(KJV) 2 Chronicles 29¹

⥃Hezekiah Cleanses the Temple ^{[ 2 Kings 18:1–12 ]}

[1] Hezekiah² 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 Zechariah³.⁴ [2] And he did [that which was] right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done.⁵

[3] [¶]He in the first⁶ year of his reign, in the first month, opened⁷ the doors of the house of the Lord, and repaired them.⁸ [4] And he brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them together into the east street⁹, [5] And said unto them, Hear me, ye Levites, sanctify now¹⁰ yourselves, and sanctify the house¹¹ of the Lord God of your fathers, and carry forth¹² the filthiness out of the holy [place]. [6] For our fathers¹³ have trespassed, and done [that which was] evil in the eyes of the Lord our God, and have forsaken him¹⁴, and have turned away¹⁵ their faces from the habitation of the Lord, and turned [their] backs¹⁶. [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.¹⁷¹⁸ [8] Wherefore¹⁹ the wrath of the Lord was upon Judah and Jerusalem, and he hath delivered²⁰ them to trouble²¹, to astonishment²², and to hissing, as ye see with your eyes. [9] For, lo, our fathers²³ have fallen by the sword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives [are] in captivity for this. [10] Now [it is²⁴] in mine heart to make a covenant²⁵ with the Lord God of Israel, that his fierce²⁶ wrath may turn away from us. [11] My sons, be not now negligent²⁷: for the Lord²⁸ hath chosen you to stand before him, to serve him, and that ye should minister unto him, and burn incense²⁹.

[12] Then the Levites arose, Mahath the son of Amasai, and Joel the son of Azariah, of the sons³⁰ of the Kohathites³¹: and of the sons³² of Merari, Kish the son of Abdi, and Azariah the son of Jehalelel: and of the Gershonites³³; Joah the son of Zimmah, and Eden the son of Joah: [13] And of the sons of Elizaphan³⁴; Shimri, and Jeiel: and of the sons of Asaph³⁵; Zechariah, and Mattaniah: [14] And of the sons of Heman³⁶; Jehiel, and Shimei: and of the sons of Jeduthun³⁷; Shemaiah, and Uzziel. [15] And they gathered their brethren, and sanctified themselves³⁸, and came, according to the commandment of the king, by the words of the Lord³⁹, to cleanse⁴⁰ the house of the Lord. [16] And the priests⁴¹ went into the inner part⁴² of the house of the Lord, to cleanse [it], and brought out all the uncleanness⁴³ 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 Kidron⁴⁴. [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 porch⁴⁵ of the Lord: so they sanctified the house of the Lord in eight days; and in the sixteenth⁴⁶ 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 altar⁴⁷ of burnt offering, with all the vessels thereof, and the shewbread⁴⁸ table, with all the vessels thereof. [19] Moreover all the vessels⁴⁹, which king Ahaz in his reign did cast away⁵⁰ in his transgression, have we prepared and sanctified, and, behold, they [are] before the altar of the Lord.

⥃Hezekiah Restores Temple Worship

[20] Then Hezekiah the king rose⁵¹ early, and gathered the rulers of the city, and went up to the house of the Lord. [21] And they brought⁵² seven⁵³ bullocks, and seven rams, and seven lambs, and seven he goats, for a sin offering⁵⁴ 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 sprinkled⁵⁵ [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 forth⁵⁶ the he goats [for] the sin offering before the king and the congregation; and they laid⁵⁷ their hands upon them: [24] And the priests killed them, and they made reconciliation⁵⁸ with their blood upon the altar, to make⁵⁹ an atonement for all Israel: for the king commanded [that] the burnt offering and the sin offering⁶⁰ [should be made] for all Israel. [25] And he set⁶¹ the Levites in the house of the Lord with cymbals, with psalteries, and with harps, according⁶² to the commandment of David, and of Gad⁶³ the king’s seer, and Nathan⁶⁴ the prophet: for [so was⁶⁵] the commandment of the Lord by his prophets⁶⁶. [26] And the Levites stood with the instruments⁶⁷ of David, and the priests⁶⁸ with the trumpets. [27] And Hezekiah commanded to offer the burnt offering upon the altar. And when⁶⁹ the burnt offering began, the song⁷⁰ of the Lord began [also] with the trumpets, and with the instruments⁷¹ [ordained] by David king of Israel. [28] And all the congregation⁷² worshipped, and the singers sang⁷³, 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 present⁷⁴ with him bowed themselves⁷⁵, and worshipped. [30] Moreover Hezekiah the king and the princes commanded the Levites to sing praise unto the Lord with the words⁷⁶ of David, and of Asaph the seer. And they sang⁷⁷ praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads and worshipped. [31] Then Hezekiah answered and said, Now ye have consecrated yourselves⁷⁸ unto the Lord, come near and bring sacrifices⁷⁹ and thank⁸⁰ offerings into the house of the Lord. And the congregation brought in sacrifices and thank offerings; and as many⁸¹ as were of a free heart burnt offerings. [32] And the number⁸² 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 consecrated⁸³ things [were] six hundred oxen and three thousand sheep. [34] But the priests⁸⁴ were too few, so that they could not flay all the burnt offerings: wherefore their brethren⁸⁵ the Levites did help them⁸⁶, till the work was ended, and until the [other] priests had sanctified themselves: for the Levites⁸⁷ [were] more upright⁸⁸ in heart to sanctify themselves than the priests. [35] And also the burnt⁸⁹ offerings [were] in abundance, with the fat⁹⁰ of the peace offerings, and the drink⁹¹ offerings for [every] burnt offering. So the⁹² service of the house of the Lord was set in order. [36] And Hezekiah rejoiced⁹³, and all the people, that God⁹⁴ had prepared the people: for the thing⁹⁵ was [done] suddenly.