5
He said to them, "Hear me, Levites. Consecrate yourselves now and consecrate the temple of the Lord God of your ancestors. Remove everything detestable from the holy place.
6
For our fathers were unfaithful and did what is evil in the sight of the Lord our God. They abandoned Him, turned their faces away from the Lord's tabernacle, and turned their backs on Him.
7
They also closed the doors of the vestibule, extinguished the lamps, did not burn incense, and did not offer burnt offerings in the holy place of the God of Israel.
8
Therefore, the wrath of the Lord was on Judah and Jerusalem, and He made them an object of terror, horror, and hissing, as you see with your own eyes.
9
Our fathers fell by the sword, and our sons, our daughters, and our wives are in captivity because of this.
10
It is in my heart now to make a covenant with the Lord God of Israel so that His fierce wrath may turn away from us.
11
My sons, don't be negligent now, for the Lord has chosen you to stand in His presence, to serve Him, and to be His ministers and burners of incense."
Cleansing the Temple
12 Then the Levites stood up: Mahath son of Amasai and Joel son of Azariah from the Kohathites; Kish son of Abdi and Azariah son of Jehallelel from the Merarites; Joah son of Zimmah and Eden son of Joah from the Gershonites;
13
Shimri and Jeuel from the Elizaphanites; Zechariah and Mattaniah from the Asaphites;
14
Jehiel and Shimei from the Hemanites; Shemaiah and Uzziel from the Jeduthunites.
15
They gathered their brothers together, consecrated themselves, and went according to the king's command by the words of the Lord to cleanse the Lord's temple.