2 Chronicles 29

Hezekiah Succeeds Ahaz in Judah

1 ¹Hezekiah became king 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 ²He did right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father David had done.

3 In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he ³opened the doors of the house of the LORD and repaired them.

4 He brought in the priests and the Levites and gathered them into the square on the east.

Reforms Begun

5 Then he said to them, "Listen to me, O Levites. ⁴Consecrate yourselves now, and consecrate the house of the LORD, the God of your fathers, and carry the uncleanness out from the holy place.

6 "For our fathers have been unfaithful and have done evil in the sight of the LORD our God, and have forsaken Him and ⁵turned their faces away from the dwelling place of the LORD, and have turned their backs.

7 "They have also ⁶shut the doors of the porch and put out the lamps, and have not burned incense or offered burnt offerings in the holy place to the God of Israel.

8 "Therefore ⁷the wrath of the LORD was against Judah and Jerusalem, and He has made them an object of terror, of horror, and of ⁸hissing, as you see with your own eyes.

9 "For behold, ⁹our 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 ¹⁰to make a covenant with the LORD God of Israel, that His burning anger may turn away from us.

11 "My sons, do not be negligent now, for ¹¹the LORD has chosen you to stand before Him, to minister to Him, and to be His ministers and burn incense."

12 Then the Levites arose: ¹²Mahath, the son of Amasai and Joel the son of Azariah, from the sons of ¹³the Kohathites; and from the sons of Merari, Kish the son of Abdi and Azariah the son of Jehallelel; and from the Gershonites, Joah the son of Zimmah and Eden the son of Joah;

13 and from the sons of Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeiel; and from the sons of Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah;

14 and from the sons of Heman, Jehiel and Shimei; and from the sons of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel.

15 They assembled their brothers, ¹⁴consecrated themselves, and went in ¹⁵to cleanse the house of the LORD, according to the commandment of the king ¹⁶by the words of the LORD.

16 So the priests went in to the inner part of the house of the LORD to cleanse it, and every unclean thing which they found in the temple of the LORD they brought out to the court of the house of the LORD. Then the Levites received it to carry out to ¹⁷the Kidron valley.

17 Now they began the consecration ¹⁸on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they entered the porch of the LORD. Then they consecrated the house of the LORD in eight days, and finished on the sixteenth * day of the first month.

18 Then they went in to King Hezekiah and said, "We have cleansed the whole house of the LORD, the altar of burnt offering with all of its utensils, and the table of showbread with all of its utensils.

19 "Moreover, ¹⁹all the utensils which King Ahaz had discarded during his reign in his unfaithfulness, we have prepared and consecrated; and behold, they are before the altar of the LORD."

Hezekiah Restores Temple Worship

20 Then King Hezekiah arose early and assembled the princes of the city and went up to the house of the LORD.

21 They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs and seven male goats ²⁰for a sin offering for the kingdom, the sanctuary, and Judah. And 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 took the blood and sprinkled it on the altar. They also slaughtered the rams and sprinkled the blood on the altar; they slaughtered the lambs also and ²¹sprinkled the blood on the altar.

23 Then they brought the male goats of the sin offering before the king and the assembly, and ²²they laid their hands on them.

24 The priests slaughtered them and purged the altar with their blood ²³to atone for all Israel, for the king ordered the burnt offering and the sin offering for all Israel.

25 ²⁴He then stationed the Levites in the house of the LORD with cymbals, with harps and with lyres, ²⁵according to the command of David and of ²⁶Gad the king's seer, and of ²⁷Nathan the prophet; for the command was from the LORD through His prophets.

26 The Levites stood with ²⁸the musical instruments of David, and ²⁹the priests with the trumpets.

27 Then Hezekiah gave the order to offer the burnt offering on the altar. When the burnt offering began, ³⁰the song to the LORD also began with the trumpets, accompanied by the instruments of David, king of Israel.

28 While the whole assembly worshiped, the singers also sang and the trumpets sounded; all this continued until the burnt offering was finished.

29 Now at the completion of the burnt offerings, ³¹the king and all who were present with him bowed down and worshiped.

30 Moreover, King Hezekiah and the officials ordered the Levites to sing praises to the LORD with the words of David and Asaph the seer. ³²So they sang praises with joy, and bowed down and worshiped.

31 Then Hezekiah said, "³³Now that you have consecrated * yourselves to the LORD, come near and bring sacrifices and thank offerings to the house of the LORD." And the assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and ³⁴all those who were willing brought burnt offerings.

32 The number of the burnt offerings which the assembly brought was 70 bulls, 100 rams, and 200 lambs; all these were for a burnt offering to the LORD.

33 The consecrated things were 600 * bulls and 3,000 * sheep.

34 But the priests were too few, so that they were unable * to skin all the burnt offerings; ³⁵therefore their brothers the Levites helped them until the work was completed and until the other priests had consecrated themselves. For ³⁶the Levites were more conscientious * to consecrate themselves than the priests.

35 There were also ³⁷many burnt offerings with ³⁸the fat of the peace offerings and with ³⁹the libations for the burnt offerings. Thus the service of the house of the LORD was established again.

36 Then Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced over what God had prepared for the people, because the thing came about suddenly.

2 Chronicles 29 Commentary

Chapter 29

Hezekiah's good reign in Judah. (1-19) Hezekiah's sacrifice of atonement. (20-36)

Verses 1-19 When Hezekiah came to the crown, he applied at once to work reform. Those who begin with God, begin at the right end of their work, and it will prosper accordingly. Those that turn their backs upon God's ordinances, may truly be said to forsake God himself. There are still such neglects, if the word be not duly read and opened, for that was signified by the lighting the lamps, and also if prayers and praise be not offered up, for that was signified by the burning incense. Neglect of God's worship was the cause of the calamities they had lain under. The Lord alone can prepare the heart of man for vital godliness: when much good is done in a little time, the glory must be ascribed to him; and all who love him or the souls of men, will rejoice therein. Let those that do good work, learn to do it well.

Verses 20-36 As soon as Hezekiah heard that the temple was ready, he lost no time. Atonement must be made for the sins of the last reign. It was not enough to lament and forsake those sins; they brought a sin-offering. Our repentance and reformation will not obtain pardon but in and through Christ, who was made sin, that is, a sin-offering for us. While the offerings were on the altar, the Levites sang. Sorrow for sin must not prevent us from praising God. The king and the congregation gave their consent to all that was done. It is not enough for us to be where God is worshipped, if we do not ourselves worship with the heart. And we should offer up our spiritual sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving, and devote ourselves and all we have, as sacrifices, acceptable to the Father only through the Redeemer.

Cross References

• 1. 2 Kings 18:1-3
• 2. 2 Chronicles 28:1; 2 Chronicles 34:2
• 3. 2 Chronicles 28:24; 2 Chronicles 29:7
• 4. 2 Chronicles 29:15, 34; 2 Chronicles 35:6
• 5. Ezekiel 8:16
• 6. 2 Chronicles 28:24
• 7. 2 Chronicles 24:20
• 8. Jeremiah 25:9, 18
• 9. 2 Chr 28:5-8, 17
• 10. 2 Chronicles 23:16
• 11. Numbers 3:6; Numbers 8:6
• 12. 2 Chronicles 31:13
• 13. Numbers 3:19, 20
• 14. 2 Chronicles 29:5
• 15. 1 Chronicles 23:28
• 16. 2 Chronicles 30:12
• 17. 2 Chronicles 15:16
• 18. 2 Chronicles 29:3
• 19. 2 Chronicles 28:24
• 20. Leviticus 4:3-14
• 21. Leviticus 4:18
• 22. Leviticus 4:15
• 23. Leviticus 4:26
• 24. 1 Chronicles 25:6
• 25. 2 Chronicles 8:14
• 26. 2 Samuel 24:11
• 27. 2 Samuel 7:2
• 28. 1 Chronicles 23:5
• 29. 2 Chronicles 5:12
• 30. 2 Chronicles 23:18
• 31. 2 Chronicles 20:18
• 32. Psalms 100:1; Psalms 106:12
• 33. 2 Chronicles 13:9
• 34. Exodus 35:5, 22
• 35. 2 Chronicles 35:11
• 36. 2 Chronicles 30:3
• 37. 2 Chronicles 29:32
• 38. Leviticus 3:16
• 39. Numbers 15:5-10

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "given"
• [b]. Or "Jeuel"
• [c]. Or "Jehuel," 1 Chr 15:18, 20
• [d]. Or "wadi"
• [e]. Lit "to consecrate"
• [f]. Lit "and according to the authority of the instruments"
• [g]. Lit "filled your hands"
• [h]. Lit "willing of heart"
• [i]. Lit "upright of heart"
• [j]. Lit "the burnt offerings to an abundance"

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO 2 CHRONICLES 29

This chapter begins with the good reign of Hezekiah, who upon his accession to the throne opened the doors of the temple, 2Ch 29:1-3, summoned the priests and Levites, and exhorted them to purge the temple, and restore the worship of it, 2Ch 29:4-11, who accordingly set about the work immediately, and cleansed the temple, and, when they had done, reported it to the king, 2Ch 29:12-19 upon which he, with the princes, went into the temple and offered sacrifices, 2Ch 29:20-24 and ordered singers to sing at the offering of burnt offerings, 2Ch 29:25-30 when he and his people offered burnt offerings and peace offerings in great abundance, 2Ch 29:31-36.

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