2 Chronicles 29:1-11

Hezekiah Consecrates the Temple

29:1 Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. ¹  His mother was Abijah, ²  the daughter of Zechariah. 29:2 He did what the Lord approved, just as his ancestor David had done. ³ 

29:3 In the first month of the first year of his reign, he opened the doors of the Lord’s temple and repaired them. 29:4 He brought in the priests and Levites and assembled them in the square on the east side. 29:5 He said to them: “Listen to me, you Levites! Now consecrate yourselves, so you can consecrate the temple of the Lord God of your ancestors! ⁴  Remove from the sanctuary what is ceremonially unclean! 29:6 For our fathers were unfaithful; they did what is evil in the sight of ⁵  the Lord our God and abandoned him! They turned ⁶  away from the Lord’s dwelling place and rejected him. ⁷  29:7 They closed the doors of the temple porch and put out the lamps; they did not offer incense or burnt sacrifices in the sanctuary of the God of Israel. 29:8 The Lord was angry at Judah and Jerusalem and made them an appalling object of horror at which people hiss out their scorn, ⁸  as you can see with your own eyes. 29:9 Look, our fathers died violently ⁹  and our sons, daughters, and wives were carried off ¹⁰  because of this. 29:10 Now I intend ¹¹  to make a covenant with the Lord God of Israel, so that he may relent from his raging anger. ¹²  29:11 My sons, do not be negligent now, for the Lord has chosen you to serve in his presence and offer sacrifices.” ¹³ 

[29:1]  ¹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[29:1]  ² tn The parallel passage in 2 Kgs 18:2 has “Abi.”

[29:2]  ³ tn Heb “he did what was proper in the eyes of the Lord, according to all which David his father had done.”

[29:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “fathers.”

[29:6]  ⁵ tn Heb “in the eyes of.”

[29:6]  ⁶ tn Heb “turned their faces.”

[29:6]  ⁷ tn Heb “and turned the back.”

[29:8]  ⁸ tn Heb “and he made them [an object] of dread and devastation and hissing.”

[29:9]  ⁹ tn Heb “fell by the sword.”

[29:9]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “are in captivity.”

[29:10]  ¹¹ tn Heb “now it is with my heart.”

[29:10]  ¹² tn Heb “so that the rage of his anger might turn from us.” The jussive with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding statement of intention.

[29:11]  ¹³ tn Heb “to stand before him to serve him and to be his servants and sacrificers.”