2 Chronicles 29
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.
Currently Selected:
2 Chronicles 29: HCSB
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
© 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee. All rights reserved.
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