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Hezekiah
Succeeds Ahaz in Judah |
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| 2 Chronicles 29:1 |
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Hezekiah 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. |
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| 2 Chronicles 29:2 |
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He did right in the sight of the LORD, according
to all that his father David had done. |
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| 2 Chronicles 29:3 |
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In the first year of his reign, in the first
month, he opened the doors of the house of the LORD and repaired them. |
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| 2 Chronicles 29:4 |
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He brought in the priests and the Levites and
gathered them into the square on the east. |
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Reforms
Begun |
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| 2 Chronicles 29:5 |
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Then he said to them, "Listen to me, O Levites.
Consecrate yourselves now, and consecrate the house of the LORD, the God of your
fathers, and carry the uncleanness out from the holy place. |
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| 2 Chronicles 29:6 |
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For our fathers have been unfaithful and have
done evil in the sight of the LORD our God, and have forsaken Him and turned their
faces away from the dwelling place of the LORD, and have turned their backs. |
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| 2 Chronicles 29:7 |
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They have also shut 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. |
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| 2 Chronicles 29:8 |
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Therefore the wrath of the LORD was against
Judah and Jerusalem, and He has made them an object of terror, of horror, and
of hissing, as you see with your own eyes. |
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| 2 Chronicles 29:9 |
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For behold, our fathers have fallen by the sword,
and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity for this. |
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| 2 Chronicles 29:10 |
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Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with
the LORD God of Israel, that His burning anger may turn away from us. |
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| 2 Chronicles 29:11 |
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My sons, do not be negligent now, for the LORD
has chosen you to stand before Him, to minister to Him, and to be His ministers
and burn incense." |
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| 2 Chronicles 29:12 |
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Then the Levites arose: Mahath, the son of Amasai
and Joel the son of Azariah, from the sons of the 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; |
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| 2 Chronicles 29:13 |
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and from the sons of Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeiel;
and from the sons of Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah; |
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| 2 Chronicles 29:14 |
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and from the sons of Heman, Jehiel and Shimei;
and from the sons of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel. |
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| 2 Chronicles 29:15 |
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They assembled their brothers, consecrated themselves,
and went in to cleanse the house of the LORD, according to the commandment of
the king by the words of the LORD. |
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| 2 Chronicles 29:16 |
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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 the Kidron valley. |
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| 2 Chronicles 29:17 |
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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 the Kidron valley. |
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| 2 Chronicles 29:18 |
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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. |
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| 2 Chronicles 29:19 |
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Moreover, all 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." |
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Hezekiah
Restores Temple Worship |
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| 2 Chronicles 29:20 |
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Then King Hezekiah arose early and assembled
the princes of the city and went up to the house of the LORD. |
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| 2 Chronicles 29:21 |
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They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven
lambs and seven male goats for 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. |
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| 2 Chronicles 29:22 |
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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 sprinkled
the blood on the altar. |
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| 2 Chronicles 29:23 |
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Then they brought the male goats of the sin
offering before the king and the assembly, and they laid their hands on them. |
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| 2 Chronicles 29:24 |
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The priests slaughtered them and purged the
altar with their blood to atone for all Israel, for the king ordered the burnt
offering and the sin offering for all Israel. |
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| 2 Chronicles 29:25 |
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He then stationed the Levites in the house of
the LORD with cymbals, with harps and with lyres, according to the command of
David and of Gad the king's seer, and of Nathan the prophet; for the command was
from the LORD through His prophets. |
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| 2 Chronicles 29:26 |
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The Levites stood with the musical instruments
of David, and the priests with the trumpets. |
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| 2 Chronicles 29:27 |
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Then Hezekiah gave the order to offer the burnt
offering on the altar. When the burnt offering began, the song to the LORD also
began with the trumpets, accompanied by the instruments of David, king of Israel. |
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| 2 Chronicles 29:28 |
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While the whole assembly worshiped, the singers
also sang and the trumpets sounded; all this continued until the burnt offering
was finished. |
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| 2 Chronicles 29:29 |
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Now at the completion of the burnt offerings,
the king and all who were present with him bowed down and worshiped. |
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| 2 Chronicles 29:30 |
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Moreover, King Hezekiah and the officials ordered
the Levites to sing praises to the LORD with the words of David and Asaph the
seer. So they sang praises with joy, and bowed down and worshiped. |
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| 2 Chronicles 29:31 |
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Then Hezekiah said, "Now 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 all those who were willing brought burnt offerings. |
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| 2 Chronicles 29:32 |
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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. |
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| 2 Chronicles 29:33 |
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The consecrated things were 600 bulls and 3,000
sheep. |
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| 2 Chronicles 29:34 |
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But the priests were too few, so that they were
unable 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. |
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| 2 Chronicles 29:35 |
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There were also many burnt offerings with the
fat of the peace offerings and with the libations for the burnt offerings. Thus
the service of the house of the LORD was established again. |
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| 2 Chronicles 29:36 |
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Then Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced over
what God had prepared for the people, because the thing came about suddenly. |
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