4 Prior to that time, the high priest Elyashiv (closely related to Toviyyah) had been in charge of the temple storerooms 5 and he’d allowed Toviyyah to have a large room that had previously been used to store offerings: the frankincense, the utensils, and donated grain, wine, and oil, (the percentage commanded to be given to the Levites, the singers, and the gatekeepers), and the offerings for the priests. 6 During all that period, I hadn’t been in Yerushalem because I’d returned to the Babylonian king in the 32nd year of Artahshashta’s reign (Artaxerxes). However, after a while I requested leave again from the king 7 and I came back to Yerushalem. It was then that I discovered how evil Elyashiv had been by making a storeroom for Toviyyah in the courts of God’s residence. 8 It made me very upset and I threw everything of Toviyyah’s out of the room. 9 Then I ordered the storerooms to be purified by the priests before I returned the temple utensils to the room, along with the grain offerings and the incense.

10 I found out that the Levites and the singers weren’t being given their percentage, so they’d left their duties and returned to cultivate their own fields.[ref] 11 I made a complaint to the officials asking why the operation of the temple had been neglected, and then I rounded up the Levites and the singers and sent them back to their duties. 12 After that, the people of Yehudah started bringing a tenth of their grain and wine and oil to the storerooms.[ref] 13 I appointed book-keepers over the storerooms: the priest Shelemyah, the scribe Tsadok, and the Levite Pedayah with Hanan (the son of Zakkur, the son of Mattanyah) helping. They were all considered trustworthy, and their job included distributing the produce among their colleagues.

14 My God, remember me handling all these issues and don’t wipe out my loyal kindness for your temple and its operation that I’ve shown.