⁵ and said: “Listen to me, Levites! Consecrate^(A) yourselves now and consecrate the temple of the Lord, the God of your ancestors. Remove all defilement from the sanctuary. ⁶ Our parents^(B) were unfaithful;^(C) they did evil in the eyes of the Lord our God and forsook him. They turned their faces away from the Lord’s dwelling place and turned their backs on him. ⁷ They also shut the doors of the portico and put out the lamps. They did not burn incense^(D) or present any burnt offerings at the sanctuary to the God of Israel. ⁸ Therefore, the anger of the Lord has fallen on Judah and Jerusalem; he has made them an object of dread and horror^(E) and scorn,^(F) as you can see with your own eyes. ⁹ This is why our fathers have fallen by the sword and why our sons and daughters and our wives are in captivity.^{(G) 10} Now I intend to make a covenant^(H) with the Lord, the God of Israel, so that his fierce anger^(I) will turn away from us. ¹¹ My sons, do not be negligent now, for the Lord has chosen you to stand before him and serve him,^(J) to minister^(K) before him and to burn incense.”

Hezekiah’s Pride, Success and Death^(A)

²⁴ In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. He prayed to the Lord, who answered him and gave him a miraculous sign.^{(B) 25} But Hezekiah’s heart was proud^(C) and he did not respond to the kindness shown him; therefore the Lord’s wrath^(D) was on him and on Judah and Jerusalem. ²⁶ Then Hezekiah repented^(E) of the pride of his heart, as did the people of Jerusalem; therefore the Lord’s wrath did not come on them during the days of Hezekiah.^(F)

¹⁸ “Micah^(A) of Moresheth prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah. He told all the people of Judah, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: