The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Chronicles 30
1 Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to Ephraim
and Manasseh, that they should come to
Yahweh’s house at Jerusalem, to keep the
Passover to Yahweh, the God of Israel.
2 For the king had taken counsel with his
princes and all the assembly in Jerusalem
to keep the Passover in the second month.
3 For they could not keep it at that
time, because the priests had not sanctified themselves in sufficient number, and
the people had not gathered themselves
together to Jerusalem.
4 The thing was right in the eyes of the
king and of all the assembly.
5 So they established a decree to make
proclamation throughout all Israel, from
Beersheba even to Dan, that they should
come to keep the Passover to Yahweh, the
God of Israel, at Jerusalem, for they had
not kept it in great numbers in the way it
is written.
6 So the couriers went with the letters
from the king and his princes throughout all Israel and Judah, according to the
commandment of the king, saying, “You
children of Israel, turn again to Yahweh,
the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that
he may return to the remnant of you that
have escaped out of the hand of the kings
of Assyria.
7 Don’t be like your fathers and like your
brothers, who trespassed against Yahweh,
the God of their fathers, so that he gave
them up to desolation, as you see.
8 Now don’t be stiff-necked, as your fathers were, but yield your
selves to Yahweh, and enter into his sanctuary, which
he has sanctified forever, and serve Yahweh your God, that his fierce anger may
turn away from you.
9 For if you turn again to Yahweh, your
brothers and your children will find compassion with those who led them captive,
and will come again into this land, because
Yahweh your God is gracious and merciful,
and will not turn away his face from you if
you return to him.”
10 So the couriers passed from city to
city through the country of Ephraim and
Manasseh, even to Zebulun, but people
ridiculed them and mocked them.
11 Nevertheless some men of Asher,
Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem.
12 Also the hand of God came on Judah to
give them one heart, to do the commandment of the king and of the princes by
Yahweh’s word. 13 Many people assembled at Jerusalem
to keep the feast of unleavened bread in
the second month, a very great assembly.
14 They arose and took away the altars
that were in Jerusalem, and they took
away all the altars for incense and threw
them into the brook Kidron.
15 Then they killed the Passover on the
fourteenth day of the second month. The
priests and the Levites were ashamed, and
sanctified themselves, and brought burnt
offerings into Yahweh’s house.
16 They stood in their place after their
order, according to the law of Moses the
man of God. The priests sprinkled the
blood which they received of the hand of
the Levites.
17 For there were many in the assembly
who had not sanctified themselves; therefore the Levites were in charge of killing
the Passovers for everyone who was not
clean, to sanctify them to Yahweh.
18 For a multitude of the people, even many of Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar,
and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover other than
the way it is written. For Hezekiah had prayed for them, saying, “May the good
Yahweh pardon everyone
19 who sets his heart to seek God, Yahweh, the God of his fathers, even if they
aren’t clean according to the purification of the sanctuary.”
20 Yahweh listened to Hezekiah, and
healed the people.
21 The children of Israel who were
present at Jerusalem kept the feast of
unleavened bread seven days with great
gladness. The Levites and the priests
praised Yahweh day by day, singing with
loud instruments to Yahweh.
22 Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all
the Levites who had good understanding
in the service of Yahweh. So they ate
throughout the feast for the seven days,
offering sacrifices of peace offerings and
making confession to Yahweh, the God of
their fathers.
23 The whole assembly took counsel to
keep another seven days, and they kept
another seven days with gladness.
24 For Hezekiah king of Judah gave to
the assembly for offerings one thousand
bulls and seven thousand sheep; and the
princes gave to the assembly a thousand
bulls and ten thousand sheep; and a great
number of priests sanctified themselves.
25 All the assembly of Judah, with the
priests and the Levites, and all the assembly who came out ofIsrael,
andthe foreigners who came out of the land of Israel and
who lived in Judah, rejoiced.
26 So there was great joy in Jerusalem;
for since the time of Solomon the son of
David king of Israel there was nothing like
this in Jerusalem.
27 Then the Levitical priests arose and
blessed the people. Their voice was heard,
and their prayer came up to his holy habitation, even to heaven.