1
Now when allthis was finished, allIsrael who were presentwent out to the cities of Judah, 1broke the pillars in pieces, cutdown the aAsherim and pulleddown the highplaces and the altarsthroughoutallJudah and Benjamin, as well as in Ephraim and Manasseh, buntil they had destroyed them all. Then all the sons of Israelreturned to their cities, each to his possession.
2
And Hezekiahappointed2the divisions of the priests and the Levites by their divisions, eachaccording to his service, both the priests and the Levites, 3for burntofferings and for peaceofferings, to minister and to givethanks and to praise in the gates of the camp of the LORD.
3
He also appointed 4the king'sportion of his goods for the burntofferings, namely, for the morning and eveningburntofferings, and the burntofferings for the sabbaths and for the newmoons and for the fixedfestivals, 5as it is written in the law of the LORD.
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Also he ccommanded the people who lived in Jerusalem to give6the portion due to the priests and the Levites, that they might devote themselves to 7the law of the LORD.
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As soon as the dorderspread, the sons of Israelprovided in abundance the firstfruits of grain, newwine, oil, honey and of all the produce of the field ; and they brought in abundantly8the tithe of all.
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The sons of Israel and Judah who lived in the cities of Judahalsobrought in the tithe of oxen and sheep, and 9the tithe of esacredgifts which were consecrated to the LORD their God, and placed them in heaps.
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In the thirdmonth they began to fmake the heaps, and finished them by the seventhmonth.
8
When Hezekiah and the rulerscame and saw the heaps, they blessed the LORD and 10His peopleIsrael.
9
Then Hezekiahquestioned the priests and the Levitesconcerning the heaps.
10Azariah the chiefpriest11of the house of Zadoksaid to ghim, "12Since the contributionsbegan to be brought into the house of the LORD, we have had enough to eat with plentyleftover, for the LORD has blessed His people, and thisgreatquantity is leftover."
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Then Hezekiahcommanded them to prepare13rooms in the house of the LORD, and they prepared them.
12
They faithfullybrought in the contributions and the tithes and the consecratedthings ; and Conaniah the Levite was the officer in charge14of them and his brotherShimei was second.
13Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismachiah, Mahath and Benaiah were overseershunder the authority of Conaniah and Shimei his brother by the appointment of KingHezekiah, and 15Azariah was the chief officer of the house of God.
14Kore the son of Imnah the Levite, the keeper of the eastern gate, was over the freewillofferings of God, to apportion the contributions for the LORD and the mostholythings.
15iUnder his authority were 16Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah and Shecaniah in 17the cities of the priests, to distributefaithfully their portions to their brothers by divisions, whether great or small,
16without regard to their genealogicalenrollment, to the males from j18thirtyyearsold and upward-everyone who entered the house of the LORD19for his dailyobligations -for their work in their duties according to their divisions ;
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as well as the priests who were enrolledgenealogically according to their fathers'households, and the Levites20from twentyyearsold and upwards, by their duties and their divisions.
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The genealogicalenrollment included kall their littlechildren, their wives, their sons and their daughters, for the wholeassembly, for they consecrated themselves lfaithfully in holiness.
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Also for the sons of Aaron the priests who were in 21the pasturelands of their cities, or in each and everycity, 22there were menwho were designated by name to distributeportions to everymale among the priests and to everyonegenealogicallyenrolled among the Levites.
20ThusHezekiahdid throughout allJudah ; and 23he didwhat was good, right and truebefore the LORD his God.
21Everyworkwhich he began in the service of the house of God in law and in commandment, seeking his God, he did with all his heart and 24prospered.
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