[29:3] In the first month of the year after Hezekiah became king, he reopened the gates of the Temple and had them repaired.
[29:4] He assembled a group of priests and Levites in the east courtyard of the Temple
[29:5] and spoke to them there. He said, “You Levites are to consecrate yourselves and purify the Temple of the Lord, the God of your ancestors. Remove from the Temple everything that defiles it.
[29:6] Our ancestors were unfaithful to the Lord our God and did what was displeasing to him. They abandoned him and turned their backs on the place where he dwells.
[29:7] They closed the doors of the Temple, let the lamps go out, and failed to burn incense or offer burnt offerings in the Temple of the God of Israel.
[29:8] Because of this the Lord has been angry with Judah and Jerusalem, and what he has done to them has shocked and frightened everyone. You know this very well.
[29:9] Our fathers were killed in battle, and our wives and children have been taken away as prisoners.
[29:10] “I have now decided to make a covenant with the Lord, the God of Israel, so that he will no longer be angry with us.
[29:11] My sons, do not lose any time. You are the ones that the Lord has chosen to burn incense to him and to lead the people in worshiping him.” – From the clan of Kohath, Mahath son of Amasai and Joel son of Azariah – From the clan of Merari, Kish son of Abdi and Azariah son of Jehallelel – From the clan of Gershon, Joah son of Zimmah and Eden son of Joah – From the clan of Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeuel – From the clan of Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah – From the clan of Heman, Jehuel and Shimei – From the clan of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel
[29:15] These men assembled their fellow Levites, and they all made themselves ritually clean. Then, as the king had commanded them to do, they began to make the Temple ritually clean, according to the Law of the Lord.
[29:16] The priests went inside the Temple to purify it, and they carried out into the Temple courtyard everything that was ritually unclean. From there the Levites took it all outside the city to Kidron Valley.
[29:17] The work was begun on the first day of the first month, and by the eighth day they had finished it all, including the entrance room to the Temple. Then they worked for the next eight days, until the sixteenth of the month, preparing the Temple for worship.