1 When this ended, all Israel who were present went out to the cities of Judah, broke the pillars in pieces, cut down the Asherim and pulled down the high places and the altars throughout all Judah and Benjamin, Ephraim and Manasseh. They destroyed them all. Then all the sons of Israel returned to their cities, each to his possession.
2 Hezekiah assigned the priests and the Levites to divisions. Each priest or Levite was put in a division based on the service he performed. The services included: sacrificing burnt offerings, sacrificing fellowship offerings, serving, giving thanks, or praising within the gates of Jehovahs camp.
3 He set aside part of the kings property for burnt offerings, the morning and evening offerings, burnt offerings on the weekly worship days, the New Moon Festivals, and the annual festivals, as it is written in Jehovahs Law.
4 He told the people living in Jerusalem to give the priests and Levites the portions they were due so that they could devote themselves to Jehovahs Law.
5 As soon as the order was given, the people of Israel brought gifts of their finest grain, wine, olive oil, honey, and other farm produce, and they also brought the tithes of everything they had.
6 All the people who lived in the cities of Judah brought tithes of their cattle and sheep. They also brought large quantities of gifts they dedicated to Jehovah their God.
7 The gifts started arriving in the third month. They continued to pile up for the next four months.
8 King Hezekiah and his officials saw how much had been given. They praised Jehovah and praised his people Israel.
9 The king spoke to the priests and the Levites about these gifts,
10 and Azariah the High Priest, a descendant of Zadok, said to him: Since the people started bringing their gifts to the temple, there has been enough to eat and a large surplus besides. We have all this because Jehovah has blessed his people.
11 On the kings orders they prepared storerooms in the Temple area
12 and put all the gifts and tithes in them for safekeeping. They placed a Levite named Conaniah in charge and made his brother Shimei his assistant.
13 Ten Levites were assigned to work under them: Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismachiah, Mahath, and Benaiah. This was done by authority of King Hezekiah and Azariah the High Priest.
14 Kore son of Imnah, a Levite who was chief guard at the East Gate of the temple, was in charge of receiving the gifts offered to Jehovah and of distributing them.
15 In the other cities where priests lived, he was faithfully assisted in this by other Levites: Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah. They distributed the food equally to their fellow Levites according to what their duties were.
16 They were appointed to distribute them to males who were at least three years old. The way they were enrolled in the genealogical records did not matter. The six men who served under Kore were to distribute the offerings to everyone who went to Jehovahs Temple to perform the daily service that each division was responsible for.
17 They were to distribute offerings to the priests who were enrolled by families and to the Levites who were at least twenty years old. Distribution was based on the way they served in their divisions.
18 The priests and Levites were enrolled with their wives, sons, daughters, and other people who depended on them in the community. The priests and Levites had to be faithful in keeping themselves holy for the holy work.
19 Men were appointed to give a portion of the offerings to all the males in the priestly families and to everyone listed in the genealogies of the Levites. These men were Aarons descendants, priests who lived in the pasturelands of every Levite city.
20 This is what Hezekiah did throughout Judah. He did what was good and right and true to Jehovah his God.
21 Hezekiah incorporated Moses teachings and commands into worship and dedicated his life to serving God. Whatever he did for the worship in Gods Temple, he did wholeheartedly, and he succeeded.