Hezekiah Keeps the Passover

30 And Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, 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 leaders and all the assembly in Jerusalem had agreed to keep the Passover in the second amonth. 3 For they could not keep it bat 1the regular time, cbecause a sufficient number of priests had not consecrated themselves, nor had the people gathered together at Jerusalem. 4 And the matter pleased the king and all the assembly. 5 So they 2resolved to make a proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, that they should come to keep the Passover to the Lord God of Israel at Jerusalem, since they had not done it for a long time in the prescribed manner.

6 Then the drunners went throughout all Israel and Judah with the letters from the king and his leaders, and spoke according to the command of the king: “Children of Israel, ereturn to the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel; then He will return to the remnant of you who have escaped from the hand of fthe kings of gAssyria. 7 And do not be hlike your fathers and your brethren, who trespassed against the Lord God of their fathers, so that He igave them up to jdesolation, as you see. 8 Now do not be kstiff-necked, 3as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the Lord; and enter His sanctuary, which He has sanctified forever, and serve the Lord your God, lthat the fierceness of His wrath may turn away from you. 9 For if you return to the Lord, your brethren and your children will be treated with mcompassion by those who lead them captive, so that they may come back to this land; for the Lord your God is ngracious and merciful, and will not turn His face from you if you oreturn to Him.”

10 So the runners passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, as far as Zebulun; but pthey laughed at them and mocked them. 11 Nevertheless qsome from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. 12 Also rthe hand of God was on Judah to give them singleness of heart to obey the command of the king and the leaders, sat the word of the Lord.

13 Now many people, a very great assembly, gathered at Jerusalem to keep the Feast of tUnleavened Bread in the second month. 14 They arose and took away the ualtars that were in Jerusalem, and they took away all the incense altars and cast them into the Brook vKidron. 15 Then they slaughtered the Passover lambs on the fourteenth day of the second month. The priests and the Levites 4were washamed, and 5sanctified themselves, and brought the burnt offerings to the house of the Lord. 16 They stood in their xplace 6according to their custom, according to the Law of Moses the man of God; the priests sprinkled the blood received from the hand of the Levites. 17 For there were many in the assembly who had not 7sanctified themselves; ytherefore the Levites had charge of the slaughter of the Passover lambs for everyone who was not clean, to sanctify them to the Lord. 18 For a multitude of the people, zmany from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, ayet they ate the Passover contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May the good Lord provide atonement for everyone 19 who bprepares his heart to seek God, the Lord God of his fathers, though he is not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary.” 20 And the Lord listened to Hezekiah and healed the people.

21 So the children of Israel who were present at Jerusalem kept cthe Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with great gladness; and the Levites and the priests praised the Lord day by day, singing to the Lord, accompanied by loud instruments. 22 And Hezekiah gave encouragement to all the Levites dwho taught the good knowledge of the Lord; and they ate throughout the feast seven days, offering peace offerings and emaking confession to the Lord God of their fathers.

23 Then the whole assembly agreed to keep the feast fanother seven days, and they kept it another seven days with gladness. 24 For Hezekiah king of Judah ggave to the assembly a thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep, and the leaders gave to the assembly a thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep; and a great number of priests hsanctified 8themselves. 25 The whole assembly of Judah rejoiced, also the priests and Levites, all the assembly that came from Israel, the sojourners iwho came from the land of Israel, and those who dwelt in Judah. 26 So there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time of jSolomon the son of David, king of Israel, there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem. 27 Then the priests, the Levites, arose and kblessed the people, and their voice was heard; and their prayer came up to lHis holy dwelling place, to heaven.

The Reforms of Hezekiah

31 Now when all this was finished, all Israel who were present went out to the cities of Judah and abroke the sacred pillars in pieces, cut down the wooden images, and threw down the 1high places and the altars—from all Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh—until they had utterly destroyed them all. Then all the children of Israel returned to their own cities, every man to his possession.

2 And Hezekiah appointed bthe divisions of the priests and the Levites according to their divisions, each man according to his service, the priests and Levites cfor burnt offerings and peace offerings, to serve, to give thanks, and to praise in the gates of the 2camp of the Lord. 3 The king also appointed a 3portion of his dpossessions 4for the burnt offerings: for the morning and evening burnt offerings, the burnt offerings for the Sabbaths and the New Moons and the set feasts, as it is written in the eLaw of the Lord.

4 Moreover he commanded the people who dwelt in Jerusalem to contribute fsupport 5for the priests and the Levites, that they might devote themselves to gthe Law of the Lord.

5 As soon as the commandment was circulated, the children of Israel brought in abundance hthe firstfruits of grain and wine, oil and honey, and of all the produce of the field; and they brought in abundantly the itithe of everything. 6 And the children of Israel and Judah, who dwelt in the cities of Judah, brought the tithe of oxen and sheep; also the jtithe of holy things which were consecrated to the Lord their God they laid in heaps.

7 In the third month they began laying them in heaps, and they finished in the seventh month. 8 And when Hezekiah and the leaders came and saw the heaps, they blessed the Lord and His people Israel. 9 Then Hezekiah questioned the priests and the Levites concerning the heaps. 10 And Azariah the chief priest, from the khouse of Zadok, answered him and said, l“Since the people began to bring the offerings into the house of the Lord, we have had enough to eat and have plenty left, for the Lord has blessed His people; and what is left is this great mabundance.”

11 Now Hezekiah commanded them to prepare nrooms 6in the house of the Lord, and they prepared them. 12 Then they faithfully brought in the offerings, the tithes, and the dedicated things; oCononiah the Levite had charge of them, and Shimei his brother was the next. 13 Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismachiah, Mahath, and Benaiah were overseers under the hand of Cononiah and Shimei his brother, at the commandment of Hezekiah the king and Azariah the pruler of the house of God. 14 Kore the son of Imnah the Levite, the keeper of the East Gate, was over the qfreewill offerings to God, to distribute the offerings of the Lord and the most holy things. 15 And under him were rEden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah, his faithful assistants in sthe cities of the priests, to distribute tallotments to their brethren by divisions, to the great as well as the small.

16 Besides those males from three years old and up who were written in the genealogy, they distributed to everyone who entered the house of the Lord his daily portion for the work of his service, by his division, 17 and to the priests who were written in the genealogy according to their father’s house, and to the Levites ufrom twenty years old and up according to their work, by their divisions, 18 and to all who were written in the genealogy—their little ones and their wives, their sons and daughters, the whole company of them—for in their faithfulness they 7sanctified themselves in holiness.

19 Also for the sons of Aaron the priests, who were in vthe fields of the common-lands of their cities, in every single city, there were men who were wdesignated by name to distribute portions to all the males among the priests and to all who were listed by genealogies among the Levites.

20 Thus Hezekiah did throughout all Judah, and he xdid what was good and right and true before the Lord his God. 21 And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, in the law and in the commandment, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart. So he yprospered.

Sennacherib Boasts Against the Lord

32 After athese deeds of faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and entered Judah; he encamped against the fortified cities, thinking to win them over to himself. 2 And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come, and that his purpose was to make war against Jerusalem, 3 he consulted with his leaders and 1commanders to stop the water from the springs which were outside the city; and they helped him. 4 Thus many people gathered together who stopped all the bsprings and the brook that ran through the land, saying, “Why should the 2kings of Assyria come and find much water?” 5 And che strengthened himself, dbuilt up all the wall that was broken, raised it up to the towers, and built another wall outside; also he repaired 3the eMillo in the City of David, and made 4weapons and shields in abundance. 6 Then he set military captains over the people, gathered them together to him in the open square of the city gate, and fgave them encouragement, saying, 7 g“Be strong and courageous; hdo not be afraid nor dismayed before the king of Assyria, nor before all the multitude that is with him; for ithere are more with us than with him. 8 With him is an jarm of flesh; but kwith us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people were strengthened by the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

9 lAfter this Sennacherib king of Assyria sent his servants to Jerusalem (but he and all the forces with him laid siege against Lachish), to Hezekiah king of Judah, and to all Judah who were in Jerusalem, saying, 10 m“Thus says Sennacherib king of Assyria: ‘In what do you trust, that you remain under siege in Jerusalem? 11 Does not Hezekiah persuade you to give yourselves over to die by famine and by thirst, saying, n“The Lord our God will deliver us from the hand of the king of Assyria”? 12 oHas not the same Hezekiah taken away His high places and His altars, and commanded Judah and Jerusalem, saying, “You shall worship before one altar and burn incense on pit”? 13 Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of other lands? qWere the gods of the nations of those lands in any way able to deliver their lands out of my hand? 14 Who was there among all the gods of those nations that my fathers utterly destroyed that could deliver his people from my hand, that your God should be able to deliver you from my rhand? 15 Now therefore, sdo not let Hezekiah deceive you or persuade you like this, and do not believe him; for no god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people from my hand or the hand of my fathers. How much less will your God deliver you from my hand?’ ”

16 Furthermore, his servants spoke against the Lord God and against His servant Hezekiah.

17 He also wrote letters to revile the Lord God of Israel, and to speak against Him, saying, t“As the gods of the nations of other lands have not delivered their people from my hand, so the God of Hezekiah will not deliver His people from my uhand.” 18 vThen they called out with a loud voice in 5Hebrew to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten them and trouble them, that they might take the city. 19 And they spoke against the God of Jerusalem, as against the gods of the people of the earth—wthe work of men’s hands.