Old/New Testament

Hezekiah Keeps the Passover

30 Hezekiah sent word to all Israel and Judah. He wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh also, that they should come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, to keep the Passover to the Lord God of Israel. ² For the king and his rulers and all the people in Jerusalem had decided to keep the Passover in the second month. ³ For they could not keep it at the set time, because there had not been enough religious leaders who had made themselves holy. And the people had not been gathered to Jerusalem. ⁴ So the new time pleased the king and all the people. ⁵ And they made it known in all Israel, from Beer-sheba to Dan, that they should come to keep the Passover to the Lord God of Israel at Jerusalem. For great numbers of people had not kept it, as they were told to do. ⁶ Men were sent through all Israel and Judah with the letters from the hand of the king and his rulers, as the king had told them. The letters said, “O sons of Israel, return to the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, that He may return to those of you who have not been taken away by the kings of Assyria. ⁷ Do not be like your fathers and your brothers. They were not faithful to the Lord God of their fathers, so He gave them a reason to fear, as you see. ⁸ Now do not make your hearts hard like your fathers, but give yourselves to the Lord. Come to His holy place which He has set apart forever. And worship the Lord your God, that His burning anger may turn away from you. ⁹ For if you return to the Lord, your brothers and your sons will be shown pity by those who took them away, and will return to this land. For the Lord your God is kind and loving. He will not turn His face away from you if you return to Him.”

¹⁰ So the men took the letters from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far as Zebulun. But the people laughed at them and made fun of them. ¹¹ Only a few men of Asher, Manasseh and Zebulun put away their pride and came to Jerusalem. ¹² The hand of God was also on Judah to give them one heart to do what the king and the rulers told them by the Word of the Lord.

The People Keep the Passover

¹³ Many people gathered together at Jerusalem to keep the Special Supper of Bread Without Yeast in the second month. There were very many people. ¹⁴ They took away the altars which were in Jerusalem. And they also took away all the special perfume altars and threw them into the river of Kidron. ¹⁵ Then they killed the Passover lambs on the fourteenth day of the second month. The religious leaders and Levites were ashamed and made themselves holy, and brought burnt gifts to the house of the Lord. ¹⁶ They stood in their places as they should, as given by the Law of Moses the man of God. The religious leaders placed the blood which they received from the hand of the Levites. ¹⁷ For there were many of the people who had not made themselves holy. So the Levites had to kill the Passover lambs for every one who was unclean, to make them holy to the Lord. ¹⁸ For many of the people, many of them from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun, had not made themselves clean. Yet they ate the Passover in a different way than had been written. For Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May the good Lord forgive everyone ¹⁹ who makes his heart ready to look for God, the Lord God of his fathers, even if he does not follow the rules of the holy place for making himself clean.” ²⁰ And the Lord heard Hezekiah, and healed the people. ²¹ The people of Israel who were there in Jerusalem kept the Special Supper of Bread Without Yeast for seven days with great joy. The Levites and the religious leaders praised the Lord day after day, singing with loud music to the Lord. ²² Then Hezekiah spoke comforting words to all the Levites who had good understanding in the Lord’s work. So the people ate the food of the Special Supper for seven days, giving peace gifts and thanks to the Lord God of their fathers.

²³ Then all the people decided to keep the Special Supper for another seven days. So they kept it for another seven days with joy. ²⁴ For King Hezekiah of Judah had given the people 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep. And the rulers had given the people 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep. And a large number of religious leaders made themselves holy. ²⁵ All the people of Judah were filled with joy, with the religious leaders and the Levites, and all the people who came from Israel. Both the people who came from the land of Israel and those living in Judah were filled with joy. ²⁶ So there was great joy in Jerusalem, because there was nothing like this in Jerusalem since the days of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel. ²⁷ Then the religious leaders and Levites stood and prayed that good would come to the people. And their voice was heard. Their prayer came to the Lord’s holy place in heaven.

Changes Made by Hezekiah

31 Now when all this was finished, all the people of Israel who were there went out to the cities of Judah. They broke in pieces the pillars set up for the false gods. They cut down the objects of the false goddess Asherah. And they pulled down the high places and the altars through all Judah and Benjamin, and in Ephraim and Manasseh. They destroyed all of them. Then all the people of Israel returned to their cities, every man to his land.

² Hezekiah divided the religious leaders and the Levites into groups, each by the work he was to do. He chose the religious leaders and Levites for giving the burnt gifts and peace gifts, for serving and giving thanks, and for praising in the gates of the camp of the Lord. ³ He decided what the king should give of his own animals for the burnt gifts, for the morning and evening, for the Days of Rest and the New Moons and the Special Suppers, as it is written in the Law of the Lord. ⁴ And he told the people who lived in Jerusalem to give the share that should go to the religious leaders and the Levites, that they might give themselves to the Law of the Lord. ⁵ As soon as the news spread, the people of Israel gave much of the first-fruits of grain, new wine, oil, honey, and of all the food of the field. They brought in more than a tenth part of everything. ⁶ The people of Israel and Judah, who lived in the cities of Judah, also brought in a tenth part of the cattle and sheep. And they brought a tenth part of the holy things which were set apart for the Lord their God. They laid them one on top of the other. ⁷ They began to lay them on top of each other in the third month, and finished by the seventh month.

⁸ And when Hezekiah and the rulers came and saw all the things, they praised the Lord and His people Israel. ⁹ Then Hezekiah asked the religious leaders and the Levites about all the things which had been brought. ¹⁰ Azariah the head religious leader of the family of Zadok said to him, “Since the gifts began to be brought into the Lord’s house, we have had much more than enough to eat. For the Lord has brought good to His people, and we have all this much left.”

¹¹ Then Hezekiah told them to make rooms ready in the house of the Lord, and they made them ready. ¹² And they were faithful to bring in the gifts and the tenth part and the holy things. Conaniah the Levite was the captain over them, and his brother Shimei was second. ¹³ The leaders under Conaniah and his brother Shimei were Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismachiah, Mahath, and Benaiah. They were chosen by King Hezekiah. Azariah was the head captain of the house of God. ¹⁴ Kore, the son of Imnah the Levite, who watched over the east gate, was captain of the free-will gifts to God. He divided the gifts for the Lord and the most holy things. ¹⁵ Under his rule were Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah, in the cities of the religious leaders. They were faithful to give shares to their brothers by their groups, large and small alike.

¹⁶ Also they gave to those whose names were written down by families, from three years old and older. They gave to everyone who went into the Lord’s house for each day’s duty, for the work each of their groups was to do. ¹⁷ The names of the religious leaders were written down by their family groups, and the Levites from twenty years old and older, by their duties and their groups. ¹⁸ Also written down were the names of their little children, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, for all the people. For they were faithful to set themselves apart to be holy. ¹⁹ Also the sons of Aaron, the religious leaders who were in the fields around their cities, or in each and every city, were taken care of. There were men chosen by name to give shares to every male among the religious leaders and to everyone whose name was written down among the Levites.

²⁰ Hezekiah did this through all Judah. He did what was good and right and true before the Lord his God. ²¹ All the work he began in the house of God, obeying the Laws and looking to his God, he did with all his heart and all went well for him.

Jesus Handed Over to Sinners ^(A)

18 When Jesus had said these things, He went with His followers across the small river Kidron. He and His followers went to a garden there. ² Judas, who was handing Him over to the leaders, knew the place also. Jesus and His followers had met there many times. ³ Judas led some soldiers and some men who had been sent by the head religious leaders of the Jews and the proud religious law-keepers to the garden. They carried lamps and sticks that were burning and swords.

⁴ Jesus knew what was going to happen to Him. He went out and asked them, “Who are you looking for?” ⁵ The soldiers answered Him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said, “I am Jesus.” Judas, who was handing Him over, was with them also.

⁶ When He said to them, “I am Jesus,” they stepped back and fell to the ground. ⁷ He asked them again, “Who are you looking for?” They said again, “Jesus of Nazareth.” ⁸ He said, “I have told you that I am Jesus. If you are looking for Me, let these men go their way.” ⁹ He said this so the words He spoke might happen, “I have not lost one of those You gave Me.”

¹⁰ Simon Peter had a sword. He took it and hit a servant who was owned by the head religious leader and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus. ¹¹ Then Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back where it belongs. Am I not to go through what My Father has given Me to go through?”

Jesus Stands in Front of Annas

¹² Then the soldiers and their captain and the men sent by the Jewish religious leaders took Jesus and tied Him. ¹³ They took Him to Annas first. He was the father-in-law of Caiaphas. Caiaphas was the head religious leader that year. ¹⁴ Caiaphas had talked to the Jews. He told them it would be a good thing if one man should die for the people.

Peter Lies about Jesus ^(B)

¹⁵ Simon Peter and another follower came behind Jesus. This other follower was known to the head religious leader. He went with Jesus to the head religious leader’s house. ¹⁶ Peter stood outside at the gate. The other follower, who was known by the head religious leader, went out and talked to the servant-girl who watched the gate. Then he took Peter inside. ¹⁷ The servant-girl who watched the door said to Peter, “Are you not a follower of this Man?” He said, “I am not!” ¹⁸ The servants who were owned by someone and the soldiers had made a fire because it was cold. They were getting warm by the fire. Peter was standing with them getting warm.