Many people had come over to Asa's side from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon, and were living in his kingdom, because they had seen that the LORD was with him. Asa summoned all of them and the people of Judah and Benjamin.

Still, there were some from the tribes of Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun who were willing to come to Jerusalem.

In addition, many of those who had come from the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun had not performed the ritual of purification, and so they were observing Passover improperly. King Hezekiah offered this prayer for them:

"O LORD, the God of our ancestors, in your goodness forgive those who are worshiping you with all their heart, even though they are not ritually clean."

Now then, if your land is not fit to worship in, come over into the LORD's land, where his Tent is. Claim some land among us. But don't rebel against the LORD or make rebels out of us by building an altar in addition to the altar of the LORD our God.

How happy are those whose strength comes from you, who are eager to make the pilgrimage to Mount Zion.

They grow stronger as they go; they will see the God of gods on Zion.

Others, however, paid no attention to the LORD's warning and left their slaves and animals out in the open.

he said, "Be sure to obey all these commands that I have given you today. Repeat them to your children, so that they may faithfully obey all of God's teachings.

Samuel said to the people of Israel, "If you are going to turn to the LORD with all your hearts, you must get rid of all the foreign gods and the images of the goddess Astarte. Dedicate yourselves completely to the LORD and worship only him, and he will rescue you from the power of the Philistines."

So the Israelites got rid of their idols of Baal and Astarte, and worshiped only the LORD.

Now serve the LORD your God with all your heart and soul. Start building the Temple, so that you can place in it the Covenant Box of the LORD and all the other sacred objects used in worshiping him."

If God took back the breath of life,

Don't put your trust in violence; don't hope to gain anything by robbery; even if your riches increase, don't depend on them.

I have complete confidence, O God! I will sing and praise you! Wake up, my soul!

When the king heard this, he was upset and did his best to find some way to rescue Daniel. He kept trying until sunset.

You grow rich from the sins of my people, and so you want them to sin more and more.

Don't you see what is happening to you?

When he arrived and saw how God had blessed the people, he was glad and urged them all to be faithful and true to the Lord with all their hearts.

Out of the territory of all your tribes the LORD will choose the one place where the people are to come into his presence and worship him.

There you are to offer your sacrifices that are to be burned and your other sacrifices, your tithes and your offerings, the gifts that you promise to the LORD, your freewill offerings, and the first-born of your cattle and sheep.

The LORD will choose a single place where he is to be worshiped, and there you must bring to him everything that I have commanded: your sacrifices that are to be burned and your other sacrifices, your tithes and your offerings, and those special gifts that you have promised to the LORD.

You are not to offer your sacrifices wherever you choose;

you must offer them only in the one place that the LORD will choose in the territory of one of your tribes. Only there are you to offer your sacrifices that are to be burned and do all the other things that I have commanded you.

Praise the LORD's glorious name; bring an offering and come into his Temple. Bow down before the Holy One when he appears;

So David said, "This is where the Temple of the LORD God will be. Here is the altar where the people of Israel are to offer burnt offerings."