Immerse: Chronicles Full Volume - Flipbook - Page 104
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IMMERSE
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CHRONICLES
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sacred pillars, cut down the Asherah poles, and removed the pagan shrines
and altars. After this, the Israelites returned to their own towns and homes.
Hezekiah then organized the priests and Levites into divisions to offer
the burnt offerings and peace offerings, and to worship and give thanks
and praise to the Lord at the gates of the Temple. The king also made a
personal contribution of animals for the daily morning and evening burnt
offerings, the weekly Sabbath festivals, the monthly new moon festivals,
and the annual festivals as prescribed in the Law of the Lord. In addition,
he required the people in Jerusalem to bring a portion of their goods to
the priests and Levites, so they could devote themselves fully to the Law
of the Lord.
When the people of Israel heard these requirements, they responded
generously by bringing the first share of their grain, new wine, olive oil,
honey, and all the produce of their fields. They brought a large quantity—
a tithe of all they produced. The people who had moved to Judah from
Israel, and the people of Judah themselves, brought in the tithes of their
cattle, sheep, and goats and a tithe of the things that had been dedicated to
the Lord their God, and they piled them up in great heaps. They began
piling them up in late spring, and the heaps continued to grow until early
autumn. When Hezekiah and his officials came and saw these huge piles,
they thanked the Lord and his people Israel!
“Where did all this come from?” Hezekiah asked the priests and Levites.
And Azariah the high priest, from the family of Zadok, replied, “Since
the people began bringing their gifts to the Lord’s Temple, we have had
enough to eat and plenty to spare. The Lord has blessed his people, and
all this is left over.”
Hezekiah ordered that storerooms be prepared in the Temple of the
Lord. When this was done, the people faithfully brought all the gifts,
tithes, and other items dedicated for use in the Temple. Conaniah the Levite was put in charge, assisted by his brother Shimei. The supervisors
under them were Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel,
Ismakiah, Mahath, and Benaiah. These appointments were made by King
Hezekiah and Azariah, the chief official in the Temple of God.
Kore son of Imnah the Levite, who was the gatekeeper at the East Gate,
was put in charge of distributing the voluntary offerings given to God, the
gifts, and the things that had been dedicated to the Lord. His faithful assistants were Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah.
They distributed the gifts among the families of priests in their towns by
their divisions, dividing the gifts fairly among old and young alike. They
distributed the gifts to all males three years old or older, regardless of their
place in the genealogic al records. The distribution went to all who would
come to the Lord’s Temple to perform their daily duties according to their
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