2Chronicles 30
30The people had not been able to celebrate the Passover Festival at the proper time in the first month, because not enough priests were ritually clean and not many people had assembled in Jerusalem.H3169H7971H3478H3063H3789H107H669H4519H935H1004H3068H3389H6213H6453H3068H430H34782So King Hezekiah, his officials, and the people of Jerusalem agreed to celebrate it in the second month, and the king sent word to all the people of Israel and Judah.H4428H3289H8269H6951H3389H6213H6453H8145H23203He took special care to send letters to the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, inviting them to come to the Temple in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover in honor of the LORD, the God of Israel.H3201H6213H6256H3548H6942H4078H1767H5971H622H33894The king and the people were pleased with their plan,H1697H3474H5869H4428H69515so they invited all the Israelites, from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, to come together in Jerusalem and celebrate the Passover according to the Law, in larger numbers than ever before.H5975H1697H5674H6963H3478H884H1835H935H6213H6453H3068H430H3478H3389H6213H7230H37896Messengers went out at the command of the king and his officials through all Judah and Israel with the following invitation: "People of Israel, you have survived the Assyrian conquest of the land. Now return to the LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and he will return to you.H7323H3212H107H3027H4428H8269H3478H3063H4687H4428H559H1121H3478H7725H3068H430H85H3327H3478H7725H7604H6413H3709H4428H8047Do not be like your ancestors and your Israelite relatives who were unfaithful to the LORD their God. As you can see, he punished them severely.H1H251H4603H3068H430H1H5414H8047H72008Do not be stubborn as they were, but obey the LORD. Come to the Temple in Jerusalem, which the LORD your God has made holy forever, and worship him so that he will no longer be angry with you.H7185H6203H1H5414H3027H3068H935H4720H6942H5769H5647H3068H430H2740H639H77259If you return to the LORD, then those who have taken your relatives away as prisoners will take pity on them and let them come back home. The LORD your God is kind and merciful, and if you return to him, he will accept you."H7725H3068H251H1121H7356H6440H7617H7725H776H3068H430H2587H7349H5493H6440H772510The messengers went to every city in the territory of the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far north as the tribe of Zebulun, but people laughed at them and made fun of them.H7323H5674H5892H5892H776H669H4519H2074H7832H393211Still, there were some from the tribes of Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun who were willing to come to Jerusalem.H582H836H4519H2074H3665H935H338912God was also at work in Judah and united the people in their determination to obey his will by following the commands of the king and his officials.H3063H3027H430H5414H259H3820H6213H4687H4428H8269H1697H306813A great number of people gathered in Jerusalem in the second month to celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread.H622H3389H7227H5971H6213H2282H4682H8145H2320H3966H7230H695114They took all the altars that had been used in Jerusalem for offering sacrifices and burning incense and threw them into Kidron Valley.H6965H5493H4196H3389H6999H5493H7993H5158H693915And on the fourteenth day of the month they killed the lambs for the Passover sacrifice. The priests and Levites who were not ritually clean became so ashamed that they dedicated themselves to the LORD, and now they could sacrifice burnt offerings in the Temple.H7819H6453H702H6240H8145H2320H3548H3881H3637H6942H935H5930H1004H306816They took their places in the Temple according to the instructions in the Law of Moses, the man of God. The Levites gave the blood of the sacrifices to the priests, who sprinkled it on the altar.H5975H5977H4941H8451H4872H376H430H3548H2236H1818H3027H388117Because many of the people were not ritually clean, they could not kill the Passover lambs, so the Levites did it for them and dedicated the lambs to the LORD.H7227H6951H6942H3881H7821H6453H2889H6942H306818In addition, many of those who had come from the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun had not performed the ritual of purification, and so they were observing Passover improperly. King Hezekiah offered this prayer for them:H4768H5971H7227H669H4519H3485H2074H3808H2891H398H6453H3789H3169H6419H559H2896H3068H372219"O LORD, the God of our ancestors, in your goodness forgive those who are worshiping you with all their heart, even though they are not ritually clean."H3559H3824H1875H430H3068H430H1H2893H694420The LORD answered Hezekiah's prayer; he forgave the people and did not harm them.H3068H8085H3169H7495H597121For seven days the people who had gathered in Jerusalem celebrated the Festival of Unleavened Bread with great joy, and day after day the Levites and the priests praised the LORD with all their strength.H1121H3478H4672H3389H6213H2282H4682H7651H3117H1419H8057H3881H3548H1984H3068H3117H3117H5797H3627H306822Hezekiah praised the Levites for their skill in conducting the worship of the LORD. After the seven days during which they offered sacrifices in praise of the LORD, the God of their ancestors,H3169H1696H3820H3881H7919H2896H7922H3068H398H4150H7651H3117H2076H8002H2077H3034H3068H430H123they all decided to celebrate for another seven days. So they celebrated with joy.H6951H3289H6213H312H7651H3117H6213H7651H3117H805724King Hezekiah contributed 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep for the people to kill and eat, and the officials gave them another 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep. A large number of priests went through the ritual of purification.H2396H4428H3063H7311H6951H505H6499H7651H505H6629H8269H7311H6951H505H6499H6235H505H6629H7230H3548H694225So everyone was happy - the people of Judah, the priests, the Levites, the people who had come from the north, and the foreigners who had settled permanently in Israel and Judah.H6951H3063H3548H3881H6951H935H3478H1616H935H776H3478H3427H3063H805526The city of Jerusalem was filled with joy, because nothing like this had happened since the days of King Solomon, the son of David.H1419H8057H3389H3117H8010H1121H1732H4428H3478H338927The priests and the Levites asked the LORD's blessing on the people. In his home in heaven God heard their prayers and accepted them.H3548H3881H6965H1288H5971H6963H8085H8605H935H6944H4583H8064
Unknown
