2 Chronicles 31
31
Removal of Idolatry
1When all this was completed, all Israel who had attended went out to the cities of Judah and broke up the sacred pillars, chopped down the Asherah poles, and tore down the high places and altars # 2Kg 18:4 throughout Judah and Benjamin, as well as in Ephraim and Manasseh, to the last one. # Lit Manasseh, until finishing Then all the Israelites returned to their cities, each to his own possession.
Offerings for Levites
2Hezekiah reestablished the divisions # 1Ch 23:6-23; 24:1-19 of the priests and Levites for the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, for ministry, for giving thanks, and for praise in the gates of the camp of the Lord, # 1Ch 23:28-31 each division corresponding to his service among the priests and Levites. 3The king contributed # Lit The king’s portion from his own possessions # 2Ch 35:7 for the regular morning and evening burnt offerings, the burnt offerings of the Sabbaths, of the New Moons, and of the appointed feasts, as written in the law of the Lord. # Nm 28 4He told the people who lived in Jerusalem to give a contribution # Nm 18:8 for the priests and Levites so that they could devote their energy to the law of the Lord. 5When the word spread, the Israelites gave liberally of the best of the grain, new wine, oil, honey, and of all the produce of the field, and they brought in an abundance, a tenth # Neh 13:12 of everything. 6As for the Israelites and Judahites who lived in the cities of Judah, they also brought a tenth of the cattle and sheep, and a tenth of the dedicated things that were consecrated to the Lord their God. # Lv 27:30; Dt 14:28 They gathered them into large piles. 7In the third month they began building up the piles, and they finished in the seventh month. 8When Hezekiah and his officials came and viewed the piles, they praised the Lord and His people Israel.
9Hezekiah asked the priests and Levites about the piles. 10Azariah, the chief priest of the household of Zadok, # 1Ch 6:8-9 answered him, “Since they began bringing the offering to the Lord’s temple, we eat and are satisfied and there is plenty left over because the Lord has blessed His people; this abundance is what is left over.” # Mal 3:10
11Hezekiah told them to prepare chambers # 1Kg 6:5 in the Lord’s temple, and they prepared them. 12The offering, the tenth, and the dedicated things were brought faithfully. Conaniah the Levite was the officer in charge of them, and his brother Shimei was second. # 2Ch 35:9 13Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismachiah, Mahath, and Benaiah were deputies under the authority of Conaniah and his brother Shimei by appointment of King Hezekiah and of Azariah the chief official of God’s temple.
14Kore son of Imnah the Levite, the keeper of the East Gate, was over the freewill offerings to God to distribute the contribution to the Lord and the consecrated things. # 1Ch 26:26-28 15Eden, # 2Ch 29:12 Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah in the cities of the priests # Jos 21:9-19 were to faithfully distribute it under his authority to their brothers by divisions, whether large or small. 16In addition, they distributed it to males registered by genealogy three # Or 30 ; 1Ch 23:3 # 1Ch 23:3 years old and above; to all who would enter the Lord’s temple for their daily duty, # Ezr 3:4 for their service in their responsibilities according to their divisions. 17They distributed also to those recorded by genealogy of the priests by their ancestral families and the Levites 20 years old and above, # 1Ch 23:24 by their responsibilities in their divisions; 18to those registered by genealogy — with all their infants, wives, sons, and daughters — of the whole assembly (for they had faithfully consecrated themselves as holy); 19and to the descendants of Aaron, the priests, in the common fields of their cities, # Lv 25:34; Nm 35:2-5 in each and every city. There were men who were registered by name # 2Ch 31:12-15 to distribute a portion to every male among the priests and to every Levite recorded by genealogy.
20Hezekiah did this throughout all Judah. He did what was good and upright and true before the Lord his God. # 2Kg 20:3; 22:2 21He was diligent in every deed that he began in the service of God’s temple, in the instruction and the commands, in order to seek his God, and he prospered.
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2 Chronicles 31: HCSB
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2 Chronicles 31
31
1 And when these things had been celebrated according to ritual, all of Israel who had been found in the cities of Judah went forth, and they broke apart the idols and cut down the sacred groves. They demolished the high places and destroyed the altars, not only out of all Judah and Benjamin, but also out of Ephraim as well as Manasseh, until they utterly destroyed them. And all the sons of Israel returned to their possessions and cities.
2 Then Hezekiah appointed the companies of the priests and Levites by their divisions, each man in his proper office, certainly as much for the priests as for the Levites, for the sake of holocausts and peace offerings, so that they might minister and confess and sing, at the gates of the camp of the Lord.
3 Now the portion of the king, from his own substance, was such that they could offer a holocaust always, in morning and in evening, also on the Sabbaths, and the new moons, and the other solemnities, just as it was written in the law of Moses.
4 And now he instructed the people living in Jerusalem that they were to give portions to the priests and Levites, so that they would be able to attend to the law of the Lord.
5 And when this had reached the ears of the multitude, the sons of Israel brought an abundance of first-fruits of grain, wine, and oil, and also honey. And they offered a tenth part of all that the soil brings forth.
6 Then too, the sons of Israel and Judah, who were living in the cities of Judah, brought tithes of oxen and sheep, and tithes of the holy things that they had vowed to the Lord their God. And carrying all these things, they made many stacks.
7 In the third month, they began to lay out the foundations of the stacks. And in the seventh month, they finished them.
8 And when Hezekiah and his rulers had entered, they saw the stacks, and they blessed the Lord and the people of Israel.
9 And Hezekiah questioned the priests and Levites, as to why the stacks were laid out in this way.
10 Azariah, the high priest from the stock of Zadok, answered him, saying: "Since the first-fruits began to be offered in the house of the Lord, we have eaten and been satisfied, and much remains. For the Lord has blessed his people. Then what was left over is this great abundance, which you see."
11 And so Hezekiah instructed that they should prepare storage places for the house of the Lord. And when they had done so,
12 they faithfully brought in the first-fruits, as well as the tithes and all that they had vowed. Now the overseer of these things was Conaniah, a Levite; and his brother, Shimei, was second.
13 And after him, there was Jehiel, and Azariah, and Nahath, and Asaahel, and Jerimoth, and also Jozabad, and Eliel, and Ismachiah, and Mahath, and Benaiah, who were overseers under the hands of Conaniah, and his brother, Shimei, by the authority of Hezekiah, the king, and Azariah, the high priest of the house of God, to whom all these things belonged.
14 Yet truly, Kore, the son of Imnah, a Levite and the porter of the eastern gate, was the overseer of the things that were being offered freely to the Lord, and of the first-fruits, and of the things consecrated for the Holy of Holies.
15 And under his charge were Eden, and Benjamin, Jeshua, and Shemaiah, and also Amariah, and Shecaniah, in the cities of the priests, so that they would distribute faithfully to their brothers, the small as well as the great, their portions
16 (except for the males from three years old and upward) for all who were entering the temple of the Lord, and for whatever was needed for the ministry, throughout each day, as well as for the observances according to their divisions.
17 And so, for the priests, by their families, and for the Levites, from the twentieth year and upward, by their orders and companies,
18 and for the entire multitude, as much for the wives as for their children of both sexes, provisions were offered faithfully from whatever had been sanctified.
19 Then too, men were appointed of the sons of Aaron, throughout the fields and the suburbs of each city, who would distribute portions to all the males among the priests and Levites.
20 Therefore, Hezekiah did all these things (which we have said) in all of Judah. And he worked what is good and upright and true before the Lord his God,
21 for the whole service of the ministry of the house of the Lord, in accord with the law and the ceremonies, desiring to seek his God with his whole heart. And he did so, and he prospered.
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