2 Chronicles 30:1-27
30 And Hez·e·kiʹah proceeded to send to all Israel+ and Judah, and even letters he wrote to Eʹphra·im+ and Ma·nasʹseh,+ to come to the house of Jehovah+ in Jerusalem to hold the passover+ to Jehovah the God of Israel.
2 However, the king and his princes+ and all the congregation+ in Jerusalem resolved to hold the passover in the second month;+
3 for they had not been able to hold it at that time,+ because not enough priests,+ on the one hand, had sanctified themselves and the people, on the other hand, had not gathered themselves to Jerusalem.
4 And the thing was right in the eyes of the king and in the eyes of all the congregation.+
5 So they decided to have the call*+ pass through all Israel, from Beʹer-sheʹba+ to Dan,+ to come and hold the passover to Jehovah the God of Israel at Jerusalem; for it was not as a multitude that they had done so+ according to what is written.+
6 Accordingly the runners+ with the letters from the hand of the king and of his princes+ went throughout all Israel and Judah, even according to the commandment of the king, saying: “YOU sons of Israel, return+ to Jehovah the God+ of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, that he may return to the escaped+ ones that are left of YOU out of the palm of the kings of As·syrʹi·a.+
7 And do not become like YOUR forefathers+ and like YOUR brothers that acted unfaithfully toward Jehovah the God of their forefathers, so that he constituted them an object of astonishment,+ just as YOU are seeing.
8 Now do not stiffen YOUR neck+ as YOUR forefathers did. Give place* to Jehovah+ and come to his sanctuary+ that he has sanctified+ to time indefinite and serve+ Jehovah YOUR God, that his burning anger+ may turn back from YOU.
9 For when YOU return+ to Jehovah, YOUR brothers and YOUR sons will be objects of mercy+ before those holding them captive, and be allowed to return to this land;+ for Jehovah YOUR God is gracious+ and merciful,+ and he will not turn away the face from YOU if YOU return to him.”+
10 So the runners+ continued on, passing along from city to city throughout the land of Eʹphra·im+ and Ma·nasʹseh, even to Zebʹu·lun; but they were continually speaking in mockery of them and deriding them.+
11 Only individuals+ from Ashʹer and Ma·nasʹseh and from Zebʹu·lun humbled+ themselves so that they came to Jerusalem.
12 The hand of the [true] God proved to be also in Judah to give them one heart+ to perform the commandment+ of the king and the princes in the matter of Jehovah.+
13 And they proceeded to gather themselves together at Jerusalem,+ a numerous people, to hold the festival+ of the unfermented cakes in the second+ month, a congregation very multitudinous.
14 Then they rose up and removed the altars+ that were in Jerusalem, and all the incense altars+ they removed and then threw [them] into the torrent valley of Kidʹron.+
15 After that they slaughtered the passover+ victim on the fourteenth [day] of the second month; and the priests and the Levites themselves had been humiliated, so that they sanctified+ themselves and brought burnt offerings to the house of Jehovah.
16 And they kept standing+ at their place according to their rule, according to the law of Moses the man of the [true] God,* the priests+ sprinkling the blood received from the hand of the Levites.
17 For there were many in the congregation that had not sanctified themselves; and the Levites+ were in charge of slaughtering the passover victims+ for all that were not clean, to sanctify them to Jehovah.
18 For there was a great number of the people, many from Eʹphra·im+ and Ma·nasʹseh,+ Isʹsa·char and Zebʹu·lun,+ that had not cleansed+ themselves, for they did not eat the passover according to what is written;+ but Hez·e·kiʹah prayed for them,+ saying: “May the good+ Jehovah himself make allowance for
19 every one that has prepared his heart+ to search for the [true] God, Jehovah, the God of his forefathers, though without the purification for what is holy.”+
20 Accordingly Jehovah listened to Hez·e·kiʹah and healed the people.+
21 So the sons of Israel that were found in Jerusalem held the festival+ of the unfermented cakes seven days with great rejoicing;+ and the Levites+ and the priests+ were offering praise to Jehovah day by day with loud instruments, even to Jehovah.+
22 Moreover, Hez·e·kiʹah spoke to the heart+ of all the Levites who were acting with fine discretion toward Jehovah.+ And they proceeded to eat the appointed feast for seven days,+ sacrificing communion sacrifices+ and making confession+ to Jehovah the God of their forefathers.
23 Then all the congregation decided+ to hold it for seven more days,+ and so they held it for seven days with rejoicing.
24 For Hez·e·kiʹah the king of Judah himself contributed+ for the congregation a thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep, and the princes+ themselves contributed for the congregation a thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep; and priests+ kept sanctifying themselves in great number.
25 And all the congregation of Judah+ and the priests and the Levites+ and all the congregation that came from Israel+ and the alien residents*+ that came from the land of Israel+ and those dwelling in Judah continued rejoicing.+
26 And there came to be great rejoicing in Jerusalem, for from the days of Solʹo·mon+ the son of David the king of Israel there was none like this in Jerusalem.+
27 Finally the priests, the Levites, stood up and blessed+ the people; and a hearing was granted to their voice, so that their prayer came to his holy dwelling, the heavens.+
Footnotes
^ Lit., “hand.”
^ “The man of the [true] God.” Heb., ʼish-ha·ʼElo·himʹ.
^ Or, “and the temporary residents.” Heb., wehag·ge·rimʹ; LXXVg, “proselytes.”
