2 Chronicles 29

1Hezekiah became king at twenty-five years old and reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem; his mother's name was Abijah, daughter of Zechariah.

2He did what was right in Yahweh's eyes, just as his father David had done everything.

3In his first year as king, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of Yahweh and strengthened them.

4He brought the priests and the Levites and gathered them to the eastern square.

5He said to them, “Hear me, Levites! Now consecrate yourselves, consecrate the house of Yahweh, God of your fathers, and carry out the uncleanness from the holy place.”

6For our fathers acted faithlessly and did evil in the eyes of Yahweh our God, forsook him, turned their faces from Yahweh's dwelling, and gave their backs.

7They also closed the doors of the porch and extinguished the lamps, neither offering incense nor presenting burnt offerings in the holy place to the God of Israel.

8Yahweh’s wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem, and he delivered them to trembling, to horror, to desolation, and to hissing, as you see with your eyes.

9Look, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and daughters and wives are in captivity because of this.

10Now I purpose in my heart to cut a covenant with Yahweh, the God of Israel, that the fury of his anger may turn from us.

11My sons, do not now be negligent, for Yahweh has chosen you to stand before him, to serve him, and to be his ministers and incense burners.

12The Levites arose: Mahath son of Amasai and Joel son of Azariah from the sons of the Kohathites; from the sons of Merari, Kish son of Abdi and Azariah son of Jehallelel; from the Gershonites, Joah son of Zimmah and Eden son of Joah.

13and from Elizaphan's sons, Shimri and Jeiel; and from Asaph's sons, Zechariah and Mattaniah;

14and from Heman's sons, Jehiel and Shimei; and from Jeduthun's sons, Shemaiah and Uzziel.

15They assembled their brothers, consecrated themselves, and entered according to the king's command by the words of Yahweh to purify Yahweh's house.

16The priests entered the interior of Yahweh's house to purify it and carried out all the defilement they found in Yahweh's temple to the courtyard of Yahweh's house. The Levites received it to take it out to the Kidron brook outside.

17They began on the first day of the first month to sanctify, and on the eighth day of the month they arrived at Yahweh's porch. They sanctified Yahweh's house in eight days, and on the sixteenth day of the first month they finished.

18They went inside to King Hezekiah and said, "We have cleansed all the house of Yahweh, the burnt offering altar with all its vessels, and the showbread table with all its vessels."

19All the vessels that King Ahaz discarded in his reign during his unfaithfulness we have prepared and consecrated, and there they are before Yahweh's altar.

20Hezekiah the king got up early, assembled the city captains, and went up to the house of Yahweh.

21They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats for a sin offering for the kingdom, the sanctuary, and Judah. He instructed Aaron's sons the priests to offer them on Yahweh's altar.

22They slaughtered the bulls, and the priests caught the blood and sprinkled it on the altar; they slaughtered the rams and sprinkled the blood on the altar; and they slaughtered the lambs and sprinkled the blood on the altar.

23They brought the goats for the sin offering before the king and the assembly, and they placed their hands on them.

24The priests slaughtered them and applied their blood to the altar as a sin offering to make atonement for all Israel, for the king commanded the burnt offering and the sin offering for all Israel.

25He appointed the Levites in Yahweh's house with cymbals, psalteries, and harps, according to the command of David, Gad the king's seer, and Nathan the prophet; for the command was from Yahweh through his prophets.

26The Levites stood with David's instruments, and the priests with the trumpets.

27Hezekiah commanded the burnt offering to be offered on the altar. As the burnt offering began, the song of Yahweh began with the trumpets and the instruments of David, king of Israel.

28The whole congregation worshiped, the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded—all this until the burnt offering was finished.

29When they finished offering, the king and all present with him bowed down and worshiped.

30Hezekiah the king and the princes commanded the Levites to praise Yahweh with the words of David and Asaph the seer. They praised with gladness, bowed their heads, and worshiped.

31Hezekiah answered, "Now you have consecrated yourselves to Yahweh; draw near and bring sacrifices and thank offerings to the house of Yahweh." The assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and everyone with a willing heart offered burnt offerings.

32Seventy bulls, one hundred rams, and two hundred lambs were the number of burnt offerings the assembly brought—all these as a burnt offering to Yahweh.

33The consecrated things were six hundred cattle and three thousand sheep.

34But the priests were too few to flay all the burnt offerings, so their brothers the Levites strengthened them until the work was finished and the priests had sanctified themselves; for the Levites were more upright in heart to sanctify themselves than the priests.

35Burnt offerings abounded as well, with the fats of the peace offerings and the drink offerings for the burnt offerings. Thus the service of Yahweh's house was established.

36Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced over what God had prepared for the people, because the matter happened suddenly.