Study Desk

Now Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem to ^[a]celebrate the Passover to the Lord God of Israel.

For the king and his princes and all the assembly in Jerusalem had decided ^(a)to celebrate the Passover in the second month,

since they could not celebrate it ^(b)at that time, because the priests had not consecrated themselves in sufficient numbers, nor had the people been gathered to Jerusalem.

Thus the thing was right in the sight of the king and ^[b]all the assembly.

So they established a decree to circulate a ^[c]proclamation throughout all Israel ^(c)from Beersheba even to Dan, that they should come to celebrate the Passover to the Lord God of Israel at Jerusalem. For they had not celebrated it in great numbers as it was ^[d]prescribed.

^(d)The ^[e]couriers went throughout all Israel and Judah with the letters from the hand of the king and his princes, even according to the command of the king, saying, "O sons of Israel, return to the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, that He may return to those of you who escaped and are left from ^(e)the ^[f]hand of the kings of Assyria.

^(f)Do not be like your fathers and your brothers, who were unfaithful to the Lord God of their fathers, so that ^(g)He made them a horror, as you see.

Now do not ^(h)stiffen your neck like your fathers, but ^[g]yield to the Lord and enter His sanctuary which He has consecrated forever, and serve the Lord your God, ⁽ⁱ⁾that His burning anger may turn away from you.

For ^(j)if you return to the Lord , your brothers and your sons will find compassion before those who led them captive and will return to this land. ^(k)For the Lord your God is gracious and compassionate, and will not turn His face away from you if you return to Him."

So the ^[h]couriers passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far as Zebulun, but ^(l)they laughed them to scorn and mocked them.

Nevertheless ^(m)some men of Asher, Manasseh and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem.

The ⁽ⁿ⁾hand of God was also on Judah to give them one heart to do what the king and the princes commanded by the word of the Lord .

Now many people were gathered at Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread ^(o)in the second month, a very large assembly.