Hezekiah Cleanses the Temple
(2 Kings 18:1–12)

1Hezekiah became king, a son of twenty-five years, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. And the name of his mother was Abijah† daughter of Zechariah. 2And he did right in the eyes of YHWH, according to all that David his father had done.

3He, in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of YHWH and strengthened them. 4And he brought in the priests and the Levites, and he gathered them to the broad place to the east,

5and he said to them, “Hear me, O Levites! Now sanctify yourselves, and sanctify the house of YHWH, God of your⁺ fathers, and bring out the impurity from the sanctuary.

6For our fathers have trespassed and done evil in the eyes of YHWH our God, and they have forsaken Him and have turned away their faces from the dwelling place of YHWH, and have given the neck. 7Also they have shut up the doors of the porch, and they put out the lamps, and they have not burned incense, and the burnt offering they have not caused to ascend in the Holy Place to the God of Israel.

8And the wrath of YHWH is upon Judah and Jerusalem, and He has given them up for a trembling, to be a horror, and to be a hissing, as you⁺ all are seeing with your⁺ eyes. 9And behold, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity upon this.

10Now it is with my heart to cut a covenant before YHWH, God of Israel, that the burning of His anger may turn away from us. 11My sons, do not now be negligent, for YHWH has chosen you⁺ to stand before Him to serve Him, that you should be unto Him ministering and burning incense.”

12And the Levites arose:

Mahath son of Amasai and Joel son of Azariah, of the sons of the Kohathites;

and of the sons of Merari, Kish son of Abdi and Azariah son of Jehallelel;

and of the Gershonite, Joah son of Zimmah and Eden son of Joah;

13and of the sons of Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeiel;

and of the sons of Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah;

14and of the sons of Heman, Jehiel and Shimei;

and of the sons of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel.

15And they gathered their brothers and sanctified themselves, and they went in, according to the commandment of the king at the words of YHWH, to cleanse the house of YHWH.

16And the priests went into the inner part of the house of YHWH to cleanse it, and they brought out all the unclean things that they found in the temple of YHWH to the court of the house of YHWH. And the Levites took it and carried it out to the Kidron Valley. 17And they began to consecrate on the first of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they came to the porch of YHWH. And they sanctified the house of YHWH in eight days, and on the sixteenth day of the first month they finished.

18And they went inside to Hezekiah the king and said, “We have cleansed all the house of YHWH, the altar of burnt offerings and all its articles, and the table of the showbread and all its articles. 19And all the articles that King Ahaz had cast aside in his reign, in his unfaithfulness, we have prepared and consecrated, and there they are before the altar of YHWH.”

Hezekiah Restores Temple Worship

20And King Hezekiah rose early and gathered the rulers of the city and went up to the house of YHWH. 21And they brought seven bulls, and seven rams, and seven lambs, and seven male goats, for a sin offering for the kingdom, and for the sanctuary, and for Judah. And he commanded the sons of Aaron, the priests, to offer them on the altar of YHWH.

22And they killed the bulls, and the priests received the blood and sprinkled it on the altar; and they slaughtered the rams and sprinkled the blood on the altar; and they slaughtered the lambs and sprinkled the blood on the altar.

23And they brought out the male goats of the sin offering before the king and the assembly, and they laid their hands on them. 24And the priests killed them and made a sin offering with their blood on the altar, to make atonement upon all Israel. “For all Israel,” said the king, “The burnt offering and the sin offering.”

25And he stationed the Levites in the house of YHWH with cymbals, with harps, and with lyres, according to the commandment of David, and of Gad seer of the king, and of Nathan the prophet. For by the hand of YHWH was the command by the hand of His prophets. 26And the Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets.

27And Hezekiah said to offer the burnt offering on the altar. And at the time the burnt offering began, the song of YHWH began, and the trumpets, by the hands of the instruments of David king of Israel. 28And all the assembly worshiped, and the singers sang, and the trumpets sounded, all until the burnt offering was completed.

29And when the burnt offering was completed, the king bowed down, and all those found with him, and they worshiped. 30And Hezekiah the king said—and the leaders—to the Levites to sing praise to YHWH with the words of David and of Asaph the seer. And they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed down and worshiped.

31And Hezekiah answered and said, “Now that you⁺ have filled your⁺ hand to YHWH,† come near and bring sacrifices and thank offerings into the house of YHWH.”

And the assembly brought in sacrifices and thank offerings, and all of willing heart brought burnt offerings. 32And the number of the burnt offerings that the assembly brought was seventy bulls, a hundred rams, and two hundred lambs—all these for a burnt offering to YHWH. 33And the consecrated things were six hundred bulls and three thousand sheep.

34But the priests were too few, so that they could not skin all the burnt offerings. And their brothers the Levites strengthened them until the work was finished, and until the priests had sanctified themselves. For the Levites were more diligent of heart to consecrate themselves than the priests.

35And the burnt offerings were in abundance, with the fat of the peace offerings and with the drink offerings for the burnt offering. And the service of the house of YHWH was established. 36And Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced that God had prepared the people, for the matter had come to pass suddenly.