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YEHOVAH’s Tithe in Scripture 79

that were reckoned by genealogy among the Levites, their little ones, wives, sons, and daughters, II
Chronicles 31:14-19.

From this reformation by Hezekiah we may reasonably deduce that the closing of the temple
had brought poverty upon the priests and Levites, but that, on the restoration of the services, the nor-
mal state of things was restored, and the payment anew of the tithes and offerings brought back
peace and plenty.

The next king, Manasseh, re-established idolatry, and was taken captive to Babylon; but,
being restored to his kingdom in Jerusalem in answer to prayer, he took away the strange gods out
of the temple, built up the altar of YEHOVAH, and offered thereon sacrifices, II Chronicles
33:1-16. On the other hand, Amon, his son, sacrificed to the graven images which Manasseh, his fa-
ther, had made, II Chronicles 33:22.

We now come to Josiah, the last of the reforming kings of Judah, who, after purging the land
of idolatry, directed the money collected by the Levites at the door of the temple, from all Judah,
Benjamin, and Jerusalem, as well as from the peoples of Manasseh, Ephraim, and the remnant of all
Israel, to be expended on temple repairs. In the course of these repairs a copy of the law of the Lord
was discovered. The king at once gathered the elders of Judah and Jerusalem, and they made a cove-
nant to perform the law, and all the people stood by the covenant, II Kings 23:1-3.

Then Josiah kept a Passover, and gave of his own substance 3,000 bullocks and 30,000
sheep, lambs, and kids. Three rulers of the house of God gave to the priests, for Passover offerings,
2,600 small cattle and 300 oxen. Several chiefs of the Levites gave also to the Levites, for Passover
offerings, 5,000 small cattle and 500 oxen, all being done as it is written in the law of Moses, II
Chronicles 35:1-9, 12.

“Notwithstanding, the Lord turned not from the fierceness of His great wrath,” but said, “I
will remove Judah also out of My sight" (II Kings 23:26-27), which was done by their being taken
captive to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar, about 588 B.C. This closes the period of decline under the
divided kingdoms of Judah and Israel.

We now pass to the re-settlement of Palestine by the captives returned from Babylon. Dur-
ing the period passed by the Jews in captivity they doubtless became lax in some of their religious
observances; but about 536 B.C. Cyrus proclaimed that he was “charged” to build YEHOVAH a
house at Jerusalem, and he offered facilities for the Jews to return.

Accordingly, when the chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the
Levites, prepared to leave, those remaining in Babylon “strengthened their hands with” gifts. Cyrus
himself gave back the vessels which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple, “all the vessels of
gold and silver being 5,400" (Ezra 1:6-11), so that when the offerings of the king, his counselors,
and his lords, and all Israel present, were weighed for the house of God at Jerusalem, the treasure
amounted to “650 talents of silver, 100 talents of silver vessels, 100 talents of gold, 20 bowls of gold
of 1,000 darics, and two vessels of fine copper precious as gold" (Ezra 8:26-27).

The Berean Voice July-August 2002