Hezekiah Proclaims a Passover

1And sent Hezekiah to all Israel and Judah, and also he wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of YHWH at Jerusalem to keep the Passover to YHWH, God of Israel. 2For the king had counseled—and his leaders and all the assembly in Jerusalem—to keep the Passover in the second month.† 3For they were not able to keep it at that time, because the priests had not consecrated themselves sufficiently, and the people had not been gathered together at Jerusalem.

4And the matter was right in the eyes of the king and in the eyes of all the assembly. 5And they established a word, to cause to pass over a proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, that they should come in to keep the Passover to YHWH, God of Israel, at Jerusalem. For they had not kept it as written for a long time.

6And the runners went with the letters from the hand of the king and his heads throughout all Israel and Judah, according to the command of the king, saying,

“Sons of Israel, return to YHWH, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and He will return to the escaped remnant of you⁺ from the hand of the kings of Assyria. 7And do not be like your⁺ fathers and your⁺ brothers who trespassed against YHWH, God of their fathers, so that He gave them up to desolation, as you⁺ can see.

8Now do not harden your⁺ necks as your⁺ fathers; give a hand to YHWH and enter His sanctuary that He has sanctified forever, and serve YHWH your⁺ God, that the burning of His anger may turn away from you⁺. 9For if you⁺ return to YHWH, your⁺ brothers and your⁺ children will receive mercy before the faces of their captors and will return to this land. For gracious and merciful is YHWH your⁺ God, and He will not turn aside the face from you⁺ if you⁺ return to Him.”

10And the runners passed over from city to city in the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, and to Zebulun; and they laughed at them and mocked them. 11Nevertheless, some from Asher and Manasseh and Zebulun humbled themselves and came in to Jerusalem. 12The hand of God was also in Judah to give to them one heart to obey the command of the king and the leaders in the word of YHWH.

Hezekiah Celebrates the Passover

13And many people gathered to Jerusalem to keep the Feast of the Unleavened† in the second month—a very great assembly. 14And they arose and took away the altars that were in Jerusalem, and they took away all the incense altars and cast them into the Kidron Valley. 15And they slaughtered the Passover on the fourteenth of the second month. And the priests and the Levites were ashamed, and they consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings to the house of YHWH.

16And they stood on their station according to their ordinance, according to the Law of Moses the man of God. The priests splattered the blood from the hand of the Levites. 17For many were in the assembly who had not sanctified themselves, and the Levites were over the slaughtering of the Passovers for everyone who was not clean, to sanctify them to YHWH.

18For a multitude of the people, many from Ephraim, and Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May YHWH, who is good, provide atonement on the behalf 19everyone who prepares his heart to seek God—YHWH, God of his fathers—and not according to the purifying of the sanctuary.”

20And YHWH listened to Hezekiah and healed the people. 21And the sons of Israel who were found in Jerusalem kept the Feast of the Unleavened seven days with great joy, and the Levites and the priests were praising YHWH day by day, accompanied by loud instruments to YHWH.† 22And Hezekiah spoke to the heart of all the Levites who gave good understanding of YHWH. And they ate the appointed thing seven days, sacrificing sacrifices of peace offerings and confessing to YHWH, God of their fathers.

23And all the assembly counseled to keep it another seven days, and they kept it seven days with joy. 24For Hezekiah king of Judah gave 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 sanctified themselves.

25And all the assembly of Judah rejoiced, and the priests, and the Levites, and all the assembly that came from Israel, and the sojourners who came from the land of Israel, and those who dwelt in Judah. 26And there was great joy in Jerusalem, for from the days of Solomon son of David king of Israel nothing like this was in Jerusalem.

27And the priests, the Levites, arose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard. And their prayer came up to His holy dwelling place in the heavens.