II Chronicles Chapter 30

II Chronicles Chapter 30
1 And Hezekiah sent to all Israel, and
Judah, and also wrote letters to Ephraim
and Manasseh, that they should come to
the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, to
keep the Passover unto the Lord God of
Israel.
2 And the king and his princes and all
the congregation had taken counsel in
Jerusalem to keep the Passover in the
second month.
3 For they could not keep it at this time,
because there were not priests enough
sanctified, neither was the people
gathered to Jerusalem. 4 And the thing
pleased the king, and all the
congregation.
5 And they decreed to make
proclamation throughout all Israel from
Beersheba even to Dan, that they should
come to keep the Passover unto the Lord
God of Israel at Jerusalem: for they had
not done it of a great time, as it was
written.
6 So the posts went with letters by the
commission of the king, and his princes,
throughout all Israel and Judah, and with
the commandment of the king, saying, Ye
children of Israel, turn again unto the
Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel,
and he will return to the remnant that are
escaped of you, out of the hands of the
kings of Asshur [Assyria].
7 And be not ye like your fathers, and
like your brethren, which trespassed
against the Lord God of their fathers:
and therefore he made them desolate, as
ye see.
8 Be not ye now stiff necked like your
fathers, but give the hand to the Lord and
come into his sanctuary, which he hath
sanctified forever, and serve the Lord
your God, and the fierceness of his
wrath shall turn away from you. 9 For if
ye return unto the Lord, your brethren
and your children shall find mercy
before them that led them captives, and
they shall return unto this land: for the
Lord your God is gracious and merciful,
and will not turn away his face from you,
if ye convert unto him.
10 So the posts went from city to city
through the land of Ephraim and
Manasseh, even unto Zebulun: but they
laughed them to scorn, and mocked them.
11 Nevertheless divers of Asher, and
Manasseh, and of Zebulun submitted
themselves, and came to Jerusalem.
12 And the hand of God was in Judah, so
that he gave them one heart to do the
commandment of the king, and of the
rulers, according to the word of the
Lord.
13 And there assembled to Jerusalem
much people, to keep the feast of the
unleavened bread in the second month, a
very great assembly.
14 And they arose, and took away the
altars that were in Jerusalem: and all
those for incense took they away, and
cast them into the brook Kidron. 15
Afterward they slew the Passover the
fourteenth day of the second month: and
the priests and Levites were ashamed,
and sanctified themselves, and brought
the burnt offerings into the house of the
Lord.
16 And they stood in their place after
their manner, according to the law of
Moses the man of God: and the priests
sprinkled the blood, received of the
hands of the Levites.
17 Because there were many in the
congregation that were not sanctified,
therefore the Levites had the charge of
the killing of the Passover for all that
were not clean, to sanctify it to the Lord.
18 For a multitude of the people, even a
multitude of Ephraim, and Manasseh,
Issachar and Zebulun had not cleansed
themselves, yet did eat the Passover, but
not as it was written: wherefore
Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, The
good Lord be merciful toward him,
19 That prepareth his whole heart to
seek the Lord God, the God of his
fathers, though he be not cleansed,
according to the purification of the
sanctuary.
20 And the Lord heard Hezekiah, and
healed the people.
21 And the children of Israel that were
present at Jerusalem, kept the feast of the
unleavened bread seven days with great
joy, and the Levites, and the priests
praised the Lord, day by day, singing
with loud instruments unto the Lord.
22 And Hezekiah spake comfortably
unto all the Levites that had good
knowledge to sing unto the Lord: and
they did eat in that feast seven days, and
offered peace offerings, and praised the
Lord God of their fathers. 23 And the
whole assembly took counsel to keep it
other seven days. So they kept it seven
days with joy.
24 For Hezekiah king of Judah had given
to the congregation a thousand bullocks,
and seven thousand sheep. And the
princes had given to the congregation a
thousand bullocks, and ten thousand
sheep: and many priests were sanctified.
25 And all the congregation of Judah
rejoiced with the priests and the Levites,
and all the congregation that came out of
Israel, and the strangers that came out of
the land of Israel, and that dwelt in
Judah.
26 So there was great joy in Jerusalem:
for since the time of Solomon the son of
David king of Israel there was not the
like thing in Jerusalem. 27 Then the
priests and the Levites arose, and
blessed the people, and their voice was
heard, and their prayer came up unto
heaven, to his holy habitation.