³ He said to the Levites, who instructed^(A) all Israel and who had been consecrated to the Lord: “Put the sacred ark in the temple that Solomon son of David king of Israel built. It is not to be carried about on your shoulders. Now serve the Lord your God and his people Israel.

²⁶ the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the articles used in its service.”^(A)

⁷ “For the lips of a priest^(A) ought to preserve knowledge, because he is the messenger^(B) of the Lord Almighty and people seek instruction from his mouth.^(C)

²² Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all the Levites, who showed good understanding of the service of the Lord. For the seven days they ate their assigned portion and offered fellowship offerings and praised^[a] the Lord, the God of their ancestors.

⁸ With them were certain Levites^(A)—Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah and Tob-Adonijah—and the priests Elishama and Jehoram. ⁹ They taught throughout Judah, taking with them the Book of the Law^(B) of the Lord; they went around to all the towns of Judah and taught the people.

⁵ For what we preach is not ourselves,^(A) but Jesus Christ as Lord,^(B) and ourselves as your servants^(C) for Jesus’ sake.

⁷ The priests then brought the ark^(A) of the Lord’s covenant to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, and put it beneath the wings of the cherubim.

⁹ Isn’t it enough^(A) for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the rest of the Israelite community and brought you near himself to do the work at the Lord’s tabernacle and to stand before the community and minister to them?^{(B) 10} He has brought you and all your fellow Levites near himself, but now you are trying to get the priesthood too.^(C)