2 Chronicles 29
1 Hezekiah began to
reign when he was
five and
twenty years old, and he
reigned nine and
twenty years in
Jerusalem. And his
mother's name was
Abijah, the
daughter of
Zechariah. 2 And he
did that which was
right in the
sight of the
LORD, according to all that
David his
father had
done.
3 He in the
first year of his
reign, in the
first month, opened the
doors of the
house of the
LORD, and
repaired them.
4 And he brought
in the
priests and the
Levites, and gathered them
together into the
east street, 5 And
said unto them,
Hear me, ye
Levites, sanctify now yourselves, and
sanctify the
house of the
LORD God of your
fathers, and carry
forth the
filthiness out of the
holy place.
6 For our
fathers have
trespassed, and
done that which was
evil in the
eyes of the
LORD our
God, and have
forsaken him, and have turned
away their
faces from the
habitation of the
LORD, and
turned their
backs. 7 Also they have shut
up the
doors of the
porch, and put
out the
lamps, and have not
burned incense nor
offered burnt
offerings in the
holy place unto the
God of
Israel. 8 Wherefore the
wrath of the
LORD was upon
Judah and
Jerusalem, and he hath
delivered them to
trouble, to
astonishment, and to
hissing, as ye
see with your
eyes. 9 For, lo, 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 mine
heart to
make a
covenant with the
LORD God of
Israel, that his
fierce wrath may turn
away from us.
11 My
sons, be not now
negligent: for the
LORD hath
chosen you to
stand before him, to
serve him, and that ye should
minister unto him, and burn
incense.
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
Jehalelel: and of the
Gershonites; Joah the
son of
Zimmah, and
Eden the
son of
Joah: 13 And of the
sons of
Elizaphan; Shimri, and
Jeiel: and of the
sons of
Asaph; Zechariah, and
Mattaniah: 14 And of the
sons of
Heman; Jehiel, and
Shimei: and of the
sons of
Jeduthun; Shemaiah, and
Uzziel. 15 And they
gathered their
brethren, and
sanctified themselves, and
came, according to the
commandment of the
king, by the
words of the
LORD, to
cleanse the
house of the
LORD. 16 And the
priests went into the inner
part of the
house of the
LORD, to
cleanse it, and 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, to carry it
out abroad into the
brook Kidron. 17 Now they
began on the
first day of the
first month to
sanctify, and on the
eighth day of the
month came they to the
porch of the
LORD: so they
sanctified the
house of the
LORD in
eight days; and in the
sixteenth day of the
first month they made an
end.
18 Then they
went in to
Hezekiah the
king, and
said, We have
cleansed all the
house of the
LORD, and the
altar of burnt
offering, with all the
vessels thereof, and the
shewbread table, with all the
vessels thereof.
19 Moreover all the
vessels, which
king Ahaz in his
reign did cast
away in his
transgression, have we
prepared and
sanctified, and, behold, they are
before the
altar of the
LORD. 20 Then
Hezekiah the
king rose
early, and
gathered the
rulers of the
city, and went
up to the
house of the
LORD. 21 And they
brought seven bullocks, and
seven rams, and
seven lambs, and
seven he 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
killed the
bullocks, and the
priests received the
blood, and
sprinkled it on the
altar: likewise, when they had
killed the
rams, they
sprinkled the
blood upon the
altar: they
killed also the
lambs, and they
sprinkled the
blood upon the
altar. 23 And they brought
forth the he
goats for the sin
offering before the
king and the
congregation; and they
laid their
hands upon them:
24 And the
priests killed them, and they made
reconciliation with their
blood upon the
altar, to make an
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
set the
Levites in the
house of the
LORD with
cymbals, with
psalteries, and with
harps, according to the
commandment of
David, and of
Gad the
king's seer, and
Nathan the
prophet: for so was the
commandment of the
LORD by his
prophets. 26 And the
Levites stood with the
instruments of
David, and the
priests with the
trumpets. 27 And
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 David king of
Israel. 28 And all the
congregation worshipped, and the
singers sang, and the
trumpeters sounded: and all this continued until the burnt
offering was
finished.
29 And when they had made an
end of
offering, the
king and all that were
present with him
bowed themselves, and
worshipped.
30 Moreover
Hezekiah the
king and the
princes commanded the
Levites to sing
praise unto the
LORD with the
words of
David, and of
Asaph the
seer. And they sang
praises with
gladness, and they bowed their
heads and
worshipped.
31 Then
Hezekiah answered and
said, Now ye have
consecrated yourselves unto the
LORD, come
near and
bring sacrifices and thank
offerings into the
house of the
LORD. And the
congregation brought
in sacrifices and thank
offerings; and as many as were of a
free heart burnt
offerings. 32 And the
number of the burnt
offerings, which the
congregation brought, was threescore and
ten bullocks, an
hundred rams, and two
hundred lambs: all these were for a burnt
offering to the
LORD. 33 And the consecrated
things were
six hundred oxen and
three thousand sheep. 34 But the
priests were too
few, so that they
could not
flay all the burnt
offerings: wherefore their
brethren the
Levites did
help them, till the
work was
ended, and until the other
priests had
sanctified themselves: for the
Levites were more
upright in
heart to
sanctify themselves than the
priests. 35 And 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
house of the
LORD was set in
order.
36 And
Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the
people, that
God had
prepared the
people: for the
thing was done
suddenly.