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After the twenty years during which Solomon built the house of
the LORD and his own house, he built up the cities which Huram had
given him, and settled Israelites there. [2CHRON 8:1-2]
All of Solomon's work was carried out successfully from the day
the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid until the house
of the LORD had been completed in every detail. [2CHRON 8:16]
When Athaliah, mother of Ahaziah, learned that her son was
dead, she proceeded to kill off all the royal offspring of the
house of Judah. But Jehosheba, a royal princess, secretly took
Ahaziah's son Joash from among the king's sons who were about to
be slain, and put him and his nurse in a bedroom. In this way
Jehosheba, who was the daughter of King Jehoram, a sister of
Ahaziah, and wife of Jehoiada the priest, hid the child from
Athaliah's sight, so that she did not put him to death. For six
years he remained hidden with them in the house of God, while
Athaliah ruled over the land. [2CHRON 22:10-12]
In the seventh year, Jehoiada took courage and entered a
conspiracy with certain captains: Azariah, son of Jehoram;
Ishmael, son of Jehohanan; Azariah, son of Obed; Masseiah, son of
Adaiah; and Elishaphat, son of Zichri. They journeyed about Judah,
gathering the Levites from all the cities of Judah and also the
heads of the Israelite families. When they had come to Jerusalem,
the whole assembly made a covenant with the king in the house of
God. Jehoiada said to them: "Here is the king's son who must
reign, as the LORD promised concerning the sons of David. This is
what you must do: a third of your number, both priests and
Levites, who come in on the sabbath must guard the thresholds,
another third must be at the king's palace, and the final third at
the Foundation Gate, when all the people will be in the courts of
the LORD'S temple. Let no one enter the LORD'S house except the
priests and those Levites who are ministering. They may enter
because they are holy; but all the other people must observe the
prescriptions of the LORD. The Levites shall surround the king on
all sides, each with his weapon drawn. Whoever tries to enter the
house must be slain. Stay with the king wherever he goes."
The Levites and all Judah did just as Jehoiada the priest
commanded. Each brought his men, those who were to come in on the
sabbath as well as those who were to depart on the sabbath, since
Jehoiada the priest had not dismissed any of the divisions.
Jehoiada the priest gave the captains the spears, shields and
bucklers of King David which were in the house of God. He
stationed all the people, each with his spear in hand, from the
southern to the northern extremity of the enclosure, around the
altar and the temple on the king's behalf. Then they brought out
the king's son, set the crown and the insignia upon him, and made
him king. Jehoiada and his sons anointed him, and they cried,
"Long live the king!" When Athaliah heard the din of the
people running and acclaiming the king, she went to the people in
the temple of the LORD. She looked, and there was the king
standing beside his pillar at the entrance, the officers and the
trumpeters around him, and all the people of the land rejoicing
and blowing trumpets, while the singers with their musical
instruments were leading the acclaim. Athaliah tore her garments
and cried out, "Treason! treason!" Then Jehoiada the
priest sent out the captains who were in command of the army; he
said to them: "Take her outside through the ranks, and if
anyone tries to follow her, let him die by the sword. For,"
the priest continued, "you must not put her to death in the
LORD'S temple." So they seized her, and when she arrived at
the entrance to the Horse Gate of the palace, they put her to
death there. Then Jehoiada made a covenant between himself and all
the people and the king, that they should be the LORD'S people.
And all the people went to the temple of Baal and tore it down.
They smashed its altars and images, and they slew Mattan, the
priest of Baal, before the altars. Then Jehoiada gave the charge
of the LORD'S temple into the hands of the levitical priests...
Moreover, he stationed guards at the gates of the LORD'S temple so
that no one unclean in any respect might enter. Then he took the
captains, the nobles, the rulers among the people, and all the
people of the land, and led the king out of the LORD'S house. When
they had come within the upper gate of the king's house, they
seated the king upon the royal throne. All the people of the land
rejoiced and the city was quiet, now that Athaliah had been put to
death by the sword. [Taken from 2CHRON 23:1-21]
After some time, Joash decided to restore the LORD'S temple. He
called together the priests and Levites and said to them: "Go
out to all the cities of Judah and collect money from all Israel
that you may repair the house of your God over the years. You must
hasten this affair." But the Levites did not hasten. Then the
king summoned Jehoiada, who was in charge, and said to him:
"Why have you not required the Levites to bring in from Judah
and Jerusalem the tax levied by Moses, the servant of the LORD,
and by the assembly of Israel, for the tent of the
testimony?" For the wicked Athaliah and her sons had damaged
the house of God and had even turned over to the Baals the
dedicated resources of the LORD'S temple. At the king's command,
therefore, they made a chest, which they put outside the gate of
the LORD'S temple. They had it proclaimed throughout Judah and
Jerusalem that the tax which Moses, the servant of God, had
imposed on Israel in the desert should be brought to the LORD. All
the princes and the people rejoiced; they brought what was asked
and cast it into the chest until it was filled. Whenever the chest
was brought to the royal officials by the Levites and they saw
that it contained much money, the royal scribe and an overseer for
the high priest came, emptied the chest, then took it back and
returned it to its place. This they did day after day until they
had collected a large sum of money. Then the king and Jehoiada
gave it to the workmen in charge of the labor on the LORD'S
temple, who hired masons and carpenters to restore the temple, and
also iron-and bronze-smiths to repair it. The workmen labored, and
the task of restoration progressed under their hands. They
restored the house of God according to its original form, and
reinforced it. [2CHRON 24:4-13]
Jehoiada lived to a ripe old age; he was a hundred and thirty
years old when he died. He was buried in the City of David with
the kings, because he had done good in Israel, in particular with
respect to God and his temple. [2CHRON 24:16]
After the death of Jehoiada, the princes of Judah came and paid
homage to the king, and the king then listened to them. They
forsook the temple of the LORD, the God of their fathers, and
began to serve the sacred poles and the idols; and because of this
crime of theirs, wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem. [2CHRON 24:17-18]
But after he had become strong, he became proud to his own
destruction and broke faith with the LORD, his God. He entered the
temple of the LORD to make an offering on the altar of incense.
But Azariah the priest, and with him eighty other priests of the
LORD, courageous men, followed him. They opposed King Uzziah,
saying to him: "It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to
the LORD, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who have been
consecrated for this purpose. Leave the sanctuary, for you have
broken faith and no longer have a part in the glory that comes
from the LORD God." Uzziah, who was holding a censer for
burning the incense, became angry, but at the moment he showed his
anger to the priests, while they were looking at him in the house
of the LORD beside the altar of incense, leprosy broke out on his
forehead. Azariah the chief priest and all the other priests
examined him, and when they saw that his forehead was leprous,
they expelled him from the temple. He himself fled willingly, for
the LORD had afflicted him. King Uzziah remained a leper to the
day of his death. As a leper he dwelt in a segregated house, for
he was excluded from the house of the LORD. Therefore his son
Jotham was regent of the palace and ruled the people of the land.
[2CHRON 26:16-21]
Jotham was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he
reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother was named Jerusa,
daughter of Zadok. He pleased the LORD just as his father Uzziah
had done, though he did not enter the temple of the LORD; the
people, however, continued to act sinfully. He built the upper
gate of the LORD'S house and had much construction done on the
wall of Ophel. [2CHRON 27:1-3]
Though Ahaz plundered the LORD'S house and the houses of the
king and the princes to make payment to the king of Assyria, it
availed him nothing. [2CHRON 28:21]
Ahaz gathered up the utensils of God's house and broke them in
pieces. He closed the doors of the LORD'S house and had altars
made for himself in every corner of Jerusalem. [2CHRON 28:24]
Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he
reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother was named Abia,
daughter of Zechariah. He pleased the LORD just as his forefather
David had done. It was he who, in the first month of the first
year of his reign, opened the doors of the LORD'S house and
repaired them. He summoned the priests and Levites, gathered them
in the open space to the east, and said to them: "Listen to
me, you Levites! Sanctify yourselves now and sanctify the house of
the LORD, the God of your fathers, and clean out the filth from
the sanctuary. Our fathers acted faithlessly and did evil in the
eyes of the LORD, our God. They abandoned him, turned away their
faces from the LORD'S dwelling, and turned their backs on him...
Therefore the anger of the LORD has come upon Judah and Jerusalem;
he has made them an object of terror, astonishment and mockery, as
you see with your own eyes." [2CHRON 29:1-6,8]
They gathered their brethren together and sanctified
themselves; then they came as the king had ordered, to cleanse the
LORD'S house in keeping with his words. The priests entered the
interior of the LORD'S house to cleanse it; and whatever they
found in the LORD'S temple that was unclean they brought out to
the court of the LORD'S house, where the Levites took it from them
and carried it out to the Kidron Valley. They began the work of
consecration on the first day of the first month, and on the
eighth day of the month they arrived at the vestibule of the LORD;
they consecrated the LORD'S house during eight days, and on the
sixteenth day of the first month, they had finished. Then they
went inside to King Hezekiah and said: "We have cleansed the
entire house of the LORD... All the articles which King Ahaz
during his reign had thrown away because of his apostasy, we have
restored and consecrated, and they are now before the LORD'S
altar." [Taken from 2CHRON 29:15-19]
He stationed the Levites in the LORD'S house with cymbals,
harps and lyres according to the prescriptions of David, of Gad
the king's seer, and of Nathan the prophet; for the prescriptions
were from the LORD through his prophets. [2CHRON 29:25]
Hezekiah sent a message to all Israel and Judah, and even wrote
letters to Ephraim and Manasseh saying that they should come to
the house of the LORD in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover in
honor of the LORD, the God of Israel. [2CHRON 30:1]
There was great rejoicing in Jerusalem, for since the days of
Solomon, son of David, king of Israel, there had not been the like
in the city. Then the levitical priests rose and blessed the
people; their voice was heard and their prayer reached heaven,
God's holy dwelling. [2CHRON 30:26-27]
There was also a register by ancestral houses of males thirty
years of age and over, for all priests who were eligible to enter
the house of the LORD according to the daily rule to fulfill their
service in the order of their classes. The priests were inscribed
in their family records according to their ancestral houses, and
the Levites of twenty years and over according to their various
offices and classes. [2CHRON 31:16-17]
This Hezekiah did in all Judah. He did what was good, upright
and faithful before the LORD, his God. Everything that he
undertook, for the service of the house of God or for the law and
the commandments, was to do the will of his God. He did this
wholeheartedly, and he prospered. [2CHRON 31:20-21]
Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he
reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. He did evil in the sight of
the LORD, following the abominable practices of the nations whom
the LORD had cleared out of the way of the Israelites. He rebuilt
the high places which his father Hezekiah had torn down, erected
altars for the Baals, made sacred poles, and prostrated himself
before the whole host of heaven and worshiped them. He even built
altars in the temple of the LORD, of which the LORD had said,
"In Jerusalem shall my name be forever": he built altars
to the whole host of heaven in the two courts of the LORD'S house.
[2CHRON 33:1-5]
In the eighteenth year of his reign, in order to cleanse the
temple as well as the land, he sent Shaphan, son of Azaliah,
Maaseiah, the ruler of the city, and Joah, son of Joahaz, the
chamberlain, to restore the house of the LORD, his God. [2CHRON
34:8]
He reappointed the priests to their duties and encouraged them
in the service of the LORD'S house. He said to the Levites who
were to instruct all Israel, and who were consecrated to the LORD:
"Put the holy ark in the house built by Solomon, son of
David, king of Israel. It shall no longer be a burden on your
shoulders. Serve now the LORD, your God, and his people Israel.
Prepare yourselves in your ancestral houses and your classes
according to the prescriptions of King David of Israel and his son
Solomon. Stand in the sanctuary according to the divisions of the
ancestral houses of your brethren, the common people, so that the
distribution of the Levites and the families may be the same."
[2CHRON 35:2-5]
After Josiah had done all this to restore the temple, Neco,
king of Egypt, came up to fight at Carchemish on the Euphrates,
and Josiah went out to intercept him. [2CHRON 35:20]
Likewise all the princes of Judah, the priests and the people
added infidelity to infidelity, practicing all the abominations of
the nations and polluting the LORD'S temple which he had
consecrated in Jerusalem. Early and often did the LORD, the God of
their fathers, send his messengers to them, for he had compassion
on his people and his dwelling place. But they mocked the
messengers of God, despised his warnings, and scoffed at his
prophets, until the anger of the LORD against his people was so
inflamed that there was no remedy. Then he brought up against them
the king of the Chaldeans, who slew their young men in their own
sanctuary building, sparing neither young man nor maiden, neither
the aged nor the decrepit; he delivered all of them over into his
grip. All the utensils of the house of God, the large and the
small, and the treasures of the LORD'S house and of the king and
his princes, all these he brought to Babylon. They burnt the house
of God, tore down the walls of Jerusalem, set all its palaces
afire, and destroyed all its precious objects. Those who escaped
the sword he carried captive to Babylon, where they became his and
his sons' servants until the kingdom of the Persians came to
power. All this was to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by
Jeremiah: "Until the land has retrieved its lost sabbaths,
during all the time it lies waste it shall have rest while seventy
years are fulfilled." [2CHRON 36:14-21]
Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin and the priests and
Levites - everyone, that is, whom God had inspired to do so -
prepared to go up to build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem.
[EZRA 1:5]
When they arrived at the house of the LORD in Jerusalem, some
of the family heads made free-will offerings for the house of God,
to rebuild it in its place. According to their means they
contributed to the treasury for the temple service: sixty-one
thousand drachmas of gold, five thousand minas of silver, and one
hundred garments for the priests. [EZRA 2:68-69]
In the year after their coming to the house of God in
Jerusalem, in the second month, Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, and
Jeshua, son of Jozadak, together with the rest of their brethren,
the priests and Levites and all who had come from the captivity to
Jerusalem, began by appointing the Levites twenty years of age and
over to supervise the work on the house of the LORD. Jeshua and
his sons and brethren, with Kadmiel and Binnui, son of Henadad,
and their sons and their brethren, the Levites, stood as one man
to supervise those who were engaged in the work on the house of
God. When the builders had laid the foundation of the LORD'S
temple, the vested priests with the trumpets and the Levites, sons
of Asaph, were stationed there with the cymbals to praise the LORD
in the manner laid down by David, king of Israel. They alternated
in songs of praise and thanksgiving to the LORD, "for he is
good, for his kindness to Israel endures forever"; and all
the people raised a great shout of joy, praising the LORD because
the foundation of the LORD'S house had been laid. Many of the
priests, Levites, and family heads, the old men who had seen the
former house, cried out in sorrow as they watched the foundation
of the present house being laid. Many others, however, lifted up
their voices in shouts of joy, and no one could distinguish the
sound of the joyful shouting from the sound of those who were
weeping; for the people raised a mighty clamor which was heard
afar off. [EZRA 3:8-13]
When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles
were building a temple for the LORD, the God of Israel, they
approached Zerubbabel and the family heads and said to them,
"Let us build with you, for we seek your God just as you
do..." But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the family
heads of Israel answered them, "It is not your responsibility
to build with us a house for our God, but we alone must build it
for the LORD, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus of Persia has
commanded us." Thereupon the people of the land set out to
intimidate and dishearten the people of Judah so as to keep them
from building. They also suborned counselors to work against them
and thwart their plans during the remaining years of Cyrus, king
of Persia, and until the reign of Darius, king of Persia. [Taken
from EZRA 4:1-5]
Thus it was that the work on the house of God in Jerusalem was
halted. This inaction lasted until the second year of the reign of
Darius, king of Persia. [EZRA 4:24]
Then the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, son of Iddo, began to
prophesy to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God
of Israel. Thereupon Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua, son
of Jozadak, began again to build the house of God in Jerusalem,
with the prophets of God giving them support. At that time there
came to them Tattenai, governor of West-of-Euphrates, and
Shethar-bozenai, and their fellow officials, who asked of them:
"Who issued the decree for you to build this house and raise
this edifice? What are the names of the men who are building this
structure?" But their God watched over the elders of the Jews
so that they were not hindered, until a report could go to Darius
and then a written order be sent back concerning this matter. A
copy of the letter sent to King Darius by Tattenai, governor of
West-of-Euphrates, and Shethar-bozenai, and their fellow officials
from West-of-Euphrates; they sent him a report in which was
written the following: "To King Darius, all good wishes! Let
it be known to the king that we have visited the province of Judah
and the house of the great God: it is being rebuilt of cut stone
and the walls are being reinforced with timber; the work is being
carried on diligently and is making good progress under their
hands. We then questioned the elders, addressing to them the
following words: 'Who issued the decree for you to build this
house and raise this edifice?' We also asked them their names, to
report them to you in a list of the men who are their leaders.
This was their answer to us: 'We are the servants of the God of
heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the house built here long
years ago, which a great king of Israel built and finished. But
because our fathers provoked the wrath of the God of heaven, he
delivered them into the power of the Chaldean, Nebuchadnezzar,
king of Babylon, who destroyed this house and led the people
captive to Babylon. However, in the first year of Cyrus, king of
Babylon, King Cyrus issued a decree for the rebuilding of this
house of God. Moreover, the gold and silver utensils of the house
of God which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem
and carried off to the temple in Babylon, King Cyrus ordered to be
removed from the temple in Babylon and consigned to a certain
Sheshbazzar, whom he named governor. And he commanded him: Take
these utensils and deposit them in the temple of Jerusalem, and
let the house of God be rebuilt on its former site. Then this same
Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of the house of God in
Jerusalem. Since that time the building has been going on, and it
is not yet completed.' Now, if it please the king, let a search be
made in the royal archives of Babylon to discover whether a decree
really was issued by King Cyrus for the rebuilding of this house
of God in Jerusalem. And may the king's pleasure in this matter be
communicated to us." [EZRA 5:1-17]
In the first year of King Cyrus, King Cyrus issued a decree:
The house of God in Jerusalem. The house is to be rebuilt... Its
height is to be sixty cubits and its width sixty cubits. It shall
have three courses of cut stone for each one of timber. The costs
are to be borne by the royal palace. Also, the gold and silver
utensils of the house of God which Nebuchadnezzar took from the
temple of Jerusalem and brought to Babylon are to be sent back: to
be returned to their place in the temple of Jerusalem and
deposited in the house of God. "Now, therefore, Tattenai,
governor of West-of-Euphrates, and Shethar-bozenai, and you, their
fellow officials in West-of-Euphrates, do not interfere in that
place. Let the governor and the elders of the Jews continue the
work on that house of God; they are to rebuild it on its former
site. I also issue this decree concerning your dealing with these
elders of the Jews in the rebuilding of that house of God: From
the royal revenue, the taxes of West-of-Euphrates, let these men
be repaid for their expenses, in full and without delay. And may
the God who causes his name to dwell there overthrow every king or
people who may undertake to alter this or to destroy this house of
God in Jerusalem. I, Darius, have issued this decree; let it be
carefully executed." Then Tattenai, the governor of
West-of-Euphrates, and Shethar-bozenai, and their fellow officials
carried out fully the instructions King Darius had sent them. The
elders of the Jews continued to make progress in the building,
supported by the message of the prophets, Haggai and Zechariah,
son of Iddo. They finished the building according to the command
of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus and Darius (and of
Artaxerxes, king of Persia). They completed this house on the
third day of the month Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of
King Darius. The Israelites - priests, Levites, and the other
returned exiles - celebrated the dedication of this house of God
with joy. [EZRA 6:3-8,12-16]
They joyfully kept the feast of Unleavened Bread for seven
days, for the LORD had filled them with joy by making the king of
Assyria favorable to them, so that he gave them help in their work
on the house of God, the God of Israel. [EZRA 6:22]
This is a copy of the rescript which King Artaxerxes gave to
Ezra the priest-scribe, the scribe of the text of the LORD'S
commandments and statutes for Israel: "Artaxerxes, king of
kings, to Ezra the priest, scribe of the law of the God of heaven
(then, after greetings): I have issued this decree, that anyone in
my kingdom belonging to the people of Israel, its priests or
Levites, who is minded to go up to Jerusalem with you, may do so.
You are the envoy from the king and his seven counselors to
supervise Judah and Jerusalem in respect of the law of your God
which is in your possession, and to bring with you the silver and
gold which the king and his counselors have freely contributed to
the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem, as well as all
the silver and gold which you may receive throughout the province
of Babylon, together with the free-will offerings which the people
and priests freely contribute for the house of their God in
Jerusalem... Whatever else you may be required to supply for the
needs of the house of your God, you may draw from the royal
treasury. I, Artaxerxes the king, issue this decree to all the
treasurers of West-of-Euphrates: Whatever Ezra the priest, scribe
of the law of the God of heaven, requests of you, dispense to him
accurately, within these limits: silver, one hundred talents;
wheat, one hundred kors; wine, one hundred baths; oil, one hundred
baths; salt, without limit. Let everything that is ordered by the
God of heaven be carried out exactly for the house of the God of
heaven, that wrath may not come upon the realm of the king and his
sons. We also inform you that it is not permitted to impose taxes,
tributes, or tolls on any priest, Levite, singer, gatekeeper,
temple slave, or any other servant of that house of God." [EZRA
7:11-24]
Blessed be the LORD, the God of our fathers, who thus disposed
the mind of the king to glorify the house of the LORD in
Jerusalem, and who let me find favor with the king, with his
counselors, and with all the most influential royal officials. I
therefore took courage and, with the hand of the LORD, my God,
upon me, I gathered together Israelite family heads to make the
return journey with me. [EZRA 7:27-28]
For slaves we are, but in our servitude our God has not
abandoned us; rather, he has turned the good will of the kings of
Persia toward us. Thus he has given us new life to raise again the
house of our God and restore its ruins, and has granted us a fence
in Judah and Jerusalem. [EZRA 9:9]
While Ezra prayed and acknowledged their guilt, weeping and
prostrate before the house of God, a very large assembly of
Israelites gathered about him, men, women, and children; and the
people wept profusely. [EZRA 10:1]
All the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered together in
Jerusalem within the three-day period: it was in the ninth month,
on the twentieth day of the month. All the people, standing in the
open place before the house of God, were trembling both over the
matter at hand and because it was raining. [EZRA 10:9]
I sent him this answer: "Nothing of what you report has
taken place; rather, it is the invention of your own mind."
They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, "Their hands
will slacken in the work, and it will never be completed."
But instead, I now redoubled my efforts. I went to the house of
Shemaiah, son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabel, who was unable to
go about, and he said: "Let us meet in the house of God, inside
the temple building; let us lock the doors of the temple. For
men are coming to kill you; by night they are coming to kill
you." My answer was: "A man like me take flight? Can a
man like me enter the temple to save his life? I will not
go!" For on consideration it was plain to me that God had not
sent him; rather, because Tobiah and Sanballat had bribed him, he
voiced this prophecy concerning me that I might act on it out of
fear and commit this sin. Then they would have had a shameful
story with which to discredit me. [NEH 6:8-13]
The total of the temple slaves and the descendants of the
slaves of Solomon was three hundred and ninety-two. [NEH
7:60]
The rest of the people, priests, Levites, gatekeepers, singers,
temple slaves, and all others who have separated themselves from
the peoples of the lands in favor of the law of God, with their
wives, their sons, their daughters, all who are of the age of
discretion, join with their brethren who are their princes, and
with the sanction of a curse take this oath to follow the law of
God which was given through Moses, the servant of God, and to
observe carefully all the commandments of the LORD, our LORD, his
ordinances and his statutes. When the peoples of the land bring in
merchandise or any kind of grain for sale on the sabbath day, we
will not buy from them on the sabbath or on any other holyday. We
will forgo the seventh year, as well as every kind of debt. We
impose these commandments on ourselves: to give a third of a
shekel each year for the service of the house of our God... We,
priests, Levites, and people, have determined by lot concerning
the procurement of wood: it is to be brought to the house of our
God by each of our family houses at stated times each year, to be
burnt on the altar of the LORD, our God, as the law prescribes. We
have agreed to bring each year to the house of the LORD the first
fruits of our fields and of our fruit trees, of whatever kind;
also, as is prescribed in the law, to bring to the house of our
God, to the priests who serve in the house of our God, the
first-born of our children and our animals, including the
first-born of our flocks and herds. The first batch of our dough,
and our offerings of the fruit of every tree, of wine and of oil,
we will bring to the priests, to the chambers of the house of our
God. The tithe of our fields we will bring to the Levites; they,
the Levites, shall take the tithe in all the cities of our
service. An Aaronite priest shall be with the Levites when they
take the tithe, and the Levites shall bring the tithe of the
tithes to the house of our God, to the chambers of the treasury.
For to these chambers the Israelites and Levites bring the
offerings of grain, wine, and oil; there also are housed the
utensils of the sanctuary, and the ministering priests, the
gatekeepers, and the singers. We will not neglect the house of our
God. [Taken from NEH 10:29-30,32-33,35-40]
I took the magistrates to task, demanding, "Why is the
house of God abandoned?" Then I brought the Levites together
and had them resume their stations. All Judah once more brought in
the tithes of grain, wine, and oil to the storerooms; and in
charge of the storerooms I appointed the priest Shelemiah, Zadok
the scribe, and Pedaiah, one of the Levites, together with Hanan,
son of Zaccur, son of Mattaniah, as their assistant; for these men
were held to be trustworthy. It was their duty to make the
distribution to their brethren. Remember this to my credit, O my
God! Let not the devotion which I showed for the house of my God
and its services be forgotten! [NEH 13:11-14]
Not one of all the oracles shall remain unfulfilled, but
everything shall take place in the time appointed for it. So it
will be safer in Media than in Assyria or Babylon. For I know and
believe that whatever God has spoken will be accomplished. It
shall happen, and not a single word of the prophecies shall prove
false. "As for our kinsmen who dwell in Israel, they shall
all be scattered and led away into exile from the Good Land. The
entire country of Israel shall become desolate; even Samaria and
Jerusalem shall become desolate! God's temple there shall be burnt
to the ground and shall be desolate for a while. But God will
again have mercy on them and bring them back to the land of
Israel. They shall rebuild the temple, but it will not be like the
first one, until the era when the appointed times shall be
completed. Afterward all of them shall return from their exile,
and they shall rebuild Jerusalem with splendor. In her the temple
of God shall also be rebuilt; yes, it will be rebuilt for all
generations to come, just as the prophets of Israel said of her."
[Taken from TOBIT 14:4-5]
When the Israelites who dwelt in Judea heard of all that
Holofernes, commander-in-chief of Nebuchadnezzar, king of the
Assyrians, had done to the nations, and how he had despoiled all
their temples and destroyed them, they were in extreme dread of
him, and greatly alarmed for Jerusalem and the temple of the Lord,
their God. Now, they had lately returned from exile, and only
recently had all the people of Judea been gathered together, and
the vessels, the altar, and the temple been purified from
profanation. So they sent word to the whole region of Samaria, to
Kona, Beth-horon, Belmain, and Jericho, to Choba and Aesora, and
to the valley of Salem. The people there posted guards on all the
summits of the high mountains, fortified their villages, and since
their fields had recently been harvested, stored up provisions in
preparation for war. All the men of Israel cried to God with great
fervor and did penance - they, along with their wives, and
children, and domestic animals. All their resident aliens, hired
laborers, and slaves also girded themselves with sackcloth. And
all the Israelite men, women and children who lived in Jerusalem
prostrated themselves in front of the temple building, with ashes
strewn on their heads, displaying their sackcloth covering before
the Lord. The altar, too, they draped in sackcloth; and with one
accord they cried out fervently to the God of Israel not to allow
their children to be seized, their wives to be taken captive, the
cities of their inheritance to be ruined, or the sanctuary to be
profaned and mocked for the nations to gloat over. The Lord heard
their cry and had regard for their distress. For the people
observed a fast of many days' duration throughout Judea, and
before the sanctuary of the Lord Almighty in Jerusalem. [JDTH
4:1-5,9-13]
"As long as the Israelites did not sin in the sight of
their God, they prospered, for their God, who hates wickedness,
was with them. But when they deviated from the way he prescribed
for them, they were ground down steadily, more and more, by
frequent wars, and finally taken as captives into foreign lands.
The temple of their God was razed to the ground, and their cities
were occupied by their enemies." [JDTH 5:17-18]
Our enslavement will not be turned to our benefit, but the Lord
our God, will maintain it to our disgrace. "Therefore, my
brothers, let us set an example for our kinsmen. Their lives
depend on us, and the defense of the sanctuary, the temple, and
the altar rests with us. Besides all this, we should be grateful
to the Lord our God, for putting us to the test, as he did our
forefathers. Recall how he dealt with Abraham, and how he tried
Isaac, and all that happened to Jacob in Syrian Mesopotamia while
he was tending the flocks of Laban, his mother's brother. Not for
vengeance did the Lord put them in the crucible to try their
hearts, nor has he done so with us. It is by way of admonition
that he chastises those who are close to him." [JDTH 8:23-27]
Judith threw herself down prostrate, with ashes strewn upon her
head, and wearing nothing over her sackcloth. While the incense
was being offered in the temple of God in Jerusalem that evening,
Judith prayed to the Lord with a loud voice [Taken from JDTH 9:1]
"Please, please, God of my forefather, God of the heritage
of Israel, Lord of heaven and earth, Creator of the waters, King
of all you have created, hear my prayer! Let my guileful speech
bring wound and wale on those who have planned dire things against
your covenant, your holy temple, Mount Zion, and the homes your
children have inherited. Let your whole nation and all the tribes
know clearly that you are the god of all power and might, and that
there is no other who protects the people of Israel but you
alone." [JDTH 9:12-14]
But now we have sinned in your sight, and you have delivered us
into the hands of our enemies, because we worshiped their gods.
You are just, O Lord. But now they are not satisfied with our
bitter servitude, but have undertaken to do away with the decree
you have pronounced, and to destroy your heritage; to close the
mouths of those who praise you, and to extinguish the glory of
your temple and your altar; to open the mouths of the heathen to
acclaim their false gods, and to extol an earthly king forever.
"O Lord, do not relinquish your scepter to those that are
nought. Let them not gloat over our ruin, but turn their own
counsel against them and make an example of our chief enemy." [ESTH
C:17-22]
Then they took uncut stones, according to the law, and built a
new altar like the former one. They also repaired the sanctuary
and the interior of the temple and purified the courts. They made
new sacred vessels and brought the lampstand, the altar of
incense, and the table into the temple. Then they burned incense
on the altar and lighted the lamps on the lampstand, and these
illuminated the temple. They also put loaves on the table and hung
up curtains. Thus they finished all the work they had undertaken.
[1MACC 4:47-51]
They ornamented the facade of the temple with gold crowns and
shields; they repaired the gates and the priests' chambers and
furnished them with doors. There was great joy among the people
now that the disgrace of the Gentiles was removed. [1MACC 4:57-58]
In a rage he swore: "If Judas and his army are not
delivered to me at once, when I return victorious I will burn this
temple down." He went away in great anger. The priests,
however, went in and stood before the altar and the sanctuary.
They wept and said: "You have chosen this house to bear your
name, to be a house of prayer and petition for your people. Take
revenge on this man and his army, and let them fall by the sword.
Remember their blasphemies, and do not let them continue."
[1MACC 7:35-38]
The land was at rest all the days of Simon, who sought the
good of his nation. His people were delighted with his power and
his magnificence throughout his reign. He brought peace to the
land, and Israel was filled with happiness. He strengthened
all the lowly among his people and was zealous for the law; he
suppressed all the lawless and the wicked. He made the temple
splendid and enriched its equipment. [1MACC 14:4,11,14-15]
After Jonathan had rallied his nation and become their high
priest, he was gathered to his kinsmen. When the enemies of the
Jews sought to invade and devastate their country and to lay hands
on their temple, Simon rose up and fought for his nation, spending
large sums of his own money to equip the men of his nation's armed
forces and giving them their pay. [1MACC 14:30-32]
Consequently, King Demetrius confirmed him in the high
priesthood, made him one of his Friends, and conferred the highest
honors on him. He had indeed heard that the Romans had addressed
the Jews as friends, allies, and brothers and that they had
received Simon's envoys with honor. "The Jewish people and
their priest have, therefore, made the following decisions. Simon
shall be their permanent leader and high priest until a true
prophet arises. He shall act as governor general over them, and
shall have charge of the temple, to make regulations concerning
its functions and concerning the country, its weapons and
strongholds, he shall be obeyed by all. All contracts made in the
country shall be dated by his name. He shall have the right to
wear royal purple and gold ornaments." [1MACC 14:38-43]
As we are about to celebrate the feast of the purification of
the temple, we are writing to you requesting you also to please
celebrate the feast. It is God who has saved all his people and
has restored to all of them their heritage, the kingdom, the
priesthood, and the sacred rites, as he promised through the law.
We trust in God, that he will soon have mercy on us and gather us
together from everywhere under the heavens to his holy Place, for
he has rescued us from great perils and has purified his Place.
[2MACC 2:16-18]
This is the story of Judas Maccabeus and his brothers, of the
purification of the great temple, the dedication of the altar, the
campaigns against Antiochus Epiphanes and his son Eupator, and of
the heavenly manifestations accorded to the heroes who fought
bravely for Judaism, so that, few as they were, they seized the
whole land, put to flight the barbarian hordes, regained
possession of the world-famous temple, liberated the city, and
reestablished the laws that were in danger of being abolished,
while the Lord favored them with all his generous assistance.
[2MACC 2:19-22]
While the holy city lived in perfect peace and the laws were
strictly observed because of the piety of the high priest Onias
and his hatred of evil, the kings themselves honored the Place and
glorified the temple with the most magnificent gifts. Thus
Seleucus, king of Asia, defrayed from his own revenues all the
expenses necessary for the sacrificial services. But a certain
Simon, of the priestly course of Bilgah, who had been appointed
superintendent of the temple, had a quarrel with the high priest
about the supervision of the city market. Since he could not
prevail against Onias, he went to Apollonius of Tarsus, who at
that time was governor of Coelesyria and Phoenicia, and reported
to him that the treasury in Jerusalem was so full of untold riches
that the total sum of money was incalculable and out of all
proportion to the cost of the sacrifices, and that it would be
possible to bring it all under the control of the king. When
Apollonius had an audience with the king, he informed him about
the riches that had been reported to him. The king chose his
minister Heliodorus and sent him with instructions to expropriate
the aforesaid wealth. So Heliodorus immediately set out on his
journey, ostensibly to visit the cities of Coelesyria and
Phoenicia, but in reality to carry out the king's purpose. When he
arrived in Jerusalem and had been graciously received by the high
priest of the city, he told him about the information that had
been given, and explained the reason for his presence, and he
asked if these things were really true. The high priest explained
that part of the money was a care fund for widows and orphans, and
a part was the property of Hyrcanus, son of Tobias, a man who
occupied a very high position. Contrary to the calumnies of the
impious Simon, the total amounted to four hundred talents of
silver and two hundred of gold. He added that it was utterly
unthinkable to defraud those who had placed their trust in the
sanctity of the Place and in the sacred inviolability of a temple
venerated all over the world. But because of the orders he had
from the king, Heliodorus said that in any case the money must be
confiscated for the royal treasury. So on the day he had set he
went in to take an inventory of the funds. There was great
distress throughout the city. Priests prostrated themselves in
their priestly robes before the altar, and loudly begged him in
heaven who had given the law about deposits to keep the deposits
safe for those who had made them. Whoever saw the appearance of
the high priest was pierced to the heart, for the changed color of
his face manifested the anguish of his soul. The terror and bodily
trembling that had come over the man clearly showed those who saw
him the pain that lodged in his heart. People rushed out of their
houses in crowds to make public supplication, because the Place
was in danger of being profaned. [2MACC 3:1-18]
The man who a moment before had entered that treasury with a
great retinue and his whole bodyguard was carried away helpless,
having clearly experienced the sovereign power of God. While he
lay speechless and deprived of all hope of aid, due to an act of
God's power, the Jews praised the Lord who had marvelously
glorified his holy Place; and the temple, charged so shortly
before with fear and commotion, was filled with joy and gladness,
now that the almighty Lord had manifested himself. [2MACC 3:28-30]
Not satisfied with this, the king dared to enter the holiest
temple in the world; Menelaus, that traitor both to the laws and
to his country, served as guide. He laid his impure hands on the
sacred vessels and gathered up with profane hands the votive
offerings made by other kings for the advancement, the glory, and
the honor of the Place. Puffed up in spirit, Antiochus did not
realize that it was because of the sins of the city's inhabitants
that the Lord was angry for a little while and hence disregarded
the holy Place. If they had not become entangled in so many sins,
this man, like Heliodorus, who was sent by King Seleucus to
inspect the treasury, would have been flogged and turned back from
his presumptuous action as soon as he approached. The Lord,
however, had not chosen the people for the sake of the Place, but
the Place for the sake of the people. Therefore, the Place itself,
having shared in the people's misfortunes, afterward participated
in their good fortune; and what the Almighty had forsaken in his
anger was restored in all its glory, once the great Sovereign
became reconciled. [2MACC 5:15-20]
Not long after this the king sent an Athenian senator to force
the Jews to abandon the customs of their ancestors and live no
longer by the laws of God; also to profane the temple in Jerusalem
and dedicate it to Olympian Zeus, and that on Mount Gerizim to
Zeus the Hospitable, as the inhabitants of the place requested.
This intensified the evil in an intolerable and utterly disgusting
way. The Gentiles filled the temple with debauchery and revelry
[Taken from 2MACC 6:1-4]
Judas Maccabeus and his companions entered the villages,
secretly, summoned their kinsmen, and by also enlisting others who
remained faithful to Judaism, assembled about six thousand men.
They implored the Lord to look kindly upon his people, who were
being oppressed on all sides; to have pity on the temple, which
was profaned by godless men; to have mercy on the city, which was
being destroyed and about to be leveled to the ground; to hearken
to the blood that cried out to him; to remember the criminal
slaughter of innocent children and the blasphemies uttered against
his name; and to manifest his hatred of evil. Once Maccabeus got
his men organized, the Gentiles could not withstand him, for the
Lord's wrath had now changed to mercy. [2MACC 8:1-5]
He had entered the city called Persepolis and attempted to rob
the temple and gain control of the city. Thereupon the people had
swift recourse to arms, and Antiochus' men were routed, so that in
the end Antiochus was put to flight by the natives and forced to
beat a shameful retreat. [2MACC 9:2]
At last, broken in spirit, he began to give up his excessive
arrogance, and to gain some understanding, under the scourge of
God, for he was racked with pain unceasingly. When he could no
longer bear his own stench, he said, "It is right to be
subject to God, and not to think one's mortal self divine."
Then this vile man vowed to the Lord, who would no longer have
mercy on him, that he would set free the holy city, toward which
he had been hurrying with the intention of leveling it to the
ground and making it a common graveyard; he would put on perfect
equality with the Athenians all the Jew... he would adorn with the
finest offerings the holy temple which he had previously
despoiled; he would restore all the sacred vessels many times
over; and would provide from his own revenues... Besides all this,
he would become a Jew himself and visit every inhabited place to
proclaim there the power of God. [Taken from 2MACC 9:11-17]
When Maccabeus and his companions, under the Lord's leadership,
had recovered the temple and the city, they destroyed the altars
erected by the Gentiles in the marketplace and the sacred
enclosures. After purifying the temple, they made a new altar. [Taken from 2MACC 10:1-3]
On the anniversary of the day on which the temple had been
profaned by the Gentiles, that is, the twenty-fifth of the same
month Chislev, the purification of the temple took place. The Jews
celebrated joyfully for eight days as on the feast of Booths,
remembering how, a little while before, they had spent the feast
of Booths living like wild animals in caves on the mountains.
Carrying rods entwined with leaves, green branches and palms, they
sang hymns of grateful praise to him who had brought about the
purification of his own Place. By public edict and decree they
prescribed that the whole Jewish nation should celebrate these
days every year. [2MACC 10:5-8]
Very soon afterward, Lysias, guardian and kinsman of the king
and head of the government, being greatly displeased at what had
happened, mustered about eighty thousand infantry and all his
cavalry and marched against the Jews. His plan was to make
Jerusalem a Greek settlement; to levy tribute on the temple, as he
did on the sanctuaries of the other nations; and to put the high
priesthood up for sale every year. He did not take God's power
into account at all, but felt exultant confidence in his myriads
of foot soldiers, his thousands of horsemen, and his eighty
elephants. [2MACC 11:1-4]
We understand that the Jews do not agree with our father's
policy concerning Greek customs but prefer their own way of life.
They are petitioning us to let them retain their own customs.
Since we desire that this people too should be undisturbed, our
decision is that their temple be restored to them and that they
live in keeping with the customs of their ancestors. [2MACC
11:24-25]
The king was advancing, his mind full of savage plans for
inflicting on the Jews worse things than those they suffered in
his father's time. When Judas learned of this, he urged the people
to call upon the LORD night and day, to help them now, if ever,
when they were about to be deprived of their law, their country,
and their holy temple; and not to allow this nation, which had
just begun to revive, to be subjected again to blasphemous
Gentiles. When they had all joined in doing this, and had implored
the merciful LORD continuously with weeping and fasting and
prostrations for three days, Judas encouraged them and told them
to stand ready. After a private meeting with the elders, he
decided that, before the king's army could invade Judea and take
possession of the city, the Jews should march out and settle the
matter with God's help. Leaving the outcome to the Creator of the
world, and exhorting his followers to fight nobly to death for the
laws, the temple, the city, the country, and the government, he
pitched his camp near Modein. Giving his men the battle cry
"God's Victory," he made a night attack on the king's
pavilion with a picked force of the bravest young men and killed
about two thousand in the camp. [Taken from 2MACC 13:9-15]
Judas then sent supplies to the men inside, but Rhodocus, of
the Jewish army, betrayed military secrets to the enemy. He was
found out, arrested, and imprisoned. The king made a second
attempt by negotiating with the men of Beth-zur. After giving them
his pledge and receiving theirs, he withdrew and attacked Judas
and his men. But he was defeated. Next he heard that Philip, who
was left in charge of the government in Antioch had rebelled.
Dismayed, he parleyed with the Jews, submitted to their terms, and
swore to observe their rights. Having come to this agreement,
he...honored the temple with a generous donation. [Taken from
2MACC 13:20-23]
When Nicanor realized that he had been disgracefully outwitted
by the man, he went to the great and holy temple... ordered them
to surrender Judas. As they declared under oath that they did not
know where the wanted man was, he raised his right hand toward the
temple and swore this oath: "If you do not hand Judas over to
me as prisoner, I will level this shrine of God to the ground; I
will tear down the altar, and erect here a splendid temple to
Dionysus." With these words he went away. The priests
stretched out their hands toward heaven, calling upon the
unfailing defender of our nation in these words: "Lord of
all, though you are in need of nothing, you have approved of a
temple for your dwelling place among us. Therefore, O holy One,
Lord of all holiness, preserve forever undefiled this house, which
has been so recently purified." [Taken from 2MACC 14:31-36]
Encouraged by Judas' noble words, which had power to instill
valor and stir young hearts to courage, the Jews determined not to
delay, but to charge gallantly and decide the issue by
hand-to-hand combat with the utmost courage, since their city and
its temple with the sacred vessels were in danger. [2MACC 15:17]
At this, everyone looked toward heaven and praised the Lord who
manifests his divine power, saying, "Blessed be he who has
kept his own Place undefiled!" [2MACC 15:34]
But I can enter your house because of your great love. I can
worship in your holy temple because of my reverence for you, LORD.
[PS 5:8]
The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD'S throne is in
heaven. God's eyes keep careful watch; they test all peoples.
The LORD tests the good and the bad, hates those who love
violence [Taken from PS 11:4-5]
In my distress I called out: LORD! I cried out to my God. From
his temple he heard my voice; my cry to him reached his ears. [PS
18:7]
May God send you help from the temple, from Zion be your
support. [PS 20:3]
You set a table before me as my enemies watch; You
anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Only goodness and
love will pursue me all the days of my life; I will dwell in
the house of the LORD for years to come. [PS 23:5-6]
LORD, I love the house where you dwell, the tenting-place of
your glory. [PS 26:8]
One thing I ask of the LORD; this I seek: To dwell in the
LORD'S house all the days of my life, To gaze on the LORD'S
beauty, to visit his temple. [PS 27:4]
My tears have been my food day and night, as they ask
daily, "Where is your God?" Those times I recall as
I pour out my soul, When I went in procession with the
crowd, I went with them to the house of God, Amid loud
cries of thanksgiving, with the multitude keeping festival.
Why are you downcast, my soul; why do you groan within
me? Wait for God, whom I shall praise again, my savior
and my God. [PS 42:4-6]
Streams of the river gladden the city of God, the holy
dwelling of the Most High. God is in its midst; it shall not be
shaken; God will help it at break of day. Though nations rage
and kingdoms totter, God's voice thunders and the earth
trembles. The LORD of hosts is with us; our stronghold is the
God of Jacob. [Taken from PS 46:5-8]
O God, within your temple we ponder your steadfast love. [PS
48:10]
But I, like an olive tree in the house of God, trust in
God's faithful love forever. I will praise you always for
what you have done. I will proclaim before the
faithful that your name is good. [PS 52:10-11]
If an enemy had reviled me, that I could bear; If my
foe had viewed me with contempt, from that I could hide. But
it was you, my other self, my comrade and friend, You, whose
company I enjoyed, at whose side I walked in procession
in the house of God. [PS 55:13-15]
Happy the chosen ones you bring to dwell in your courts. May we
be filled with the good things of your house, the blessings of
your holy temple! [PS 65:5]
Summon again, O God, your power, the divine power you once
showed for us. Show it from your temple on behalf of Jerusalem, that
kings may bring you tribute. [PS 68:29-30]
How lovely your dwelling, O LORD of hosts! [PS 84:2]
Better one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere. Better
the threshold of the house of my God than a home in the tents of
the wicked. [PS 84:11]
The just shall flourish like the palm tree, shall grow
like a cedar of Lebanon. Planted in the house of the
LORD, they shall flourish in the courts of our God. They
shall bear fruit even in old age, always vigorous and sturdy,
As they proclaim: "The LORD is just; our rock, in whom
there is no wrong." [PS 92:13-16]
Your decrees are firmly established; holiness belongs to your
house, LORD, for all the length of days. [PS 93:5]
Know that the LORD is God, our maker to whom we belong,
whose people we are, God's well-tended flock. Enter the temple
gates with praise, its courts with thanksgiving. Give
thanks to God, bless his name; good indeed is the LORD, Whose
love endures forever, whose faithfulness lasts through every age.
[PS 100:3-5]
I rejoiced when they said to me, "Let us go to the house
of the LORD." [PS 122:1]
For the house of the LORD, our God, I pray, "May blessings
be yours." [PS 122:9]
LORD, remember David and all his anxious care; How he
swore an oath to the LORD, vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob:
"I will not enter the house where I live, nor lie on the
couch where I sleep; I will give my eyes no sleep, my eyelids
no rest, Till I find a home for the LORD, a dwelling for the
Mighty One of Jacob." [PS 132:1-5]
"Let us enter God's dwelling; let us worship at God's
footstool." "Arise, LORD, come to your resting
place, you and your majestic ark. Your priests will be
clothed with justice; your faithful will shout for joy."
For the sake of David your servant, do not reject your
anointed. [PS 132:7-10]
Yes, the LORD has chosen Zion, desired it for a dwelling:
"This is my resting place forever; here I will dwell,
for I desire it." [PS 132:13-14]
Come, bless the LORD, all you servants of the
LORD Who stand in the house of the LORD through the long
hours of night. Lift up your hands toward the sanctuary, and
bless the LORD. May the LORD who made heaven and earth bless
you from Zion. [PS 134:1-3]
Hallelujah! Praise the name of the LORD! Praise, you
servants of the LORD, Who stand in the house of the LORD, in
the courts of the house of our God! [PS 135:1-2]
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