and wives are prisoners because of this.10 Now I intend to make a pledge to the Lord God of Israel so that he may turn his burning anger away from us.

11 Don’t be negligent, my sons. The Lord has chosen you to stand in front of him, serve him, be his servants, and burn sacrifices.”
12 So the Levites started to work.From Kohath’s descendants were Mahath, son of Amasai, and Joel, son of Azariah.From Merari’s descendants were Kish, son of Abdi, and Azariah, son of Jehallelel.From Gershon’s descendants were Joah, son of Zimmah, and Eden, son of Joah.13 From Elizaphan’s descendants were Shimri and Jeiel.From Asaph’s descendants were Zechariah and Mattaniah.14 From Heman’s descendants were Jehiel and Shimei.From Jeduthun’s descendants were Shemaiah and Uzziel.15 These men gathered their relatives and performed the ceremonies to make themselves holy. Then they obeyed the king’s order from the Lord’s word and entered the temple to make it clean.t16 The priests entered the Lord’s temple to make it clean. They carried into the courtyard every unclean thing that they found in the Lord’s temple. Then the Levites took the unclean items outside the city to the Kidron Brook.

17 They started on the first day of the first month. On the eighth day they went into the Lord’s entrance hall, and for eight days they performed the ceremonies to make the Lord’s temple holy. They finished on the sixteenth day of the first month.
18 Then they went to King Hezekiah. They said to him, “We have made all of the Lord’s temple clean. This includes the altar for burnt offerings, all its utensils, the table for the rows of bread and all its utensils,

19 and all the utensils King Ahaz refused to use during his reign when he was unfaithful. We have restored them and made them holy. They are in front of the Lord’s altar.”
20 Early in the morning Hezekiah gathered the leaders of the city and went to the Lord’s temple.

21 They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats as an offering for sin for the kingdom, the holy place, and Judah. Hezekiah told the priests, Aaron’s descendants, to sacrifice the animals on the Lord’s altar.
22 So they slaughtered the bulls, and the priests sprinkled the blood on the altar. Then they slaughtered the rams and sprinkled the blood on the altar. After that, they slaughtered the lambs and sprinkled the blood on the altar.23 Then they brought the male goats for the offering for sin in front of the king and the assembly, who laid their hands on them.

24 The priests slaughtered the goats and made their blood an offering for sin at the altar to make peace with the Lord for Israel. The king had said that the burnt offerings and offerings for sin should be for all Israel.
25 He had the Levites stand in the Lord’s temple with cymbals, harps, and lyres as David, the king’s seert Gad, and the prophet Nathan had ordered. This command came from the Lord through his prophets.26 The Levites stood with David’s instruments, and the priests had the trumpets.27 Then Hezekiah ordered the sacrificing of burnt offerings on the altar. When the burnt offerings started, the songs to the Lord started. These songs were accompanied by trumpets and the instruments of King David of Israel.28 The whole assembly bowed down with their faces touching the ground, singers began to sing, and the trumpets blew until the burnt offering was finished.29 When the burnt offerings were finished, the king and everyone who was with him kneeled and bowed down.

30 Then King Hezekiah and the leaders told the Levites to praise the Lord with the words of David and the seer Asaph. They joyfully sang praises, bowed down, and worshiped.
31 Hezekiah said, “You have dedicated your lives to the Lord. Come, bring sacrifices and thank offerings to the Lord’s temple.”The assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and everyone who was willing brought burnt offerings.32 The burnt offerings brought by the assembly totaled 70 bulls, 100 rams, and 200 lambs. All of these were burnt offerings to the Lord.33 The animals dedicated as holy sacrifices were 600 bulls and 3,000 sheep.34 But the priests needed more help to skin all the burnt offerings. So their relatives, the Levites, helped them until the work was completed and the priests could make themselves holy. The Levites were more diligent in making themselves holy than the priests were.35 There were many burnt offerings in addition to the fat of the fellowship offerings and wine offerings that accompanied the burnt offerings. So the worship in the Lord’s temple was reestablished.

36 Hezekiah and all the people were overjoyed because of what God had done for the people. Everything had happened so quickly.

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