31After the festival ended, all the people of Israel went to every city in Judah and broke the stone pillars, cut down the symbols of the goddess Asherah, and destroyed the altars and the pagan places of worship. They did the same thing throughout the rest of Judah, and the territories of Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh; then they all returned home.H3615H3478H4672H3318H5892H3063H7665H4676H7665H1438H842H5422H1116H4196H3063H1144H669H4519H3615H1121H3478H7725H376H272H5892 2King Hezekiah reestablished the organization of the priests and Levites, under which they each had specific duties. These included offering the burnt offerings and the fellowship offerings, taking part in the Temple worship, and giving praise and thanks in the various parts of the Temple.H3169H5975H4256H3548H3881H4256H376H6310H5656H3548H3881H5930H8002H8334H3034H1984H8179H4264H3068 3From his own flocks and herds he provided animals for the burnt offerings each morning and evening, and for those offered on the Sabbath, at the New Moon Festival, and at the other festivals which are required by the Law of the LORD.H4428H4521H7399H5930H1242H6153H5930H5930H7676H2320H4150H3789H8451H3068 4In addition, the king told the people of Jerusalem to bring the offerings to which the priests and the Levites were entitled, so that they could give all their time to the requirements of the Law of the LORD.H559H5971H3427H3389H5414H4521H3548H3881H2388H8451H3068 5As soon as the order was given, the people of Israel brought gifts of their finest grain, wine, olive oil, honey, and other farm produce, and they also brought the tithes of everything they had.H1697H6555H1121H3478H935H7235H7225H1715H8492H3323H1706H8393H7704H4643H935H7230 6All the people who lived in the cities of Judah brought tithes of their cattle and sheep, and they also brought large quantities of gifts which they dedicated to the LORD their God.H1121H3478H3063H3427H5892H3063H935H4643H1241H6629H4643H6944H6942H3068H430H5414H6194H6194 7The gifts started arriving in the third month and continued to pile up for the next four months.H7992H2320H2490H3245H6194H3615H7637H2320 8When King Hezekiah and his officials saw how much had been given, they praised the LORD and praised his people Israel.H3169H8269H935H7200H6194H1288H3068H5971H3478 9The king spoke to the priests and the Levites about these gifts,H3169H1875H3548H3881H6194 10and Azariah the High Priest, a descendant of Zadok, said to him, "Since the people started bringing their gifts to the Temple, there has been enough to eat and a large surplus besides. We have all this because the LORD has blessed his people."H5838H7218H3548H1004H6659H559H559H2490H935H8641H1004H3068H7646H398H3498H7230H3068H1288H5971H3498H1995 11On the king's orders they prepared storerooms in the Temple areaH3169H559H3559H3957H1004H3068H3559 12and put all the gifts and tithes in them for safekeeping. They placed a Levite named Conaniah in charge and made his brother Shimei his assistant.H935H8641H4643H6944H530H3562H3881H5057H8096H251H4932 13Ten Levites were assigned to work under them: Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismachiah, Mahath, and Benaiah. All this was done under the authority of King Hezekiah and Azariah the High Priest.H3171H5812H5184H6214H3406H3107H447H3253H4287H1141H6496H3027H3562H8096H251H4662H3169H4428H5838H5057H1004H430 14Kore son of Imnah, a Levite who was chief guard at the East Gate of the Temple, was in charge of receiving the gifts offered to the LORD and of distributing them.H6981H1121H3232H3881H7778H4217H5071H430H5414H8641H3068H6944H6944 15In the other cities where priests lived, he was faithfully assisted in this by other Levites: Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah. They distributed the food equally to their fellow Levites according to what their duties were,H5731H4509H3442H8098H568H7935H5892H3548H530H5414H251H3027H4256H1419H6996 16and not by clans. They gave a share to all males thirty years of age or older who had daily responsibilities in the Temple in accordance with their positions.H3187H2145H7969H8141H1121H4605H935H1004H3068H3117H3117H1697H5656H4931H4256 17The priests were assigned their duties by clans, and the Levites twenty years of age or older were assigned theirs by work groups.H3187H3548H1004H1H3881H6242H8141H1121H4605H4931H4256 18They were all registered together with their wives, children, and other dependents, because they were required to be ready to perform their sacred duties at any time.H3187H2945H802H1121H1323H6951H530H6942H6944 19Among the priests who lived in the cities assigned to Aaron's descendants or in the pasture lands belonging to these cities, there were responsible men who distributed the food to all the males in the priestly families and to everyone who was on the rolls of the Levite clans.H1121H175H3548H7704H4054H5892H5892H582H5344H8034H5414H4490H2145H3548H3187H3881 20Throughout all Judah, King Hezekiah did what was right and what was pleasing to the LORD his God.H6213H3169H3063H6213H2896H3477H571H6440H3068H430 21He was successful, because everything he did for the Temple or in observance of the Law, he did in a spirit of complete loyalty and devotion to his God.H4639H2490H5656H1004H430H8451H4687H1875H430H6213H3824H6743
Dublin, OH
