2 Chronicles 30

1Hezekiah sent word to all Israel and Judah and wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, telling them to come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem and keep the Passover to the Lord God of Israel.

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2For the king and his leaders and all the assembly in Jerusalem had agreed to keep the Passover in the second month.

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3For they could not keep it at the regular time, because a sufficient number of priests had not consecrated themselves and the people had not gathered in Jerusalem.

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4And the matter pleased the king and the assembly.

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5So they resolved to make a proclamation throughout all Israel from Beersheba to Dan that they should come to keep the Passover to the Lord God of Israel at Jerusalem, since they had not done it in the prescribed manner for a long time.

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6Then the runners went throughout all Israel and Judah with the letters from the king and his leaders, and spoke according to the command of the king, 'Sons of Israel, return to the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. Then He will return to the remnant of you who escaped from the hand of the king of Assyria.

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7Do not be like your fathers and your brethren who rebelled against the Lord God of their fathers; so He gave them up to desolation as you see.

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8Do not be stiff-necked as your fathers were. Give glory to the Lord God and enter His sanctuary, which He sanctified forever. Serve the Lord your God, so that He turns the fierceness of His wrath away from you.

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9For if you return to the Lord, your brethren and your children will be treated with compassion by those who led them captive, so they may come back to this land. For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful, and He will not turn His face from us if we return to Him.'

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10So the runners passed from city to city, through Mount Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far as Zebulun. But the people laughed at them and mocked them.

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11Nevertheless some from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun were ashamed and came to Jerusalem.

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12At the word of the Lord, the hand of God was on Judah to give them singleness of heart to obey the command of the king and the leaders.

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13Now many people, a very great assembly, gathered at Jerusalem to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the second month.

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14They arose and took away the altars in Jerusalem. And they took away all the altars on which they burned incense to the false gods and cast them into the Brook Kidron.

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15Then they slaughtered the Passover lambs on the fourteenth day of the second month. The priests and the Levites were ashamed and sanctified themselves, and they brought the burnt offerings to the house of the Lord.

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16They stood in their place according to their custom, according to the Law of Moses, the man of God. The priests received the blood from the hand of the Levites.

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17For there were many in the assembly who had not sanctified themselves. Therefore the Levites had charge of the slaughter of the Passover lambs for all those who were not able to sanctify themselves to the Lord.

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18Most of the people from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun had not cleansed themselves, but they ate the Passover contrary to what was written.

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19But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, 'May the good Lord provide atonement for everyone who prepares his heart to seek God, the Lord God of his fathers, even though he is not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary.'

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20And the Lord listened to Hezekiah and healed the people.

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21So the sons of Israel who were present at Jerusalem kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days with great gladness. And the Levites and the priests praised the Lord every day, singing to the Lord with instruments.

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22And Hezekiah encouraged all the Levites who knew the good knowledge of the Lord. And they completed the feast in seven days, offering peace offerings and making confession to the Lord God of their fathers.

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23And the whole assembly agreed to keep the feast for another seven days, and so they kept it another seven days with great joy.

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24For King Hezekiah began the sacrifice for the assembly of Judah with a thousand calves and seven thousand sheep. And the leaders began the sacrifice for the assembly with a thousand calves and ten thousand sheep, and there was an abundance of holy things for the priests.

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25The whole assembly rejoiced along with the priests and Levites, all the assembly of Judah and those who came from Israel, the sojourners who came from the land of Israel, and those who dwelt in Judah.

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26So there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time of Solomon the son of David king of Israel there had been no feast like this in Jerusalem.

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27Then the priests, the Levites, arose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard. And their prayer came up to His holy dwelling place in heaven.

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