2 Chronicles 29

Hezekiah Opens the Temple

1Hezekiah became king when he was twenty-five years old, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah. 2He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD according to all that David his ancestor had done. 3In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the LORD and repaired them. 4He brought in the priests and Levites and gathered them in the eastern square. 5He said to them, “Hear me, Levites! Now consecrate yourselves and consecrate the house of the LORD, the God of your ancestors, and bring out the uncleanness from the Holy Place. 6For our ancestors acted unfaithfully and did what was evil in the eyes of the LORD our God. They abandoned him, turned their faces away from the dwelling place of the LORD, and turned their backs. 7They also shut the doors of the porch, put out the lamps, and did not burn incense or offer burnt offerings in the Holy Place to the God of Israel. 8Therefore the wrath of the LORD was upon Judah and Jerusalem, and he made them an object of terror, horror, and hissing, as you see with your eyes. 9For look, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons, daughters, and wives are in captivity because of this. 10Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the LORD, the God of Israel, so that his burning anger may turn from us. 11My sons, do not be negligent now, for the LORD has chosen you to stand before him, to minister to him, to be his ministers, and to burn incense.”

The Levites Consecrate the Temple

12Then the 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; 13from the sons of Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeiel; from the sons of Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah; 14from the sons of Heman, Jehiel and Shimei; and from the sons of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel. 15They gathered their brothers, consecrated themselves, and went in according to the king’s command by the words of the LORD to cleanse the house of the LORD. 16The priests went into the inner part of the house of the LORD to cleanse it. 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 out to the Wadi Kidron. 17They began to consecrate on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they came to the porch of the LORD. They consecrated the house of the LORD for eight days, and on the sixteenth day of the first month they finished.

The Temple Is Ready Again

18Then they went in to King Hezekiah and said, “We have cleansed all the house of the LORD, the altar of burnt offering and all its vessels, and the table of the arrangement and all its vessels. 19All the vessels that King Ahaz cast away during his reign when he acted unfaithfully, we have prepared and consecrated. And look, they are before the altar of the LORD.”

Hezekiah Restores Sacrifice

20King Hezekiah rose early, gathered the officials of the city, and went up to the house of the LORD. 21They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats for a sin offering for the kingdom, for the sanctuary, and for Judah. He commanded the sons of Aaron, the priests, to offer them upon the altar of the LORD. 22So they slaughtered the cattle, and the priests received the blood and threw it against the altar. They slaughtered the rams and threw the blood against the altar. They slaughtered the lambs and threw the blood against the altar. 23Then they brought the male goats for the sin offering before the king and the assembly, and they laid their hands upon them. 24The priests slaughtered them and made purification with their blood upon the altar to make atonement for all Israel, for the king had said that the burnt offering and sin offering were for all Israel.

Music and Worship Resume

25He stationed the Levites in the house of the LORD with cymbals, harps, and lyres according to the command of David, Gad the king’s seer, and Nathan the prophet, for the command was by the hand of the LORD through his prophets. 26The Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets. 27Hezekiah commanded that the burnt offering be offered upon the altar. At the time the burnt offering began, the song of the LORD began, and the trumpets, together with the instruments of David king of Israel. 28All the assembly bowed down while the song was sung and the trumpets sounded. All this continued until the burnt offering was finished. 29When they finished offering, the king and all who were present with him bowed and worshiped. 30King Hezekiah and the officials commanded the Levites to praise the LORD with the words of David and Asaph the seer. They praised with gladness and bowed down and worshiped.

The People Bring Sacrifices

31Then Hezekiah answered and said, “Now you have filled your hands for the LORD. Come near and bring sacrifices and thank offerings to the house of the LORD.” The assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and every willing heart brought burnt offerings. 32The number of the burnt offerings that the assembly brought was seventy cattle, one hundred rams, and two hundred lambs; all these were for a burnt offering to the LORD. 33The holy offerings were six hundred cattle and three thousand sheep. 34But the priests were too few and could not skin all the burnt offerings, so their brothers the Levites strengthened them until the work was finished and until the other priests had consecrated themselves, for the Levites were more upright in heart to consecrate themselves than the priests. 35There were also burnt offerings in abundance, with the fat of the offerings of well-being and the drink offerings for the burnt offerings. Thus the service of the house of the LORD was established. 36Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced over what God had prepared for the people, for the thing happened suddenly.