2 Chronicles 30
30
Celebration of the Passover
1Then Hezekiah sent word throughout all Israel and Judah, and he also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh to come to the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem to observe the Passover of Yahweh, the God of Israel. # Ex 12:1-28; 13:1-10 2For the king and his officials and the entire congregation in Jerusalem decided to observe the Passover of the Lord in the second month, # Nm 9:6-14; 2Ch 30:13,15 3because they were not able to observe it at the appropriate time. Not enough of the priests had consecrated themselves # 2Ch 29:34 and the people hadn’t been gathered together in Jerusalem. 4The proposal pleased the king and the congregation, 5so they affirmed the proposal and spread the message throughout all Israel, from Beer-sheba to Dan, # Jdg 20:1 to come to observe the Passover of Yahweh, the God of Israel in Jerusalem, for they hadn’t observed it often, # Or in great numbers as prescribed. # Lit often, according to what is written
6So the couriers # Est 8:14; Jb 9:25; Jr 51:31 went throughout Israel and Judah with letters from the hand of the king and his officials, and according to the king’s command, saying, “Israelites, return to Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel so that He may return to those of you who remain, who have escaped from the grasp of the kings of Assyria. # 2Ch 28:20 7Don’t be like your fathers and your brothers who were unfaithful to Yahweh, the God of their ancestors # Ezk 20:13 so that He made them an object of horror # 2Ch 29:8 as you yourselves see. 8Don’t become obstinate # Lit Don’t stiffen your neck # Ex 32:9 now like your fathers did. Give your allegiance # Lit hand to Yahweh, and come to His sanctuary that He has consecrated forever. Serve the Lord your God so that He may turn His burning anger away from you, # 2Ch 29:10 9for when you return to Yahweh, your brothers and your sons will receive mercy in the presence of their captors and will return to this land. # Dt 30:2-3 For Yahweh your God is gracious and merciful; # Ex 34:6-7; Mc 7:18 He will not turn His face away from you if you return to Him.”
10The couriers traveled from city to city in the land of Ephraim and Manasseh as far as Zebulun, but the inhabitants # Lit but they laughed at them and mocked them. # 2Ch 36:16 11But some from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. # 2Ch 30:18,21,25 12Also, the power of God was at work in Judah to unite them # Lit to give them one heart to carry out the command of the king and his officials by the word of the Lord.
13A very large assembly of people was gathered in Jerusalem to observe the Festival of Unleavened Bread in the second month. 14They proceeded to take away the altars that were in Jerusalem, # 2Ch 28:24 and they took away the incense altars and threw them into the Kidron Valley. # 2Ch 29:16 15They slaughtered the Passover lamb # 2Ch 30:2-3 on the fourteenth day of the second month. The priests and Levites were ashamed, and they consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings to the Lord’s temple. 16They stood at their prescribed posts, # 2Ch 35:10,15 according to the law of Moses, the man of God. The priests sprinkled the blood received from the hand of the Levites, 17for there were many in the assembly who had not consecrated themselves, and so the Levites were in charge of slaughtering the Passover lambs for every unclean person to consecrate the lambs to the Lord. # 2Ch 29:34 18A large number of the people — many from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun — were ritually unclean, yet they had eaten the Passover # Nm 9:10 contrary to what was written. # Ex 12:43-49 But Hezekiah had interceded for them, saying, “May the good Lord provide atonement on behalf of 19whoever sets his whole heart on seeking God, # 2Ch 19:3 Yahweh, the God of his ancestors, even though not according to the purification rules of the sanctuary.” 20So the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people. # Ps 41:4; Hs 14:4 21The Israelites who were present in Jerusalem observed the Festival of Unleavened Bread seven days with great joy, # Ex 12:15; 13:6 and the Levites and the priests praised the Lord day after day with loud instruments. 22Then Hezekiah encouraged # Lit spoke to the heart of # 2Ch 32:6 all the Levites who performed skillfully before the Lord. They ate at the appointed festival for seven days, sacrificing fellowship offerings and giving thanks to Yahweh, the God of their ancestors. # Ezr 10:11
23The whole congregation decided to observe # 1Kg 8:65 seven more days, so they observed seven days with joy, 24for Hezekiah king of Judah contributed 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep for the congregation. Also, the officials contributed 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep for the congregation, # 2Ch 35:7-8 and many priests consecrated themselves. # 2Ch 29:34; 30:3 25Then the whole assembly of Judah with the priests and Levites, the whole assembly that came from Israel, the foreigners who came from the land of Israel, and those who were living in Judah, rejoiced. 26There was great rejoicing in Jerusalem, for nothing like this was known since the days of Solomon son of David, the king of Israel. # 2Ch 7:8-10
27Then the priests and the Levites # 2Ch 23:18 stood to bless the people, # Nm 6:23-27 and God heard their voice, and their prayer came into His holy dwelling place # Dt 26:15; Ps 68:5 in heaven.
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2 Chronicles 30: HCSB
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2 Chronicles 30
30
1 Also, Hezekiah sent to all of Israel and Judah. And he wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, so that they would come to the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, and so that they would keep the Passover to the Lord, the God of Israel.
2 Therefore, having taken counsel, the king and the rulers, and the entire assembly of Jerusalem, resolved that they would keep the Passover, in the second month.
3 For they had not been able to keep it at its proper time. For the priests, who were unable to suffice, had not been sanctified. And the people had not yet been gathered together in Jerusalem.
4 And the word was pleasing to the king, and to the entire multitude.
5 And they resolved that they would send messengers to all of Israel, from Beersheba even to Dan, so that they might come and keep the Passover to the Lord, the God of Israel, at Jerusalem. For many had not kept it, just as it was prescribed by the law.
6 And carriers traveled with the letters, by order of the king and his rulers, to all of Israel and Judah, proclaiming, in accord with what the king had ordered: "O sons of Israel, return to the Lord, the God of Abraham, and Isaac, and Israel. And he will return to the remnant who escaped from the hand of the king of the Assyrians.
7 Do not choose to be like your fathers and brothers, who withdrew from the Lord, the God of their fathers. And so he delivered them over to destruction, as you yourselves discern.
8 Do not choose to harden your necks, as your fathers did. Surrender to the hands of the Lord. And go to his Sanctuary, which he has sanctified unto eternity. Serve the Lord, the God of your fathers, and the fury of his wrath will be turned away from you.
9 For if you will return to the Lord, your brothers and sons will find mercy before their masters, who led them away as captives, and they will be returned to this land. For the Lord your God is compassionate and lenient, and he will not avert his face from you, if you will return to him."
10 And so, the carriers were traveling quickly from city to city, throughout the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, as far as Zebulun, though they were ridiculing and mocking them.
11 Even so, certain men from Asher, and from Manasseh, and from Zebulun, acquiescing to this counsel, went to Jerusalem.
12 Truly, the hand of God was working in Judah, to give them one heart, so that they would accomplish the word of the Lord, according to the precept of the king and of the rulers.
13 And many people gathered together in Jerusalem, so that they could keep the solemnity of unleavened bread, in the second month.
14 And rising up, they destroyed the altars which were in Jerusalem, and all the things in which incense was burned to idols. Overturning these things, they cast them into the torrent Kidron.
15 Then they immolated the Passover on the fourteenth day of the second month. Also, the priests and Levites, at length having been sanctified, offered the holocausts in the house of the Lord.
16 And they stood in their order, according to the disposition and law of Moses, the man of God. Yet truly, the priests took up the blood, which was to be poured out, from the hands of the Levites,
17 because a great number were not sanctified. And therefore, the Levites immolated the Passover for those who had not been sanctified to the Lord in time.
18 And now a great portion of the people from Ephraim, and Manasseh, and Issachar, and Zebulun, who had not been sanctified, ate the Passover, which is not in accord with what was written. And Hezekiah prayed for them, saying: "The good Lord will be forgiving
19 to all who, with their whole heart, seek the Lord, the God of their fathers. And he will not impute it to them, though they have not been sanctified."
20 And the Lord heeded him, and was reconciled to the people.
21 And the sons of Israel who were found at Jerusalem kept the solemnity of unleavened bread for seven days with great rejoicing, praising the Lord throughout each day, with the Levites and the priests, accompanied by the musical instruments corresponding to their office.
22 And Hezekiah spoke to the heart of all the Levites, who had a good understanding concerning the Lord. And they ate during the seven days of the solemnity, immolating victims of peace offerings, and praising the Lord, the God of their fathers.
23 And it pleased the entire multitude that they should celebrate, even for another seven days. And they did this with enormous gladness.
24 For Hezekiah, the king of Judah, had offered to the multitude one thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep. Truly, the rulers had given the people one thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep. Then a great mulititude of priests was sanctified.
25 And the whole multitude of Judah, as much the priests and Levites as the entire crowd that had arrived from Israel, and also the converts from the land of Israel, and those with a habitation in Judah, was overflowing with cheerfulness.
26 And there was a great celebration in Jerusalem, to such an extent as had not been in that city since the days of Solomon, the son of David, the king of Israel.
27 Then the priests and Levites rose up and blessed the people. And their voice was heeded. And their prayer reached the holy habitation of heaven.
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