1Then Hezekiah sent word to all Israel and Judah, and he also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of Yahweh in Jerusalem to keep the Passover for Yahweh, the God of Israel.
2For the king and his officials and the whole assembly in Jerusalem had taken counsel to keep the Passover in the second month.
3For they were not able to keep it at that time, because the priests had not consecrated themselves in sufficient number, and the people had not gathered to Jerusalem.
4And the matter was right in the eyes of the king and in the eyes of the whole assembly.
5So they established a decree to send a proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, that they should come to keep the Passover for Yahweh, the God of Israel, in Jerusalem; for they had not kept it in great numbers as it is written.
6So the runners went with the letters from the hand of the king and his officials throughout all Israel and Judah, and according to the command of the king, saying: “Sons of Israel, return to Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that he may return to the remnant of you that has survived from the hand of the kings of Assyria.
7And do not be like your fathers and like your brothers, who were unfaithful to Yahweh, the God of their fathers, so that he gave them over to devastation, as you yourselves see.
8Now do not stiffen your neck like your fathers; give a hand to Yahweh and come to his sanctuary, which he has sanctified forever, and serve Yahweh your God, that the burning of his anger may turn from you.
9For when you return to Yahweh, your brothers and your sons will find compassion before those who took them captive, and will return to this land; for Yahweh your God is gracious and compassionate, and he will not turn his face away from you if you return to him.”
10So the runners passed from city to city through the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, as far as Zebulun; but they were laughing at them and mocking them.
11Only some men from Asher and Manasseh and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem.
12In Judah too the hand of God was at work to give them one heart to carry out the command of the king and the officials, according to the word of Yahweh.
13And a great many people gathered at Jerusalem to keep the Festival of Unleavened Bread in the second month, a very great assembly.
14They arose and removed the altars that were in Jerusalem, and all the incense altars they removed and threw into the Wadi Kidron.
15They slaughtered the Passover lamb on the fourteenth of the second month; and the priests and the Levites were ashamed, so they consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings to the house of Yahweh.
16They stood at their post according to their ordinance, according to the law of Moses, the man of God; the priests dashed the blood, receiving it from the hand of the Levites.
17For there were many in the assembly who had not consecrated themselves, so the Levites were in charge of the slaughtering of the Passover lambs for everyone who was not clean, to consecrate them to Yahweh.
18For a majority of the people—many from Ephraim and Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun—had not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover otherwise than as it is written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May Yahweh who is good make atonement on behalf of
19everyone who has set his heart to seek God, Yahweh, the God of his fathers, even though not according to the purity of the sanctuary.”
20And Yahweh listened to Hezekiah and healed the people.
21So the sons of Israel who were present in Jerusalem kept the Festival of Unleavened Bread seven days with great joy, and the Levites and the priests praised Yahweh day by day with instruments of strength for Yahweh.
22And Hezekiah spoke to the heart of all the Levites who showed good insight for Yahweh; and they ate the festival food for the seven days, sacrificing peace offerings and giving thanks to Yahweh, the God of their fathers.
23Then the whole assembly took counsel to keep another seven days, and they kept seven days with joy.
24For Hezekiah king of Judah contributed to the assembly a thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep, and the officials contributed to the assembly a thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep; and priests consecrated themselves in great numbers.
25And the whole assembly of Judah rejoiced, together with the priests and the Levites and the whole assembly that came from Israel, and the sojourners who came from the land of Israel and those dwelling in Judah.
26So there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the days of Solomon son of David, king of Israel, there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem.
27Then the priests, the Levites, arose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard, and their prayer came to his holy dwelling, to heaven.
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