Hezekiah Reforms Religious Life
1 After the festival ended, all the people of Israel went to every city in Judah and broke the stone pillars, cut down the symbols of the goddess Asherah, and destroyed the altars and the pagan places of worship. They did the same thing throughout the rest of Judah, and the territories of Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh; then they all returned home.
2 King Hezekiah reestablished the organization of the priests and Levites, under which they each had specific duties. These included offering the burnt offerings and the fellowship offerings, taking part in the Temple worship, and giving praise and thanks in the various parts of the Temple. 3 From his own flocks and herds he provided animals for the burnt offerings each morning and evening, and for those offered on the Sabbath, at the New Moon Festival, and at the other festivals which are required by the Law of the Lord.
4 In addition, the king told the people of Jerusalem to bring the offerings to which the priests and the Levites were entitled, so that they could give all their time to the requirements of the Law of the Lord. 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, and they also brought large quantities of gifts which they dedicated to the Lord their God. 7 The gifts started arriving in the third month and continued to pile up for the next four months. 8 When King Hezekiah and his officials saw how much had been given, they praised the Lord 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 the Lord has blessed his people.”
11 On the king's 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. All this was done under the 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 the Lord 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 and not by clans. They gave a share to all males thirty years of age or older who had daily responsibilities in the Temple in accordance with their positions. 17 The priests were assigned their duties by clans, and the Levites twenty years of age or older were assigned theirs by work groups. 18 They were all registered together with their wives, children, and other dependents, because they were required to be ready to perform their sacred duties at any time. 19 Among the priests who lived in the cities assigned to Aaron's descendants or in the pasture lands belonging to these cities, there were responsible men who distributed the food to all the males in the priestly families and to everyone who was on the rolls of the Levite clans.
20 Throughout all Judah, King Hezekiah did what was right and what was pleasing to the Lord his God. 21 He was successful, because everything he did for the Temple or in observance of the Law, he did in a spirit of complete loyalty and devotion to his God.
ǃAruǀî hâ dī-unudi Hiskiab ge dīdi
1 ǁÂudīb khaoǃgân ge Israelǁîna, Judab ǃādi hoadi ǃnâ sī tsî ǀuiǂkhâǃnâga khôaǁnâ, ǁgôa-elos Aseras īga ǁhāǁnâ, tsî ǀūben ǀgoreǀîǃkhaidi tsî altardi tsîna ge khôaǂkhū. Tsîn ge ǁnās ǁkhāsa nau ǃâb Judab dib tsî hoaraga Benjaminni, Efraimmi tsî Manaseb tsîgu ǃnâ ge dī. ǁNās khaoǃgâ i ge mâ-i hoa-e ǁî-i ǃās ǁga ge oa.
2 Gao-aob Hiskiab ge pristergu tsî Leviǁîgu tsîga ǃnandi ǃnâ ǀgoraǂgāsa ǁkhawa ge ǂnûiǂgā, mâs hoas ǁîs di ǁgui-aisa nî ūhâse. ǁÎgu ǃnandi sîsenni ge khauǁguibadi, ǂkhîbagusǁguibadi, Tempelǃoabadi tsî gangans tsî koasa, ǃkharaga ǃâdi Tempeli didi ǃnâ dīs di ǁgui-aisa ge ǃkhōǂgā hâ i. 3 Gao-aob ge ǁkhāti ǁîb di ǂgarib ǂûba xu ûitsama xūna khauǁguibadi ǃaroma gere mā, ǁgoaǃoabadi tsî ǃuiǃoabadi, Sabbattsēdi, ǀAsa ǁKhâb Kaitsēdi tsî nau Kaitsēdi, ǃKhūb di ǂhanub ǃnâ xoaǁguisadi tsîdi ǃaroma.
4 Gao-aob ge ǁkhāti Jerusalems di ǁanǂgāsabena ge mîba, în pristergu tsî Leviǁîgu tsîga ǁîgu nî māhese ī ǃâsa mā, î gu ǀoasa ǂâisa ǃKhūb ǂhanub di ǂgaoǀkhādi ai ǂnûi ǁkhā. 5 ǁNā mîs ge ǂanǂanhe, on ge Israelǁîna ǁîn di ama-ai ǃhoro-i, ǂauxûi-i, ǀkhera-oli-i, dani-i tsî nau ǃhanaǂûn tsîna ge hā-ū. ǁÎn ge ǁkhāti disiǁîǃâs, ūn hâ xūn hoan disa ge mā. 6 Judab ǃādi ǃnâ ǁan hâ khoen hoan ge disiǁîǃâs, ǁîn goman tsî gūn disa ge hā-ū. ǁÎn ge ǁkhāti ǂgui ǀkhaexūn, ǃKhūb, ǁîn di Eloban ge khaibana ge hā-ū. 7 ǁÎn ge ǃnonaǁî ǁkhâb ǃnâ, ǁnā xūna ge hā-ūtsoatsoa tsî hûǁî ǁkhâb kōse ǁnās ǀkha ge aiǃgû. 8 Hiskiab tsî ǁîb di ǂamkhoegu ge mâtikō ǂgui xūn ge hā-ūhesa gu ge mû, o ǃKhūb tsî ǁîb di ǁaes Israelsa ge koa. 9 Hiskiab ge pristergu tsî Leviǁîgu tsîn ǀkha ǁnā xūn xa a ǃhoa, 10 ob ge ǀgapipristeri Asariab, Sadoki surib diba ge ǃeream: “Khoen ge nē māde Tempela ǃoa a hā-ūtsoatsoasa xu ge ge ǂâu hâ kō ǂûxūna ūhâ tsîn ge noxopa ǂguina ǃgau hâ. Nē xūn hoana ge ge ūhâ, ǃKhūb ge ǁaes âba a ǀkhae xui-ao.”
11 Gao-aob Hiskiab di mîmās ai gu ge sâuǃnâǃnā-omde Tempeli tawa ǂhomi 12 tsî hoaraga ǀkhaexūn tsî disiǁîǃâs tsîna ǁîdi ǃnâ ge ǂgā. Tsîn ge Kenanja ti ǀon hâ Leviǁîba mûǂamaose ge mâi tsî ǁîb di ǃgâsab Simeiba ǁîbab nî huise. 13 Disi Leviǁîgu ge ǁîkha ǃnaka gu nî sîsense ge ǁgaumâihe. ǁÎgu ge Jehieli, Asasjab, Nahati, Asaheli, Jerimoti, Josabadi, Elieli, Ismakiab, Mahati tsî Benajab tsîga. Nē xūn hoan ge gao-aob Hiskiab tsî ǀgapipristeri Asariab tsîkha di mûǂams ǃnaka ge ī. 14 Imnab ôab Koreb, Leviǁîb, Aiǂoas- Dao-ams Tempeli dis ǃûi-ao ge ib ge ǃKhūb ge māsenxase gere hā-ūbahe ǁguibade ǃkhōǃoa tsî ǁîde ǀgoraǂuis di ǁgui-aisa ge ūhâ i. 15 Nau ǃādi pristergu ge ǁanǃnâ hâ idi tawab ge ǂgomǂgomsase Leviǁîgu, Edenni, Minjaminni, Jesuab, Semajab, Amariab tsî Sekanjab tsîgu xa gere mâxōǀkhāhe. ǁÎgu ge ǂûna ǃamkuse ǁîgu di ǃgâsa Leviǁîga, ǃoabaǃnande ǃoa gere ǀgoraba, 16 xawe ǃhaode ǃoa tama. ǁÎgu ge ǃnonadisi kurixa tsî ǁnās xa ǃnāsa kuriga ūhâ khoegu, tsēkorobe ǁîgu ǃoabaǃnande ǃoa, Tempeli ǃnâ ra ǃoabagu hoaga ǁîgu ǃâde ge ǀgoraba. 17 Pristergu ge ǃhaoǃnāde ǃoa ǁîgu sîsenni ǃaroma ge xoakhâisa i, tsî Leviǁîgu ǀgamdisikurixa tsî ǁnās xa ǃnāsa gu ge ǁîgu sîsenna ǃoa, ǁîgu di sîsenǃnande ǃoa ge ǀgoraǂgāsa i. 18 ǁÎgu hoagu ge ǁîgu taradi, ǀgôan tsî nau khoen ǁîgu din ǀkha ge xoakhâihe hâ i, ǁîgu mâǁae-i hoa-e gu ǁîgu ǃanu ǃoabade nî dīse, ǂhomisase nî hâse i xui-ao. 19 Aronni ôananôagub ǃaroma ge ǂnûiǂuisa i ǃādi tsî aiǃādi ǃnâ ge ǁan hâ i pristergu ge hoaraga aorekhoegu, pristerǀaokhoena xu hâgu tsî Leviǁîgu tsîna ǂûna ǀgoraǂuibas ǃereamsa ge ūhâ i. 20 Gao-aob Hiskiab ge Judab hoaragab ǃnâ ǂhanu tsî ǃKhūb ǁîb di Eloba ǃgâibana gere dī. 21 ǁÎb ge Tempelab ra dība ǃoabas kas, ǂhanub tsî mîmāde ǁnâuǀnams kas hoasa, ǁîb di Eloba ǂgomǂgomsase gere dība, xui-ao ge ǃgâiǃgâxa i.
