1 Hezekiah began to reign 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 He did that which was right in the eyes of
Yahweh, 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
Yahweh, and repaired them. 4 He brought in the priests and the Levites,
and gathered them together into the broad place on the east, 5 and said to
them, Hear me, you Levites; now sanctify yourselves, and sanctify the
house of Yahweh, the God of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out
of the holy place. 6 For our fathers have trespassed, and done that which
was evil in the sight of Yahweh our God, and have forsaken him, and have
turned away their faces from the habitation of Yahweh, and turned their
backs. 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 to the God of Israel. 8 Therefore the wrath of Yahweh was on Judah
and Jerusalem, and he has delivered them to be tossed back and forth, to be
an astonishment, and a hissing, as you see with your eyes. 9 For,
behold, our 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 to make
a covenant with Yahweh, the God of Israel, that his fierce anger may turn
away from us. 11 My sons, don’t be negligent now; for Yahweh has chosen
you to stand before him, to minister to him, and that you should be his
ministers, and burn incense. 12 Then the Levites arose, 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 Jehallelel;
and of the Gershonites, Joah the son of Zimmah, and Eden the son of Joah;
13 and of the sons of Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeuel; and of the sons of
Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah; 14 and of the sons of Heman, Jehuel and
Shimei; and of the sons of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel. 15 They gathered
their brothers, and sanctified themselves, and went in, according to the
commandment of the king by the words of Yahweh, to cleanse the house of
Yahweh. 16 The priests went in to the inner part of the house of Yahweh,
to cleanse it, and brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the
temple of Yahweh into the court of the house of Yahweh. The Levites took it,
to carry it out abroad to the brook Kidron. 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 porch of Yahweh; and they sanctified the house of
Yahweh in eight days: and on the sixteenth day of the first month they made
an end. 18 Then they went in to Hezekiah the king within the
palace, and said, We have cleansed all the house of Yahweh, and the altar
of burnt offering, with all the vessels of it, and the table of show bread,
with all the vessels of it. 19 Moreover all the vessels, which king Ahaz
in his reign did cast away when he trespassed, have we prepared and
sanctified; and, behold, they are before the altar of Yahweh. 20 Then
Hezekiah the king arose early, and gathered the princes of the city, and went
up to the house of Yahweh. 21 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. He commanded the priests the sons of Aaron
to offer them on the altar of Yahweh. 22 So they killed the bulls, and the
priests received the blood, and sprinkled it on the altar: and they killed
the rams, and sprinkled the blood on the altar: they killed also the lambs,
and sprinkled the blood on the altar. 23 They brought near the male goats
for the sin-offering before the king and the assembly; and they laid their
hands on them: 24 and the priests killed them, and they made a
sin-offering with their blood on the altar, to make atonement for all Israel;
for the king commanded that the burnt offering and the sin-offering
should be made for all Israel. 25 He set the Levites in the house
of Yahweh 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
the commandment was of Yahweh by his prophets. 26 The Levites stood with
the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets. 27 Hezekiah
commanded to offer the burnt offering on the altar. When the burnt offering
began, the song of Yahweh began also, and the trumpets, together with the
instruments of David king of Israel. 28 All the assembly worshiped, and
the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded; all this continued
until the burnt offering was finished. 29 When they had made an end of
offering, the king and all who were present with him bowed themselves and
worshiped. 30 Moreover Hezekiah the king and the princes commanded the
Levites to sing praises to Yahweh with the words of David, and of Asaph the
seer. They sang praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads and
worshiped. 31 Then Hezekiah answered, Now you have consecrated
yourselves to Yahweh; come near and bring sacrifices and thank-offerings into
the house of Yahweh. The assembly brought in sacrifices and thank-offerings;
and as many as were of a willing heart brought burnt offerings.
32 The number of the burnt offerings which the assembly brought was
seventy bulls, one hundred rams, and two hundred lambs: all these were for a
burnt offering to Yahweh. 33 The consecrated things were six hundred oxen
and three thousand sheep. 34 But the priests were too few, so that they
could not flay all the burnt offerings: therefore their brothers the Levites
helped them, until the work was ended, and until the priests had sanctified
themselves; for the Levites were more upright in heart to sanctify themselves
than the priests. 35 Also the burnt offerings were in abundance, with the
fat of the peace-offerings, and with the drink-offerings for every burnt
offering. So the service of the house of Yahweh was set in order.
36 Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people, because of that which God had
prepared for the people: for the thing was done suddenly.
World English Bible - Public Domain |
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