II Chronicles 31

¹And whanne these thingis weren doon riytfuli, al Israel yede out, that was foundun in the citees of Juda; and thei braken simylacris, and kittiden doun woodis, and wastiden hiy places, and distrieden auteris, not oneli of al Juda and Beniamyn, but also and of Effraym and Manasses, til thei distrieden outirli. And alle the sones of Israel turneden ayen in to her possessiouns and citees.

²Forsothe Ezechie ordeynede cumpenyes of preestis and of dekenes bi her departyngis, ech man in his owne office, that is, as wel of preestis as of dekenes, to brent sacrifices and pesible sacrifices, that thei schulden mynystre, and knowleche, and synge in the yatis of the castels of the Lord.

³Sotheli the part of the kyng was, that of his owne catel brent sacrifice schulde be offrid euere in the morewtid and euentide, also in sabatis, and calendis, and othere solempnytees, as it is writun in the lawe of Moises.

⁴Also he comaundide to the puple of hem that dwelliden in Jerusalem, to yyue partis to the preestis and dekenes, that thei myyten yyue tent to the lawe of the Lord.

⁵And whanne this was knowun in the eeris of the multitude, the sones of Israel offriden ful many firste fruytis of wheete, of wyn, of oyle, and of hony; and of alle thingis whiche the erthe bringith forth, thei offriden tithis.

⁶But also the sones of Israel and of Juda, that dwelliden in the citees of Juda, offriden tithis of oxis and of scheep, and the tithis of holi thingis, whiche thei avowiden to `her Lord God, and thei brouyten alle thingis, and maden ful many heepis.

⁷In the thridde monethe thei bigunnen to leie the foundementis of the heepis, and in the seuenthe monethe thei filliden tho heepis.

⁸And whanne Ezechie and hise princes hadden entrid, thei siyen the heepis, and blessiden the Lord, and the puple of Israel.

⁹And Ezechie axide the preestis and dekenes, whi the heepis laien so.

¹⁰Azarie, the firste preest of the generacioun of Sadoch, answeride to hym, and seide, Sithen the firste fruytis bigunnen to be offrid in the hows of the Lord, we han ete and ben fillid, and ful many thingis ben left; for the Lord hath blessid his puple; sotheli this plentee, which thou seest, is of the relifs.

¹¹Therfor Ezechie comaundide, that thei schulden make redi bernes in the hows of the Lord; and whanne thei hadden do this thing,

¹²thei brouyten in feithfuly bothe the firste fruytis, and tithis, and what euere thingis thei hadden avowid. Forsothe Chonenye, the dekene, was the souereyn of tho; and Semei his brother was the secounde;

¹³aftir whom Jehiel, and Azarie, and Nabath, and Asahel, and Jerimoth, `and Jozabad, and Helyel, and Jesmahie, and Maath, and Banaie, weren souereyns vndur the hondis of Chonenye and Semei, his brother, bi the comaundement of `Ezechie the kyng, and of Azarie, the bischop of the hows of the Lord, to whiche alle thingis perteyneden.

¹⁴But Chore, the sone of Jemnya, dekene and portere of the eest yate, was souereyn of tho thingis that weren offrid bi fre wille to the Lord, and of the firste fruytis, and of thingis halewid in to hooli thingis of the noumbre of hooli thingis;

¹⁵and vndur his cure weren Eden, and Beniamyn, Jesue, and Semeye, and Amarie, and Sechenye, in the citees of preestis, that thei schulden departe feithfuli to her britheren the partis, to the lesse and the grettere,

¹⁶outakun malis fro three yeer and aboue, these thingis to alle that entriden in to the temple of the Lord, and what euer thing bi ech dai was hirid in the seruyce and obseruaunces bi her departyngis.

¹⁷To preestis bi meynees, and to dekenes fro `the twentithe yeer and aboue bi her ordris and cumpenyes, and to alle the multitude,

¹⁸bothe to the wyues and fre children of hem of euer either kynde, metis weren youun feithfuli of these thingis that weren halewid.

¹⁹But also men of the sones of Aaron weren ordeyned bi the feeldis and subarbis of alle citees, whyche men schulden dele partis to al the male kynde of preestis and dekenes.

²⁰Therfor Ezechie dide alle thingis, whiche we seiden, in al Juda, and he wrouyte that, that was riytful and good and trewe bifor `his Lord God,

²¹in al the religioun of the seruyce of the hows of the Lord, bi the lawe and cerymonyes; and he wolde seke his Lord God in al his herte, and he dide, and hadde prosperite.

II Chronicles 31

¹Now when all this was finished, all Israel that were present went out to the cities of Judah, and brake the images in pieces, and cut down the groves, and threw down the high places and the altars out of all Judah and Benjamin, in Ephraim also and Manasseh, until they had utterly destroyed them all. Then all the children of Israel returned, every man to his possession, into their own cities.

²And Hezekiah appointed the courses of the priests and the Levites after their courses, every man according to his service, the priests and Levites for burnt offerings and for peace offerings, to minister, and to give thanks, and to praise in the gates of the tents of the Lord.

³He appointed also the king’s portion of his substance for the burnt offerings, to wit, for the morning and evening burnt offerings, and the burnt offerings for the sabbaths, and for the new moons, and for the set feasts, as it is written in the law of the Lord.

⁴Moreover he commanded the people that dwelt in Jerusalem to give the portion of the priests and the Levites, that they might be encouraged in the law of the Lord.

⁵And as soon as the commandment came abroad, the children of Israel brought in abundance the firstfruits of corn, wine, and oil, and honey, and of all the increase of the field; and the tithe of all things brought they in abundantly.

⁶And concerning the children of Israel and Judah, that dwelt in the cities of Judah, they also brought in the tithe of oxen and sheep, and the tithe of holy things which were consecrated unto the Lord their God, and laid them by heaps.

⁷In the third month they began to lay the foundation of the heaps, and finished them in the seventh month.

⁸And when Hezekiah and the princes came and saw the heaps, they blessed the Lord, and his people Israel.

⁹Then Hezekiah questioned with the priests and the Levites concerning the heaps.

¹⁰And Azariah the chief priest of the house of Zadok answered him, and said, Since the people began to bring the offerings into the house of the Lord, we have had enough to eat, and have left plenty: for the Lord hath blessed his people; and that which is left is this great store.

¹¹Then Hezekiah commanded to prepare chambers in the house of the Lord; and they prepared them,

¹²And brought in the offerings and the tithes and the dedicated things faithfully: over which Cononiah the Levite was ruler, and Shimei his brother was the next.

¹³And Jehiel, and Azaziah, and Nahath, and Asahel, and Jerimoth, and Jozabad, and Eliel, and Ismachiah, and Mahath, and Benaiah, were overseers under the hand of Cononiah and Shimei his brother, at the commandment of Hezekiah the king, and Azariah the ruler of the house of God.

¹⁴And Kore the son of Imnah the Levite, the porter toward the east, was over the freewill offerings of God, to distribute the oblations of the Lord, and the most holy things.

¹⁵And next him were Eden, and Miniamin, and Jeshua, and Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah, in the cities of the priests, in their set office, to give to their brethren by courses, as well to the great as to the small:

¹⁶Beside their genealogy of males, from three years old and upward, even unto every one that entereth into the house of the Lord, his daily portion for their service in their charges according to their courses;

¹⁷Both to the genealogy of the priests by the house of their fathers, and the Levites from twenty years old and upward, in their charges by their courses;

¹⁸And to the genealogy of all their little ones, their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, through all the congregation: for in their set office they sanctified themselves in holiness:

¹⁹Also of the sons of Aaron the priests, which were in the fields of the suburbs of their cities, in every several city, the men that were expressed by name, to give portions to all the males among the priests, and to all that were reckoned by genealogies among the Levites.

²⁰And thus did Hezekiah throughout all Judah, and wrought that which was good and right and truth before the Lord his God.

²¹And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered.