Study Desk

And Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and he also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, to come to the house of Jehovah in Jerusalem, to make a Passover to Jehovah the God of Israel.

And the king and his leaders, and all the congregation in Jerusalem, took counsel to keep the Passover in the second month;

since they could not do it at that time, for the priests had not cleansed themselves enough. And the people had not been gathered to Jerusalem.

And the thing was right in the eyes of the king, and in the eyes of the congregation.

And they established a decree to pass through a call to all Israel, from Beer-sheba even to Dan, to come to make a Passover to Jehovah the God of Israel in Jerusalem. For not many of them had done as it is written.

And the runners went with letters from the king's hand, and his leaders, to all Israel and Judah; even by the king's command, saying, O sons of Israel return to Jehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac,and Israel. And He shall return to the remnantleft of you from the hand of the king of Assyria.

And do not be like your fathers, and like your brothers, who acted unfaithfully against Jehovah the God of their fathers; and He made them for a horror, as you see.

Now do not stiffen your necks like your fathers. Give a hand to Jehovah and come to His holy place that He has sanctified forever; and serve Jehovah your God. And the fierceness of His anger will turn away from you.

For when you return to Jehovah, your brothers and your sons will have mercies before their captors, even to return to this land. For Jehovah your God is gracious and merciful, and He will notturn His face away from you, if youturn back to Him.

And the runners passed from city to city in the land of Ephraim, and Manasseh, even to Zebulun. And they were laughing at them, and mocking them.

However, men from Asher, and Manasseh, and from Zebulun were humbled, and came to Jerusalem.

Also, in Judah the hand of God was to give to them one heart to do the king's command, and of the leaders, by the Word of Jehovah.

And many people gathered to Jerusalem, to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the second month, a very great multitude.

And they rose up and took away the altars in Jerusalem, and all the incense altars they removed, and threw them into the torrent Kidron.

And they killed the passover offering on the fourteenth of the second month. And the priests and the Levites were ashamed, and sanctified themselves, and brought in burnt offerings to the house of Jehovah.

And they stood in their place according to their ordinance, according to the Law of Moses the man of God. The priests were sprinkling the blood out of the hand of the Levites.

For many in the assembly had not sanctified themselves, and the Levites were over the slaughtering of the passover offerings for everyone not clean, to sanctify them to Jehovah.

For many of the people, many from Ephraim, and Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun had not been cleansed, but ate the passover not as was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, O good Jehovah, atone for

everyone who has prepared his heart to seek Jehovah God, the God of his fathers, yet not according to the cleansing of the sanctuary.

And Jehovah listened to Hezekiah, and healed the people.

And the sons of Israel, those found in Jerusalem, kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with great joy. And the Levites praised Jehovah day to day, and the priests, with instruments of praise before Jehovah.

And Hezekiah spoke to the heart of all the Levites, those possessing good understanding as to Jehovah. And they ate the appointed feast seven days, offering sacrifices of peace offerings, and making confession to Jehovah, the God of their fathers.

And all the congregation took counsel to keep another seven days. And they kept seven days joyfully.

And Hezekiah the king of Judah had lifted up to the congregation a thousand young bulls, and seven thousand sheep. And the leaders had lifted up to the congregation a thousand young bulls, and ten thousand sheep. And the priests had sanctified themselves in abundance.

And all the congregation of Judah rejoiced, and the priests and the Levites, and all the congregation that came from the land of Israel, and the aliens who came from the land of Israel, and those who lived in Judah.

And there was great joy in Jerusalem, for from the days of Solomon the son of David the king of Israel, there was nothing like this in Jerusalem.

And the priests, the Levites, rose up and blessed the people, and their voice was heard, and their prayer came to His holy dwelling place, to Heaven.

And when all this was finished, all Israel who were found went out to the cities of Judah and smashed the standing pillars, and cut down the Asherahs, and broke down the high places and the altars out of all Judah, and Benjamin, and in Ephraim,and Manasseh, even to the end. And all the sons of Israel returned, each to his possession, to their cities.