1   When this was over, all the Israelites present went out to the cities of Judah and smashed the sacred pillars, hacked down the sacred poles and broke up the hill-shrines and the altars throughout Judah and Benjamin, Ephraim and Manasseh, until they had made an end of them. That done, the Israelites returned, each to his own patrimony in his own city.

2   Then Hezekiah installed the priests and the Levites in office, division by division, allotting to each priest or Levite his own particular duty, for whole-offerings or shared-offerings, to give thanks or to sing praise, or to serve ^note in the gates of the several quarters in the Lord's house. ^note

3   The king provided from his own resources, as the share due from him, the whole-offerings for both morning and evening, and for sabbaths, new moons, and appointed seasons, as prescribed in the law of the Lord. 4   He ordered the people living in Jerusalem to provide the share due from the priests and the Levites, so that they might devote themselves entirely to the law of the Lord. 5   As soon as the king's order was issued to the Israelites, they gave generously from the firstfruits of their corn and new wine, oil and honey, all the produce of their land; they brought a full tithe of everything. 6   The Israelites and the Judaeans living in the cities of Judah also brought a tithe of cattle and sheep, and a tithe of all produce as offerings ^note dedicated to the Lord their God, and they stacked the produce in heaps. 7   They began to deposit the heaps in the third month and completed them in the seventh. 8   When Hezekiah and his officers came and saw the heaps, they blessed the Lord and his people Israel. 9   Hezekiah asked the priests and the Levites about these heaps, 10   and Azariah the chief priest, who was of the line of Zadok, answered, ‘From the time when the people began to bring their contribution into the house of the Lord, they have had enough to eat, enough and to spare; indeed, the Lord has so greatly blessed them that they have this great store left over.’

11   Then Hezekiah ordered store-rooms to be prepared in the house of the Lord, and this was done; 12   and the people honestly brought in their contributions, the tithe, and their dedicated gifts. The overseer in charge of them was Conaniah the Levite, with Shimei his brother as his deputy; 13   Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismachiah, Mahath, and Benaiah were appointed by King Hezekiah and Azariah, the chief overseer of the house of God, to assist Conaniah and

The kings from Hezekiah to the exile Shimei his brother. 14   And Kore son of Imnah the Levite, keeper of the East Gate, was in charge of the freewill offerings to God, to apportion the contributions made to the Lord and the most sacred offerings. 15   Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah in the priestly cities assisted him in the fair distribution of portions to their kinsmen, young and old ^note alike, by divisions. 16   Irrespective of their registration, shares were distributed to all males three years of age and upwards who entered the house of the Lord to take their daily part in the service, according to their divisions, as their office demanded. 17   The priests were registered by families, the Levites from twenty years of age and upwards by their offices in their divisions. 18   They were registered with all their dependants, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, the whole company of them, because in virtue of their permanent standing they had to keep themselves duly hallowed. 19   As for the priests of Aaron's line in the common lands attached to their cities, in every city men were nominated to distribute portions to every male among the priests and to every one who was registered with the Levites.

20   Such was the action taken by Hezekiah throughout Judah; he did what was good and right and loyal in the sight of the Lord his God. 21   Whatever he undertook in the service of the house of God and in obedience to the law and the commandment to seek guidance of his God, he did with all his heart, and he prospered.

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