2 Chronicles 29

• 1. Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he became the king of Judah, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah.
• 2. He did what was pleasing in the LORD's sight, just as his ancestor David had done.
• 3. In the very first month of the first year of his reign, Hezekiah reopened the doors of the Temple of the LORD and repaired them.
• 4. He summoned the priests and Levites to meet him at the courtyard east of the Temple.
• 5. He said to them, "Listen to me, you Levites! Purify yourselves, and purify the Temple of the LORD, the God of your ancestors. Remove all the defiled things from the sanctuary.
• 6. Our ancestors were unfaithful and did what was evil in the sight of the LORD our God. They abandoned the LORD and his Temple; they turned their backs on him.
• 7. They also shut the doors to the Temple's foyer, and they snuffed out the lamps. They stopped burning incense and presenting burnt offerings at the sanctuary of the God of Israel.
• 8. That is why the LORD's anger has fallen upon Judah and Jerusalem. He has made us an object of dread, horror, and ridicule, as you can so plainly see.
• 9. Our fathers have been killed in battle, and our sons and daughters and wives are in captivity.
• 10. But now I will make a covenant with the LORD, the God of Israel, so that his fierce anger will turn away from us.
• 11. My dear Levites, do not neglect your duties any longer! The LORD has chosen you to stand in his presence, to minister to him, and to lead the people in worship and make offerings to him."
• 12. Then these Levites got right to work: 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.
• 13. From the family of Elizaphan: Shimri and Jeiel. From the family of Asaph: Zechariah and Mattaniah.
• 14. From the family of Heman: Jehiel and Shimei. From the family of Jeduthun: Shemaiah and Uzziel.
• 15. These men called together their fellow Levites, and they purified themselves. Then they began to purify the Temple of the LORD, just as the king had commanded. They were careful to follow all the LORD's instructions in their work.
• 16. The priests went into the sanctuary of the Temple of the LORD to cleanse it, and they took out to the Temple courtyard all the defiled things they found. From there the Levites carted it all out to the Kidron Valley.
• 17. The work began on a day in early spring, and in eight days they had reached the foyer of the LORD's Temple. Then they purified the Temple of the LORD itself, which took another eight days. So the entire task was completed in sixteen days.
• 18. Then the Levites went to King Hezekiah and gave him this report: "We have purified the Temple of the LORD, the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the table of the Bread of the Presence with all its utensils.
• 19. We have also recovered all the utensils taken by King Ahaz when he was unfaithful and closed the Temple. They are now in front of the altar of the LORD, purified and ready for use."
• 20. Early the next morning King Hezekiah gathered the city officials and went to the Temple of the LORD.
• 21. They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats as a sin offering for the kingdom, for the Temple, and for Judah. The king commanded the priests, who were descendants of Aaron, to sacrifice the animals on the altar of the LORD.
• 22. So they killed the bulls, and the priests took the blood and sprinkled it on the altar. Next they killed the rams and sprinkled their blood on the altar. And finally, they did the same with the lambs.
• 23. The male goats for the sin offering were then brought before the king and the assembly of people, who laid their hands on them.
• 24. The priests then killed the goats as a sin offering and sprinkled their blood on the altar to make atonement for the sins of all Israel. The king had specifically commanded that this burnt offering and sin offering should be made for all Israel.
• 25. King Hezekiah then stationed the Levites at the Temple of the LORD with cymbals, harps, and lyres. He obeyed all the commands that the LORD had given to King David through Gad, the king's seer, and the prophet Nathan.
• 26. The Levites then took their positions around the Temple with the instruments of David, and the priests took their positions with the trumpets.
• 27. Then Hezekiah ordered that the burnt offering be placed on the altar. As the burnt offering was presented, songs of praise to the LORD were begun, accompanied by the trumpets and other instruments of David, king of Israel.
• 28. The entire assembly worshiped the LORD as the singers sang and the trumpets blew, until all the burnt offerings were finished.
• 29. Then the king and everyone with him bowed down in worship.
• 30. King Hezekiah and the officials ordered the Levites to praise the LORD with the psalms of David and Asaph the seer. So they offered joyous praise and bowed down in worship.
• 31. Then Hezekiah declared, "The dedication ceremony has come to an end. Now bring your sacrifices and thanksgiving offerings to the Temple of the LORD." So the people brought their sacrifices and thanksgiving offerings, and those whose hearts were willing brought burnt offerings, too.
• 32. The people brought to the LORD seventy bulls, one hundred rams, and two hundred lambs for burnt offerings.
• 33. They also brought six hundred bulls and three thousand sheep as sacrifices.
• 34. But there were too few priests to prepare all the burnt offerings, so their relatives the Levites helped them until the work was finished and until more priests had been purified. For the Levites had been more conscientious about purifying themselves than the priests.
• 35. There was an abundance of burnt offerings, along with the usual drink offerings, and a great deal of fat from the many peace offerings. So the Temple of the LORD was restored to service.
• 36. And Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced greatly because of what God had done for the people, for everything had been accomplished so quickly.

Revelation 15

• 1. Then I saw in heaven another significant event, and it was great and marvelous. Seven angels were holding the seven last plagues, which would bring God's wrath to completion.
• 2. I saw before me what seemed to be a crystal sea mixed with fire. And on it stood all the people who had been victorious over the beast and his statue and the number representing his name. They were all holding harps that God had given them.
• 3. And they were singing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb: "Great and marvelous are your actions, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations.
• 4. Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous deeds have been revealed."
• 5. Then I looked and saw that the Temple in heaven, God's Tabernacle, was thrown wide open!
• 6. The seven angels who were holding the bowls of the seven plagues came from the Temple, clothed in spotless white linen with gold belts across their chests.
• 7. And one of the four living beings handed each of the seven angels a gold bowl filled with the terrible wrath of God, who lives forever and forever.
• 8. The Temple was filled with smoke from God's glory and power. No one could enter the Temple until the seven angels had completed pouring out the seven plagues.

Zechariah 11

• 1. Open your doors, Lebanon, so that fire may sweep through your cedar forests.
• 2. Weep, you cypress trees, for all the ruined cedars; the tallest and most beautiful of them are fallen. Weep, you oaks of Bashan, as you watch the thickest forests being felled.
• 3. Listen to the wailing of the shepherds, for their wealth is gone. Hear the young lions roaring, for their thickets in the Jordan Valley have been destroyed.
• 4. This is what the LORD my God says: "Go and care for a flock that is intended for slaughter.
• 5. The buyers will slaughter their sheep without remorse. The sellers will say, `Praise the LORD, I am now rich!' Even the shepherds have no compassion for them.
• 6. And likewise, I will no longer have pity on the inhabitants of the land," says the LORD. "I will let them fall into each other's clutches, as well as into the clutches of their king. They will turn the land into a wilderness, and I will not protect them."
• 7. So I cared for the flock intended for slaughter--the flock that was oppressed. Then I took two shepherd's staffs and named one Favor and the other Union.
• 8. I got rid of their three evil shepherds in a single month. But I became impatient with these sheep--this nation--and they hated me, too.
• 9. So I told them, "I won't be your shepherd any longer. If you die, you die. If you are killed, you are killed. And those who remain will devour each other!"
• 10. Then I took my staff called Favor and snapped it in two, showing that I had revoked the covenant I had made with all the nations.
• 11. That was the end of my covenant with them. Those who bought and sold sheep were watching me, and they knew that the LORD was speaking to them through my actions.
• 12. And I said to them, "If you like, give me my wages, whatever I am worth; but only if you want to." So they counted out for my wages thirty pieces of silver.
• 13. And the LORD said to me, "Throw it to the potters "--this magnificent sum at which they valued me! So I took the thirty coins and threw them to the potters in the Temple of the LORD.
• 14. Then I broke my other staff, Union, to show that the bond of unity between Judah and Israel was broken.
• 15. Then the LORD said to me, "Go again and play the part of a worthless shepherd.
• 16. This will illustrate how I will give this nation a shepherd who will not care for the sheep that are threatened by death, nor look after the young, nor heal the injured, nor feed the healthy. Instead, this shepherd will eat the meat of the fattest sheep and tear off their hooves.
• 17. Doom is certain for this worthless shepherd who abandons the flock! The sword will cut his arm and pierce his right eye! His arm will become useless, and his right eye completely blind!"

New Living Translation: 358 of 365 days.