1Hezekiah 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 Zechariah . 2And he did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah , 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 Jehovah , and repaired them .
The Cleansing of the Temple
4And he brought in the priests and the Levites , and gathered them together into the broad place on the east , 5and said unto them , Hear me , ye Levites ; now sanctify yourselves , and sanctify the house of Jehovah , the God of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place . 6For our fathers have trespassed , and done that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah our God , and have forsaken him , and have turned away their faces from the habitation of Jehovah , and turned their backs . 7Also 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 .
The Call to Repentance
8Wherefore the wrath of Jehovah was upon Judah and Jerusalem , and he hath delivered them to be tossed to and fro, to be an astonishment , and a hissing , as ye see with your eyes . 9For , lo , our fathers have fallen by the sword , and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity for this . 10Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with Jehovah , the God of Israel , that his fierce anger may turn away from us .
The Restoration of Worship
11My sons , be not now negligent ; for Jehovah hath chosen you to stand before him , to minister unto him , and that ye should be his ministers , and burn incense . 12Then 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 ; 13and of the sons of Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeuel ; and of the sons of Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah ; 14and of the sons of Heman , Jehuel and Shimei ; and of the sons of Jeduthun , Shemaiah and Uzziel . 15And they gathered their brethren, and sanctified themselves , and went in , according to the commandment of the king by the words of Jehovah , to cleanse the house of Jehovah . 16And the priests went in unto the inner part of the house of Jehovah , to cleanse it , and brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of Jehovah into the court of the house of Jehovah . And the Levites took it , to carry it out abroad to the brook Kidron . 17Now 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 Jehovah ; and they sanctified the house of Jehovah in eight days : and on the sixteenth day of the first month they made an end . 18Then they went in to Hezekiah the king within the palace , and said, We have cleansed all the house of Jehovah , and the altar of burnt-offering, with all the vessels thereof , and the table of showbread , with all the vessels thereof . 19Moreover 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 Jehovah . 20Then Hezekiah the king arose early , and gathered the princes of the city , and went up to the house of Jehovah . 21And they brought 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 commanded the priests the sons of Aaron to offer them on the altar of Jehovah . 22So they killed the bullocks , and the priests received the blood , and sprinkled it on the altar : and they killed the rams, and sprinkled the blood upon the altar : they killed also the lambs , and sprinkled the blood upon the altar . 23And they brought near the he-goats for the sin-offering before the king and the assembly ; and they laid their hands upon them : 24and the priests killed them , and they made a sin-offering with their blood upon 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 . 25And he set the Levites in the house of Jehovah 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 Jehovah by his prophets . 26And the Levites stood with the instruments of David , and the priests with the trumpets . 27And Hezekiah commanded to offer the burnt-offering upon the altar . And when the burnt-offering began , the song of Jehovah began also , and the trumpets , together with the instruments of David king of Israel . 28And all the assembly worshipped , and the singers sang , and the trumpeters sounded ; all this continued until the burnt-offering was finished . 29And when they had made an end of offering , the king and all that were present with him bowed themselves and worshipped . 30Moreover Hezekiah the king and the princes commanded the Levites to sing praises unto Jehovah with the words of David , and of Asaph the seer . And they sang praises with gladness , and they bowed their heads and worshipped . 31Then Hezekiah answered and said , Now ye have consecrated yourselves unto Jehovah ; come near and bring sacrifices and thank-offerings into the house of Jehovah . And the assembly brought in sacrifices and thank-offerings; and as many as were of a willing heart brought burnt-offerings. 32And the number of the burnt-offerings which the assembly brought was threescore and ten bullocks , a hundred rams, and two hundred lambs : all these were for a burnt-offering to Jehovah . 33And the consecrated things were six hundred oxen and three thousand sheep . 34But the priests were too few , so that they could not flay all the burnt-offerings: wherefore their brethren the Levites did help them , till 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 . 35And 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 Jehovah was set in order . 36And Hezekiah rejoiced , and all the people , because of that which God had prepared for the people : for the thing was done suddenly .