[1] Hezeki'ah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to
E'phraim and Manas'seh, that they should come to the house of the LORD at
Jerusalem, to keep the passover to the LORD the God of Israel. [2] For the
king and his princes and all the assembly in Jerusalem had taken counsel to
keep the passover in the second month-- [3] for they could not keep it in
its time because the priests had not sanctified themselves in sufficient
number, nor had the people assembled in Jerusalem-- [4] and the plan seemed
right to the king and all the assembly. [5] So they decreed to make a
proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beer-sheba to Dan, that the people
should come and keep the passover to the LORD the God of Israel, at
Jerusalem; for they had not kept it in great numbers as prescribed. [6] So
couriers went throughout all Israel and Judah with letters from the king
and his princes, as the king had commanded, saying, "O people of Israel,
return to the LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that he may turn
again to the remnant of you who have escaped from the hand of the kings of
Assyria. [7] Do not be like your fathers and your brethren, who were
faithless to the LORD God of their fathers, so that he made them a
desolation, as you see. [8] Do not now be stiff-necked as your fathers
were, but yield yourselves to the LORD, and come to his sanctuary, which he
has sanctified for ever, and serve the LORD your God, that his fierce anger
may turn away from you. [9] For if you return to the LORD, your brethren
and your children will find compassion with their captors, and return to
this land. For the LORD your God is gracious and merciful, and will not
turn away his face from you, if you return to him." [10] So the couriers
went from city to city through the country of E'phraim and Manas'seh, and
as far as Zeb'ulun; but they laughed them to scorn, and mocked them. [11]
Only a few men of Asher, of Manas'seh, and of Zeb'ulun humbled themselves
and came to Jerusalem. [12] The hand of God was also upon Judah to give
them one heart to do what the king and the princes commanded by the word of
the LORD. [13] And many people came together in Jerusalem to keep the feast
of unleavened bread in the second month, a very great assembly. [14] They
set to work and removed the altars that were in Jerusalem, and all the
altars for burning incense they took away and threw into the Kidron valley.
[15] And they killed the passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the second
month. And the priests and the Levites were put to shame, so that they
sanctified themselves, and brought burnt offerings into the house of the
LORD. [16] They took their accustomed posts according to the law of Moses
the man of God; the priests sprinkled the blood which they received from
the hand of the Levites. [17] For there were many in the assembly who had
not sanctified themselves; therefore the Levites had to kill the passover
lamb for every one who was not clean, to make it holy to the LORD. [18] For
a multitude of the people, many of them from E'phraim, Manas'seh,
Is'sachar, and Zeb'ulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the
passover otherwise than as prescribed. For Hezeki'ah had prayed for them,
saying, "The good LORD pardon every one [19] who sets his heart to seek
God, the LORD the God of his fathers, even though not according to the
sanctuary's rules of cleanness." [20] And the LORD heard Hezeki'ah, and
healed the people. [21] And the people of Israel that were present at
Jerusalem kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with great
gladness; and the Levites and the priests praised the LORD day by day,
singing with all their might to the LORD. [22] And Hezeki'ah spoke
encouragingly to all the Levites who showed good skill in the service of
the LORD. So the people ate the food of the festival for seven days,
sacrificing peace offerings and giving thanks to the LORD the God of their
fathers. [23] Then the whole assembly agreed together to keep the feast for
another seven days; so they kept it for another seven days with gladness.
[24] For Hezeki'ah king of Judah gave the assembly a thousand bulls and
seven thousand sheep for offerings, and the princes gave the assembly a
thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep. And the priests sanctified
themselves in great numbers. [25] The whole assembly of Judah, and the
priests and the Levites, and the whole assembly that came out of Israel,
and the sojourners who came out of the land of Israel, and the sojourners
who dwelt in Judah, rejoiced. [26] So there was great joy in Jerusalem, for
since the time of Solomon the son of David king of Israel there had been
nothing like this in Jerusalem. [27] Then the priests and the Levites arose
and blessed the people, and their voice was heard, and their prayer came to
his holy habitation in heaven.