2 Chronicles 31

New King James Version

The Reforms of Hezekiah^(A)

31 Now when all this was finished, all Israel who were present went out to the cities of Judah and^(B)broke thesacredpillars in pieces, cut down the wooden images, and threw down the^[a]high places and the altars—from all Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh—until they had utterly destroyed them all. Then all the children of Israel returned to their own cities, every man to his possession.

² And Hezekiah appointed^(C)the divisions of the priests and the Levites according to their divisions, each man according to his service, the priests and Levites^(D)for burnt offerings and peace offerings, to serve, to give thanks, and to praise in the gates of the^[b]camp of theLord.³ The king alsoappointeda^[c]portion of his^(E)possessions^[d]for the burnt offerings: for the morning and evening burnt offerings, the burnt offerings for the Sabbaths and the New Moons and the set feasts, asit iswritten in the^(F)Law of theLord.

⁴ Moreover he commanded the people who dwelt in Jerusalem to contribute^(G)support^[e]for the priests and the Levites, that they might devote themselves to^(H)the Law of theLord.

⁵ As soon as the commandment was circulated, the children of Israel brought in abundance^(I)the firstfruits of grain and wine, oil and honey, and of all the produce of the field; and they brought in abundantly the^(J)tithe of everything.⁶ And the children of Israel and Judah, who dwelt in the cities of Judah, brought the tithe of oxen and sheep; also the^(K)tithe of holy things which were consecrated to theLordtheir God they laid in heaps.

⁷ In the third month they began laying them in heaps, and they finished in the seventh month.⁸ And when Hezekiah and the leaders came and saw the heaps, they blessed theLordand His people Israel.⁹ Then Hezekiah questioned the priests and the Levites concerning the heaps.¹⁰ And Azariah the chief priest, from the^(L)house of Zadok, answered him and said,^(M)“Sincethe peoplebegan to bring the offerings into the house of theLord, we have had enough to eat and have plenty left, for theLordhas blessed His people; and what is leftisthis great^(N)abundance.”

¹¹ Now Hezekiah commandedthemto prepare^(O)rooms^[f]in the house of theLord, and they prepared them.¹² Then they faithfully brought in the offerings, the tithes, and the dedicated things;^(P)Cononiah the Levite had charge of them, and Shimei his brotherwasthe next.¹³ Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismachiah, Mahath, and Benaiahwereoverseers under the hand of Cononiah and Shimei his brother, at the commandment of Hezekiah the king and Azariah the^(Q)ruler of the house of God.¹⁴ Kore the son of Imnah the Levite, the keeper of the East Gate,wasover the^(R)freewill offerings to God, to distribute the offerings of theLordand the most holy things.¹⁵ And under himwere^(S)Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah,hisfaithful assistants in^(T)the cities of the priests, to distribute^(U)allotments to their brethren by divisions, to the great as well as the small.

¹⁶ Besides those males from three years old and up who were written in the genealogy, they distributed to everyone who entered the house of theLordhis daily portion for the work of his service, by his division,¹⁷ and to the priests who were written in the genealogy according to their father’s house, and to the Levites^(V)from twenty years old and up according to their work, by their divisions,¹⁸ and to all who were written in the genealogy—their little ones and their wives, their sons and daughters, the whole company of them—for in their faithfulness they^[g]sanctified themselves in holiness.

¹⁹ Also for the sons of Aaron the priests,who werein^(W)the fields of the common-lands of their cities, in every single city,there weremen who were^(X)designated by name to distribute portions to all the males among the priests and to all who were listed by genealogies among the Levites.

²⁰ Thus Hezekiah did throughout all Judah, and he^(Y)did whatwasgood and right and true before theLordhis God.²¹ And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, in the law and in the commandment, to seek his God, he diditwith all his heart. So he^(Z)prospered.