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Now Hezekiah sent word to all Israel and Judah and also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the LORD in Jerusalem to ^(F1)celebrate the Passover to the LORD God of Israel.

For the king and his princes and all the assembly in Jerusalem had decided ^(C1)to celebrate the Passover in the second month,

since they could not celebrate it ^(C1)at that time, because the priests had not consecrated themselves in sufficient numbers, nor had the people been gathered to Jerusalem.

So the ^(F1)decision was right in the sight of the king and all the assembly.

So they established a decree to circulate a ^(F1)proclamation throughout Israel ^(C1)from Beersheba to Dan, that they are to come to celebrate the Passover to the LORD God of Israel in Jerusalem. For they had not celebrated it in great numbers as was written.

^(C1)The ^(F1)couriers went throughout Israel and Judah with the letters from the hand of the king and his princes, even according to the command of the king, saying, "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 ^(C2)the ^(F2)hand of the kings of Assyria.

"^(C1)Do not be like your fathers and your brothers, who were untrue to the LORD God of their fathers, so that ^(C2)He made them an object of horror, just as you see.

"Now do not ^(C1)stiffen your neck like your fathers, but ^(F1)yield to the LORD and enter His sanctuary which He has consecrated forever, and serve the LORD your God, ^(C2)that His burning anger may turn away from you.

"For ^(C1)if you return to the LORD, your brothers and your sons will find compassion in the presence of those who led them captive, and will return to this land. ^(C2)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 ^(F1)couriers passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far as Zebulun, but ^(C1)they laughed at them with scorn and mocked them.

Nevertheless, ^(C1)some men of Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem.

The ^(C1)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 ^(C1)in the second month, a very large assembly.

They got up and removed the altars which were in Jerusalem; they also ^(C1)removed all the incense altars and ^(C2)threw them into the brook Kidron.

Then ^(C1)they slaughtered the Passover lambs on the fourteenth of the second month. And ^(C2)the priests and Levites were ashamed of themselves, and consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings to the house of the LORD.

^(C1)They stood at their stations following their custom, according to the Law of Moses the man of God; the priests sprinkled the blood which they received from the hand of the Levites.

For there were many in the assembly who had not consecrated themselves; therefore, ^(C1)the Levites were in charge of the slaughter of the Passover lambs for everyone who was unclean, in order to consecrate them to the LORD.

For a multitude of the people, ^(C1)many from Ephraim and Manasseh, and Issachar and Zebulun, had not purified themselves, ^(C2)yet they ate the Passover ^(C3)contrary to what was written. For Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, "May the good LORD pardon

^(C1)everyone who prepares his heart to seek God, the LORD God of his fathers, though not according to the purification rules of the sanctuary."

So the LORD heard Hezekiah and ^(C1)healed the people.

The sons of Israel present in Jerusalem ^(C1)celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days with great joy, and the Levites and the priests were praising the LORD day after day with loud instruments to the LORD.

Then Hezekiah ^(C1)spoke ^(F1)encouragingly to all the Levites who showed good insight in the things of the LORD. So they ate for the appointed seven days, sacrificing peace offerings and ^(C2)giving thanks to the LORD God of their fathers.

Then the whole assembly ^(C1)decided to celebrate the feast another seven days, so they celebrated the seven days with joy.

For ^(C1)Hezekiah king of Judah had contributed to the assembly a thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep, and the princes had contributed to the assembly a thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep; and ^(C2)a large number of priests consecrated themselves.

All the assembly of Judah rejoiced, with the priests and the Levites and ^(C1)all the assembly that came from Israel, both the strangers who came from the land of Israel and those living in Judah.

So there was great joy in Jerusalem, because there was nothing like this in Jerusalem ^(C1)since the days of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel.

Then ^(C1)the Levitical priests stood and ^(C2)blessed the people; and their voice was heard and their prayer came to ^(C3)His holy dwelling place, to heaven.

Now when all this was finished, all Israel who were present went out to the cities of Judah, ^(C1)broke the memorial stones in pieces, cut down the ^(F1)Asherim and pulled down the high places and the altars throughout Judah and Benjamin, as well as in Ephraim and Manasseh, until ^(F2)they had destroyed them all. Then all the sons of Israel returned to their cities, each to his possession.

And Hezekiah appointed ^(C1)the divisions of the priests and the Levites by their divisions, each according to his service, both the priests and the Levites, ^(C2)for burnt offerings and for peace offerings, to serve and to give thanks and to praise in the gates of the camp of the LORD.

He also appointed ^(C1)the king's portion of his property for the burnt offerings, namely, for the morning and evening burnt offerings, and the burnt offerings for the Sabbaths and for the new moons and for the appointed festivals, ^(C2)as it is written in the Law of the LORD.

Also he told the people who lived in Jerusalem to give ^(C1)the portion due to the priests and the Levites, so that they might devote themselves to ^(C2)the Law of the LORD.

As soon as the ^(F1)order spread, the sons of Israel abundantly provided the first fruits of grain, new wine, oil, honey, and of all the produce of the field; and they brought in abundantly ^(C1)the tithe of everything.

The sons of Israel and Judah who lived in the cities of Judah also brought in the tithe of oxen and sheep, and ^(C1)the tithe of ^(F1)sacred gifts which were consecrated to the LORD their God, and placed them in heaps.

In the third month they began to ^(F1)make the heaps, and they finished them by the seventh month.

When Hezekiah and the rulers came and saw the heaps, they blessed the LORD and ^(C1)His people Israel.

Then Hezekiah questioned the priests and the Levites concerning the heaps.

Azariah, the chief priest ^(C1)of the house of Zadok, said to ^(F1)him, "^(C2)Since the contributions started coming into the house of the LORD, we have had enough to eat with plenty left over, for the LORD has blessed His people, and this great quantity is left over."

Then Hezekiah commanded them to prepare ^(C1)rooms in the house of the LORD, and they prepared them.

They faithfully brought in the contributions, the tithes, and the consecrated things; and Conaniah the Levite was the officer in charge ^(C1)of them, and his brother Shimei was second.

Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismachiah, Mahath, and Benaiah were overseers ^(F1)under the authority of Conaniah and his brother Shimei by the appointment of King Hezekiah, and ^(C1)Azariah was the chief officer of the house of God.

Kore the son of Imnah the Levite, the keeper of the eastern gate, was in charge of the ^(F1)voluntary offerings for God, to distribute the contributions for the LORD and the most holy things.

^(F1)Under his authority were ^(C1)Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah, in ^(C2)the cities of the priests, to distribute their portions faithfully to their brothers by divisions, whether great or small,

without regard to their genealogical enrollment, to the males from ^(F1)(C1)thirty years old and upward—everyone who entered the house of the LORD ^(C2)for his daily obligations—for their work in their duties according to their divisions;

as well as the priests who were enrolled genealogically according to their fathers' households, and the Levites ^(C1)from twenty years old and upward, by their duties and their divisions.

The genealogical enrollment included ^(F1)all their little children, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, for the whole assembly, for they consecrated themselves ^(F2)faithfully in holiness.

Also for the sons of Aaron, the priests, who were in ^(C1)the pasture lands of their cities, or in each and every city, ^(C2)there were men who were designated by name to distribute portions to every male among the priests and to everyone genealogically enrolled among the Levites.

Hezekiah did this throughout Judah; and ^(C1)he did what was good, right, and true before the LORD his God.

Every work which he began in the service of the house of God in the Law and in the commandment, seeking his God, he did with all his heart and ^(C1)prospered.

After these ^(F1)acts of faithfulness ^(C1)Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah and besieged the fortified cities, and ^(F2)intended to break into them for himself.

Now when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and that ^(F1)he intended to wage war against Jerusalem,

he decided with his officers and his warriors to cut off the supply of water from the springs which were outside the city, and they helped him.

So many people assembled ^(C1)and stopped up all the springs and ^(C2)the stream which flowed ^(F1)through the region, saying, "Why should the kings of Assyria come and find abundant water?"

And he resolutely set to work and ^(C1)rebuilt all of the wall that had been broken down and ^(F1)erected towers on it, and built ^(C2)another outside wall and strengthened the ^(F2)(C3)Millo in the city of David, and made weapons and shields in great numbers.

He appointed military officers over the people and gathered them to him in the public square at the city gate, and ^(C1)spoke ^(F1)encouragingly to them, saying,

"^(C1)Be strong and courageous, do not fear or be dismayed because of the king of Assyria nor because of all the horde that is with him; ^(C2)for the One with us is greater than the one with him.

"With him is only ^(C1)an arm of flesh, but ^(C2)with us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles." And the people relied on the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

After this ^(C1)Sennacherib king of Assyria sent his servants to Jerusalem while he was ^(F1)besieging Lachish with all his forces with him, against Hezekiah king of Judah and against all of Judah who were in Jerusalem, saying,

"This is what Sennacherib king of Assyria says: 'On what are you trusting that you are staying in Jerusalem under siege?

'Is Hezekiah not misleading you to give yourselves over to die by hunger and by thirst, saying, "The LORD our God will save us from the ^(F1)hand of the king of Assyria"?

'^(C1)Is it not the same Hezekiah who removed His high places and His altars, and said to Judah and ^(F1)Jerusalem, "You shall worship before one altar, and on it you shall ^(F2)burn incense"?

'Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of the lands? ^(C1)Were the gods of the nations of those lands at all able to save their land from my hand?

'^(C1)Who was there among all the gods of those nations which my fathers utterly destroyed who could save his people from my hand, that your God would be able to save you from my hand?

'Now then, do not let Hezekiah deceive you or mislead you like this, and do not believe him, for ^(C1)no god of any nation or kingdom was able to save his people from my hand or from the hand of my fathers. How much less will your God save you from my hand?'"

His servants spoke further against the LORD God and against His servant Hezekiah.

He also wrote letters to insult the LORD God of Israel, and to speak against Him, saying, "^(C1)As the gods of the nations of the lands ^(F1)have not saved their people from my hand, so the God of Hezekiah will not save His people from my hand."

^(C1)They called this out with a loud voice in the language of Judah to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten and terrify them, so that they might take the city.

They spoke ^(F1)of the God of Jerusalem as they did against ^(C1)the gods of the peoples of the earth, the work of human hands.

But King Hezekiah and Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, prayed about this and called out to heaven for help.

And the LORD sent an angel who destroyed every warrior, commander, and officer in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned ^(F1)in shame to his own land. And when he had entered the temple of his god, some of his own sons killed him there with the sword.

So the LORD ^(C1)saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria and from the hand of all others, and ^(F1)guided them on every side.

And ^(C1)many were bringing gifts to the LORD at Jerusalem and valuable presents to Hezekiah king of Judah; so thereafter ^(C2)he rose in the sight of all nations.

^(C1)In those days Hezekiah became ^(F1)mortally ill; and he prayed to the LORD, and ^(F2)the LORD spoke to him and gave him a sign.

But Hezekiah did nothing in return for the benefit ^(F1)he received, ^(C1)because his heart was ^(F2)proud; ^(C2)therefore wrath came upon him and upon Judah and Jerusalem.

However, ^(C1)Hezekiah ^(F1)humbled the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the LORD did not come on them in the days of Hezekiah.

Now Hezekiah had immense riches and honor; and he made for himself treasuries for silver, gold, precious stones, spices, shields, and all kinds of valuable articles,

also storehouses for the produce of grain, wine, and oil; stalls for all kinds of cattle, and ^(F1)sheepfolds for the flocks.

He made cities for himself and acquired flocks and herds in abundance, because ^(C1)God had given him very great ^(F1)wealth.

It was Hezekiah who ^(C1)stopped the upper outlet of the waters of ^(C2)Gihon and directed them to the west side of the city of David. And Hezekiah was successful in everything that he did.

Even in the matter of ^(C1)the messengers of the rulers of Babylon, who were sent to him to inquire about ^(C2)the wonder that had happened in the land; God left him alone only ^(C3)to test him, so that He might know everything that was in his heart.

Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah and his deeds of devotion, behold, they are written in the vision of Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.

So Hezekiah ^(F1)lay down with his fathers, and they buried him in the ^(F2)upper section of the tombs of the sons of David; and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem ^(C1)honored him at his death. And his son Manasseh became king in his place.