[1] Hezeki'ah began to reign when he was twenty-five years old, and he
reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abi'jah the
daughter of Zechari'ah. [2] And he did what was right in the eyes of the
LORD, according to all that David his father had done. [3] In the first
year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of
the LORD, and repaired them. [4] He brought in the priests and the Levites,
and assembled them in the square on the east, [5] and said to them, "Hear
me, Levites! Now sanctify yourselves, and sanctify the house of the LORD,
the God of your fathers, and carry out the filth from the holy place. [6]
For our fathers have been unfaithful and have done what was evil in the
sight of the LORD our God; they have forsaken him, and have turned away
their faces from the habitation of the LORD, and turned their backs. [7]
They also shut 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. [8] Therefore the wrath of the LORD came on Judah and Jerusalem,
and he has made them an object of horror, of astonishment, and of hissing,
as you see with your own eyes. [9] For lo, our fathers have fallen by the
sword and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity for
this. [10] Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the LORD, the God
of Israel, that his fierce anger may turn away from us. [11] My sons, do
not now be negligent, for the LORD has chosen you to stand in his presence,
to minister to him, and to be his ministers and burn incense to him." [12]
Then the Levites arose, Mahath the son of Ama'sai, and Jo'el the son of
Azari'ah, of the sons of the Ko'hathites; and of the sons of Merar'i, Kish
the son of Abdi, and Azari'ah the son of Jehal'lelel; and of the
Gershonites, Jo'ah the son of Zimmah, and Eden the son of Jo'ah; [13] and
of the sons of Eli-za'phan, Shimri and Jeu'el; and of the sons of Asaph,
Zechari'ah and Mattani'ah; [14] and of the sons of Heman, Jehu'el and
Shim'e-i; and of the sons of Jedu'thun, Shemai'ah and Uz'ziel. [15] They
gathered their brethren, and sanctified themselves, and went in as the king
had commanded, by the words of the LORD, to cleanse the house of the LORD.
[16] The 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 the brook Kidron. [17] They began to sanctify
on 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 sanctified
the house of the LORD, and on the sixteenth day of the first month they
finished. [18] Then they went in to Hezeki'ah 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. [19] All
the utensils which King Ahaz discarded in his reign when he was faithless,
we have made ready and sanctified; and behold, they are before the altar of
the LORD." [20] Then Hezeki'ah the king rose early and gathered the
officials of the city, and went up to the house of the LORD. [21] And they
brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven he-goats 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. [22] So they killed the bulls, and the priests received the blood and
threw it against the altar; and they killed the rams and their blood was
thrown against the altar; and they killed the lambs and their blood was
thrown against the altar. [23] Then the he-goats for the sin offering were
brought to the king and the assembly, and they laid their hands upon them,
[24] and the priests killed them and made a sin offering with their blood
on the altar, to make atonement for all Israel. For the king commanded that
the burnt offering and the sin offering should be made for all Israel. [25]
And he stationed the Levites in the house of the LORD with cymbals, harps,
and lyres, according to the commandment of David and of Gad the king's seer
and of Nathan the prophet; for the commandment was from the LORD through
his prophets. [26] The Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the
priests with the trumpets. [27] Then Hezeki'ah commanded that the burnt
offering be offered on the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the
song to the LORD began also, and the trumpets, accompanied by the
instruments of David king of Israel. [28] The whole assembly worshiped, and
the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded; all this continued until the
burnt offering was finished. [29] When the offering was finished, the king
and all who were present with him bowed themselves and worshiped. [30] And
Hezeki'ah the king and the princes 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. [31] Then
Hezeki'ah said, "You have now consecrated yourselves to 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 of a
willing heart brought burnt offerings. [32] The number of the burnt
offerings which the assembly brought was seventy bulls, a hundred rams, and
two hundred lambs; all these were for a burnt offering to the LORD. [33]
And the consecrated offerings were six hundred bulls and three thousand
sheep. [34] But the priests were too few and could not flay all the burnt
offerings, so until other priests had sanctified themselves their brethren
the Levites helped them, until the work was finished--for the Levites were
more upright in heart than the priests in sanctifying themselves. [35]
Besides the great number of burnt offerings there was the fat of the peace
offerings, and there were the libations for the burnt offerings. Thus the
service of the house of the LORD was restored. [36] And Hezeki'ah and all
the people rejoiced because of what God had done for the people; for the
thing came about suddenly.

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