Day 199 of 730

¹Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, to keep the Passover to the Lord, the God of Israel.

²For the king had taken counsel, and his princes, and all the assembly in Jerusalem, to keep the Passover in the second month.

³For they could not keep it at that time, because the priests had not sanctified themselves in sufficient number, neither had the people gathered themselves together to Jerusalem.

⁴The thing was right in the eyes of the king and of all the assembly.

⁵So they established a decree to make proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba even to Dan, that they should come to keep the Passover to the Lord, the God of Israel, at Jerusalem: for they had not kept it in great numbers in such sort as it is written.

⁶So the couriers went with the letters from the king and his princes throughout all Israel and Judah, and according to the commandment of the king, saying, "You children of Israel, turn again to the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that he may return to the remnant that have escaped of you out of the hand of the kings of Assyria.

⁷Do not be like your fathers, and like your brothers, who trespassed against the Lord, the God of their fathers, so that he gave them up to desolation, as you see.

⁸Now do not be stiff-necked, as your fathers were; but yield yourselves to the Lord, and enter into his sanctuary, which he has sanctified forever, and serve the Lord your God, that his fierce anger may turn away from you.

⁹For if you turn again to the Lord, your brothers and your children shall find compassion before those who led them captive, and shall come again into this land: for the Lord your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you, if you return to him."

¹⁰So the couriers passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, even to Zebulun: but they ridiculed them, and mocked them.

¹¹Nevertheless certain men of Asher and Manasseh and of Zebulun humbled themselves, and came to Jerusalem.

¹²Also on Judah came the hand of God to give them one heart, to do the commandment of the king and of the princes by the word of the Lord.

¹³Many people assembled at Jerusalem to keep the feast of unleavened bread in the second month, a very great assembly.

¹⁴They arose and took away the altars that were in Jerusalem, and all the altars for incense took they away, and cast them into the brook Kidron.

¹⁵Then they killed the Passover on the fourteenth day of the second month: and the priests and the Levites were ashamed, and sanctified themselves, and brought burnt offerings into the house of the Lord.

¹⁶They stood in their place after their order, according to the law of Moses the man of God: the priests sprinkled the blood which they received of the hand of the Levites.

¹⁷For there were many in the assembly who had not sanctified themselves: therefore the Levites were in charge of killing the Passovers for everyone who was not clean, to sanctify them to the Lord.

¹⁸For a multitude of the people, even many of Ephraim and Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover otherwise than it is written. For Hezekiah had prayed for them, saying, "May the good Lord pardon everyone

¹⁹who sets his heart to seek God, the Lord, the God of his fathers, even if they aren't clean according to the purification of the sanctuary."

²⁰The Lord listened to Hezekiah, and healed the people.

²¹The children of Israel who were present at Jerusalem kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with great gladness; and the Levites and the priests praised the Lord day by day, singing with loud instruments to the Lord.

²²Hezekiah spoke comfortably to all the Levites who had good understanding in the service of the Lord. So they ate throughout the feast for the seven days, offering sacrifices of peace offerings, and making confession to the Lord, the God of their fathers.

²³The whole assembly took counsel to keep other seven days; and they kept another seven days with gladness.

²⁴For Hezekiah king of Judah gave to the assembly for offerings one thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep; and the princes gave to the assembly a thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep: and a great number of priests sanctified themselves.

²⁵All the assembly of Judah, with the priests and the Levites, and all the assembly who came out of Israel, and the foreigners who came out of the land of Israel, and who lived in Judah, rejoiced.

²⁶So there was great joy in Jerusalem; for since the time of Solomon the son of David king of Israel there was not the like in Jerusalem.

²⁷Then the priests the Levites arose and blessed the people: and their voice was heard, and their prayer came up to his holy habitation, even to heaven.

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

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

³He appointed also the king's portion of his substance for the burnt offerings, 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 who lived in Jerusalem to give the portion of the priests and the Levites, that they might give themselves to the law of the Lord.

⁵As soon as the commandment came abroad, the children of Israel gave in abundance the first fruits of grain, new wine, and oil, and honey, and of all the increase of the field; and the tithe of all things brought they in abundantly.

⁶The children of Israel and Judah, who lived in the cities of Judah, they also brought in the tithe of cattle and sheep, and the tithe of dedicated things which were consecrated to 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.

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

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

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

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

¹²They brought in the offerings and the tithes and the dedicated things faithfully: and over them Conaniah the Levite was ruler, and Shimei his brother was second.

¹³Jehiel, and Azaziah, and Nahath, and Asahel, and Jerimoth, and Jozabad, and Eliel, and Ismachiah, and Mahath, and Benaiah, were overseers under the hand of Conaniah and Shimei his brother, by the appointment of Hezekiah the king, and Azariah the ruler of God's house.

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

¹⁵Under him were Eden, and Miniamin, and Jeshua, and Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah, in the cities of the priests, in their office of trust, to give to their brothers by divisions, as well to the great as to the small:

¹⁶besides those who were reckoned by genealogy of males, from three years old and upward, even everyone who entered into the house of the Lord, as the duty of every day required, for their service in their offices according to their divisions;

¹⁷and those who were reckoned by genealogy of the priests by their fathers' houses, and the Levites from twenty years old and upward, in their offices by their divisions;

¹⁸and those who were reckoned by genealogy of all their little ones, their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, through all the congregation: for in their office of trust they sanctified themselves in holiness.

¹⁹Also for the sons of Aaron the priests, who were in the fields of the suburbs of their cities, in every city, there were men who were mentioned by name, to give portions to all the males among the priests, and to all who were reckoned by genealogy among the Levites.

²⁰Hezekiah did so throughout all Judah; and he worked that which was good and right and faithful before the Lord his God.

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

¹Hear this, all you peoples. Listen, all you inhabitants of the world,

²both low and high, rich and poor together.

³My mouth will speak words of wisdom. My heart shall utter understanding.

⁴I will incline my ear to a proverb. I will open my riddle on the harp.

⁵Why should I fear in the days of evil, when iniquity at my heels surrounds me?

⁶Those who trust in their wealth, and boast in the multitude of their riches-

⁷none of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give God a ransom for him.

⁸For the redemption of their life is costly, no payment is ever enough,

⁹That he should live on forever, that he should not see corruption.

¹⁰For he sees that wise men die; likewise the fool and the senseless perish, and leave their wealth to others.

¹¹Their inward thought is that their houses will endure forever, and their dwelling places to all generations. They name their lands after themselves.

¹²But man, despite his riches, doesn't endure. He is like the animals that perish.

¹³This is the destiny of those who are foolish, and of those who approve their sayings. Selah.

¹⁴They are appointed as a flock for Sheol. Death shall be their shepherd. The upright shall have dominion over them in the morning. Their beauty shall decay in Sheol, far from their mansion.

¹⁵But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me. Selah.

¹⁶Do not be afraid when a man is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased.

¹⁷For when he dies he shall carry nothing away. His glory shall not descend after him.

¹⁸Though while he lived he blessed his soul- and men praise you when you do well for yourself-

¹⁹he shall go to the generation of his fathers. They shall never see the light.

²⁰A man who has riches without understanding, is like the animals that perish.

¹A wise son listens to his father's instruction, but a scoffer doesn't listen to rebuke.

²By the fruit of his lips, a man enjoys good things; but the unfaithful crave violence.

³He who guards his mouth guards his soul. One who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.

⁴The soul of the sluggard desires, and has nothing, but the desire of the diligent shall be fully satisfied.

⁵A righteous man hates lies, but a wicked man brings shame and disgrace.

⁶Righteousness guards the way of integrity, but wickedness overthrows the sinner.

⁷There are some who pretend to be rich, yet have nothing. There are some who pretend to be poor, yet have great wealth.

⁸The ransom of a man's life is his riches, but the poor hear no threats.

⁹The light of the righteous shines brightly, but the lamp of the wicked is snuffed out.

¹⁰Pride only breeds quarrels, but with ones who take advice is wisdom.

¹¹Wealth gained dishonestly dwindles away, but he who gathers by hand makes it grow.

¹²Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when longing is fulfilled, it is a tree of life.

¹³Whoever despises instruction will pay for it, but he who respects a command will be rewarded.

¹⁴The teaching of the wise is a spring of life, to turn from the snares of death.

¹⁵Good understanding wins favor; but the way of the unfaithful is hard.

¹⁶Every prudent man acts from knowledge, but a fool exposes folly.

¹⁷A wicked messenger falls into trouble, but a trustworthy envoy gains healing.

¹⁸Poverty and shame come to him who refuses discipline, but he who heeds correction shall be honored.

¹⁹Longing fulfilled is sweet to the soul, but fools detest turning from evil.

²⁰One who walks with wise men grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.

²¹Misfortune pursues sinners, but prosperity rewards the righteous.

²²A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children, but the wealth of the sinner is stored for the righteous.

²³An abundance of food is in poor people's fields, but injustice sweeps it away.

²⁴One who spares the rod hates his son, but one who loves him is careful to discipline him.

²⁵The righteous one eats to the satisfying of his soul, but the belly of the wicked goes hungry.