Chapter 29
1 Hezekiah began to reign when he was twenty-five years old , and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem . His mother’s name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah .
2 He did that which was right in Yahweh ’s eyes , 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 Yahweh ’s house and repaired them .
4 He brought in the priests and the Levites and gathered them together into the wide place on the east ,
5 and said to them , " Listen to me , you Levites ! Now sanctify yourselves , and sanctify the house of Yahweh , the God of your fathers, and carry the filthiness out of the holy place .
6 For our fathers were unfaithful , and have done that which was evil in Yahweh our God ’s sight , and have forsaken him , and have turned away their faces from the habitation of Yahweh , and turned their backs .
7 Also they have shut up the doors of the porch, and put out the lamps , and have not burned incense nor offered burnt offerings in the holy place to the God of Israel .
8 Therefore Yahweh ’s wrath was on Judah and Jerusalem , and he has delivered them to be tossed back and forth , to be an astonishment and a hissing , as you see with your eyes .
9 For behold , 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 Yahweh , the God of Israel , that his fierce anger may turn away from us .
11 My sons , don’t be negligent now ; for Yahweh has chosen you to stand before him , to minister to him , and that you should be his ministers and burn incense ."
12 Then the Levites arose : Mahath , the son of Amasai , and Joel the son of Azariah , of the sons of the Kohathites ; and of the sons of Merari , Kish the son of Abdi , and Azariah the son of Jehallelel ; and of the Gershonites , Joah the son of Zimmah , and Eden the son of Joah ;
13 and of the sons of Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeuel ; and of the sons of Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah ;
14 and of the sons of Heman , Jehuel and Shimei ; and of the sons of Jeduthun , Shemaiah and Uzziel .
15 They gathered their brothers, sanctified themselves , and went in , according to the commandment of the king by Yahweh ’s words , to cleanse Yahweh ’s house .
16 The priests went into the inner part of Yahweh ’s house to cleanse it , and brought out all the uncleanness that they found in Yahweh ’s temple into the court of Yahweh ’s house . The Levites took it from there to carry it out to the brook Kidron .
17 Now they began on the first day of the first month to sanctify , and on the eighth day of the month they came to Yahweh ’s porch. They sanctified Yahweh ’s house in eight days , and on the sixteenth day of the first month they finished .
18 Then they went in to Hezekiah the king within the palace and said, " We have cleansed all Yahweh ’s house , including the altar of burnt offering with all its vessels , and the table of show bread with all its vessels .
19 Moreover, we have prepared and sanctified all the vessels which King Ahaz threw away in his reign when he was unfaithful . Behold , they are before Yahweh ’s altar ."
20 Then Hezekiah the king arose early , gathered the princes of the city , and went up to Yahweh ’s house .
21 They 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 priests the sons of Aaron to offer them on Yahweh ’s altar .
22 So they killed the bulls , and the priests received the blood and sprinkled it on the altar . They killed the rams and sprinkled the blood on the altar . They also killed the lambs and sprinkled the blood on the altar .
23 They brought near the male goats for the sin offering before the king and the assembly ; and they laid their hands on them .
24 Then the priests killed them , and they 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 He set the Levites in Yahweh ’s house with cymbals , with stringed instruments, and with harps , according to the commandment of David , of Gad the king ’s seer , and Nathan the prophet ; for the commandment was from Yahweh by his prophets .
26 The Levites stood with David ’s instruments , and the priests with the trumpets .
27 Hezekiah commanded them to offer the burnt offering on the altar . When the burnt offering began , Yahweh ’s song also began , along with the trumpets and instruments of David king of Israel .
28 All the assembly worshiped , the singers sang , and the trumpeters sounded . All this continued until the burnt offering was finished .
29 When they had finished offering , the king and all who were present with him bowed themselves and worshiped .
30 Moreover Hezekiah the king and the princes commanded the Levites to sing praises to Yahweh with the words of David , and of Asaph the seer . They sang praises with gladness , and they bowed their heads and worshiped .
31 Then Hezekiah answered , " Now you have consecrated yourselves to Yahweh . Come near and bring sacrifices and thank offerings into Yahweh ’s house ." The assembly brought in sacrifices and thank offerings , and as many as were of a willing heart brought burnt offerings .
32 The number of the burnt offerings which the assembly brought was seventy bulls , one hundred rams, and two hundred lambs . All these were for a burnt offering to Yahweh .
33 The consecrated things were six hundred head of cattle and three thousand sheep .
34 But the priests were too few , so that they could not skin all the burnt offerings . Therefore their brothers the Levites helped them until the work was ended , and until the priests had sanctified themselves , for the Levites were more upright in heart to sanctify themselves than the priests .
35 Also the burnt offerings were in abundance , with the fat of the peace offerings and with the drink offerings for every burnt offering . So the service of Yahweh ’s house was set in order .
36 Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced because of that which God had prepared for the people ; for the thing was done suddenly .