Study Desk

Then Hezekiah told them to give the burnt gift on the altar. When the burnt gift began, the song to the Lord also began, with the horns and the objects for music made by David, king of Israel.

Then Hezekiah said, "Now that you have made yourselves holy to the Lord, come near and bring gifts for the altar and gifts of thanks to the house of the Lord." And the people brought gifts for the altar and gifts of thanks. All those who were willing brought burnt gifts.

The number of the burnt gifts which the people brought was 70 bulls, 100 rams, and 200 lambs. All these were for a burnt gift to the Lord.

But there were not enough religious leaders to skin all the burnt gifts. So their brothers the Levites helped them until the work was finished, and until all the religious leaders had made themselves holy. For the Levites put more care into making themselves holy than the religious leaders.

There were also many burnt gifts with the fat of the peace gifts. And there were the drink gifts for the burnt gifts. So the worship was returned to the house of the Lord.

Then Hezekiah and all the people were filled with joy because of what God had done for the people, for it was done all at once.

For the king and his rulers and all the people in Jerusalem had decided to keep the Passover in the second month.

For they could not keep it at the set time, because there had not been enough religious leaders who had made themselves holy. And the people had not been gathered to Jerusalem.

And they made it known in all Israel, from Beer-sheba to Dan, that they should come to keep the Passover to the Lord God of Israel at Jerusalem. For great numbers of people had not kept it, as they were told to do.

For if you return to the Lord, your brothers and your sons will be shown pity by those who took them away, and will return to this land. For the Lord your God is kind and loving. He will not turn His face away from you if you return to Him."

For there were many of the people who had not made themselves holy. So the Levites had to kill the Passover lambs for every one who was unclean, to make them holy to the Lord.

For many of the people, many of them from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun, had not made themselves clean. Yet they ate the Passover in a different way than had been written. For Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, "May the good Lord forgive everyone

who makes his heart ready to look for God, the Lord God of his fathers, even if he does not follow the rules of the holy place for making himself clean."

The people of Israel who were there in Jerusalem kept the Special Supper of Bread Without Yeast for seven days with great joy. The Levites and the religious leaders praised the Lord day after day, singing with loud music to the Lord.

Then Hezekiah spoke comforting words to all the Levites who had good understanding in the Lord's work. So the people ate the food of the Special Supper for seven days, giving peace gifts and thanks to the Lord God of their fathers.

Then all the people decided to keep the Special Supper for another seven days. So they kept it for another seven days with joy.

For King Hezekiah of Judah had given the people 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep. And the rulers had given the people 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep. And a large number of religious leaders made themselves holy.

Now when all this was finished, all the people of Israel who were there went out to the cities of Judah. They broke in pieces the pillars set up for the false gods. They cut down the objects of the false goddess Asherah. And they pulled down the high places and the altars through all Judah and Benjamin, and in Ephraim and Manasseh. They destroyed all of them. Then all the people of Israel returned to their cities, every man to his land.

Hezekiah divided the religious leaders and the Levites into groups, each by the work he was to do. He chose the religious leaders and Levites for giving the burnt gifts and peace gifts, for serving and giving thanks, and for praising in the gates of the camp of the Lord.

He decided what the king should give of his own animals for the burnt gifts, for the morning and evening, for the Days of Rest and the New Moons and the Special Suppers, as it is written in the Law of the Lord.