Old Testament · 2 Chronicles

2 Chronicles 30

Hezekiah Proclaims a Passover

1And Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and also letters he wrote to Ephraim and Manasseh, to come to the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, to make a Passover to the LORD, the God of Israel. 2And the king and his princes and all the assembly in Jerusalem took counsel to make the Passover in the second month. 3For they were not able to make it at that time, because the priests had not sanctified themselves to sufficiency, and the people had not gathered to Jerusalem.

4And the thing was right in the eyes of the king and in the eyes of all the assembly. 5And they established a thing to make a voice pass through all Israel, from Beer-sheba even to Dan, to come to make a Passover to the LORD, the God of Israel, at Jerusalem; for not in abundance had they done as it is written.

6And the runners went with the letters from the hand of the king and his princes through all Israel and Judah, and according to the commandment^a of the king, saying: "O sons of Israel, turn back to the LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that He may turn back to the remnant that is escaped to you from the palm of the kings of Assyria. 7And be not like your fathers, and like your brothers, who acted treacherously against the LORD, the God of their fathers, so that He gave them for an astonishment, as you are seeing.

8Now, do not stiffen your neck like your fathers; give a hand to the LORD, and come to His sanctuary that He has sanctified forever, and serve^b the LORD your God, that the fierce anger may turn back from you. 9For in your turning back to the LORD, your brothers and your sons shall find compassion before their captors, and shall return to this land; for gracious and merciful is the LORD your God, and He will not turn away the face from you, if you turn back to Him."

10And the runners were passing from city to city in the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far as Zebulun; but they were laughing at them and mocking them. 11Only men^c from Asher and Manasseh and from Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. 12Also in Judah the hand of God was, to give them one heart, to do the commandment of the king and the princes, by the word of the LORD.

Hezekiah Celebrates the Passover

13And there gathered to Jerusalem much people to make the feast^d of unleavened bread in the second month, a very great assembly. 14And they arose and removed the altars that were in Jerusalem, and all the incense altars they removed, and cast them into the brook Kidron. 15And they offered the Passover^e on the fourteenth of the second month; and the priests and the Levites were ashamed, and sanctified themselves, and brought burnt offerings to the house of the LORD.

16And they stood at their station according to their judgment^f, according to the Torah of Moses the man of God; the priests were dashing the blood from the hand of the Levites. 17For many in the assembly had not sanctified themselves; so the Levites were over the slaughtering of the Passover lambs for everyone not clean, to sanctify them to the LORD.

18For a multitude of the people, many from Ephraim and Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover not as it is written; for Hezekiah prayed for them, saying: "May the good LORD make atonement on behalf of 19everyone who has prepared his heart to seek God, the LORD, the God of his fathers, though not according to the purity of the holy place."

20And the LORD listened to Hezekiah, and healed the people. 21And the sons of Israel who were present at Jerusalem made the feast of unleavened bread seven days with great gladness; and the Levites and the priests were praising the LORD day by day, with instruments of strength to the LORD. 22And Hezekiah spoke to the heart of all the Levites who had good understanding for the LORD; and they ate the appointed time (mo-ed) seven days, sacrificing sacrifices of peace offerings, and confessing to the LORD, the God of their fathers.

23And all the assembly took counsel to make another seven days; and they made seven days of gladness. 24For Hezekiah king of Judah lifted up for the assembly a thousand bulls and seven thousand of the flock, and the princes lifted up for the assembly a thousand bulls and ten thousand of the flock; and priests sanctified themselves in abundance.

25And all the assembly of Judah rejoiced, and the priests and the Levites, and all the assembly that came from Israel, and the sojourners that came from the land of Israel, and those dwelling in Judah. 26And there was great gladness in Jerusalem; for since the days of Solomon the son of David king of Israel there was nothing like this in Jerusalem.

27And the priests, the Levites, arose and blessed the people; and their voice was heard, and their prayer came to His holy dwelling place, to the heavens.