1The Passover Feast came to an end. The people of Israel who were in Jerusalem went out to the towns of Judah. They smashed the sacred stones. They cut down the poles used to worship the female god named Asherah. They destroyed the high places and the altars. They did those things all through Judah and Benjamin. They also did them in Ephraim and Manasseh. They destroyed all the objects used to worship other gods. Then the Israelites returned to their own towns and property.
The People Bring Gifts to the Lord
2Hezekiah put the priests and Levites in groups based on their duties. The priests sacrificed burnt offerings and friendship offerings. The Levites served the Lord by giving thanks and singing praises at the gates of his house. 3The king gave some of his own possessions to the temple. He gave them for the morning and evening burnt offerings. He gave them for the burnt offerings for every Sabbath day. He gave them for the burnt offerings for every New Moon feast. And he gave them for the burnt offerings for every yearly appointed feast. He did it in keeping with what is written in the Law of the Lord. 4Hezekiah gave an order to the people who were living in Jerusalem. He commanded them to give to the priests and Levites the share they owed them. Then the priests and Levites could give their full attention to the Law of the Lord. 5The order went out. Right away the people of Israel began to give freely. They gave the first share of the harvest of their grain, fresh wine, olive oil and honey. They also gave the first share of everything else their fields produced. They brought a large amount. It was a tenth of everything. 6Here is what the people of Israel and Judah who lived in the towns of Judah brought. They brought a tenth of their herds and flocks. They also brought a tenth of the holy things they had set apart to the Lord their God. They put them in piles. 7They began doing it in the third month. They finished in the seventh month. 8Hezekiah and his officials came and saw the piles. When they did, they praised the Lord. And they blessed his people Israel.
9Hezekiah asked the priests and Levites about the piles. 10Azariah the chief priest answered him. He said, “The people have been bringing their gifts to the Lord’s temple. Ever since they began to bring them, we’ve had enough to eat. We have even had plenty to spare. That’s because the Lord has blessed his people. So we have a large amount left over.” Azariah was from the family line of Zadok.
11Hezekiah gave orders to prepare storerooms in the Lord’s temple. And it was done. 12The people were faithful. They brought in their offerings and a tenth of everything they produced. They also brought the gifts they had set apart to the Lord. Konaniah the Levite was in charge of everything they brought. His brother Shimei was next in command after him. 13Konaniah and his brother Shimei had helpers who worked with them. Their names were Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismakiah, Mahath and Benaiah. King Hezekiah and Azariah had appointed them. Azariah was the official in charge of God’s temple.
14Kore the Levite guarded the East Gate. He was in charge of the offerings people chose to give to God. He handed out the offerings made to the Lord. He also handed out the gifts that had been set apart to the Lord. Kore was the son of Imnah. 15Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah and Shekaniah helped Kore. They were faithful in helping him in the towns of the priests. They handed out gifts to their brother priests, group by group. They gave the gifts to old men and young men alike.
16In addition to that, they handed out gifts to the males who were three years old or more. The names of those males were listed in their family history. All of them would enter the Lord’s temple. They would carry out their duties each day. Each group did all the different things it was supposed to do. 17Kore and his Levite companions also handed out gifts to the priests. The priests were listed by their families in their family history. Those Levites also handed out gifts to the Levites who were 20 years old or more. Each group did all the different things it was supposed to do. 18Those groups included all the little ones, the wives, and the sons and daughters of the whole community. All of them were listed in their family history. They were faithful in setting themselves apart to serve the Lord.
19Some of the priests lived in other towns or on farms around their towns. They were from the family line of Aaron. Men were chosen by name to hand out shares to those priests. They gave a share to every male among them. They also gave a share to everyone whose name was written down in the family history of the Levites.
20That’s what Hezekiah did all through Judah. He did what was good and right. He was faithful to the Lord his God. 21He tried to obey his God. He worked for him with all his heart. That’s the way he worked in everything he did to serve God’s temple. He obeyed the law. He followed the Lord’s commands. So he had success.
1Assim que os dias dedicados à celebração e aos festejos passaram, todos os israelitas que se achavam ali saíram às cidades de Judá, despedaçaram as estátuas pagãs, cortaram e derrubaram os santuários pagãos, os obeliscos dedicados a esse culto, assim como os postes ídolos de Achera e outros centros pagãos de idolatria em todo Judá e Benjamim, e em Efraim e Manassés. Depois, cada um regressou às suas casas e às suas cidades.
Contribuições para o culto
(2 Rs 18.4)
2Ezequias organizou os sacerdotes e os levitas por turnos, para oferecerem holocaustos e ofertas de paz e louvores e cânticos junto aos portões do templo do Senhor. 3Fez ele próprio uma contribuição pessoal de animais para as ofertas diárias, matinais e do final do dia, assim como para as ofertas semanais de sábado e mensais para as festividades da lua nova e outras celebrações, como era requerido na Lei de Deus. 4Além disso, mandou que o povo de Jerusalém trouxesse os dízimos aos sacerdotes e levitas, a fim de poderem dedicar-se inteiramente aos seus deveres, como a Lei do Senhor exigia.
5O povo respondeu imediata e generosamente, trazendo os primeiros frutos das suas colheitas de trigo, vinho novo, azeite, mel e de tudo o mais; traziam o dízimo de tudo o que recolhiam e tudo era depositado em grandes montes. 6Aqueles de entre o povo que se tinham mudado para Judá, juntamente com o povo de Judá, também trouxeram os seus dízimos de gado, vacas e ovelhas, assim como daquilo que era consagrado ao Senhor, seu Deus. 7Os primeiros dízimos chegaram no terceiro mês e amontoaram-se até ao sétimo mês31.7 O terceiro mês é o mês de Sivan no calendário judaico. Entre a lua nova do mês de maio e o mês de junho. O sétimo mês é Etanim, no calendário judaico. Entre a lua nova do mês de setembro e o mês de outubro.. 8Quando Ezequias e as autoridades que o acompanhavam começaram a ver aqueles montes, deram graças ao Senhor e louvaram o povo de Israel.
9O rei encontrou-se com os sacerdotes e levitas e trocaram impressões sobre aquele movimento de generosidade. 10Azarias, o sumo sacerdote, da família de Zadoque, afirmou na ocasião: “Desde que estes dízimos têm chegado, temos tido o suficiente para nos alimentarmos, e o que aqui está é o que vai sobrando. O Senhor tem abençoado o seu povo!”
11Ezequias deu ordens para prepararem dependências de armazenamento no templo. 12Todos os fornecimentos foram trazidos à casa de Deus. Conanias, o levita, foi encarregado desses depósitos, auxiliado pelo seu irmão Simei. 13Havia ainda os seguintes ajudantes: Jeiel, Azazias, Naate, Asael, Jerimote, Jozabade, Eliel, Ismaquias, Maate e Benaia. Todos eles foram nomeados pelo rei e por Azarias, o responsável pela casa de Deus.
14Core, filho de Imna, o levita, que era responsável pela entrada do templo situada a oriente, ficou encarregado das ofertas voluntárias feitas a Deus e de administrar o que constituía um tributo para o Senhor e a parte mais sagrada das ofertas a ele destinadas. 15Os seus auxiliares eram Éden, Miniamim, Jesua, Semaías, Amarias e Secanias. Os donativos eram distribuídos aos clãs dos sacerdotes, nas suas cidades, com toda a equidade, tanto por grandes como por pequenos.
16Contudo, os sacerdotes que serviam no templo, e as suas famílias, recebiam diretamente no templo os seus fornecimentos, pelo que não eram incluídos naquela distribuição. 17Os sacerdotes eram registados nas listas genealógicas, segundo os seus clãs; os levitas, a partir da idade de 20 anos, eram inscritos de acordo com os seus turnos de serviço. 18Uma provisão regular de alimentos era entregue a todas as famílias de sacerdotes, devidamente inscritos, os quais não tinham outra fonte de recursos, visto que eram fiéis em se consagrarem.
19Havia um sacerdote, entre os descendentes de Aarão, em cada uma das suas cidades, que tinha como função específica a entrega dos fornecimentos alimentares a todos os outros sacerdotes dessa área, assim como aos levitas devidamente registados.
20Foi desta forma que o rei Ezequias superintendeu à distribuição realizada no reino de Judá, velando para que tudo fosse feito com justiça e verdade perante o Senhor, seu Deus. 21Esforçou-se, tanto quanto possível, por encorajar o respeito pela casa de Deus, pela Lei e por buscar o seu Deus de todo o coração, e foi bem sucedido.
