2 Chronicles 30
1 And Ezekias sent to all Israel and
Juda, and wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasse, that they should come into the
house of the Lord to Jerusalem, to keep the passover to the Lord God of
Israel. 2 For the king, and the
princes, and all the congregation in Jerusalem, designed to keep the passover
in the second month. 3 For they could
not keep it at that time, because a sufficient number of priests had not
purified themselves, and the people was not gathered to Jerusalem.
4 And the proposal pleased the king
and the congregation. 5 And they
established a decree that a proclamation should go through all Israel, from
Bersabee to Dan, that they should come and keep the passover to the Lord God
of Israel at Jerusalem: for the multitude had not done it lately according to
the scripture.
6 And the posts went with the letters
from the king and the princes to all Israel and Juda, according to the command
of the king, saying, Children of Israel, return to the Lord God of Abraam, and
Isaac, and Israel, and bring back them that have escaped
even those that were left of the hand of the king of
Assyria. 7 And be not as your fathers,
and your brethren, who revolted from the Lord God of their fathers, and he
gave them up to desolation, as ye see.
8 And now harden not your hearts, as
your fathers did: give glory to the Lord God, and
enter into his sanctuary, which he has sanctified for ever: and serve the Lord
your God, and he shall turn away his fierce anger
from you. 9 For when ye turn to the
Lord, your brethren and your children shall be pitied before all that have
carried them captives, and he will restore you to
this land: for the Lord our God is merciful and pitiful, and will not turn
away his face from you, if we return to him.
10 So the posts went through from
city to city in mount Ephraim, and Manasse, and as far as Zabulon: and they as
it were laughed them to scorn, and mocked them.
11 But the men of Aser, and
some of Manasses and of Zabulon, were ashamed, and
came to Jerusalem and Juda. 12 And
the hand of the Lord was present to give them one
heart to come, to do according to the commands of the king and of the princes,
by the word of the Lord.
13 And a great multitude were
gathered to Jerusalem to keep the feast of unleavened bread in the second
month, a very great congregation.
14 And they arose, and took away the
altars that were in Jerusalem, and all on which they burnt incense to false
gods they tore down and cast into the brook Kedron.
15 Then they killed the passover on
the fourteenth day of the second month: and the priests and the Levites
repented, and purified themselves, and brought
whole-burnt-offerings into the house of the Lord.
16 And they stood at their post,
according to their ordinance, according to the commandment of Moses the man of
God: and the priests received the blood from the hand of the Levites.
17 For a great part of the
congregation was not sanctified; and the Levites were
ready to kill the passover for every one who could
not sanctify himself to the Lord.
18 For the greatest part of the
people of Ephraim, and Manasse, and Issachar, and Zabulon, had not purified
themselves, but ate the passover contrary to the
scripture. On this account also Ezekias prayed concerning them, saying,
19 The good Lord be merciful with
regard to every heart that sincerely seeks the Lord God of their fathers, and
is not purified according to
the purification of the sanctuary.
20 And the Lord hearkened to Ezekias,
and healed the people.
21 And the children of Israel who
were present in Jerusalem kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with
great joy; and they continued to sing hymns to the Lord daily, and the priests
and the Levites played on instruments to the Lord.
22 And Ezekias encouraged all the
Levites, and those that had good understanding of the Lord: and they
completely kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days, offering
peace-offerings, and confessing to the Lord God of their fathers.
23 And the congregation purposed
together to keep other seven days: and they kept seven days with gladness.
24 For Ezekias set apart for Juda,
even for the congregation, a thousand calves and
seven thousand sheep; and the princes set apart for the people a thousand
calves and ten thousand sheep: and the holy things of the priests abundantly.
25 And all the congregation, the
priests and the Levites, rejoiced, and all the congregation of Juda, and they
that were present of Jerusalem, and the strangers that came from the land of
Israel, and the dwellers in Juda.
26 And there was great joy in
Jerusalem: from the days of Solomon the son of David king of Israel there was
not such a feast in Jerusalem.
27 Then the priests the Levites rose
up and blessed the people: and their voice was heard, and their prayer came
into his holy dwelling-place, even into heaven.