2 Chronicles 31:1-19

31:1 When all this was over, the Israelites ¹  who were in the cities of Judah went out and smashed the sacred pillars, cut down the Asherah poles, and demolished ²  all the high places and altars throughout Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh. ³  Then all the Israelites returned to their own homes in their cities. ⁴ 

The People Contribute to the Temple

31:2 Hezekiah appointed the divisions of the priests and Levites to do their assigned tasks ⁵  – to offer burnt sacrifices and present offerings and to serve, give thanks, and offer praise in the gates of the Lord’s sanctuary. ⁶ 

31:3 The king contributed ⁷  some of what he owned for burnt sacrifices, including the morning and evening burnt sacrifices and the burnt sacrifices made on Sabbaths, new moon festivals, and at other appointed times prescribed ⁸  in the law of the Lord. 31:4 He ordered ⁹  the people living in Jerusalem ¹⁰  to contribute the portion prescribed for the priests and Levites so they might be obedient ¹¹  to the law of the Lord. 31:5 When the edict was issued, ¹²  the Israelites freely contributed ¹³  the initial portion of their grain, wine, olive oil, honey, and all the produce of their fields. They brought a tenth of everything, which added up to a huge amount. 31:6 The Israelites and people of Judah ¹⁴  who lived in the cities of Judah also contributed a tenth of their cattle and sheep, as well as a tenth of the holy items consecrated to the Lord their God. They brought them and placed them in many heaps. ¹⁵  31:7 In the third month they began piling their contributions in heaps ¹⁶  and finished in the seventh month. 31:8 When Hezekiah and the officials came and saw the heaps, they praised the Lord and pronounced blessings on his people Israel. ¹⁷ 

31:9 When Hezekiah asked the priests and Levites about the heaps, 31:10 Azariah, the head priest from the family of Zadok, said to him, “Since the contributions began arriving in the Lord’s temple, we have had plenty to eat and have a large quantity left over. For the Lord has blessed his people, and this large amount remains.” 31:11 Hezekiah ordered that storerooms be prepared in the Lord’s temple. When this was done, ¹⁸  31:12 they brought in the contributions, tithes, ¹⁹  and consecrated items that had been offered. ²⁰  Konaniah, a Levite, was in charge of all this, assisted by his brother Shimei. 31:13 Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismakiah, Mahath, and Benaiah worked under the supervision of Konaniah and his brother Shimei, as directed by King Hezekiah and Azariah, the supervisor of God’s temple.

31:14 Kore son of Imnah, a Levite and the guard on the east side, was in charge of the voluntary offerings made to God and disbursed the contributions made to the Lord and the consecrated items. 31:15 In the cities of the priests, Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah faithfully assisted him in making disbursements to their fellow priests ²¹  according to their divisions, regardless of age. ²²  31:16 They made disbursements to all the males three years old and up who were listed in the genealogical records – to all who would enter the Lord’s temple to serve on a daily basis and fulfill their duties as assigned to their divisions. ²³  31:17 They made disbursements to the priests listed in the genealogical records by their families, and to the Levites twenty years old and up, according to their duties as assigned to their divisions, 31:18 and to all the infants, wives, sons, and daughters of the entire assembly listed in the genealogical records, for they faithfully consecrated themselves. 31:19 As for the descendants of Aaron, the priests who lived in the outskirts of all their cities, ²⁴  men were assigned ²⁵  to disburse portions to every male among the priests and to every Levite listed in the genealogical records.

[31:1]  ¹ tn Heb “all Israel.”

[31:1]  ² tn Or “tore down.”

[31:1]  ³ tn Heb “the high places and the altars from all Judah and Benjamin and in Ephraim and in Manasseh until finished.”

[31:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “and the sons of Israel returned, each to his possession to their cities.”

[31:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “and Hezekiah appointed the divisions of the priests and the Levites according to their divisions, each in accordance with his service for the priests and for the Levites.”

[31:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “in the gates of the encampments of the Lord.”

[31:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “the portion of the king [was].”

[31:3]  ⁸ tn Heb “as written.”

[31:4]  ⁹ tn Heb “said to.”

[31:4]  ¹⁰ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[31:4]  ¹¹ tn Heb “might hold firmly.”

[31:5]  ¹² tn Heb “and when the word spread out.”

[31:5]  ¹³ tn Heb “the sons of Israel multiplied.”

[31:6]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “and the sons of Israel and Judah.”

[31:6]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “heaps, heaps.” Repetition of the noun draws attention to the large number of heaps.

[31:7]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “they began the heaps, to establish.”

[31:8]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “they blessed the Lord and his people Israel.”

[31:11]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “and they prepared.”

[31:12]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “tenth.”

[31:12]  ²⁰ tn Heb “and holy things in faithfulness.”

[31:15]  ²¹ tn Heb “to their brothers.”

[31:15]  ²² tn Heb “like great, like small” (i.e., old and young alike).

[31:16]  ²³ tn Heb “in addition enrolling them by males from a son of three years and upwards, to everyone who enters the house of the Lord for a matter of a day in its day, for their service by their duties according to their divisions.”

[31:19]  ²⁴ tn Heb “the priests in the fields of the pastureland of their cities in every city and city.”

[31:19]  ²⁵ tn Heb “designated by names.”