Benaiah son of Jehoiada was in charge of David's bodyguards; and King David's sons held high positions in his service.

Pethahiah son of Meshezabel, of the clan of Zerah and the tribe of Judah, represented the people of Israel at the Persian court.

The king assigned twenty-four thousand to administer the work of the Temple, six thousand to keep records and decide disputes,

David also gave him the plans for organizing the priests and Levites to perform their duties, to do the work of the Temple, and to take care of all the Temple utensils.

"Bring forward the tribe of Levi and appoint them as servants of Aaron the priest.

They shall take charge of all the equipment of the Tent and perform the duties for the rest of the Israelites.

Against the outside walls, on the sides and the back of the Temple, a three-storied annex was built, each story 7 1/2 feet high.

On the king's orders they prepared storerooms in the Temple area

Guard them carefully until you reach the Temple. There in the priests' rooms weigh them and turn them over to the leaders of the priests and of the Levites, and to the leaders of the people of Israel in Jerusalem."

The priest Eliashib, who was in charge of the Temple storerooms, had for a long time been on good terms with Tobiah.

He allowed Tobiah to use a large room that was intended only for storing offerings of grain and incense, the equipment used in the Temple, the offerings for the priests, and the tithes of grain, wine, and olive oil given to the Levites, to the Temple musicians, and to the Temple guards.

I gave orders for the rooms to be ritually purified and for the Temple equipment, grain offerings, and incense to be put back.

and brought them to the Temple. I took them into the room of the disciples of the prophet Hanan son of Igdaliah. This room was above the room of Maaseiah son of Shallum, an important official in the Temple, and near the rooms of the other officials.

These rooms were in three stories, with thirty rooms on each floor. The Temple's outer wall on each floor was thinner than on the floor below, so that the rooms could rest on the wall without being anchored into it.

The outside wall of these rooms was 8 feet thick; there was one door into the rooms on the north side of the Temple, and one into those on the south side. I saw that there was a terrace 8 feet wide around the Temple; it was 10 feet above the ground and it was level with the foundation of the rooms by the Temple walls. Between the terrace and the buildings used by the priests there was an open space 34 feet across, along the sides of the Temple.

(SEE 41:8)

On one side it faced the space 34 feet wide which was alongside the Temple, and on the other side it faced the pavement of the outer courtyard. It was built on three levels, each one set further back than the one below it.

The man said to me, "Both these buildings are holy. In them the priests who enter the LORD's presence eat the holiest offerings. Because the rooms are holy, the priests will place the holiest offerings there: the offerings of grain and the sacrifices offered for sin or as repayment offerings.

Other Levites were responsible for the utensils used in worship. They checked them out and checked them back in every time they were used.

Others were in charge of the other sacred equipment, and of the flour, wine, olive oil, incense, and spices.

and spoke to them there. He said, "You Levites are to consecrate yourselves and purify the Temple of the LORD, the God of your ancestors. Remove from the Temple everything that defiles it.

The Levites made the following report to King Hezekiah: "We have completed the ritual purification of the whole Temple, including the altar for burnt offerings, the table for the sacred bread, and all their equipment.

We have also brought back all the equipment which King Ahaz took away during those years he was unfaithful to God, and we have rededicated it. It is all in front of the LORD's altar."

He also gave these instructions to the Levites, the teachers of Israel, who were dedicated to the LORD: "Put the sacred Covenant Box in the Temple that King Solomon, the son of David, built. You are no longer to carry it from place to place, but you are to serve the LORD your God and his people Israel.

and arrange yourselves so that some of you will be available to help each family of the people of Israel.

After the lambs and goats had been killed, the Levites skinned them, and the priests sprinkled the blood on the altar.

The Levites roasted the Passover sacrifices over the fire, according to the regulations, and boiled the sacred offerings in pots, kettles, and pans, and quickly distributed the meat to the people.