“1 Hezekiah began to reign [when he was] five and twenty years old,
and he reigned nine and twenty years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name
[was] Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. 2 And he did [that which was]
right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father
had done. 3 He in the first year of his reign, in the first month,
opened the doors of the house of the LORD, and repaired them. 4 And he
brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them together into
the east street, 5 And said unto them, Hear me, ye Levites, sanctify now
yourselves, and sanctify the house of the LORD God of your fathers, and
carry forth the filthiness out of the holy [place]. 6 For our fathers
have trespassed, and done [that which was] evil in the eyes of the LORD
our God, and have forsaken him, and have turned away their faces from
the habitation of the LORD, 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] unto the
God of Israel. 8 Wherefore the wrath of the LORD was upon Judah and
Jerusalem, and he hath delivered them to trouble, to astonishment, and
to hissing, as ye see with your 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 mine heart to make a covenant with
the LORD God of Israel, that his fierce wrath may turn away from us. 11
My sons, be not now negligent: for the LORD hath chosen you to stand
before him, to serve him, and that ye should minister unto him, 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 Jehalelel: and of the
Gershonites; Joah the son of Zimmah, and Eden the son of Joah: 13 And of
the sons of Elizaphan; Shimri, and Jeiel: and of the sons of Asaph;
Zechariah, and Mattaniah: 14 And of the sons of Heman; Jehiel, and
Shimei: and of the sons of Jeduthun; Shemaiah, and Uzziel. 15 And they
gathered their brethren, and sanctified themselves, and came, according
to the commandment of the king, by the words of the LORD, to cleanse the
house of the LORD. 16 And the priests went into the inner part of the
house of the LORD, to cleanse [it], and 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], to carry [it] out abroad into 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 came they to the porch of
the LORD: so they sanctified the house of the LORD in eight days; and in
the sixteenth day of the first month they made an end. 18 Then they went
in to Hezekiah the king, and said, We have cleansed all the house of the
LORD, and the altar of burnt offering, with all the vessels thereof, and
the shewbread table, with all the vessels thereof. 19 Moreover all the
vessels, which king Ahaz in his reign did cast away in his
transgression, have we prepared and sanctified, and, behold, they [are]
before the altar of the LORD.”
“20 Then Hezekiah the king rose early, and gathered the rulers of the
city, and went up to the house of the LORD. 21 And they brought seven
bullocks, and seven rams, and 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 bullocks, and the priests received the
blood, and sprinkled [it] on the altar: likewise, when they had killed
the rams, they sprinkled the blood upon the altar: they killed also the
lambs, and they sprinkled the blood upon the altar. 23 And they brought
forth the he goats [for] the sin offering before the king and the
congregation; and they laid their hands upon them: 24 And the priests
killed them, and they made reconciliation with their blood upon the
altar, to make an 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 set the Levites in the house of the LORD with cymbals,
with psalteries, and with harps, according to the commandment of David,
and of Gad the king’s seer, and Nathan the prophet: for [so was] the
commandment of the LORD by his prophets. 26 And the Levites stood with
the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets. 27 And
Hezekiah commanded to offer the burnt offering upon the altar. And when
the burnt offering began, the song of the LORD began [also] with the
trumpets, and with the instruments [ordained] by David king of Israel.
28 And all the congregation worshipped, and the singers sang, and the
trumpeters sounded: [and] all [this continued] until the burnt offering
was finished. 29 And when they had made an end of offering, the king and
all that were present with him bowed themselves, and worshipped. 30
Moreover Hezekiah the king and the princes commanded the Levites to sing
praise unto the LORD with the words of David, and of Asaph the seer. And
they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads and
worshipped. 31 Then Hezekiah answered and said, Now ye have consecrated
yourselves unto the LORD, come near and bring sacrifices and thank
offerings into the house of the LORD. And the congregation brought in
sacrifices and thank offerings; and as many as were of a free heart
burnt offerings. 32 And the number of the burnt offerings, which the
congregation brought, was threescore and ten bullocks, an hundred rams,
[and] two hundred lambs: all these [were] for a burnt offering to the
LORD. 33 And the consecrated things [were] six hundred oxen and three
thousand sheep. 34 But the priests were too few, so that they could not
flay all the burnt offerings: wherefore their brethren the Levites did
help them, till the work was ended, and until the [other] priests had
sanctified themselves: for the Levites [were] more upright in heart to
sanctify themselves than the priests. 35 And also the burnt offerings
[were] in abundance, with the fat of the peace offerings, and the drink
offerings for [every] burnt offering. So the service of the house of the
LORD was set in order. 36 And Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people,
that God had prepared the people: for the thing was [done] suddenly.” (2
Chronicles 29:1-36 AV)
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