2 Chronicles 30

Hezekiah Invites All Israel to Passover

1Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah and also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the LORD in Jerusalem to make the Passover to the LORD, the God of Israel. 2The king and his officials 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 not enough priests had consecrated themselves and the people had not gathered to Jerusalem. 4The matter was right in the eyes of the king and in the eyes of all the assembly. 5So they established a decree to make proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba even to Dan, that they should come to make the Passover to the LORD, the God of Israel, in Jerusalem, for they had not made it in great numbers as written.

Couriers Carry the Invitation North

6The couriers went with letters from the hand of the king and his officials throughout all Israel and Judah, according to the king’s command, saying:

“Children of Israel, return to the LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, so that he may return to the remnant of you who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria. 7Do not be like your ancestors and like your brothers who acted unfaithfully against the LORD, the God of their ancestors, so that he made them a horror, as you see. 8Now do not stiffen your neck like your ancestors. Give your hand to the LORD and come to his sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever, and serve the LORD your God, so that the burning of his anger may turn from you. 9For if you return to the LORD, your brothers and your children will find compassion before their captors and return to this land, for the LORD your God is gracious and compassionate and will not turn his face from you if you return to him.” 10So the couriers passed from city to city through the land of Ephraim and Manasseh and as far as Zebulun, but they laughed at them and mocked them. 11Even so, some men from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. 12The hand of God was also upon Judah to give them one heart to do the command of the king and the officials by the word of the LORD.

The Passover Is Celebrated

13A very great assembly gathered at Jerusalem to make the Festival of Unleavened Bread in the second month. 14They arose and removed the altars that were in Jerusalem. They removed all the incense altars and threw them into the Wadi Kidron. 15They slaughtered the Passover on the fourteenth day of the second month. The priests and Levites were ashamed, consecrated themselves, and brought burnt offerings to the house of the LORD. 16They stood at their station according to their ordinance, according to the instruction of Moses the man of God. The priests threw the blood received from the hand of the Levites. 17For there were many in the assembly who had not consecrated themselves. Therefore the Levites were responsible for slaughtering the Passover lambs for everyone who was not clean, to consecrate them to the LORD.

Hezekiah Prays for the Unclean

18For a multitude of the people, many from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover not as written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May the good LORD make atonement for 19everyone who has set his heart to seek God, the LORD, the God of his ancestors, even though not according to the purification of the sanctuary.” 20The LORD listened to Hezekiah and healed the people.

The Festival Is Extended

21The children of Israel who were present in Jerusalem made the Festival of Unleavened Bread seven days with great gladness. The Levites and priests praised the LORD day by day with strong instruments to the LORD. 22Hezekiah spoke to the heart of all the Levites who showed good understanding in the service of the LORD. They ate the appointed feast seven days, sacrificing offerings of well-being and giving thanks to the LORD, the God of their ancestors. 23Then the whole assembly took counsel to make another seven days, and they made seven more days with gladness. 24For Hezekiah king of Judah contributed to the assembly one thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep, and the officials contributed to the assembly one thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep. A great number of priests consecrated themselves. 25All the assembly of Judah rejoiced, and the priests, the Levites, all the assembly that came from Israel, the resident aliens who came from the land of Israel, and people who lived in Judah. 26There was great gladness in Jerusalem, for from the days of Solomon son of David king of Israel there had not been anything like this in Jerusalem. 27Then the Levitical priests arose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard, and their prayer came to his holy dwelling, to the heavens.