‏ 2 Chronicles 29

1And Ezekias began to reign at the age of twenty-five years, and he reigned twenty-nine yearsin Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Abia, daughter of Zacharias. 2And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fatherDavid had done. 3And it came to pass, when he was established over his kingdom, in the first month, heopened the doors of the house of the Lord, and repaired them. 4And he brought in the priests and the Levites, and put them on the east side, 5and said to them, Hear, you⌃ Levites: now sanctify yourselves, and sanctify the houseof the Lord God of your fathers, and cast out the impurity from the holy places. 6For our fathers have revolted, and done that which was evil before the Lord our God, andhave forsaken him, and have turned away their face from the tabernacle of the Lord, and have turnedtheir back. 7And they have shut up the doors of the temple, and put out the lamps, and have not burntincense, and have not offered whole burnt offerings in the holyplace to the God of Israel. 8And the Lord was very angry with Juda and Jerusalem, and made them an astonishment, anda desolation, and a hissing, as you⌃ see with your eyes. 9And, behold, your fathers have been struck with the sword, and your sons and your daughtersand your wives are in captivity in a land not their own, as it is even now. 10Therefore it is now in my heart to make a covenant, a covenant with the Lord God of Israel,that he may turn away his fierce wrath from us. 11And now be not lackingto your duty, for the Lord has chosen you to stand before him to minister, and to be ministersand burners of incense to him. 12Then the Levites rose up, Maath the son of Amasi, and Joel the son of Azarias, of thesons of Caath: and of the sons of Merari, Kis the son of Abdi, and Azarias the son of Haelel: and of thesons of Gedsoni, Jodaad the son of Zemmath, and Joadam: thesewere the sons of Joacha. 13And of the sons of Elisaphan; Zambri, and Jeiel: and of the sons of Asaph; Zacharias,and Matthanias: 14and of the sons of Aeman; Jeiel, and Semei: and of the sons of Idithun; Samaisa, andOziel. 15And they gathered their brethren, and they purified themselves according to the king'scommand by the order of the Lord, to purify the house of the Lord. 16And the priests entered into the house of the Lord, to purifyit, and they cast out all the uncleanness that was found in the house of the Lord, even intothe court of the house of the Lord: and the Levites receivedit to cast into the brook of Kedron without. 17AndEzekias began on the first day,even on the new moon of the first month, to purify, and on the eighth day of the month theyentered into the temple of the Lord: and they purified the house of the Lord in eight days; and on thethirteenth day of the first month they finishedthe work. 18And they went in to king Ezekias, and said, We have purified all the things in the houseof the Lord, the altar of whole burnt offering, and its vessels, and the table of show-bread, and itsvessels; 19and all the vessels which king Achaz polluted in his reign, in his apostasy, we haveprepared and purified: behold, they are before the altar of the Lord. 20And king Ezekias rose early in the morning, and gathered the chief men of the city, andwent up to the house of the Lord. 21And he brought seven calves, seven rams, seven lambs, seven kids of goats for a sin-offering,for the kingdom, and for the holy things, and for Israel: and he told the priests the sons of Aaron togo up to the altar of the Lord. 22And they killed the calves, and the priests received the blood, and poured it on thealtar: and they killed the rams, and poured the blood upon the altar: also they killed the lambs, andpoured the blood round the altar. 23And they brought the goats for a sin-offering before the king and the congregation; andlaid their hands upon them. 24And the priests killed them, and offered their blood as a propitiation on the altar;and they made atonement for all Israel: for the king said, The whole burnt offering, and the sin-offeringare for all Israel. 25And he stationed the Levites in the house of the Lord with cymbals, and lutes, and harps,according to the commandment of king David, and of Gad the king's seer, and Nathan the prophet: for bythe commandment of the Lord the orderwas in the hand of the prophets. 26And the Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets. 27And Ezekias toldthem to offer up the whole burnt offering on the altar: and when they began to offer the whole burnt offering,they began to sing to the Lord, and the trumpetsaccompanied the instruments of David king of Israel. 28And all the congregation worshipped, and the psalm-singerswere singing, and the trumpets sounding, until the whole burnt sacrifice had been completelyoffered. 29And when they had done offeringit, the king and all that were present bowed, and worshipped. 30And king Ezekias and the princes told the Levites to sing hymns to the Lord in the wordsof David, and of Asaph the prophet: and they sang hymns with gladness, and fell down and worshipped. 31Then Ezekias answered and said, Now you⌃ have consecrated yourselves to the Lord, bringnear and offer sacrifices of praise in the house of the Lord. And the congregation brought sacrificesand thank-offerings into the house of the Lord; and every one who was ready in his heartbrought whole burnt offerings. 32And the number of the whole burnt offerings which the congregation brought, was seventycalves, a hundred rams, two hundred lambs: all thesewere for a whole burnt offering to the Lord. 33And the consecrated calves were six hundred,and the sheep three thousand. 34But the priests were few, and could not flay the whole burnt offering, so their brethrenthe Levites helped them, until the work was finished, and until the priests had purified themselves: forthe Levitesmore zealously purifiedthemselves than the priests. 35And the whole burnt offeringwas abundant, with the fat of the complete peace-offering, and the drink-offerings of the whole burnt sacrifice.So the service was established in the house of the Lord. 36And Ezekias and all the people rejoiced, because God has prepared the people: for thething was done suddenly.

Copyright information for EngLXX