2 Chronicles 30

30And Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, to keep the passover unto the Lord God of Israel. ²For the king had taken counsel, and his princes, and all the congregation in Jerusalem, to keep the passover in the ^asecond month. ³For they could not keep it ^bat that time, ^cbecause the priests had not sanctified themselves sufficiently, neither had the people gathered themselves together to Jerusalem. ⁴And the thing ^†pleased the king and all the congregation. ⁵So they established a decree to ^dmake proclamation throughout all Israel, ^efrom Beer-sheba even to Dan, that they should come to keep the passover unto the Lord God of Israel at Jerusalem: for they had not done it of a long time in such sort as it was written. ⁶So ^fthe posts went with the letters ^†from the king and his princes throughout all Israel and Judah, and according to the commandment of the king, saying, Ye children of Israel, ^gturn again unto the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and he will return to the remnant of you, that are escaped out of the hand of ^hthe kings of Assyria. ⁷And ⁱbe not ye like your fathers, and like your brethren, which trespassed against the Lord God of their fathers, who therefore ^kgave them up to desolation, as ye see. ⁸Now ^†be ye not ^lstiffnecked, as your fathers were, but ^†yield yourselves unto the Lord, and enter into his sanctuary, which he hath sanctified for ever: and serve the Lord your God, ^mthat the fierceness of his wrath may turn away from you. ⁹For if ye turn again unto the Lord, your brethren and your children shall find ⁿcompassion before them that lead them captive, so that they shall come again into this land: for the Lord your God is ^ogracious and ^pmerciful, and will not turn away his face from you, ^qif ye return unto him. ¹⁰So ^fthe posts passed from city to city through the country of ^rEphraim and Manasseh even unto Zebulun: but they laughed them to scorn, and ^smocked them. ¹¹Nevertheless divers of ^tAsher and Manasseh and of Zebulun humbled themselves, and came to Jerusalem. ¹²Also in Judah the hand of God was to give them one heart to do the commandment of the king and of the princes, ^uby the word of the Lord.

¹³And there assembled at Jerusalem much people to keep the feast of unleavened bread in the ^wsecond month, a very great congregation. ¹⁴And they arose and took away the ^xaltars that were in Jerusalem, and all the altars for incense took they away, and ^ycast them into the brook Kidron. ¹⁵Then they killed the passover on the fourteenth day of the ^wsecond month: and the priests and the Levites ^zwere ashamed, and ^asanctified themselves, and brought in the burnt offerings into the house of the Lord. ¹⁶And they stood in ^†their place after their manner, according to the law of Moses ^bthe man of God: the priests sprinkled the blood, which they received of the hand of the Levites. ¹⁷For there were many in the congregation that were not sanctified: therefore the Levites had the charge of the killing of the passovers for every one that was not clean, to sanctify them unto the Lord. ¹⁸For a multitude of the people, even ^cmany of Ephraim, and Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet did they eat the passover otherwise than ^dit was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, The good Lord pardon every one ¹⁹That ^eprepareth his heart to seek God, the Lord God of his fathers, though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary. ²⁰And the Lord hearkened to Hezekiah, and healed the people. ²¹And the children of Israel that were ^†present at Jerusalem kept the feast of unleavened bread ^fseven days with great gladness: and the Levites and the priests praised the Lord day by day, singing with ^†loud instruments unto the Lord. ²²And Hezekiah spake ^†comfortably unto all the Levites ^gthat taught the good knowledge of the Lord: and they did eat throughout the feast seven days, offering peace offerings, and ^hmaking confession to the Lord God of their fathers. ²³And the whole assembly took counsel to keep ⁱother seven days: and they kept other seven days with gladness. ²⁴For Hezekiah king of Judah ^†did give to the congregation a thousand bullocks and seven thousand sheep; and the princes ^†gave to the congregation a thousand bullocks and ten thousand sheep: and a great number of priests ^ksanctified themselves. ²⁵And all the congregation of Judah, with the priests and the Levites, and all the congregation that came out of Israel, and the strangers ^lthat came out of the land of Israel, and that dwelt in Judah, rejoiced. ²⁶So there was great joy in Jerusalem: for ^msince the time of Solomon the son of David king of Israel there was not the like in Jerusalem. ²⁷Then ⁿthe priests the Levites arose and ^oblessed the people: and their voice was heard, and their prayer came up to ^†his holy dwelling place, even unto heaven.