2 Chronicles 30

1 And Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and he wrote letters 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. [a] 2 For the king and the rulers and the whole assembly in Jerusalem had taken counsel to keep the Passover in the second month; [b] 3 for they had not been able to keep it at that time, because the priests had not made themselves pure in sufficient numbers, and the people had not gathered to Jerusalem.

4 And the matter pleased the king, and it pleased the assembly. 5 And they settled the matter, that a proclamation should go through all Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, that they should come and keep the Passover to the Lord God of Israel at Jerusalem; for the multitude had not kept it as the writing directs. [c]

6 And the couriers went with the letters from the king and the rulers into all Israel and Judah, according to the decree of the king, saying, “Children of Israel, turn back to the God of Abraham and Isaac and Israel, and he will bring back those who have escaped, those who were left out of the hand of the king of Assyria. [d] 7 And do not be like your fathers and your brothers, who turned away from the Lord God of their fathers; and he gave them over to desolation, as you see. 8 And now, do not harden your necks. Give glory to the Lord God, and come into his sanctuary, which he has made holy forever; and serve the Lord your God, and he will turn his burning anger away from you. [f] 9 For when you turn back to the Lord, your brothers and your children will be shown compassion before all who have taken them captive, and he will turn back to this land; for the Lord our God is merciful and full of compassion, and he will not turn his face away from us, if we turn back to him.” [g]

10 And the couriers went on, passing from city to city in the hill country of Ephraim and Manasseh and as far as Zebulun; and they were laughed to scorn and mocked. [h] 11 But men of Asher, and some of Manasseh and of Zebulun, were ashamed, and they came to Jerusalem. [i] 12 And in Judah the hand of the Lord came, to give them one heart to come and to do according to the decree of the king and of the rulers by the word of the Lord.

13 And a great people gathered to Jerusalem to keep the Feast of Bread Without Yeast in the second month — a very great assembly. [j] 14 And they rose up and took down the altars that were in Jerusalem; and everything on which they had burned incense to the false gods they pulled down and threw into the brook Kidron. [k] 15 Then they slaughtered the Passover on the fourteenth of the second month; and the priests and the Levites were ashamed, and they made themselves pure and brought whole burnt offerings into the house of the Lord. [l] 16 And they stood at their post, according to their rule, according to the command of Moses the man of God; and the priests received the blood from the hand of the Levites.

17 For much of the assembly had not made itself pure, and the Levites were there to slaughter the Passover for everyone who was not able to make himself pure to the Lord. 18 For the greatest part of the people — from Ephraim and Manasseh and Issachar and Zebulun — had not made themselves pure, but ate the Passover against what is written. And Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “The good Lord make atonement for [m] 19 every heart that sets itself to seek out the Lord God of their fathers, even where it is not according to the purity of the holy things.” [n] 20 And the Lord listened to Hezekiah and healed the people.

21 And the children of Israel who were found in Jerusalem kept the Feast of Bread Without Yeast seven days with great gladness; and day after day they sang hymns to the Lord, and the priests and the Levites with instruments to the Lord. 22 And Hezekiah spoke to the heart of all the Levites and of those who had good understanding of the Lord; and they completed the Feast of Bread Without Yeast seven days, making the sacrifices of well-being and giving thanks to the Lord God of their fathers. [o] 23 And the assembly took counsel together to keep another seven days; and they kept seven days with gladness. 24 For Hezekiah presented to Judah, to the assembly, a thousand calves and seven thousand sheep; and the rulers presented to the people a thousand calves and ten thousand sheep; and the holy things of the priests were in abundance. [p]

25 And the whole assembly was glad — the priests and the Levites, and the whole assembly of Judah, and those who were found from Israel, and the newcomers who had come from the land of Israel, and those living in Judah. 26 And there was great gladness in Jerusalem; from the days of Solomon son of David king of Israel there had been no such feast in Jerusalem. 27 And the priests, the Levites, rose up and blessed the people; and their voice was heard, and their prayer came into his holy dwelling place, into heaven.