II Chronicles 30
1Hezekiah sent word to all Israel and Judah; he also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh to come to the House of GOD in Jerusalem to keep the Passover for the ETERNAL God of Israel.
2The king and his officers and the congregation in Jerusalem had agreed to keep the Passover in the second month,
3for at the time, they were unable to keep it, for not enough priests had sanctified themselves, nor had the people assembled in Jerusalem.
4The king and the whole congregation thought it proper
5to issue a decree and proclaim throughout all Israel from Beer-sheba to Dan that they come and keep the Passover for the ETERNAL God of Israel in Jerusalem—not often did they act in accord with what was written.
6The couriers went out with the letters from the king and his officers through all Israel and Judah, by order of the king, proclaiming, “O you Israelites! Return to the ETERNAL God of your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and [God] will return to the remnant of you who escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria.
7Do not be like your ancestors and kindred who trespassed against the ETERNAL God of their ancestors and were turned into a horror, as you see.
8Now do not be stiffnecked like your ancestors; submit yourselves to GOD and come to the sanctuary that has been consecrated forever, and serve the ETERNAL your God, whose anger may hopefully turn back from you.
9If you return to GOD, your brothers and children will be regarded with compassion by their captors, and will return to this land; the ETERNAL your God, being gracious and merciful, will not turn away from you if you return.”
10As the couriers passed from town to town in the land of Ephraim and Manasseh till they reached Zebulun, they were laughed at and mocked.
11Some of the people of Asher and Manasseh and Zebulun, however, were contrite, and came to Jerusalem.
12The hand of God was on Judah, too, making them of a single mind to carry out the command of the king and officers concerning the ordinance of GOD.
13A great crowd assembled at Jerusalem to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the second month, a very great congregation.
14They set to and removed the altars that were in Jerusalem, and they removed all the incense stands and threw them into Wadi Kidron.
15They slaughtered the passover sacrifice on the fourteenth of the second month. The priests and Levites were ashamed, and they sanctified themselves and brought burnt offerings to the House of GOD.
16They took their stations, as was their rule according to the Teaching of Moses, agent of God. The priests dashed the blood [that they received] from the Levites.
17Since many in the congregation had not sanctified themselves, the Levites were in charge of slaughtering the passover sacrifice for everyone who was not pure, so as to consecrate them to GOD.
18For most of the people—many from Ephraim and Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun—had not purified themselves, yet they ate the passover sacrifice in violation of what was written. Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “The good GOD will provide atonement for
19all who set their mind on worshiping God—the ETERNAL God of their ancestors—even if they are not purified for the sanctuary.”
20GOD heard Hezekiah and healed the people.
21The Israelites who were in Jerusalem kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days, with great rejoicing, the Levites and the priests praising GOD daily with powerful instruments for GOD.
22Hezekiah persuaded all the Levites who performed skillfully for GOD to spend the seven days of the festival making offerings of well-being, and confessing to the ETERNAL God of their ancestors.
23All the congregation resolved to keep seven more days, so they kept seven more days of rejoicing.
24King Hezekiah of Judah contributed to the congregation 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep. And the officers contributed to the congregation 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep. And the priests sanctified themselves in large numbers.
25All the congregation of Judah and the priests and the Levites and all the congregation that came from Israel, and the resident aliens who came from the land of Israel and who lived in Judah, rejoiced.
26There was great rejoicing in Jerusalem, for since the time of King Solomon son of David of Israel nothing like it had happened in Jerusalem.
27The Levite priests rose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard, and their prayer went up to God’s holy abode, to heaven.