2 Chronicles 29

Judah’s King Hezekiah

1Hezekiah was 25 years old # 2Kg 18:2-3 when he became king and reigned 29 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abijah # = Abi in 2Kg 18:2 daughter of Zechariah. 2He did what was right in the Lord’s sight # 2Ch 28:1; 34:2 just as his ancestor David had done.

3In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the Lord’s temple and repaired them. # 2Ch 28:24; 29:7 4Then he brought in the priests and Levites and gathered them in the eastern public square. # Ezr 10:9; Neh 8:1 5He said to them, “Hear me, Levites. Consecrate yourselves # 2Ch 29:15,34; 35:6 now and consecrate the temple of Yahweh, the God of your ancestors. Remove everything impure from the holy place. 6For our fathers were unfaithful and did what is evil in the sight of the Lord our God. They abandoned Him, turned their faces away from the Lord’s tabernacle, and turned their backs on Him. # Lit and they gave the back of the neck # Ezk 8:16 7They also closed the doors of the portico, extinguished the lamps, did not burn incense, and did not offer burnt offerings in the holy place of the God of Israel. 8Therefore, the wrath of the Lord was on Judah and Jerusalem, and He made them an object of terror, horror, and mockery, # Lit hissing # Dt 28:25; Jr 25:18 as you see with your own eyes. 9Our fathers fell by the sword, and our sons, our daughters, and our wives are in captivity because of this. # 2Ch 28:5-8,17 10It is in my heart now to make a covenant with Yahweh, the God of Israel # 2Ch 23:16 so that His burning anger may turn away from us. 11My sons, don’t be negligent now, for the Lord has chosen you to stand in His presence, to serve Him, and to be His ministers and burners of incense.” # Nm 3:6; 8:6

Cleansing the Temple

12Then the Levites stood up:

Mahath # 2Ch 31:13 son of Amasai and Joel son of Azariah from the Kohathites;

Kish son of Abdi and Azariah son of Jehallelel from the Merarites; # Nm 3:19-20

Joah son of Zimmah and Eden son of Joah from the Gershonites;

13Shimri and Jeuel from the Elizaphanites;

Zechariah and Mattaniah from the Asaphites;

14Jehiel # Alt Hb tradition reads Jehuel and Shimei from the Hemanites;

Shemaiah and Uzziel from the Jeduthunites.

15They gathered their brothers together, consecrated themselves, # 2Ch 29:5 and went according to the king’s command by the words of the Lord # 2Ch 30:12 to cleanse the Lord’s temple. # 1Ch 23:28

16The priests went to the entrance of the Lord’s temple to cleanse it. They took all the unclean things they found in the Lord’s sanctuary to the courtyard of the Lord’s temple. Then the Levites received them and took them outside to the Kidron Valley. # 2Ch 15:16 17They began the consecration on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they came to the portico of the Lord’s temple. They consecrated the Lord’s temple for eight days, and on the sixteenth day of the first month they finished.

18Then they went inside to King Hezekiah and said, “We have cleansed the whole temple of the Lord, the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the table for the rows of the bread of the Presence and all its utensils. 19We have set up and consecrated all the utensils that King Ahaz rejected during his reign # 2Ch 28:24 when he became unfaithful. They are in front of the altar of the Lord.”

Renewal of Temple Worship

20King Hezekiah got up early, gathered the city officials, and went to the Lord’s temple. 21They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats as a sin offering for the kingdom, for the sanctuary, and for Judah. Then he told the descendants of Aaron, the priests, to offer them on the altar of the Lord. 22So they slaughtered the bulls, and the priests received the blood and sprinkled it on the altar. # Lv 4:18 They slaughtered the rams and sprinkled the blood on the altar. They slaughtered the lambs and sprinkled the blood on the altar. 23Then they brought the goats for the sin offering right into the presence of the king and the congregation, who laid their hands on them. # Lv 4:15 24The priests slaughtered the goats and put their blood on the altar for a sin offering, to make atonement for all Israel, # Lv 4:26 for the king said that the burnt offering and sin offering were for all Israel.

25Hezekiah stationed the Levites in the Lord’s temple with cymbals, harps, and lyres # 1Ch 15:16; 25:6 according to the command of David, # 2Ch 8:14 Gad the king’s seer, # 2Sm 24:11 and Nathan the prophet. # 2Sm 7:2; 1Ch 29:29 For the command was from the Lord through His prophets. 26The Levites stood with the instruments of David, # 1Ch 23:5 and the priests with the trumpets. # 2Ch 5:12

27Then Hezekiah ordered that the burnt offering be offered on the altar. When the burnt offerings began, the song of the Lord and the trumpets began, accompanied by the instruments of David king of Israel. 28The whole assembly was worshiping, singing the song, and blowing the trumpets — all of this continued until the burnt offering was completed. 29When the burnt offerings were completed, the king and all those present with him bowed down and worshiped. # 2Ch 20:18 30Then King Hezekiah and the officials told the Levites to sing praise to the Lord in the words of David and of Asaph the seer. So they sang praises with rejoicing and bowed down and worshiped.

31Hezekiah concluded, “Now you are consecrated # Lit Now you have filled your hands to the Lord. Come near and bring sacrifices and thank offerings to the Lord’s temple.” So the congregation brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and all those with willing hearts # Ex 35:5,22; Ezr 1:4,6; 3:5 brought burnt offerings. 32The number of burnt offerings the congregation brought was 70 bulls, 100 rams, and 200 lambs; all these were for a burnt offering to the Lord. 33Six hundred bulls and 3,000 sheep were consecrated.

34However, since there were not enough priests, they weren’t able to skin all the burnt offerings, so their Levite brothers helped them # 2Ch 35:11 until the work was finished and until the priests consecrated themselves. For the Levites were more conscientious # Lit upright of heart ; Ps 32:11; 64:10 # Ps 32:11; 64:10 to consecrate themselves than the priests were. # 2Ch 30:3 35Furthermore, the burnt offerings were abundant, along with the fat of the fellowship offerings # Lv 3:16 and with the drink offerings # Nm 15:5-10 for the burnt offering.

So the service of the Lord’s temple was established. 36Then Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced over how God had prepared the people, for it had come about suddenly.

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2 Chronicles 29: HCSB

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2 Chronicles 29

Hezekiah Purifies the Temple

1Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah. 2He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father David had done.

3In the first month of the first year of his reign, he opened the doors of the temple of the Lord and repaired them. 4He brought in the priests and the Levites, assembled them in the square on the east side 5and said: “Listen to me, Levites! Consecrate yourselves now and consecrate the temple of the Lord, the God of your ancestors. Remove all defilement from the sanctuary. 6Our parents were unfaithful; they did evil in the eyes of the Lord our God and forsook him. They turned their faces away from the Lord’s dwelling place and turned their backs on him. 7They also shut the doors of the portico and put out the lamps. They did not burn incense or present any burnt offerings at the sanctuary to the God of Israel. 8Therefore, the anger of the Lord has fallen on Judah and Jerusalem; he has made them an object of dread and horror and scorn, as you can see with your own eyes. 9This is why our fathers have fallen by the sword and why our sons and daughters and our wives are in captivity. 10Now I intend to make a covenant with the Lord, the God of Israel, so that his fierce anger will turn away from us. 11My sons, do not be negligent now, for the Lord has chosen you to stand before him and serve him, to minister before him and to burn incense.”

12Then these Levites set to work:

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;

13from the descendants of Elizaphan,

Shimri and Jeiel;

from the descendants of Asaph,

Zechariah and Mattaniah;

14from the descendants of Heman,

Jehiel and Shimei;

from the descendants of Jeduthun,

Shemaiah and Uzziel.

15When they had assembled their fellow Levites and consecrated themselves, they went in to purify the temple of the Lord, as the king had ordered, following the word of the Lord. 16The priests went into the sanctuary of the Lord to purify it. They brought out to the courtyard of the Lord’s temple everything unclean that they found in the temple of the Lord. The Levites took it and carried it out to the Kidron Valley. 17They began the consecration on the first day of the first month, and by the eighth day of the month they reached the portico of the Lord. For eight more days they consecrated the temple of the Lord itself, finishing on the sixteenth day of the first month.

18Then they went in to King Hezekiah and reported: “We have purified the entire temple of the Lord, the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the table for setting out the consecrated bread, with all its articles. 19We have prepared and consecrated all the articles that King Ahaz removed in his unfaithfulness while he was king. They are now in front of the Lord’s altar.”

20Early the next morning King Hezekiah gathered the city officials together and went up to the temple of the Lord. 21They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven male lambs and seven male goats as a sin offering#29:21 Or purification offering; also in verses 23 and 24 for the kingdom, for the sanctuary and for Judah. The king commanded the priests, the descendants of Aaron, to offer these on the altar of the Lord. 22So they slaughtered the bulls, and the priests took the blood and splashed it against the altar; next they slaughtered the rams and splashed their blood against the altar; then they slaughtered the lambs and splashed their blood against the altar. 23The goats for the sin offering were brought before the king and the assembly, and they laid their hands on them. 24The priests then slaughtered the goats and presented their blood on the altar for a sin offering to atone for all Israel, because the king had ordered the burnt offering and the sin offering for all Israel.

25He stationed the Levites in the temple of the Lord with cymbals, harps and lyres in the way prescribed by David and Gad the king’s seer and Nathan the prophet; this was commanded by the Lord through his prophets. 26So the Levites stood ready with David’s instruments, and the priests with their trumpets.

27Hezekiah gave the order to sacrifice the burnt offering on the altar. As the offering began, singing to the Lord began also, accompanied by trumpets and the instruments of David king of Israel. 28The whole assembly bowed in worship, while the musicians played and the trumpets sounded. All this continued until the sacrifice of the burnt offering was completed.

29When the offerings were finished, the king and everyone present with him knelt down and worshiped. 30King Hezekiah and his officials ordered the Levites to praise the Lord with the words of David and of Asaph the seer. So they sang praises with gladness and bowed down and worshiped.

31Then Hezekiah said, “You have now dedicated yourselves to the Lord. Come and bring sacrifices and thank offerings to the temple of the Lord.” So the assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and all whose hearts were willing brought burnt offerings.

32The number of burnt offerings the assembly brought was seventy bulls, a hundred rams and two hundred male lambs—all of them for burnt offerings to the Lord. 33The animals consecrated as sacrifices amounted to six hundred bulls and three thousand sheep and goats. 34The priests, however, were too few to skin all the burnt offerings; so their relatives the Levites helped them until the task was finished and until other priests had been consecrated, for the Levites had been more conscientious in consecrating themselves than the priests had been. 35There were burnt offerings in abundance, together with the fat of the fellowship offerings and the drink offerings that accompanied the burnt offerings.

So the service of the temple of the Lord was reestablished. 36Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced at what God had brought about for his people, because it was done so quickly.

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