Hezekiah Celebrates the Passover

30 And Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of Yahweh at Jerusalem to ^[a]celebrate the Passover to Yahweh, the God of Israel. ² And the king and his princes and all the assembly in Jerusalem had taken counsel ^(A)to celebrate the Passover in the second month, ³ since they could not celebrate it ^(B)at that time, because the priests had not set themselves apart as holy in sufficient numbers, nor had the people been gathered to Jerusalem. ⁴ Thus the thing was right in the eyes of the king and in the eyes of all the assembly. ⁵ So they established a decree to make a ^[b]proclamation pass throughout all Israel ^(C)from Beersheba even to Dan, that they should come to celebrate the Passover to Yahweh, the God of Israel, at Jerusalem. For they had not celebrated it in great numbers as it was written. ^6 (D)And the ^[c]couriers went throughout all Israel and Judah with the letters from the hand of the king and his princes, even according to the commandment of the king, saying, “O sons of Israel, return to Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that He may return to those of you who escaped and remain from ^(E)the ^[d]hand of the kings of Assyria. ^7 (F)Now do not be like your fathers and your brothers, who were unfaithful to Yahweh, the God of their fathers, so that ^(G)He made them an object of horror, as you see. ⁸ Now do not ^(H)stiffen your neck like your fathers, but give your hand to Yahweh and enter His sanctuary which He has set apart as holy forever, and serve Yahweh your God, ^(I)that His burning anger may turn away from you. ⁹ For ^(J)when you return to Yahweh, your brothers and your sons will find compassion before those who led them captive and will return to this land. ^(K)For Yahweh your God is gracious and compassionate, and will not turn His face away from you if you return to Him.”

¹⁰ So the ^[e]couriers passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far as Zebulun, but ^(L)they were laughing at them to scorn and mocking them. ¹¹ Nevertheless ^(M)some men of Asher, Manasseh and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. ¹² The ^(N)hand of God was also on Judah to give them one heart to do what the king and the princes commanded by the word of Yahweh.

¹³ Now many people were gathered at Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread ^(O)in the second month, a very large assembly. ¹⁴ And they arose and took away the altars which were in Jerusalem; they also ^(P)took away all the incense altars and ^(Q)cast them into the brook Kidron. ¹⁵ Then ^(R)they slaughtered the Passover lambs on the fourteenth of the second month. And ^(S)the priests and Levites were ashamed of themselves, and set themselves apart as holy and brought burnt offerings to the house of Yahweh. ^16 (T)And they stood at their stations according to the legal judgment for them, according to the law of Moses the man of God; the priests splashed the blood which they received from the hand of the Levites. ¹⁷ For there were many in the assembly who had not set themselves apart as holy; therefore, ^(U)the Levites were over the slaughter of the Passover lambs for everyone who was unclean, in order to set them apart as holy to Yahweh. ¹⁸ For a multitude of the people, ^(V)even many from Ephraim and Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, ^(W)yet they ate the Passover ^(X)otherwise than what was written. For Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May Yahweh, who is good, atone ^19 (Y)for everyone who prepares his heart to seek God, Yahweh, the God of his fathers, though not according to the rules of cleansing of the sanctuary.” ²⁰ So Yahweh heard Hezekiah and ^(Z)healed the people. ²¹ And the sons of Israel present in Jerusalem ^(AA)celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days with great gladness, and the Levites and the priests praised Yahweh day after day with loud instruments to Yahweh. ²² Then Hezekiah ^(AB)spoke to the hearts of all the Levites who showed good insight in the things of Yahweh. So they ate for the appointed seven days, sacrificing peace offerings and ^(AC)giving thanks to Yahweh, the God of their fathers.

²³ Then the whole assembly ^(AD)took counsel to determine to celebrate the feast another seven days, so they celebrated the seven days with gladness. ²⁴ For ^(AE)Hezekiah king of Judah had contributed to the assembly 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep, and the princes had contributed to the assembly 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep; and ^(AF)a large number of priests set themselves apart as holy. ²⁵ And all the assembly of Judah were glad, with the priests and the Levites and ^(AG)all the assembly that came from Israel, both the sojourners who came from the land of Israel and those living in Judah. ²⁶ So there was great gladness in Jerusalem, because there was nothing like this in Jerusalem ^(AH)since the days of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel. ²⁷ Then ^(AI)the Levitical priests arose and ^(AJ)blessed the people; and their voice was heard and their prayer came to ^(AK)His holy habitation, to heaven.

31 Now when all this was completed, all Israel who were present went out to the cities of Judah, ^(AL)shattered the pillars, cut the ^[f]Asherim in pieces, and tore down the high places and the altars throughout all Judah and Benjamin, as well as in Ephraim and Manasseh, until the destruction was completed. Then all the sons of Israel returned to their cities, each to his possession.