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became king when he was twenty-five years old, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah. 2 He did what was right in the sight of the Lord, just as his father David had done.
3 In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the House of the Lord and repaired them. 4 He brought in the priest and Levites, assembled them in the square on the east side, 5 and said to them, “Hear me, Levites! Consecrate yourselves now, and consecrate the Temple of the Lord, the God of your fathers. Remove everything detestable from the holy place. 6 Our fathers have been unfaithful; they have done what was evil in the eyes of the Lord our God. They have forsaken Him and turned their faces away from the dwelling place of the Lord, and turned their backs. 7 They have also shut up the doors of the portico and put out the lamps. They have not burned incense or offered burnt offerings in the holy place of the God of Israel. 8 Therefore the wrath of the Lord fell upon Judah and Jerusalem, and He has made them an object of terror and horror and scorn, as you see with your own eyes. 9 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 the Lord, the God of Israel, so that His fierce wrath may turn away from us. 11 My sons, do not now be negligent, the Lord has chosen you to stand in His presence, to serve Him, and to minister to him and burn incense.”
12 Then the Levites set to work:
from the sons of the Kohathites,
Mahath son of Amasai and Joel son of Azariah;
from the sons of Merari,
Kish son of Abdi and Azariah son of Jehallelel;
of the Gershonites,
Joah son of Zimmah and Eden son of Joah;
13 from the sons of Elizaphan,
Shimri and Jeuel;
from the sons of Asaph,
Zechariah and Mattaniah;
14 from the sons of Heman,
Jehuel and Shimei;
from the sons of Jeduthun,
Shemaiah and Uzziel.
15 They gathered their brothers together and consecrated themselves, and went in according to the king’s command to cleanse the House of the Lord, in obedience to the word of the Lord.
16 The priests went into the inner part of the House of the Lord to cleanse it. They brought out all the unclean things they found in the Lord’s temple into the courtyard of the House of the Lord. Then the Levites received them and carried them outside to the Kidron Valley. 17 They began the consecration on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they came to the portico of the Lord. Then they consecrated the House of the Lord for eight days, and on the sixteenth day of the first month they finished.
18 Then they went inside to King Hezekiah and said, “We have cleansed the whole Temple of the Lord, the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the table of consecrated bread and all its utensils. 19 All the utensils that King Ahaz discarded during his reign when he became unfaithful, we have prepared and consecrated. They are now in front of the altar of the Lord.”
20 King Hezekiah rose early the next morning, and he assembled the city officials and went up to the House of the Lord. 21 They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats as a sin offering for the kingdom, for the sanctuary, and for Judah. Then he ordered the priests, the sons of Aaron, to offer them on the altar of the Lord. 22 So they slaughtered the bulls, and the priests received the blood and sprinkled it on the altar. Likewise when they had slaughtered the rams, they sprinkled the blood on the altar; they also killed the lambs, and they sprinkled the blood on the altar. 23 Then they brought out the male goats for the sin offering before the king and the congregation, and they laid their hands on them. 24 Then the priests slaughtered them, and placed their blood on the altar for a sin offering, to make atonement for all Israel, for the king had commanded that the burnt offering and the sin offering were for all Israel.
25 Hezekiah stationed the Levites in the House of the Lord with symbols, harps, and lyres according to the command of David, Gad the king’s seer, and Nathan the prophet. For this command came from the Lord through His prophets. 26 The Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets.
27 Then Hezekiah commanded that the burnt offering be offered on the altar. When the burnt offerings began, the song to the Lord began also, accompanied by the trumpets and the instruments ordained by David king of Israel. 28 So the whole assembly worshipped, while the singers sang and the trumpets sounded, and all of this continued until the burnt offering was completed.
29 When the offerings were completed, the king and all who were present with him bowed down and worshipped. 30 Then King Hezekiah and the officials commanded the Levites to sing praise to the Lord with the words of David and of Asaph the seer. So they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed down and worshipped.
31 Then Hezekiah said, “Now you have consecrated yourselves to the Lord. Come near and bring sacrifices and thank offerings to the House of the Lord.” So the congregation brought in sacrifices and thank offerings, and all those with willing hearts brought burnt offerings.
32 The number of burnt offerings that the congregation brought was seventy bulls, a hundred rams, and two hundred lambs; all these were for a burnt offering to the Lord. 33 The consecrated offerings were six hundred bulls and three thousand sheep. 34 But the priests were too few, so they were not able to skin all the burnt offerings; therefore their brothers the Levites helped them until the work was completed, and until the other priests had consecrated themselves. For the Levites were more conscientious to consecrate themselves than the priests. 35 There were also burnt offerings in abundance with the fat of the fellowship offerings and the drink offerings that accompanied the burnt offerings.
So the service of the House of the Lord was restored. 36 Then Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced over what God had prepared for the people; for it had come about suddenly.