Moff 2 CHR Chapter 30

◄ 2 CHR 30 ► ║ ═ ©

30 Hezekiah then sent word oa to all Israel and Judah, writing letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, bidding them attend the temple of the Eternal in Jerusalem in order to hold the passover in honour of the Eternal the God of Israel. 2 The king and his nobles and all the community in Jerusalem had agreed to hold the passover in the second month of the year; 3 they could not hold it in the first month, as too few priests had purified themselves, and also as the people had not gathered to Jerusalem. 4 The plan had commended itself to the king and all the community. 5 So they passed a decree to make a proclamation through the whole of Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, bidding the people come and hold the passover at Jerusalem in honour of the Eternal the God of Israel. For only a few had held it hitherto as by law appointed.

6 Couriers carried the letters from the king and his nobles all over Israel and Judah, by order of the king. The message was: “Men of Israel, turn to the Eternal the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that he may himself turn to those of you who have survived and escaped the kings of Assyria. 7 Be not like your fathers and fellows who sinned against the Eternal the God of their fathers, till he abandoned them for men to shudder at, as you see for yourselves. 8 Do not be stubborn like your fathers; pledge yourselves to the Eternal and come inside his sanctuary, which he has consecrated for all time; worship the Eternal your God, that his fierce anger may turn from you. 9 For if you turn to the Eternal, your kinsfolk and children shall be pitied by their captors and allowed to return to this land; the Eternal your God is kind and compassionate, he will not disregard you if you come back to him.” 10 The couriers passed from town to town through the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, as far as to Zebulun, but the people derided them and scoffed at them. 11 Some, however, from Asher and Manasseh and Zebuiun did humble themselves and come to Jerusalem. 12 As for Judah, God moved them to be of one mind in obeying the orders of the king and his nobles, as inspired by the Eternal.

13 Large was the gathering at Jerusalem to hold the festival of unleavened bread in the second month, a great assembly. 14 They started to remove the altars from Jerusalem; they removed these altars of incense and flung them into the Kidron-ravine. 15 Then they killed the passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the second month; the priests and the Levites with shame purified themselves and brought burnt-offerings into the temple of the Eternal, 16 taking up their due positions as laid down by Moses the man of God; the priests splashed the blood which was handed to them by the Levites. 17 (For, as a large number in the assembly had not purified themselves, the Levites had the duty of killing the passover lamb for anyone who was unpurified, in order to purify them for the Eternal.) 18 A host of people, numbers from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not purified themselves, and yet ate the passover lamb irregularly; for Hezekiah had prayed on their behalf, “May the kind Eternal pardon anyone 19 who seriously resolves to worship God, even the Eternal the God of his fathers, although he may not ritually be pure!” 20 The Eternal listened to Hezekiah’s prayer and did pardon the people.

21 For seven days the Israelites present at Jerusalem held the festival of unleavened bread with great delight; the Levites and the priests sang praise to the Eternal day by day with all their might; 22 and Hezekiah encouraged all the Levites who were most skilful in the musical service of the Eternal. For seven days the people ate the offerings at the festival, as they made their recompense-offerings, rendering thanks to the Eternal the God of their fathers. 23 Indeed, the assembly all decided to celebrate the festival for seven days more, and for seven days more they held it with delight; 24 for Hezekiah king of Judah had presented the assembly with a thousand bullocks and seven thousand sheep to offer, the nobles gave the assembly a thousand bullocks and ten thousand sheep, and a large number of priests purified themselves.

25 All the assembly of Judah, with the priests and the Levites and all the gathering from Israel and the foreigners who came from the land of Israel or who lived in Judah, rejoiced; 26 there was loud joy in Jerusalem, for never since the days of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel, had there been a festival like this in Jerusalem. 27 The Levitical priests pronounced the benediction over the people, so loudly that their voices resounded to heaven, God’s sacred dwelling.

2 CHR C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10 C11 C12 C13 C14 C15 C16 C17 C18 C19 C20 C21 C22 C23 C24 C25 C26 C27 C28 C29 C30 C31 C32 C33 C34 C35 C36

Moff 2 CHR Chapter 30

Moff 2 CHR Chapter 30