2Ch 30 | HCSB | STEP | Then Hezekiah sent word throughout all Israel and Judah , and he also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh to come to the Lord ’s temple in Jerusalem to observe the Passover of Yahweh , the God of Israel .

2 Chronicles 30

Celebration of the Passover

1 Then Hezekiah sent word throughout all Israel and Judah, and he also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh to come to the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem to observe the ^{▼▼Passover: The Israelite festival celebrated on the fourteenth day of the first month in the early spring. It was a celebration of the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt, commemorating the final plague on Egypt when the firstborn were killed.}Passover of ^{▼▼Yahweh/Yah: Or The Lord; the personal name of God in Hebrew; "Yah" is the shortened form of the name.}Yahweh, the God of Israel. ^c 2 For the king and his officials and the entire congregation in Jerusalem decided to observe the Passover of the Lord in the second month, ^d 3 because they were not able to observe it at the appropriate time. Not enough of the priests had consecrated themselves ^e and the people hadn’t been gathered together in Jerusalem. 4 The proposal pleased the king and the congregation, 5 so they affirmed the proposal and spread the message throughout all Israel, from Beer-sheba to Dan, ^f to come to observe the Passover of Yahweh, the God of Israel in Jerusalem, for they hadn’t observed it often, ^{▼▼Or in great numbers} as prescribed. ^{▼▼Lit often, according to what is written}

6 So the couriers ⁱ went throughout Israel and Judah with letters from the hand of the king and his officials, and according to the king’s command, saying, “Israelites, return to Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel so that He may return to those of you who remain, who have escaped from the grasp of the kings of Assyria. ^j 7 Don’t be like your fathers and your brothers who were unfaithful to Yahweh, the God of their ancestors ^k so that He made them an object of horror ^l as you yourselves see. 8 Don’t become obstinate ^{▼▼Lit Don’t stiffen your neck
,} ⁿ now like your fathers did. Give your allegiance ^{▼▼Lit hand} to Yahweh, and come to His sanctuary that He has consecrated forever. Serve the Lord your God so that He may turn His burning anger away from you, ^p 9 for when you return to Yahweh, your brothers and your sons will receive mercy in the presence of their captors and will return to this land. ^q For Yahweh your God is gracious and merciful; ^r He will not turn His face away from you if you return to Him.”

10 The couriers traveled from city to city in the land of Ephraim and Manasseh as far as Zebulun, but the inhabitants ^{▼▼Lit but they} laughed at them and mocked them. ^t 11 But some from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. ^u 12 Also, the power of God was at work in Judah to unite them ^{▼▼Lit to give them one heart} to carry out the command of the king and his officials by the word of the Lord.

13 A very large assembly of people was gathered in Jerusalem to observe the Festival of Unleavened Bread in the second month. 14 They proceeded to take away the altars that were in Jerusalem, ^w and they took away the incense altars and threw them into the Kidron Valley. ^x 15 They slaughtered the Passover lamb ^y on the fourteenth day of the second month. The priests and Levites were ashamed, and they consecrated themselves and brought ^{▼▼burnt offering(s): Or holocaust, an offering completely burned to ashes; it was used in connection with worship, seeking God's favor, expiating sin, or averting judgment.}burnt offerings to the Lord’s temple. 16 They stood at their prescribed posts, ^aa according to the law of Moses, the man of God. The priests sprinkled the blood received from the hand of the Levites, 17 for there were many in the assembly who had not consecrated themselves, and so the Levites were in charge of slaughtering the Passover lambs for every ^{▼▼unclean: When something is clean, it is holy or acceptable to God. When it is unclean, it is unholy (such as an unclean spirit). The term can be used in a ritual sense to apply to moral standards for living.}unclean person to consecrate the lambs to the Lord. ^ac 18 A large number of the people – many from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun – were ritually unclean, yet they had eaten the Passover ^ad contrary to what was written. ^ae But Hezekiah had interceded for them, saying, “May the good Lord provide ^{▼▼atone/ atonement: A theological term for God's provision to deal with human sin. In the OT, it primarily means purification. In some contexts forgiveness, pardon, expiation, propitiation, or reconciliation is included. The basis of atonement is substitutionary sacrifice offered in faith. The OT sacrifices were types and shadows of the great and final sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.}atonement on behalf of 19 whoever sets his whole heart on seeking God, ^ag Yahweh, the God of his ancestors, even though not according to the purification rules of the sanctuary.” 20 So the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people. ^ah 21 The Israelites who were present in Jerusalem observed the Festival of Unleavened Bread seven days with great joy, ^ai and the Levites and the priests praised the Lord day after day with loud instruments. 22 Then Hezekiah encouraged ^{▼▼Lit spoke to the heart of
,} ^ak all the Levites who performed skillfully before the Lord. They ate at the appointed festival for seven days, sacrificing ^{▼▼fellowship sacrifice(s) or offering(s): An animal offering was given to maintain and strengthen a person's relationship with God. It was not required as a remedy for impurity or sin but was an expression of thanksgiving for various blessings. An important function of this sacrifice was to provide meat for the priests and the participants in the sacrifice; it was also called the peace offering or the sacrifice of well-being.}fellowship offerings and giving thanks to Yahweh, the God of their ancestors. ^am

23 The whole congregation decided to observe ^an seven more days, so they observed seven days with joy, 24 for Hezekiah king of Judah contributed 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep for the congregation. Also, the officials contributed 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep for the congregation, ^ao and many priests consecrated themselves. ^ap 25 Then the whole assembly of Judah with the priests and Levites, the whole assembly that came from Israel, the foreigners who came from the land of Israel, and those who were living in Judah, rejoiced. 26 There was great rejoicing in Jerusalem, for nothing like this was known since the days of Solomon son of David, the king of Israel. ^aq

27 Then the priests and the Levites ^ar stood to bless the people, ^as and God heard their voice, and their prayer came into His holy dwelling place ^at in heaven.