54 I chose twelve of the leading priests—Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their relatives. 55-57 Then I weighed the gifts that had been given for the Lord's temple, and I divided them among the twelve priests I had chosen. There were gifts of silver and gold and other things, and they had been contributed by the king, his advisors, and the people of Israel. In all there were 22.3 tons of silver; silver articles weighing 3.4 tons ; 3.4 tons of gold; 20 gold bowls; and 12 bronze objects that were as shiny as gold.

58 I said to the priests: 59 Be sure to guard these gifts and keep them safe until you reach Jerusalem. Then take them inside the Lord's temple and deliver them to the leaders of the priests and Levites, and to the heads of the Israelite families.

60 The priests and the Levites then took charge of the gifts, so they could take them to the Lord's temple.

Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version ®. Copyright © 1995 American Bible Society. Used by permission.