Study Desk

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

They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats ^(C1)as 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.

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 as well, and ^(C1)sprinkled the blood on the altar.

Then they brought the male goats of the sin offering before the king and the assembly, and ^(C1)they laid their hands on them.

The priests slaughtered them and purified the altar with their blood ^(C1)to atone for all Israel, because the king ordered the burnt offering and the sin offering for all Israel.

^(C1)He then stationed the Levites in the house of the LORD with cymbals, harps, and lyres, ^(C2)according to the command of David and of ^(C3)Gad, the king's seer, and of ^(C4)Nathan the prophet; for the command was from the LORD through His prophets.

The Levites stood with ^(C1)the musical instruments of David, and ^(C2)the priests with the trumpets.

Then Hezekiah gave the order to offer the burnt offering on the altar. When the burnt offering began, ^(C1)the song to the LORD also began with the trumpets, ^(F1)accompanied by the instruments of David, king of Israel.

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

Now at the completion of the burnt offerings, ^(C1)the king and all who were present with him bowed down and worshiped.

Moreover, King Hezekiah and the officials ordered the Levites to sing praises to the LORD with the words of David and Asaph the seer. ^(C1)So they sang praises with joy, and bowed down and worshiped.

Then Hezekiah said, "^(C1)Now that you have ^(F1)consecrated yourselves to the LORD, come forward and bring sacrifices and thanksgiving offerings to the house of the LORD." So the assembly brought sacrifices and thanksgiving offerings, and ^(C2)everyone who was ^(F2)willing brought burnt offerings.

The number of the burnt offerings which the assembly brought was seventy bulls, a hundred rams, and two hundred lambs; all of these were for a burnt offering to the LORD.

The consecrated offerings were six hundred bulls and three thousand sheep.

But the priests were too few, so that they were unable to skin all the burnt offerings; ^(C1)therefore their brothers the Levites helped them until the work was finished and the other priests had consecrated themselves. For ^(C2)the Levites were more ^(F1)conscientious to consecrate themselves than the priests.

There were also ^(F1)(C1)many burnt offerings with ^(C2)the fat of the peace offerings and ^(C3)the drink offerings for the burnt offerings. So the service of the house of the LORD was established again.

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