Chapter 29

Hezekiah began to reign¹ [when he was] five and twenty years old, and he reigned¹ nine and twenty years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name [was] Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah.

And he did⁴ [that which was] right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father had done.¹

He in the first year of his reign,² in the first month, opened¹ the doors of the house of the LORD, and repaired¹⁷ them.

And he brought in⁵⁵ the priests and the Levites, and gathered⁴ them together into the east street,

And said⁴ unto them, Hear³ me, ye Levites, sanctify¹⁰⁰ now yourselves, and sanctify¹⁶ the house of the LORD God of your fathers, and carry forth⁵⁴ the filthiness out of the holy [place].

For our fathers have trespassed,¹ and done¹ [that which was] evil in the eyes of the LORD our God, and have forsaken⁴ him, and have turned away⁵⁵ their faces from the habitation of the LORD, and turned⁴ [their] backs.

Also they have shut up¹ the doors of the porch, and put out¹⁷ the lamps, and have not burned⁵² incense nor offered⁵² burnt offerings in the holy [place] unto the God of Israel.

Wherefore the wrath of the LORD was upon Judah and Jerusalem, and he hath delivered⁴ them to trouble, ²¹¹³ to astonishment, and to hissing, as ye see⁶ with your eyes.

For, lo, our fathers have fallen¹ by the sword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives [are] in captivity for this.

Now [it is] in mine heart to make² a covenant with the LORD God of Israel, that his fierce wrath may turn away⁴ from us.

My sons, be not now negligent:¹¹ for the LORD hath chosen¹ you to stand² before him, to serve¹⁵ him, and that ye should minister¹⁸ unto him, and burn incense.⁵⁶

Then the Levites arose,⁴ Mahath the son of Amasai, and Joel the son of Azariah, of the sons of the Kohathites: and of the sons of Merari, Kish the son of Abdi, and Azariah the son of Jehalelel: and of the Gershonites; Joah the son of Zimmah, and Eden the son of Joah:

And of the sons of Elizaphan; Shimri, and Jeiel: and of the sons of Asaph; Zechariah, and Mattaniah:

And of the sons of Heman; Jehiel, and Shimei: and of the sons of Jeduthun; Shemaiah, and Uzziel.

And they gathered⁴ their brethren, and sanctified¹⁰¹ themselves, and came,⁴ according to the commandment of the king, by the words of the LORD, to cleanse¹⁵ the house of the LORD.

And the priests went⁴ into the inner part of the house of the LORD, to cleanse¹⁵ [it], and brought out⁵⁵ all the uncleanness that they found¹ in the temple of the LORD into the court of the house of the LORD. And the Levites took¹⁷ [it], to carry [it] out⁵³ abroad into the brook Kidron.

Now they began⁵⁵ on the first [day] of the first month to sanctify,¹⁵ and on the eighth day of the month came¹ they to the porch of the LORD: so they sanctified¹⁷ the house of the LORD in eight days; and in the sixteenth ⁶²⁴⁰ day of the first month they made an end.¹⁴

Then they went⁴ in to Hezekiah the king, and said,⁴ We have cleansed¹⁴ all the house of the LORD, and the altar of burnt offering, with all the vessels thereof, and the shewbread table, with all the vessels thereof.

Moreover all the vessels, which king Ahaz in his reign did cast away⁵² in his transgression, have we prepared⁵² and sanctified,⁵² and, behold, they [are] before the altar of the LORD.

Then Hezekiah the king rose early,⁵⁵ and gathered⁴ the rulers of the city, and went up⁴ to the house of the LORD.

And they brought⁵⁵ seven bullocks, and seven rams, and seven lambs, and seven he goats, for a sin offering for the kingdom, and for the sanctuary, and for Judah. And he commanded⁴ the priests the sons of Aaron to offer⁵³ [them] on the altar of the LORD.

So they killed⁴ the bullocks, and the priests received¹⁷ the blood, and sprinkled⁴ [it] on the altar: likewise, when they had killed⁴ the rams, they sprinkled⁴ the blood upon the altar: they killed⁴ also the lambs, and they sprinkled⁴ the blood upon the altar.

And they brought forth⁵⁵ the he goats [for] the sin offering before the king and the congregation; and they laid⁴ their hands upon them:

And the priests killed⁴ them, and they made reconciliation¹⁷ with their blood upon the altar, to make an atonement¹⁵ for all Israel: for the king commanded¹ [that] the burnt offering and the sin offering [should be made] for all Israel.

And he set⁵⁵ the Levites in the house of the LORD with cymbals, with psalteries, and with harps, according to the commandment of David, and of Gad the king's seer, and Nathan the prophet: for [so was] the commandment ³⁰²⁷ of the LORD by his prophets.

And the Levites stood⁴ with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets.

And Hezekiah commanded⁴ to offer⁵³ the burnt offering upon the altar. And when the burnt offering began,⁵² the song of the LORD began⁵² [also] with the trumpets, and with the instruments [ordained] by David king of Israel.

And all the congregation worshipped,¹⁰² and the singers sang,³⁵ and the trumpeters sounded:^{56 2690 18} [and] all [this continued] until the burnt offering was finished.²

And when they had made an end¹⁵ of offering,⁵³ the king and all that were present¹² with him bowed¹ themselves, and worshipped.¹⁰¹

Moreover Hezekiah the king and the princes commanded⁴ the Levites to sing praise¹⁵ unto the LORD with the words of David, and of Asaph the seer. And they sang praises¹⁷ with gladness, and they bowed their heads⁴ and worshipped.¹⁰¹

Then Hezekiah answered⁴ and said,⁴ Now ye have consecrated¹⁴ yourselves unto the LORD, come near³ and bring⁵⁴ sacrifices and thank offerings into the house of the LORD. And the congregation brought in⁵⁵ sacrifices and thank offerings; and as many as were of a free heart burnt offerings.

And the number of the burnt offerings, which the congregation brought,⁵² was threescore and ten bullocks, an hundred rams, [and] two hundred lambs: all these [were] for a burnt offering to the LORD.

And the consecrated things [were] six hundred oxen and three thousand sheep.

But the priests were too few, so that they could¹ not flay⁵³ all the burnt offerings: wherefore their brethren the Levites did help¹⁷ them, till the work was ended,² and until the [other] priests had sanctified¹⁰¹ themselves: for the Levites [were] more upright in heart to sanctify⁹⁹ themselves than the priests.

And also the burnt offerings [were] in abundance, with the fat of the peace offerings, and the drink offerings for [every] burnt offering. So the service of the house of the LORD was set in order.¹¹

And Hezekiah rejoiced,⁴ and all the people, that God had prepared⁵² the people: for the thing was [done] suddenly.