﻿2 Chronicles.
Chapter 29.
Hezekiah became king at twenty-five years of age, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah. 
He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, according to all his father David had done. 
In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the LORD and repaired them. 
He brought in the priests and Levites and gathered them in the eastern square. 
He said to them, “Listen to me, Levites. Now consecrate yourselves and consecrate the house of the LORD, the God of your fathers. Remove the uncleanness from the sanctuary. 
For our fathers were unfaithful and did evil in the eyes of the LORD our God. They abandoned him, turned their faces away from the dwelling of the LORD, and turned their backs. 
They also shut the doors of the porch and extinguished the lamps. They did not burn incense or offer burnt offerings in the sanctuary to the God of Israel. 
So the wrath of the LORD came upon Judah and Jerusalem, and he made them an object of terror, horror, and hissing, as you see with your own eyes. 
Because of this, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons, daughters, and wives are in captivity. 
Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the LORD, the God of Israel, so that his fierce anger may turn away from us. 
My sons, do not be negligent now, for the LORD has chosen you to stand before him, to serve him, and to be his ministers and burn incense.” 
Then the Levites arose: from the Kohathites, Mahath son of Amasai and Joel son of Azariah; 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; 
from the sons of Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeuel; from the sons of Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah; 
from the sons of Heman, Jehuel and Shimei; and from the sons of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel. 
They gathered their brothers, consecrated themselves, and came to cleanse the house of the LORD according to the king's command, in keeping with the words of the LORD. 
The priests entered the inner part of the house of the LORD to cleanse it. They brought out into the court of the house of the LORD all the uncleanness they found in the temple of the LORD. The Levites received it to carry it outside to the Brook Kidron. 
They began the consecration on the first day of the first month. On the eighth day of the month they reached the porch of the LORD. They consecrated the house of the LORD in eight days and finished on the sixteenth day of the first month. 
They went in to King Hezekiah and said, “We have cleansed the whole house of the LORD, the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the table of the bread of the Presence with all its utensils. 
We have also prepared and consecrated all the utensils King Ahaz discarded during his reign in his unfaithfulness. They are now before the altar of the LORD.” 
King Hezekiah rose early, gathered the leaders of the city, and went up to the house of the LORD. 
They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats for a sin offering for the kingdom, the sanctuary, and Judah. He commanded the priests, the sons of Aaron, to offer them on the altar of the LORD. 
They slaughtered the bulls, and the priests received the blood and dashed it against the altar. They slaughtered the rams and dashed the blood against the altar. They slaughtered the lambs and dashed the blood against the altar. 
They brought the male goats for the sin offering before the king and the assembly, who laid their hands on them. 
The priests slaughtered them and offered their blood on the altar as a sin offering, to make atonement for all Israel. For the king had commanded that the burnt offering and sin offering be for all Israel. 
He 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 came from the LORD through his prophets. 
The Levites stood with David's instruments, and the priests with the trumpets. 
Hezekiah commanded that the burnt offering be offered on the altar. When the burnt offering began, the song of the LORD began, with the trumpets and the accompaniment of the instruments of David king of Israel. 
The whole assembly worshiped, the singers sang, and the trumpets sounded. All this continued until the burnt offering was finished. 
When they finished offering, the king and all who were present with him knelt and worshiped. 
King Hezekiah and the leaders commanded the Levites to praise the LORD with the words of David and Asaph the seer. They praised with gladness, bowed down, and worshiped. 
Then Hezekiah said, “Now you have consecrated yourselves to the LORD. Come near and bring sacrifices and thank offerings to the house of the LORD.” The assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and all who were willing in heart brought burnt offerings. 
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. 
The consecrated offerings were six hundred cattle and three thousand sheep and goats. 
But the priests were too few to skin all the burnt offerings, so their brothers the Levites helped them until the work was finished and the priests had consecrated themselves. For the Levites were more upright in heart than the priests in consecrating themselves. 
There were also abundant burnt offerings, 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 set in order. 
Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced over what God had prepared for the people, for it had happened suddenly. 
