CLARITY EDITION · OLD TESTAMENT
2 Chronicles 29
Chapter 29 of 36
Chapter Overview
What happens in 2 Chronicles 29
Hezekiah becomes king and immediately begins one of the greatest religious revivals in Judah's history. In his very first month, he reopens and purifies the temple that his father Ahaz had shut down. The Levites cleanse the temple, and worship is restored with great joy.
Scripture
2 Chronicles 29
Hezekiah Reopens the Temple
Study note
Hezekiah became king at 25 and did what was right, like his ancestor David. In the very first month of his reign, he reopened the doors of the Lord's temple and repaired them. He gathered the priests and Levites and challenged them to get to work: purify yourselves and purify the temple. He confessed the sins of their ancestors and declared his intention to make a covenant with God so that his fierce anger would turn away from them.
1 Hezekiah became king at the age of 25, and he ruled in Jerusalem for 29 years. His mother was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. Hezekiah 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.
2 He did what the Lord saw as right. He followed the example of his ancestor David. And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father had done.
3 In the very first month of the very first year of his rule, he opened the doors of the Lord's temple and repaired them. He in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of the LORD, and repaired them.
4 He brought in the priests and the Levites and gathered them in the open area on the east side of the temple. And he brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them together into the east street,
5 He told them, "Listen to me, Levites! Make yourselves clean and holy now, and make the temple of the Lord, the God of your ancestors, clean as well. Get rid of everything that does not belong in the sanctuary." And said unto them, Hear me, ye Levites, sanctify now yourselves, and sanctify the house of the LORD God of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place.
6 "Our ancestors were unfaithful. They did what the Lord our God considers evil. They turned away from him, turned their faces from where the Lord lives, and turned their backs on him." For our fathers have trespassed, and done that which was evil in the eyes of the LORD our God, and have forsaken him, and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the LORD, and turned their backs.
7 "They shut the entry hall doors. They put out the lamps. They stopped burning incense. They stopped giving burnt offerings in the sanctuary of Israel's God." Also 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.
8 "Therefore the Lord became angry with Judah and Jerusalem. He made them a source of horror, shock, and mockery, as you can see with your own eyes." Wherefore the wrath of the LORD was upon Judah and Jerusalem, and he hath delivered them to trouble, to astonishment, and to hissing, as ye see with your eyes.
9 "Our fathers were killed in battle. Our sons, daughters, and wives were taken away as prisoners because of all this." For, lo, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity for this.
10 "Now I plan to make a covenant with the Lord, the God of Israel, so that his fierce anger will turn away from us." Now it is in mine heart to make a covenant with the LORD God of Israel, that his fierce wrath may turn away from us.
11 "My sons, do not be lazy now. The Lord has chosen you to stand in his presence, to serve him, and to be his ministers who burn incense." My sons, be not now negligent: for the LORD hath chosen you to stand before him, to serve him, and that ye should minister unto him, and burn incense.
The Temple Is Cleansed
Study note
The Levites from the families of Kohath, Merari, Gershon, Elizaphan, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun all got to work. They began on the first day of the first month and reached the entrance hall by the eighth day. It took another eight days to purify the temple itself, finishing on the sixteenth day. They carried out everything unclean to the Kidron Valley. They also restored all the vessels that King Ahaz had discarded.
12 Then the Levites got to work. From the Kohathites came Mahath son of Amasai and Joel son of Azariah. From the Merarites came Kish son of Abdi and Azariah son of Jehallelel. From the Gershonites came Joah son of Zimmah and Eden son of Joah. Then 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 Jehalelel: and of the Gershonites; Joah the son of Zimmah, and Eden the son of Joah:
13 From the descendants of Elizaphan came Shimri and Jeiel. From Asaph's descendants came Zechariah and Mattaniah. And of the sons of Elizaphan; Shimri, and Jeiel: and of the sons of Asaph; Zechariah, and Mattaniah:
14 From Heman's descendants came Jehiel and Shimei. From Jeduthun's descendants came Shemaiah and Uzziel. And of the sons of Heman; Jehiel, and Shimei: and of the sons of Jeduthun; Shemaiah, and Uzziel.
15 They gathered their fellow Levites and made themselves clean and holy. Then they came to clean the Lord's temple, just as the king had ordered and the Lord had told them to do. And they gathered their brethren, and sanctified themselves, and came, according to the commandment of the king, by the words of the LORD, to cleanse the house of the LORD.
16 The priests went into the inner rooms of the Lord's temple to clean it out. They brought out everything that did not belong there and took it to the courtyard. Then the Levites carried it all out to the Kidron Valley. And the priests went into the inner part of the house of the LORD, to cleanse it, and brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of the LORD into the court of the house of the LORD. And the Levites took it, to carry it out abroad into the brook Kidron.
17 They began the cleaning work on the first day of the first month. By the eighth day, they had reached the entrance hall of the Lord's temple. It took another eight days to clean the temple itself. They finished on the sixteenth day of the first month. Now 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 the LORD: so they sanctified the house of the LORD in eight days; and in the sixteenth day of the first month they made an end.
18 Then they went to King Hezekiah and reported, "We have cleaned the entire temple of the Lord. We cleaned the altar for burnt offerings with all its tools. We cleaned the table for the sacred bread with all its items." Then they went in to Hezekiah the king, and said, We have cleansed all the house of the LORD, and the altar of burnt offering, with all the vessels thereof, and the shewbread table, with all the vessels thereof.
19 "We have also fixed up and made holy again all the items that King Ahaz threw out during his unfaithful rule. They are now in front of the Lord's altar." Moreover all the vessels, which king Ahaz in his reign did cast away in his transgression, have we prepared and sanctified, and, behold, they are before the altar of the LORD.
Worship Is Restored
Study note
Hezekiah rose early and gathered the city's leaders. They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats as offerings. The priests offered them on the altar, and the Levites played music with the instruments David had made. The whole assembly worshipped as the singers sang and the trumpeters played. Hezekiah and the leaders also commanded the Levites to sing praises using the psalms of David and Asaph.
20 Early the next morning, King Hezekiah gathered the city officials and went up to the Lord's temple. Then Hezekiah the king rose early, and gathered the rulers 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. These were to make things right for the kingdom, the temple, and Judah. The king told the priests, Aaron's sons, to offer them on the Lord's altar. And 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 the LORD.
22 So they killed the bulls, and the priests caught the blood and splashed it against the altar. They did the same with the rams and the lambs. So they killed the bullocks, and the priests received the blood, and sprinkled it on the altar: likewise, when they had killed the rams, they sprinkled the blood upon the altar: they killed also the lambs, and they sprinkled the blood upon the altar.
23 Then the male goats for the sin offering were brought before the king and the assembly. Everyone laid their hands on them. And they brought forth the he goats for the sin offering before the king and the congregation; and they laid their hands upon them:
24 The priests killed the goats and put their blood on the altar as a sin offering to make things right with God for all Israel. The king had ordered that the burnt offering and sin offering be made for all the people of Israel. And the priests killed them, and they made reconciliation with their blood upon the altar, to make an atonement for all Israel: for the king commanded that the burnt offering and the sin offering should be made for all Israel.
25 He placed the Levites in the Lord's temple with cymbals, harps, and lyres, following the instructions of David, Gad the king's prophet, and Nathan the prophet. This was what the Lord had commanded through his prophets. And he set the Levites in the house of the LORD 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 so was the commandment of the LORD by his prophets.
26 The Levites stood ready with David's instruments, and the priests stood ready with their trumpets. And the Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets.
27 Hezekiah told them to place the burnt offering on the altar. As soon as the offering started, the singing to the Lord began too. The trumpets and King David's instruments played along. And Hezekiah commanded to offer the burnt offering upon the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the song of the LORD began also with the trumpets, and with the instruments ordained by David king of Israel.
28 The whole assembly worshipped, the singers sang, and the trumpet players played. All of this continued until the burnt offering was finished. And all the congregation worshipped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded: and all this continued until the burnt offering was finished.
29 When the offerings were done, the king and everyone with him bowed down and worshipped. And when they had made an end of offering, the king and all that were present with him bowed themselves, and worshipped.
30 King Hezekiah and the officials told the Levites to praise the Lord using the words that David and Asaph the prophet had written. They sang praises with great joy, then bowed down and worshipped. Moreover Hezekiah the king and the princes commanded the Levites to sing praise unto the LORD with the words of David, and of Asaph the seer. And they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads and worshipped.
The People's Generous Response
Study note
Hezekiah invited the people to bring their own sacrifices and thank offerings. The response was overwhelming — 70 bulls, 100 rams, 200 lambs for burnt offerings, plus 600 cattle and 3,000 sheep as consecrated offerings. There were not enough priests to handle all the work, so the Levites helped until more priests could purify themselves. Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced at what God had accomplished so quickly.
31 Then Hezekiah said, "Now that you have set yourselves apart for the Lord, come bring your sacrifices and thank offerings to the Lord's temple." So the people brought sacrifices and thank offerings. Everyone who wanted to also gave burnt offerings. Then Hezekiah answered and said, Now ye have consecrated yourselves unto the LORD, come near and bring sacrifices and thank offerings into the house of the LORD. And the congregation brought in sacrifices and thank offerings; and as many as were of a free heart burnt offerings.
32 The assembly brought 70 bulls, 100 rams, and 200 lambs as burnt offerings to the Lord. And the number of the burnt offerings, which the congregation brought, was threescore and ten bullocks, an hundred rams, and two hundred lambs: all these were for a burnt offering to the LORD.
33 The other offerings that were set apart totaled 600 cattle and 3,000 sheep and goats. And the consecrated things were six hundred oxen and three thousand sheep.
34 But there were not enough priests to prepare all the burnt offerings. So their relatives the Levites helped them until the work was done and more priests had made themselves holy. The Levites had been more careful about getting ready than the priests had been. But 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 other priests had sanctified themselves: for the Levites were more upright in heart to sanctify themselves than the priests.
35 There were also many burnt offerings, along with the fat from the fellowship offerings and the drink offerings that went with them. So the worship at the Lord's temple was fully restored. And also the burnt offerings were in abundance, with the fat of the peace offerings, and the drink offerings for every burnt offering. So the service of the house of the LORD was set in order.
36 Hezekiah and all the people were overjoyed at what God had done for them. It had all come together so quickly. And Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people, that God had prepared the people: for the thing was done suddenly.
Key Themes
Themes in 2 Chronicles 29
It is never too late to reopen the doors to GodRevival begins with leadership and urgencyCleansing and consecration before worshipRestoring what previous generations abandoned
Apply This Today
Living 2 Chronicles 29
Hezekiah reopened the temple doors his father had shut — in the very first month of his reign. If a previous generation or a previous season of your life was marked by spiritual neglect, you can begin restoring your relationship with God today. Do not wait.
Go Deeper
Study 2 Chronicles in Covenant Path
Read every chapter with study aids, bookmarks, and daily reading plans — free in the app.