2 Chronicles 29:1-24 ▼

1 Hezekiah 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.

2 And he did right in the eyes of YHWH, 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 YHWH and strengthened them.

4 And he brought in the priests and the Levites, and he gathered them to the broad place to the east,

5 and 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.

6 For 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.

7 Also 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.

8 And 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.

9 And behold, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity upon this.

10 Now 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.

11 My 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.”

12 And 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;

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 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.

16 And 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 outside to the Kidron Valley.

17 And 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.

18 And 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.

19 And 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.”

20 And King Hezekiah rose early and gathered the rulers of the city and went up to the house of YHWH.

21 And 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.

22 And 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.

23 And they brought out the male goats of the sin offering before the king and the assembly, and they laid their hands on them.

24 And the priests slaughtered them, and they cleansed from sin 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.”