2 Chronicles 29
29
Hezekiah Reigns in Judah
1 # For ver. 1, 2, see 2 Kgs. 18:1-3 Hezekiah began to reign when he was twenty-five years old, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abijah#29:1 Spelled Abi in 2 Kings 18:2 the daughter of #[ch. 26:5]Zechariah. 2And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done.
Hezekiah Cleanses the Temple
3In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he #[ver. 7; ch. 28:24]opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them. 4He brought in the priests and the Levites and assembled them in the square on the east 5and said to them, “Hear me, Levites! Now #ver. 15, 34; ch. 35:6; 1 Chr. 15:12; Ezra 6:20consecrate yourselves, and consecrate the house of the Lord, the God of your fathers, and carry out the filth#29:5 Hebrew impurity from the Holy Place. 6For our fathers have been unfaithful and have done what was evil in the sight of the Lord our God. They have forsaken him and #Jer. 2:27; Ezek. 8:16have turned away their faces from the habitation of the Lord and turned their backs. 7They also #ch. 28:24shut 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. 8Therefore #See ch. 24:18 the wrath of the Lord came on Judah and Jerusalem, and he has made them #Deut. 28:25 an object of horror, of astonishment, #Jer. 19:8; 25:9, 18; 29:18; Mic. 6:16and of hissing, as you see with your own eyes. 9For behold, #ch. 28:5, 6, 8, 17our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity for this. 10Now #See 1 Chr. 22:7 it is in my heart #See ch. 15:12to make a covenant with the Lord, the God of Israel, in order that his fierce anger may turn away from us. 11My sons, do not now be negligent, #Num. 3:6; 8:14; 18:2, 6for the Lord has chosen you to stand in his presence, to minister to him and to be his ministers and make offerings to him.”
12Then the Levites arose, #ch. 31:13 Mahath the son of Amasai, and Joel the son of Azariah, of the sons of #Num. 3:17the Kohathites; and of the sons of #Num. 3:17Merari, Kish the son of Abdi, and Azariah the son of Jehallelel; and of the #Num. 3:17Gershonites, Joah the son of Zimmah, and Eden the son of Joah; 13and of the sons of #1 Chr. 15:8 Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeuel; and of the sons of #1 Chr. 6:39Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah; 14and of the sons of #1 Chr. 6:33 Heman, Jehuel and Shimei; and of the sons of #1 Chr. 9:16Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel. 15They gathered their brothers and #See ver. 5 consecrated themselves and went in as the king had commanded, #ch. 30:12 by the words of the Lord, #[Neh. 13:9]to cleanse the house of the Lord. 16The 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 #See 2 Sam. 15:23the brook Kidron. 17They began to consecrate #ver. 3on 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. 18Then 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. 19All the utensils #[ch. 28:24]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
20Then Hezekiah the king rose early and gathered the officials of the city and went up to the house of the Lord. 21And they brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats #[Lev. 4:14]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. 22So they slaughtered the bulls, and the priests received the blood #Lev. 8:15, 19, 24; Heb. 9:21; [ch. 35:11]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. 23Then the goats for the sin offering were brought to the king and the assembly, #Lev. 4:15and they laid their hands on them, 24and the priests slaughtered them and made a sin offering with their blood on the altar, #Lev. 4:26to make atonement for all Israel. For the king commanded that the burnt offering and the sin offering should be made for all Israel.
25 #
1 Chr. 16:4; 25:6; [1 Chr. 15:16] And he stationed the Levites in the house of the Lord with cymbals, harps, and lyres, #ch. 8:14; 1 Chr. 23:5; 25:1 according to the commandment of David and of Gad #See 1 Sam. 9:9 the king’s seer and of #2 Sam. 12:1Nathan the prophet, for the commandment was from the Lord through his prophets. 26The Levites stood with #1 Chr. 23:5; [Amos 6:5] the instruments of David, #See 1 Chr. 15:24and the priests with the trumpets. 27Then Hezekiah commanded that the burnt offering be offered on the altar. And when the burnt offering began, #[ch. 23:18]the song to the Lord began also, and the trumpets, accompanied by the instruments of David king of Israel. 28The whole assembly worshiped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded. All this continued until the burnt offering was finished. 29When the offering was finished, #[ch. 20:18]the king and all who were present with him bowed themselves and worshiped. 30And 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.
31Then Hezekiah said, #ch. 13:9; [Ex. 28:41] “You have now consecrated yourselves to#29:31 Hebrew filled your hand for 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 #Ex. 35:5, 22of a willing heart brought burnt offerings. 32The 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. 33And the consecrated offerings were 600 bulls and 3,000 sheep. 34But the priests were too few and could not flay all the burnt offerings, so until other priests had consecrated themselves, #[ch. 35:11] their brothers the Levites helped them, until the work was finished—#[ch. 30:3]for the Levites were more upright in heart than the priests in consecrating themselves. 35Besides the great number of burnt offerings, there was #Lev. 3:1, 16 the fat of the peace offerings, and there were #Num. 15:5, 7, 10the drink offerings for the burnt offerings. Thus the service of the house of the Lord was restored. 36And Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced because God had provided for the people, for the thing came about suddenly.
Currently Selected:
2 Chronicles 29: ESV
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Sign up to receive news and updates about the ESV:
2 Chronicles 29
29
1 And so Hezekiah began to reign when he was twenty-five years old. And he reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. The name of his mother was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah.
2 And he did what was pleasing in the sight of the Lord, in accord with all that his father David had done.
3 In the first year and month of his reign, he opened the double doors of the house of the Lord, and he repaired them.
4 And he brought together the priests and Levites. And he gathered them in the wide eastern street.
5 And he said to them: "Listen to me, O Levites, and be sanctified. Cleanse the house of the Lord, the God of your fathers, and take away every uncleanness from the sanctuary.
6 Our fathers sinned and did evil in the sight of the Lord our God, abandoning him. They turned their faces away from the tabernacle of the Lord, and they presented their backs.
7 They closed up the doors which were in the portico, and they extinguished the lamps. And they did not burn incense, and they did not offer holocausts, in the sanctuary of the God of Israel.
8 And so the fury of the Lord was stirred up against Judah and Jerusalem, and he handed them over to turmoil, and to destruction, and to hissing, just as you discern with your own eyes.
9 Lo, our fathers have fallen by the sword. Our sons, and our daughters and wives have been led away as captives because of this wickedness.
10 Now therefore, it is pleasing to me that we should enter into a covenant with the Lord, the God of Israel. And he will turn away the fury of his indignation from us.
11 My sons, do not choose to be negligent. The Lord has chosen you so that you would stand before him, and minister to him, and worship him, and burn incense to him."
12 Therefore, the Levites rose up, Mahath, the son of Amasai, and Joel, the son of Azariah, from the sons of Kohath; then, from the sons of Merari, Kish, the son of Abdi, and Azariah, the son of Jehallelel; and from the sons of Gershon, Joah, the son of Zimmah, and Eden, the son of Joah;
13 and truly, from the sons of Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeuel; also, from the sons of Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah;
14 indeed also, from the sons of Heman, Jehuel and Shimei; then too, from the sons of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel.
15 And they gathered together their brothers. And they were sanctified. And they entered in accord with the command of the king and the order of the Lord, so that they might expiate the house of God.
16 And the priests, entering the temple of the Lord so that they might sanctify it, took every uncleanness, which they had found inside, out to the vestibule of the house of the Lord; and the Levites took it away and transported it outside, to the torrent Kidron.
17 Now they began to cleanse on the first day of the first month. And on the eighth day of the same month, they entered the portico of the temple of the Lord. And then they expiated the temple over eight days. And on the sixteenth day of the same month, they finished what they had begun.
18 Also, they entered to king Hezekiah, and they said to him: "We have sanctified the entire house of the Lord, and the altar of holocaust, and its vessels, indeed also the table of the presence, with all its vessels,
19 and all the equipment of the temple, which king Ahaz, during his reign, had polluted after his transgression. And behold, these have all been set forth before the altar of the Lord."
20 And rising up at first light, king Hezekiah joined as one all the leaders of the city, and they ascended to the house of the Lord.
21 And together they offered seven bulls and seven rams, seven lambs and seven he-goats, for sin, for the kingdom, for the Sanctuary, for Judah. And he spoke to the priests, the sons of Aaron, so that they would offer these upon the altar of the Lord.
22 And so they slaughtered the bulls. And the priests took up the blood, and they poured it upon the altar. Then they also slaughtered the rams, and they poured their blood upon the altar. And they immolated the lambs, and they poured the blood upon the altar.
23 They brought the he-goats for sin before the king and the entire multitude. And they laid their hands upon them.
24 And the priests immolated them, and they sprinkled their blood before the altar, for the expiation of all Israel. For certainly the king had instructed that the holocaust and the sin offering should be made on behalf of all Israel.
25 Also, he situated the Levites in the house of the Lord, with cymbals, and psalteries, and harps, according to the disposition of king David, and of the seer Gad, and of the prophet Nathan. For indeed, this was the precept of the Lord, by the hand of his prophets.
26 And the Levites stood, holding the musical instruments of David, and the priests held the trumpets.
27 And Hezekiah ordered that they should offer holocausts upon the altar. And when the holocausts were being offered, they began to sing praises to the Lord, and to sound the trumpets, and to play various musical instruments, which David, the king of Israel, had prepared.
28 Then the entire crowd was adoring, and the singers and those who were holding the trumpeters were exercising their office, until the holocaust was completed.
29 And when the oblation was finished, the king, and all who were with him, bowed down and adored.
30 And Hezekiah and the rulers instructed the Levites to praise the Lord with the words of David, and of Asaph, the seer. And they praised him with great joy, and kneeling down, they adored.
31 And now Hezekiah also added: "You have filled your hands for the Lord. Draw near, and offer victims and praises in the house of the Lord." Therefore, the entire multitude offered victims and praises and holocausts, with devout intention.
32 Now the number of the holocausts that the multitude offered was seventy bulls, one hundred rams, two hundred lambs.
33 And they sanctified to the Lord six hundred oxen and three thousand sheep.
34 Truly, the priests were few; neither were they sufficient to remove the pelts from the holocausts. Therefore, the Levites, their brothers, also assisted them, until the work was completed, and the priests, who were of higher rank, were sanctified. For indeed, the Levites are sanctified with an easier ritual than the priests.
35 Thus, there were very numerous holocausts, with the fat of the peace offerings and the libations of the holocausts. And the service of the house of the Lord was completed.
36 And Hezekiah and all the people were joyful because the ministry of the Lord was accomplished. For certainly, it had pleased them to do this suddenly.
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in