Read the Bible

¹ Hizkiyahu sent to all Yisra'el and Yehudah, and wrote letters also to Efrayim and Menashsheh, that they should come to the house of the LORD at Yerushalayim, to keep the Pesach to the LORD, the God of Yisra'el. ² For the king had taken counsel, and his princes, and all the assembly in Yerushalayim, to keep the Pesach in the second month. ³ For they could not keep it at that time, because the Kohanim had not sanctified themselves in sufficient number, neither had the people gathered themselves together to Yerushalayim. 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 Yisra'el, from Be'er-Sheva even to Dan, that they should come to keep the Pesach to the LORD, the God of Yisra'el, at Yerushalayim: for they had not kept it in great numbers in such sort as it is written. ⁶ So the posts went with the letters from the king and his princes throughout all Yisra'el and Yehudah, and according to the mitzvah of the king, saying, You children of Yisra'el, turn again to the LORD, the God of Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yisra'el, that he may return to the remnant that have escaped of you out of the hand of the kings of Ashshur. ⁷ Don't be you like your fathers, and like your brothers, who trespassed against the LORD, the God of their fathers, so that he gave them up to desolation, as you see. ⁸ Now don't you be stiff-necked, as your fathers were; but yield yourselves to the LORD, and enter into his sanctuary, which he has sanctified forever, and serve the LORD your God, that his fierce anger may turn away from you. ⁹ For if you turn again to the LORD, your brothers and your children shall find compassion before those who led them captive, and shall come again into this land: for the LORD your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you, if you return to him. ¹⁰ So the posts passed from city to city through the country of Efrayim and Menashsheh, even to Zevulun: but they laughed them to scorn, and mocked them. ¹¹ Nevertheless certain men of Asher and Menashsheh and of Zevulun humbled themselves, and came to Yerushalayim. ¹² Also on Yehudah came the hand of God to give them one heart, to do the mitzvah of the king and of the princes by the word of the LORD.

¹³ There assembled at Yerushalayim much people to keep the feast of matzah in the second month, a very great assembly. ¹⁴ They arose and took away the altars that were in Yerushalayim, and all the altars for incense took they away, and cast them into the brook Kidron. ¹⁵ Then they killed the Pesach on the fourteenth [day] of the second month: and the Kohanim and the Levites were ashamed, and sanctified themselves, and brought burnt offerings into the house of the LORD. ¹⁶ They stood in their place after their order, according to the law of Moshe the man of God: the Kohanim 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 had the charge of killing the Pesachim for everyone who was not clean, to sanctify them to the LORD. ¹⁸ For a multitude of the people, even many of Efrayim and Menashsheh, Yissakhar and Zevulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet did they eat the Pesach otherwise than it is written. For Hizkiyahu had prayed for them, saying, The good the LORD pardon everyone ¹⁹ who sets his heart to seek God, the LORD, the God of his fathers, though not [cleansed] according to the purification of the sanctuary. ²⁰ The LORD listened to Hizkiyahu, and healed the people.

²¹ The children of Yisra'el who were present at Yerushalayim kept the feast of matzah seven days with great gladness; and the Levites and the Kohanim praised the LORD day by day, [singing] with loud instruments to the LORD. ²² Hizkiyahu spoke comfortably to all the Levites who had good understanding [in the service] of the LORD. So they ate throughout the feast for the seven days, offering sacrifices of peace-offerings, and making confession to the LORD, the God of their fathers. ²³ The whole assembly took counsel to keep other seven days; and they kept [other] seven days with gladness. ²⁴ For Hizkiyahu king of Yehudah did give 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 Kohanim sanctified themselves. ²⁵ All the assembly of Yehudah, with the Kohanim and the Levites, and all the assembly who came out of Yisra'el, and the sojourners who came out of Eretz-Yisra'el, and who lived in Yehudah, rejoiced. ²⁶ So there was great joy in Yerushalayim; for since the time of Shlomo the son of David king of Yisra'el there was not the like in Yerushalayim. ²⁷ Then the Kohanim the Levites arose and blessed the people: and their voice was heard, and their prayer came up to his holy habitation, even to heaven.