Study Desk

His officials also contributed a freewill offering to the people, the priests, and the Levites. Hilkiah and Zechariah and Jehiel, the officers of the house of God, gave to the priests for the Passover offerings 2,600 from the flocks and 300 bulls.

Conaniah also, and Shemaiah and Nethanel, his brothers, and Hashabiah and Jeiel and Jozabad, the officials of the Levites, contributed to the Levites for the Passover offerings 5,000 from the flocks and 500 bulls.

Then they took away the portions for the burnt offerings that they might give them to the sections of the fathers' households of the lay people to bring near to Yahweh, as it is written in the book of Moses. They did this also with the bulls.

Afterwards they prepared for themselves and for the priests, because the priests, the sons of Aaron, were offering the burnt offerings and the fat until night; therefore the Levites prepared for themselves and for the priests, the sons of Aaron.

The singers, the sons of Asaph, were also at their stations according to the commandment of David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king's seer; and the gatekeepers at each gate did not have to turn aside from their service, because the Levites their brothers prepared for them.

But Neco sent messengers to him, saying, "What have I to do with you, O King of Judah? I am not coming against you today but against the house with which I am at war, and God has said for me to hurry. Stop for your own sake from interfering with God who is with me, so that He will not bring you to ruin."

Then the archers shot King Josiah, and the king said to his servants, "Take me away, for I am badly wounded."

So his servants took him out of the chariot and drove him in the second chariot which he had, and brought him to Jerusalem where he died, and he was buried in the tombs of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.

Then Jeremiah chanted a lament for Josiah. And all the male and female singers speak about Josiah in their lamentations to this day. And they made them a statute in Israel; behold, they are also written in the lamentations.

to fulfill the word of Yahweh by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had made up for its sabbaths. All the days of its desolation it kept sabbath until seventy years were fulfilled.

So everyone who remains, at whatever place he may sojourn, let the men of that place support him with silver and gold, with goods and cattle, together with a freewill offering for the house of God which is in Jerusalem.'"

Some of the heads of fathers' households, when they arrived at the house of Yahweh which is in Jerusalem, gave a freewill offering for the house of God to restore it on its foundation.

According to their ability, they gave to the treasury for the work 61,000 gold drachmas and 5,000 silver minas and 100 priestly tunics.

So they set up the altar on its foundation, for they were terrified because of the peoples of the lands; and they offered burnt offerings on it to Yahweh, burnt offerings morning and evening.

and afterward there was a continual burnt offering, also for the new moons and for all the appointed times of Yahweh that were set apart as holy, and from everyone who offered a freewill offering to Yahweh.

And they sang, praising and giving thanks to Yahweh, saying, "For He is good, for His lovingkindness endures forever upon Israel." And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised Yahweh because the foundation of the house of Yahweh was laid.

so that the people could not distinguish the voices of the shouting of gladness from the voices of the weeping of the people, for the people were shouting with a loud shout, and those voices were heard far away.

so they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers' households and said to them, "Let us build with you, for we, like you, seek your God; and we have been sacrificing to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us up here."

Now because we are in the service of the palace, and it is not fitting for us to see the king's dishonor, therefore we have sent and made known to the king,

Moreover, I issue a decree concerning what you shall do for those elders of Judah in the rebuilding of that house of God: the full cost is to be given to those people from the royal treasury out of the tribute of the provinces beyond the River, and that without negligence.