OET-RV 2 CHR Chapter 30

30 Then King Hizkiyah sent invitations to all Yisrael and Yehudah (including Efrayim and Menashsheh) to come to Yahweh’s temple 2 because the king had consulted with his officials and all the assembly in Yerushalem and decided to have a late celebration of the Passover in April.[ref] 3 (They couldn’t have done it at the proper time because the priests hadn’t consecrated themselves sufficiently then, and so the people hadn’t gathered in Yerushalem.) 4 The plan pleased the king and all the people, 5 so they sent messages across all Yisrael and Yehudah from Beer-Sheva in the south to Dan in the far north for the people to come to Yerushalem to celebrate the Passover to honour Yisrael’s god Yahweh. (They hadn’t previously been observing the written instructions.) 6 Runners took the letters from the king and his officials, going to all Yisrael and Yehudah with the king’s command: “Descendants of Yisrael, return to Yahweh, the god of Avraham, Yitshak, and Yisrael, and he will return to you all—the group that escaped from the control of the Assyrian kings. 7 Don’t be like your fathers and brothers who weren’t faithful to Yahweh, the god of their ancestors, provoking him to leave them decimated as you can see. 8 So don’t be stubborn like your ancestors were. Obey Yahweh and come to the sanctuary that he’s consecrated forever, and serve your god Yahweh so he will turn his anger away from you. 9 If you all return to Yahweh, your brothers and sons will be shown mercy by their captors and be able to return to this land, because your god Yahweh is gracious and compassionate, and he won’t ignore you if you all will turn back to him.

10 The messengers went from city to city in the Efrayim and Menashsheh regions, as far north as Zevulun, but many people there laughed at them and mocked them. 11 However, some of the people from Asher, Menashsheh, and Zevulun humbled themselves and went to Yerushalem. 12 Also in Yehudah, God moved the people to want to obey the king and his officials and Yahweh’s instructions.

13 The next month, a huge crowd gathered in Yerushalem to celebrate the Festival of Flat Bread. 14 They took action and removed the altars to Baal in Yerushalem, and all the incense altars, and threw them down into the Kidron valley to be burnt there. 15 In the middle of the month, they slaughtered the Passover lambs. The priests and Levites had been ashamed, so they’d consecrated themselves, them they brought the burnt offerings into the temple. 16 They they stood at their stations as per the instructions written by Mosheh (Moses), then the Levites handed the bowls of blood to the priests to sprinkle on the altar. 17 Because many people in the assembly hadn’t consecrated themselves, the Levites assisted them by slaughtering the lambs and consecrating them to Yahweh. 18 Although most of the people who’d travelled down from Efrayim, Menashsheh, Yissaskar, and Zevulun hadn’t purified themselves, they ate the Passover food anyway despite the written instructions, because Hizkiyah had prayed to Yahweh for them, “May Yahweh who is good, declare as innocent 19 everyone who sincerely wants to honour and obey Yahweh, the god of their ancestors, even if they haven’t completed the formal purification ceremonies for the temple.” 20 Yahweh took notice of Hizkiyah’s request, and forgave the people, 21 so the Israelis who’d come to Yerushalem celebrated the Feast of Flat Bred for seven days with great excitement. The Levites and priests praised enthusiastically praised Yahweh every day using their musical instruments. 22 Hizkiyah sincerely thanked all the Levites who were very insightful about worshipping Yahweh. Then everyone ate for the prescribed seven days—sacrificing peace offerings and confessing to Yahweh, the god of their ancestors.