1 A2 Kin 18:1-3Hezekiah became king when he was twenty-five years old; and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. 2 A2 Chr 28:1; 34:2He did right in the sight of the Loʀᴅ, according to all that his father David had done.

3 In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he A2 Chr 28:24; 29:7opened the doors of the house of the Loʀᴅ and repaired them. 4 He brought in the priests and the Levites and gathered them into the square on the east.

5 Then he said to them, “Listen to me, O Levites. A2 Chr 29:15, 34; 35:6Consecrate yourselves now, and consecrate the house of the Loʀᴅ, the God of your fathers, and carry the uncleanness out from the holy place. 6  “For our fathers have been unfaithful and have done evil in the sight of the Loʀᴅ our God, and have forsaken Him and AEzek 8:16turned their faces away from the dwelling place of the Loʀᴅ, and have 1Lit giventurned their backs. 7  “They have also A2 Chr 28:24shut the doors of the porch 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 A2 Chr 24:20the wrath of the Loʀᴅ was against Judah and Jerusalem, and He has made them an object of terror, of horror, and of BJer 25:9, 18hissing, as you see with your own eyes. 9  “For behold, A2 Chr 28:5-8, 17our 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 A2 Chr 23:16to make a covenant with the Loʀᴅ God of Israel, that His burning anger may turn away from us. 11  “My sons, do not be negligent now, for ANum 3:6; 8:6the Loʀᴅ has chosen you to stand before Him, to minister to Him, and to be His ministers and burn incense.”

12 Then the Levites arose: A2 Chr 31:13Mahath, the son of Amasai and Joel the son of Azariah, from the sons of BNum 3:19, 20the Kohathites; and from the sons of Merari, Kish the son of Abdi and Azariah the son of Jehallelel; and from the Gershonites, Joah the son of Zimmah and Eden the son of Joah; 13 and from the sons of Elizaphan, Shimri and 1Or JeuelJeiel; and from the sons of Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah; 14 and from the sons of Heman, 1Or Jehuel, 1 Chr 15:18, 20Jehiel and Shimei; and from the sons of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel. 15 They assembled their brothers, A2 Chr 29:5consecrated themselves, and went in B1 Chr 23:28to cleanse the house of the Loʀᴅ, according to the commandment of the king C2 Chr 30:12by the words of the Loʀᴅ. 16 So the priests went in to the inner part of the house of the Loʀᴅ to cleanse it, and every unclean thing which they found in the temple of the Loʀᴅ they brought out to the court of the house of the Loʀᴅ. Then the Levites received it to carry out to A2 Chr 15:16the Kidron 1Or wadivalley. 17 Now they began 1Lit to consecratethe consecration A2 Chr 29:3on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they entered the porch of the Loʀᴅ. Then they consecrated the house of the Loʀᴅ in eight days, and finished on the sixteenth day of the first month. 18 Then they went in to King Hezekiah and said, “We have cleansed the whole house of the Loʀᴅ, the altar of burnt offering with all of its utensils, and the table of showbread with all of its utensils. 19  “Moreover, A2 Chr 28:24all the utensils which King Ahaz had discarded during his reign in his unfaithfulness, we have prepared and consecrated; and behold, they are before the altar of the Loʀᴅ.”

20 Then King Hezekiah arose early and assembled the princes of the city and went up to the house of the Loʀᴅ. 21 They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs and seven male goats ALev 4:3-14for a sin offering for the kingdom, the sanctuary, and Judah. And he ordered the priests, the sons of Aaron, to offer them on the altar of the Loʀᴅ. 22 So they slaughtered the bulls, and the priests took the blood and sprinkled it on the altar. They also slaughtered the rams and sprinkled the blood on the altar; they slaughtered the lambs also and ALev 4:18sprinkled the blood on the altar. 23 Then they brought the male goats of the sin offering before the king and the assembly, and ALev 4:15they laid their hands on them. 24 The priests slaughtered them and purged the altar with their blood ALev 4:26to atone for all Israel, for the king ordered the burnt offering and the sin offering for all Israel.

25 A1 Chr 25:6He then stationed the Levites in the house of the Loʀᴅ with cymbals, with harps and with lyres, B2 Chr 8:14according to the command of David and of C2 Sam 24:11Gad the king’s seer, and of D2 Sam 7:2Nathan the prophet; for the command was from the Loʀᴅ through His prophets. 26 The Levites stood with A1 Chr 23:5the musical instruments of David, and B2 Chr 5:12the priests with the trumpets. 27 Then Hezekiah gave the order to offer the burnt offering on the altar. When the burnt offering began, A2 Chr 23:18the song to the Loʀᴅ also began with the trumpets, 1Lit and according to the authority of the instrumentsaccompanied by the instruments of David, king of Israel. 28 While the whole assembly worshiped, the singers also sang and the trumpets sounded; all this continued until the burnt offering was finished.

29 Now at the completion of the burnt offerings, A2 Chr 20:18the king and all who were present with him bowed down and worshiped. 30 Moreover, King Hezekiah and the officials ordered the Levites to sing praises to the Loʀᴅ with the words of David and Asaph the seer. APs 100:1; 106:12So they sang praises with joy, and bowed down and worshiped.

31 Then Hezekiah said, “A2 Chr 13:9Now that you have 1Lit filled your handsconsecrated yourselves to the Loʀᴅ, come near and bring sacrifices and thank offerings to the house of the Loʀᴅ.” And the assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and BEx 35:5, 22all those who were 2Lit willing of heartwilling brought burnt offerings. 32 The number of the burnt offerings which the assembly brought was 70 bulls, 100 rams, and 200 lambs; all these were for a burnt offering to the Loʀᴅ. 33 The consecrated things were 600 bulls and 3,000 sheep. 34 But the priests were too few, so that they were unable to skin all the burnt offerings; A2 Chr 35:11therefore their brothers the Levites helped them until the work was completed and until the other priests had consecrated themselves. For B2 Chr 30:3the Levites were more 1Lit upright of heartconscientious to consecrate themselves than the priests. 35 There were also 1Lit the burnt offerings to an abundanceA2 Chr 29:32many burnt offerings with BLev 3:16the fat of the peace offerings and with CNum 15:5-10the libations for the burnt offerings. Thus the service of the house of the Loʀᴅ was established again. 36 Then Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced over what God had prepared for the people, because the thing came about suddenly.