¹² All the Levites who were musicians^(A)—Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun and their sons and relatives—stood on the east side of the altar, dressed in fine linen and playing cymbals, harps and lyres. They were accompanied by 120 priests sounding trumpets.^(B)

⁶ The priests took their positions, as did the Levites^(A) with the Lord’s musical instruments,^(B) which King David had made for praising the Lord and which were used when he gave thanks, saying, “His love endures forever.” Opposite the Levites, the priests blew their trumpets, and all the Israelites were standing.

¹⁴ In keeping with the ordinance of his father David, he appointed the divisions^(A) of the priests for their duties, and the Levites^(B) to lead the praise and to assist the priests according to each day’s requirement. He also appointed the gatekeepers^(C) by divisions for the various gates, because this was what David the man of God^(D) had ordered.^(E)

¹⁵ They did not deviate from the king’s commands to the priests or to the Levites in any matter, including that of the treasuries.

¹⁰ “As for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken him. The priests who serve the Lord are sons of Aaron, and the Levites assist them.

²⁵ He stationed the Levites in the temple of the Lord with cymbals, harps and lyres in the way prescribed by David^(A) and Gad^(B) the king’s seer and Nathan the prophet; this was commanded by the Lord through his prophets. ²⁶ So the Levites stood ready with David’s instruments,^(C) and the priests with their trumpets.^(D)

²⁷ Hezekiah gave the order to sacrifice the burnt offering on the altar. As the offering began, singing to the Lord began also, accompanied by trumpets and the instruments^(E) of David king of Israel. ²⁸ The whole assembly bowed in worship, while the musicians played and the trumpets sounded. All this continued until the sacrifice of the burnt offering^(F) was completed.

²⁹ When the offerings were finished, the king and everyone present with him knelt down and worshiped.^{(G) 30} King Hezekiah and his officials ordered the Levites to praise the Lord with the words of David and of Asaph the seer. So they sang praises with gladness and bowed down and worshiped.

³¹ Then Hezekiah said, “You have now dedicated yourselves to the Lord. Come and bring sacrifices^(H) and thank offerings to the temple of the Lord.” So the assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and all whose hearts were willing^(I) brought burnt offerings.

³² The number of burnt offerings^(J) the assembly brought was seventy bulls, a hundred rams and two hundred male lambs—all of them for burnt offerings to the Lord. ³³ The animals consecrated as sacrifices amounted to six hundred bulls and three thousand sheep and goats. ³⁴ The priests, however, were too few to skin all the burnt offerings;^(K) so their relatives the Levites helped them until the task was finished and until other priests had been consecrated,^(L) for the Levites had been more conscientious in consecrating themselves than the priests had been.