II Chronicles on King Hezekiah

A righteous king is King Hezekiah. Doing what is proper in the eyes of Hashem.

He reestablished the service in the Temple of Hashem.

The Holy Temple was sanctified. Thus, the burnt offerings were offered by the Levites.

Idol worship does nothing good, except to distance yourself from the One True G-d. Eventually, replacing Him.

“King Hezekiah”

“Cleansing From Idolatry”

“Offerings”

Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. …
29:1
He did what was proper in the eyes of Hashem, just as his forefather David had done.
29:2
… he opened up the doors of the Temple of Hashem and restored them.
29:3
He said to them, “Hear me, O Levites! Sanctify yourselves now, and sanctify the Temple of Hashem, God of your fathers, removing all contamination from the Sanctuary.
:5
Now it is in my heart to seal a covenant to Hashem, the God of Israel, so that His burning wrath may recede from us.
:10
My sons, do not be negligent, for Hashem has chosen you to stand before Him to serve Him and to be ministers and to burn incense.”
:11
So the Levites stoop up —
:12
… They then went, according to the command of the king, by the word of Hashem, to purify the Temple of Hashem.
:15
… they moved out all the impure things that they found in the Sanctuary of Hashem to the Courtyard of the Temple of Hashem, …
:16
He told the sons of Aaron, the Kohanim, to offer them on the Altar of Hashem.
:21
So the bulls were slaughtered and the Kohanim collected the blood and threw it onto the Altar; the rams were slaughtered and they threw the blood upon the Altar; and the sheep were slaughtered and they threw the blood upon the Altar.
:22
The Kohanim then slaughtered them and smeared their blood on the Altar, to atone for all of Israel, …
:24
The Levites stood with the [musical] instruments of David, and the Kohanim with the trumpets.
:26
All the congregations were bowing down, the song was being sung and the trumpets were blowing — all this until the burnt-offering was finished.
:28
… the king and all those who were with him knelt down and prostrated themselves.
:29
King Hezekiah and the leaders then gave the command to the Levites to sing praises to Hashem with the words of David and Asaph the Seer, so they sang praises until the point of exultation, and they bowed down and prostrated themselves.
:30
… So the congregation brought [peace-]offerings and thanksgiving-offerings, and all those with generous hearts brought burnt-offerings.
:31
… The service in the Temple of Hashem was thus reestablished.
:35

1 Hezekiah became king at the age of twenty-five years, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem, and his mother’s name was Abijah the daughter of Zechariah.
2 And he did that which was proper in the eyes of the Lord, as all that his father David had done.
3 He, in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the House of the Lord and reinforced them.
4 And he brought the priests and the Levites and gathered them into the eastern square.
5 And he said to them, “Hear me, ye Levites; now sanctify yourselves and sanctify the House of the Lord, the God of your fathers, and remove the ‘menstruant’ from the Sanctuary.
6 For our fathers acted treacherously and did evil in the eyes of the Lord, our God and forsook Him, and they turned their faces away from the Tabernacle of the Lord and turned their backs.
7 Moreover, they closed the doors of the vestibule, and extinguished the lamps, and they did not burn incense nor offer up burnt offerings in the Sanctuary to the God of Israel.
8 And the anger of the Lord was against Judah and Jerusalem, and He made them for a shudder, an astonishment, and a hissing, as you see with your own eyes.
9 And behold, our fathers have fallen by the sword and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity because of this.
10 Now it is with my heart to make a covenant with the Lord, the God of Israel, so that His burning wrath should turn from us.
11 My sons, now do not forget, for the Lord chose you to stand before Him to minister to Him and to be His ministers and to burn incense.”
12 Then there arose the Levites: Mahath the son of Amasai and Joel the son of Azariah of the sons of the Kehathites, 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 And of the sons of Elizaphan: Shimri and Jeiel, and of the sons of Asaph: Zechariah and Mattaniah.
14 And of the sons of Heman: Jehiel and Shimei, and of the sons of Jeduthun: Shemaiah and Uzziel.
15 And they assembled their brethren and sanctified themselves, and they came according to the commandment of the king concerning the matters of the Lord, to purify the House of the Lord.
16 And the priests came within the House of the Lord to purify [it], and they took out all the uncleanness that they found in the Temple of the Lord to the court of the House of the Lord, and the Levites received it to take it out to the Kidron Valley outside.
17 They commenced on the first of the first month to sanctify, and on the eighth day of the month they came to the vestibule of the Lord; and they sanctified the House of the Lord for eight days, and on the sixteenth day of the first month, they finished.
18 And they came within to King Hezekiah, and they said, “We have purified the entire House of the Lord and the burnt-offering altar and all its vessels, and the table of showbread and all its vessels.
19 And all the vessels that King Ahaz forsook during his reign, with his treachery-we have prepared and sanctified, and here they are before the altar of the Lord.”
20 And King Hezekiah arose early and gathered the officers of the city and went up to the House of the Lord.
21 And they brought seven bulls and seven rams and seven lambs and seven kids for sin-offerings for the kingdom and for the Sanctuary and for Judah, and he said to the sons of Aaron, the priests, to offer them up on the altar of the Lord.
22 And they slaughtered the cattle, and the priests received the blood, and they sprinkled it upon the altar, and they slaughtered the rams and sprinkled the blood upon the altar, and they slaughtered the lambs and sprinkled the blood upon the altar.
23 And they brought the kids for sin-offerings before the king and the congregation, and they placed their hands upon them.
24 And the priests slaughtered them and sprinkled their blood upon the altar to atone for all Israel, because for all Israel the king said [to offer] the burnt-offerings and the sin-offerings.
25 And he stationed the Levites in the House of the Lord, with cymbals, with psalteries, and with harps, by the commandment of David and Gad the king’s seer and Nathan the prophet, for by the hand of the Lord was the commandment, by the hand of His prophets.
26 And the Levites stood with David’s instruments, and the priests with the trumpets.
27 And Hezekiah said to bring up the burnt- offerings to the altar, and at the time that the burnt-offering commenced, the song of the Lord and the trumpets commenced and by means of the instruments of David, king of Israel.
28 And the entire congregation prostrated themselves, and the song was sung, and the trumpets were sounded; everything [continued] until the completion of the burnt-offerings.
29 And when they finished offering them up, the king and all those found with him kneeled and prostrated themselves.
30 And King Hezekiah and the officer ordered the Levites to praise the Lord with the words of David and Asaph the seer, and they praised until they were joyful, and they bowed and prostrated themselves.
31 And Hezekiah answered and said, “Now you have invested yourselves to the Lord; come close and bring [peace-] offerings and thanksgiving offerings to the House of the Lord,” and the congregation brought [peace-]offerings and thanksgiving-offerings, and every generous-hearted one-burnt offerings.
32 And the number of burnt-offerings that the congregation brought was: seventy oxen, a hundred rams, two hundred lambs; all these were burnt-offerings to the Lord.
33 And the sacred offerings were six hundred large cattle and three thousand small cattle.
34 Only the priests were few, and they could not flay all the burnt-offerings; so their brethren, the Levites, reinforced them until the work was completed and until the priests consecrated themselves, for the Levites were more conscientious than the priests to consecrate themselves.
35 And also, there were many burnt-offerings with the fats of the peace- offerings and with the libations for the burnt-offerings, and the service of the House of the Lord was established.
36 And Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced over that which God had prepared for the people, because the matter was sudden.