 1 Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, to keep the Passover to the Lord God of Israel. 2 The king and his leaders, and all the congregation in Jerusalem, took counsel to keep the Passover in the second month. 3 For they could not keep it at that time, because the priests had not made themselves pure enough, nor had the people gathered to Jerusalem. 4 The thing pleased the king and all the congregation. 5 They established a decree to send a notice throughout all Israel, from Beersheba even to Dan, that they should come to keep the Passover to the Lord God of Israel at Jerusalem. For not many of them had done as it was written. 6 The runners went with the letters from the king and his rulers to Israel and Judah, and according to the command of the king saying, O children of Israel, turn again to the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and He will return to the remnant of you who have escaped out of the hands of the king of Assyria. 7 Do not be like your fathers and like your brothers who sinned against the Lord God of their fathers, and He made them for a horror, as you see. 8 Do not be stiffnecked like your fathers. Yield to the Lord and enter into His temple that He has sanctified forever. And serve the Lord your God, so that the fierceness of His wrath may turn away from you. 9 For if you turn again to the Lord, your brothers and your children will have compassion before those who lead them captive, so that they come again to this land. For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful and will not turn His face away from you if you return to Him. 10 The runners passed from city to city in the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, even to Zebulun. But they laughed them to scorn, and mocked them. 11 However, men from Asher and Manasseh and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. 12 Also in Judah the hand of God was to give them one heart to do the command of the king and of the rulers, by the Word of the Lord. 13 Many people gathered at Jerusalem to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the second month, a very great congregation. 14 They arose and took away the altars in Jerusalem, and all the altars for incense they took away, and threw them into the river Kidron. 15 They killed the Passover on the fourteenth of the second month. And the priests and the Levites were ashamed and made themselves pure, and brought in the burnt offerings into the house of the Lord. 16 They stood in their place in their manner, according to the law of Moses the man of God. The priests sprinkled the blood from the hand of the Levites. 17 For many in the congregation were not sanctified. And the Levites were over the killing of the Passovers for every one who was not clean, to sanctify them to the Lord. 18 For many of the people, many from Ephraim and Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun, had not been cleansed, but ate the Passover otherwise than it was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them saying, May the good Lord pardon everyone 19 who prepares his heart to seek God, the Lord God of his fathers, though not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary. 20 The Lord listened to Hezekiah and healed the people. 21 The children of Israel at Jerusalem kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with great gladness and the Levites and the priests praised the Lord day by day with loud instruments to the Lord. 22 Hezekiah spoke comfortably to all the Levites who taught the good knowledge of the Lord and they ate the appointed things for seven days, offering peace offerings and making confession to the Lord God of their fathers. 23 The whole gathering agreed to keep another seven days and they kept another seven days with gladness. 24 For King Hezekiah of Judah gave the congregation a thousand bulls and 7,000 sheep and the rulers gave to the congregation a thousand bulls and 10,000 sheep and a great number of priests sanctified themselves. 25 All the congregation of Judah, with the priests and the Levites and all the congregation that came out of Israel and the strangers who came out of the land of Israel and who lived in Judah, rejoiced. 26 There was great joy in Jerusalem. For since the days of Solomon the son of King David of Israel there was nothing like this in Jerusalem. 27 The priests, the Levites, arose and blessed the people and their voice was heard and their prayer came to His holy dwelling place, to Heaven.
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