2 Chronicles 30
Christian Standard Bible Anglicised
Celebration of the Passover
30 Then Hezekiah sent word throughout all Israel and Judah, and he also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh to come to the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem to observe the Passover of the Lord, the God of Israel.(A) 2 For the king and his officials and the entire congregation in Jerusalem decided to observe the Passover of the Lord in the second month,(B) 3 because they were not able to observe it at the appropriate time. Not enough of the priests had consecrated themselves,(C) and the people hadn’t been gathered together in Jerusalem. 4 The proposal pleased the king and the congregation, 5 so they affirmed the proposal and spread the message throughout all Israel, from Beer-sheba to Dan,(D) to come to observe the Passover of the Lord, the God of Israel in Jerusalem, for they hadn’t observed it often,[a] as prescribed.[b]
6 So the couriers(E) went throughout Israel and Judah with letters from the hand of the king and his officials, and according to the king’s command, saying, ‘Israelites, return to the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel so that he may return to those of you who remain, who have escaped the grasp of the kings of Assyria.(F) 7 Don’t be like your ancestors and your brothers who were unfaithful to the Lord, the God of their ancestors(G) so that he made them an object of horror(H) as you yourselves see. 8 Don’t become obstinate[c](I) now as your ancestors did. Give your allegiance[d] to the Lord, and come to his sanctuary that he has consecrated for ever. Serve the Lord your God so that he may turn his burning anger away from you,(J) 9 for when you return to the Lord, your brothers and your sons will receive mercy in the presence of their captors and will return to this land.(K) For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful;(L) he will not turn his face away from you if you return to him.’
10 The couriers travelled from city to city in the land of Ephraim and Manasseh as far as Zebulun, but the inhabitants[e] laughed at them and mocked them.(M) 11 But some from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem.(N) 12 Also, the power of God was at work in Judah to unite them[f] to carry out the command of the king and his officials by the word of the Lord.
13 A very large assembly of people was gathered in Jerusalem to observe the Festival of Unleavened Bread in the second month. 14 They proceeded to take away the altars that were in Jerusalem,(O) and they took away the incense altars and threw them into the Kidron Valley.(P) 15 They slaughtered the Passover lamb(Q) on the fourteenth day of the second month. The priests and Levites were ashamed, and they consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings to the Lord’s temple. 16 They stood at their prescribed posts,(R) according to the law of Moses, the man of God. The priests splattered the blood received from the Levites, 17 for there were many in the assembly who had not consecrated themselves, and so the Levites were in charge of slaughtering the Passover lambs for every unclean person to consecrate the lambs to the Lord.(S) 18 A large number of the people – many from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun – were ritually unclean, yet they had eaten the Passover(T) contrary to what was written.(U) But Hezekiah had interceded for them, saying, ‘May the good Lord provide atonement on behalf of 19 whoever sets his whole heart on seeking God,(V) the Lord, the God of his ancestors, even though not according to the purification rules of the sanctuary.’ 20 So the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people.(W) 21 The Israelites who were present in Jerusalem observed the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days with great joy,(X) and the Levites and the priests praised the Lord day after day with loud instruments. 22 Then Hezekiah encouraged[g](Y) all the Levites who performed skilfully before the Lord. They ate at the appointed festival for seven days, sacrificing fellowship offerings and giving thanks to the Lord, the God of their ancestors.(Z)
23 The whole congregation decided to observe(AA) seven more days, so they observed seven days with joy, 24 for King Hezekiah of Judah contributed one thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep for the congregation. Also, the officials contributed one thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep for the congregation,(AB) and many priests consecrated themselves.(AC) 25 Then the whole assembly of Judah with the priests and Levites, the whole assembly that came from Israel, the resident foreigners who came from the land of Israel, and those who were living in Judah, rejoiced. 26 There was great rejoicing in Jerusalem, for nothing like this was known since the days of Solomon son of David, the king of Israel.(AD)
27 Then the priests and the Levites(AE) stood to bless the people,(AF) and God heard them, and their prayer came into his holy dwelling place(AG) in heaven.
2 Chronicles 30
New Century Version
The Passover Celebration
30 King Hezekiah sent messages to all the people of Israel and Judah, and he wrote letters to the people of Ephraim and Manasseh. Hezekiah invited all these people to come to the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover for the Lord, the God of Israel. 2 King Hezekiah, his officers, and all the people in Jerusalem agreed to celebrate the Passover in the second month. 3 They could not celebrate it at the normal time, because not enough priests had made themselves ready to serve the Lord, and the people had not yet gathered in Jerusalem. 4 This plan satisfied King Hezekiah and all the people. 5 So they made an announcement everywhere in Israel, from Beersheba to Dan,[a] telling the people to come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover for the Lord, the God of Israel. For a long time most of the people had not celebrated the Passover as the law commanded. 6 At the king’s command, the messengers took letters from him and his officers all through Israel and Judah. This is what the letters said:
People of Israel, return to the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. Then God will return to you who are still alive, who have escaped from the kings of Assyria. 7 Don’t be like your ancestors or your relatives. They turned against the Lord, the God of their ancestors, so he caused other people to be disgusted with them. You know this is true. 8 Don’t be stubborn as your ancestors were, but obey the Lord willingly. Come to the Temple, which he has made holy forever. Serve the Lord your God so he will not be angry with you. 9 Come back to the Lord. Then the people who captured your relatives and children will be kind to them and will let them return to this land. The Lord your God is kind and merciful. He will not turn away from you if you return to him.
10 The messengers went to every town in Ephraim and Manasseh, and all the way to Zebulun, but the people laughed at them and made fun of them. 11 But some men from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun were sorry for what they had done and went to Jerusalem. 12 And God united all the people of Judah in obeying King Hezekiah and his officers, because their command had come from the Lord.
13 In the second month a large crowd came together in Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread. 14 The people removed the altars and incense altars to gods in Jerusalem and threw them into the Kidron Valley.
15 They killed the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the second month. The priests and the Levites were ashamed, so they made themselves holy and brought burnt offerings into the Temple of the Lord. 16 They took their regular places in the Temple as the Teachings of Moses, the man of God, commanded. The Levites gave the blood of the sacrifices to the priests, who sprinkled it on the altar. 17 Since many people in the crowd had not made themselves holy, the Levites killed the Passover lambs for everyone who was not clean. The Levites made each lamb holy for the Lord. 18-19 Although many people from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun had not purified themselves for the feast, they ate the Passover even though it was against the law. So Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “Lord, you are good. You are the Lord, the God of our ancestors. Please forgive all those who try to obey you even if they did not make themselves clean as the rules of the Temple command.” 20 The Lord listened to Hezekiah’s prayer, and he healed the people. 21 The Israelites in Jerusalem celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days with great joy to the Lord. The Levites and priests praised the Lord every day with loud music. 22 Hezekiah encouraged all the Levites who showed they understood well how to do their service for the Lord. The people ate the feast for seven days, offered fellowship offerings, and praised the Lord, the God of their ancestors.
23 Then all the people agreed to stay seven more days, so they celebrated with joy for seven more days. 24 Hezekiah king of Judah gave one thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep to the people. The officers gave one thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep to the people. Many priests made themselves holy. 25 All the people of Judah, the priests, the Levites, those who came from Israel, the foreigners from Israel, and the foreigners living in Judah were very happy. 26 There was much joy in Jerusalem, because there had not been a celebration like this since the time of Solomon son of David and king of Israel. 27 The priests and Levites stood up and blessed the people, and God heard them because their prayer reached heaven, his holy home.
Footnotes
- 30:5 Beersheba to Dan Dan was the city farthest north in Israel, and Beersheba was the city farthest south. So this means all the people of Israel.
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The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
