2 Chronicles 29

1 Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah.

And Ezekias began to reign at the age of twenty-five years, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Abia, daughter of Zacharias.

2 And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father David had done.

And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David had done.

3 In the first month of the first year of his reign, Hezekiah opened and repaired the doors of the house of the LORD.

And it came to pass, when he was established over his kingdom, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the Lord, and repaired them.

4 Then he brought in the priests and Levites and gathered them in the square on the east side.

And he brought in the priests and the Levites, and put them on the east side,

5 “Listen to me, O Levites,” he said. “Consecrate yourselves now and consecrate the house of the LORD, the God of your fathers. Remove from the Holy Place every impurity.

and said to them, Hear, you Levites: now sanctify yourselves, and sanctify the house of the Lord God of your fathers, and cast out the impurity from the holy places.

6 For our fathers were unfaithful and did evil in the sight of the LORD our God. They abandoned Him, turned their faces away from the dwelling place of the LORD, and turned their backs on Him.

For our fathers have revolted, and done that which was evil before the Lord our God, and have forsaken him, and have turned away their face from the tabernacle of the Lord, and have turned [their] back.

7 They also shut the doors of the portico and extinguished the lamps. They did not burn incense or present burnt offerings in the Holy Place of the God of Israel.

And they have shut up the doors of the temple, and put out the lamps, and have not burnt incense, and have not offered whole burnt offerings in the holy [place] to the God of Israel.

8 Therefore, the wrath of the LORD has fallen upon Judah and Jerusalem, and He has made them an object of terror, horror, and mockery, as you can see with your own eyes.

And the Lord was very angry with Juda and Jerusalem, and made them an astonishment, and a desolation, and a hissing, as you see with your eyes.

9 For behold, this is why our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and daughters and wives are in captivity.

And, behold, your fathers have been struck with the sword, and your sons and your daughters and your wives are in captivity in a land not their own, as it is even now.

10 Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the LORD, the God of Israel, so that His fierce anger will turn away from us.

Therefore it is now in my heart to make a covenant, a covenant with the Lord God of Israel, that he may turn away his fierce wrath from us.

11 Now, my sons, do not be negligent, for the LORD has chosen you to stand before Him, to serve Him, to minister before Him, and to burn incense.”

And now be not lacking [to your duty], for the Lord has chosen you to stand before him to minister, and to be ministers and burners of incense to him.

12 Then the Levites set to work: Mahath son of Amasai and Joel son of Azariah from the Kohathites; Kish son of Abdi and Azariah son of Jehallelel from the Merarites; Joah son of Zimmah and Eden son of Joah from the Gershonites;

Then the Levites rose up, Maath the son of Amasi, and Joel the son of Azarias, of the sons of Caath: and of the sons of Merari, Kis the son of Abdi, and Azarias the son of Haelel: and of the sons of Gedsoni, Jodaad the son of Zemmath, and Joadam: these [were] the sons of Joacha.

13 Shimri and Jeuel from the Elizaphanites; Zechariah and Mattaniah from the Asaphites;

And of the sons of Elisaphan; Zambri, and Jeiel: and of the sons of Asaph; Zacharias, and Matthanias:

14 Jehiel and Shimei from the Hemanites; and Shemaiah and Uzziel from the Jeduthunites.

and of the sons of Aeman; Jeiel, and Semei: and of the sons of Idithun; Samaisa, and Oziel.

15 When they had assembled their brothers and consecrated themselves, they went in to cleanse the house of the LORD, according to the command of the king by the words of the LORD.

And they gathered their brethren, and they purified themselves according to the king's command by the order of the Lord, to purify the house of the Lord.

16 So the priests went inside the house of the LORD to cleanse it, and they brought out to the courtyard all the unclean things that they found in the temple of the LORD. Then the Levites took these things and carried them out to the Kidron Valley.

And the priests entered into the house of the Lord, to purify [it], and they cast out all the uncleanness that was found in the house of the Lord, even into the court of the house of the Lord: and the Levites received [it] to cast into the brook of Kedron without.

17 They began the consecration on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they reached the portico of the LORD. For eight more days they consecrated the house of the LORD itself, finishing on the sixteenth day of the first month.

And [Ezekias] began on the first day, [even] on the new moon of the first month, to purify, and on the eighth day of the month they entered into the temple of the Lord: and they purified the house of the Lord in eight days; and on the thirteenth day of the first month they finished [the work].

18 Then they went in to King Hezekiah and reported, “We have cleansed the entire house of the LORD, the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the table of the showbread with all its utensils.

And they went in to king Ezekias, and said, We have purified all the things in the house of the Lord, the altar of whole burnt offering, and its vessels, and the table of show-bread, and its vessels;

19 Moreover, we have prepared and consecrated all the articles that King Ahaz in his unfaithfulness cast aside during his reign. They are now in front of the altar of the LORD.”

and all the vessels which king Achaz polluted in his reign, in his apostasy, we have prepared and purified: behold, they are before the altar of the Lord.

20 Early the next morning King Hezekiah gathered the city officials and went up to the house of the LORD.

And king Ezekias rose early in the morning, and gathered the chief men of the city, and went up to the house of the Lord.

21 They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats as a sin offering for the kingdom, for the sanctuary, and for Judah. And the king commanded the priests, the descendants of Aaron, to offer them on the altar of the LORD.

And he brought seven calves, seven rams, seven lambs, seven kids of goats for a sin-offering, for the kingdom, and for the holy things, and for Israel: and he told the priests the sons of Aaron to go up to the altar of the Lord.

22 So they slaughtered the bulls, and the priests took 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.

And they killed the calves, and the priests received the blood, and poured it on the altar: and they killed the rams, and poured the blood upon the altar: also they killed the lambs, and poured the blood round the altar.

23 Then they brought the goats for the sin offering before the king and the assembly, who laid their hands on them.

And they brought the goats for a sin-offering before the king and the congregation; and laid their hands upon them.

24 And the priests slaughtered the goats and put their blood on the altar for a sin offering, to make atonement for all Israel, because the king had ordered the burnt offering and the sin offering for all Israel.

And the priests killed them, and offered their blood as a propitiation on the altar; and they made atonement for all Israel: for the king said, The whole burnt offering, and the sin-offering [are] for all Israel.

25 Hezekiah stationed the Levites in the house of the LORD with cymbals, harps, and lyres according to the command of David, of Gad the king’s seer, and of Nathan the prophet. For the command had come from the LORD through His prophets.

And he stationed the Levites in the house of the Lord with cymbals, and lutes, and harps, according to the commandment of king David, and of Gad the king's seer, and Nathan the prophet: for by the commandment of the Lord the order [was] in the hand of the prophets.

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

And the Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets.

27 And Hezekiah ordered that the burnt offering be sacrificed on the altar. When the burnt offering began, the song of the LORD and the trumpets began as well, accompanied by the instruments of David king of Israel.

And Ezekias told [them] to offer up the whole burnt offering on the altar: and when they began to offer the whole burnt offering, they began to sing to the Lord, and the trumpets [accompanied] the instruments of David king of Israel.

28 The whole assembly was worshiping, the singers were singing, and the trumpeters were playing. All this continued until the burnt offering was completed.

And all the congregation worshipped, and the psalm-singers [were] singing, and the trumpets sounding, until the whole burnt sacrifice had been completely offered.

29 When the offerings were completed, the king and all those present with him bowed down and worshiped.

And when they had done offering [it], the king and all that were present bowed, and worshipped.

30 Then King Hezekiah and his officials ordered the Levites to sing praises to the LORD in the words of David and of Asaph the seer. So they sang praises with gladness and bowed their heads and worshiped.

And king Ezekias and the princes told the Levites to sing hymns to the Lord in the words of David, and of Asaph the prophet: and they sang hymns with gladness, and fell down and worshipped.

31 Then Hezekiah said, “Now that you have consecrated yourselves to the LORD, come near and bring sacrifices and thank offerings to the house of the LORD.” So the assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and all whose hearts were willing brought burnt offerings.

Then Ezekias answered and said, Now you have consecrated yourselves to the Lord, bring near and offer sacrifices of praise in the house of the Lord. And the congregation brought sacrifices and thank-offerings into the house of the Lord; and every one who was ready in his heart [brought] whole burnt offerings.

32 The number of burnt offerings the assembly brought was seventy bulls, a hundred rams, and two hundred lambs; all these were for a burnt offering to the LORD.

And the number of the whole burnt offerings which the congregation brought, was seventy calves, a hundred rams, two hundred lambs: all these [were] for a whole burnt offering to the Lord.

33 And the consecrated offerings were six hundred bulls and three thousand sheep.

And the consecrated calves were six hundred, [and] the sheep three thousand.

34 However, since there were not enough priests to skin all the burnt offerings, their Levite brothers helped them until the work was finished and until the priests had been consecrated. For the Levites had been more diligent in consecrating themselves than the priests had been.

But the priests were few, and could not flay the whole burnt offering, so their brethren the Levites helped them, until the work was finished, and until the priests had purified themselves: for the Levites [more] zealously purified [themselves] than the priests.

35 Furthermore, the burnt offerings were abundant, along with the fat of the peace offerings and the drink offerings for the burnt offerings. So the service of the house of the LORD was established.

And the whole burnt offering [was] abundant, with the fat of the complete peace-offering, and the drink-offerings of the whole burnt sacrifice. So the service was established in the house of the Lord.

36 Then Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced at what God had prepared for the people, because everything had been accomplished so quickly.

And Ezekias and all the people rejoiced, because God has prepared the people: for the thing was done suddenly.