2 Chronicles 30

Modern

Literal

Hezekiah Proclaims a Passover

¹Then Hezekiah sent word throughout all Israel and Judah, and he also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh inviting them to come to the house of the LORD in Jerusalem to keep the Passover of the LORD, the God of Israel.

¹And sent Hezekiah to all Israel and Judah, and also he wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of YHWH at Jerusalem to keep the Passover to YHWH, God of Israel.

²For the king and his officials and the whole assembly in Jerusalem had decided to keep the Passover in the second month,^a

²For the king had counseled—and his leaders and all the assembly in Jerusalem—to keep the Passover in the second month.

³since they had been unable to keep it at the regular time, because not enough priests had consecrated themselves and the people had not been gathered in Jerusalem.

³For they were not able to keep it at that time, because the priests had not consecrated themselves sufficiently, and the people had not been gathered together at Jerusalem.

⁴This plan pleased the king and the whole assembly.

⁴And the matter was right in the eyes of the king and in the eyes of all the assembly.

⁵So they established a decree to circulate a proclamation throughout Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, that the people should come to keep the Passover of the LORD, the God of Israel, in Jerusalem. For they had not observed it in great numbers as prescribed.

⁵And they established a word, to cause to pass over a proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, that they should come in to keep the Passover to YHWH, God of Israel, at Jerusalem. For they had not kept it as written for a long time.

⁶At the command of the king, the couriers went throughout Israel and Judah with letters from the king and his officials, which read:

“Children of Israel, return to the LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, so that He may return to those of you who remain, who have escaped the grasp of the kings of Assyria.

⁶And the runners went with the letters from the hand of the king and his heads throughout all Israel and Judah, according to the command of the king, saying, “Sons of Israel, return to YHWH, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and He will return to the escaped remnant of you from the hand of the kings of Assyria.

⁷Do not be like your fathers and brothers who were unfaithful to the LORD, the God of their fathers, so that He made them an object of horror, as you can see.

⁷And do not be like your fathers and your brothers who trespassed against YHWH, God of their fathers, so that He gave them up to desolation, as you can see.

⁸Now do not stiffen your necks as your fathers did. Submit to the LORD and come to His sanctuary, which He has consecrated forever. Serve the LORD your God, so that His fierce anger will turn away from you.

⁸Now do not harden your necks as your fathers; give a hand to YHWH and enter His sanctuary that He has sanctified forever, and serve YHWH your God, that the burning of His anger may turn away from you.

⁹For if you return to the LORD, your brothers and sons will receive mercy in the presence of their captors and will return to this land. For the LORD your God is gracious and merciful; He will not turn His face away from you if you return to Him.”

⁹For if you return to YHWH, your brothers and your children will receive mercy before the faces of their captors and will return to this land. For gracious and merciful is YHWH your God, and He will not turn aside the face from you if you return to Him.”

¹⁰And the couriers traveled from city to city through the land of Ephraim and Manasseh as far as Zebulun, but the people scorned and mocked them.

¹⁰And the runners passed over from city to city in the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, and to Zebulun; and they laughed at them and mocked them.

¹¹Nevertheless, some from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem.

¹¹Nevertheless, some from Asher and Manasseh and Zebulun humbled themselves and came in to Jerusalem.

¹²Moreover, the power of God was on the people in Judah to give them one heart to obey the command of the king and his officials according to the word of the LORD.

¹²The hand of God was also in Judah to give to them one heart to obey the command of the king and the leaders in the word of YHWH.

Hezekiah Celebrates the Passover

¹³In the second month, a very great assembly gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread.^a

¹³And many people gathered to Jerusalem to keep the Feast of the Unleavened in the second month—a very great assembly.

¹⁴They proceeded to remove the altars in Jerusalem and to take away the incense altars and throw them into the Kidron Valley.

¹⁴And they arose and took away the altars that were in Jerusalem, and they took away all the incense altars and cast them into the Kidron Valley.

¹⁵And on the fourteenth day of the second month they slaughtered the Passover lamb. The priests and Levites were ashamed, and they consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings to the house of the LORD.

¹⁵And they slaughtered the Passover on the fourteenth of the second month. And the priests and the Levites were ashamed, and they consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings to the house of YHWH.

¹⁶They stood at their prescribed posts, according to the Law of Moses the man of God. The priests splattered the blood, which they received from the hand of the Levites.

¹⁶And they stood on their station according to their ordinance, according to the Law of Moses the man of God. The priests splattered the blood from the hand of the Levites.

¹⁷Since there were many in the assembly who had not consecrated themselves, the Levites were in charge of slaughtering the Passover lambs for every unclean person to consecrate the lambs to the LORD.

¹⁷For many were in the assembly who had not sanctified themselves, and the Levites were over the slaughtering of the Passovers for everyone who was not clean, to sanctify them to YHWH.

¹⁸A large number of the people—many from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun—had not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover, contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah interceded for them, saying, “May the LORD, who is good, provide atonement for everyone

¹⁸For a multitude of the people, many from Ephraim, and Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May YHWH, who is good, provide atonement on the behalf

¹⁹who sets his heart on seeking God—the LORD, the God of his fathers—even if he is not cleansed according to the purification rules of the sanctuary.”

¹⁹everyone who prepares his heart to seek God—YHWH, God of his fathers—and not according to the purifying of the sanctuary.”

²⁰And the LORD heard Hezekiah and healed the people.

²⁰And YHWH listened to Hezekiah and healed the people.

²¹The Israelites who were present in Jerusalem celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days with great joy, and the Levites and priests praised the LORD day after day, accompanied by loud instruments of praise to the LORD.^a

²¹And the sons of Israel who were found in Jerusalem kept the Feast of the Unleavened seven days with great joy, and the Levites and the priests were praising YHWH day by day, accompanied by loud instruments to YHWH.

²²And Hezekiah encouraged all the Levites who performed skillfully before the LORD. For seven days they ate their assigned portion, sacrificing peace offerings and giving thanks to the LORD, the God of their fathers.

²²And Hezekiah spoke to the heart of all the Levites who gave good understanding of YHWH. And they ate the appointed thing seven days, sacrificing sacrifices of peace offerings and confessing to YHWH, God of their fathers.

²³The whole assembly agreed to observe seven more days, so they observed seven days with joy.

²³And all the assembly counseled to keep it another seven days, and they kept it seven days with joy.

²⁴For Hezekiah king of Judah contributed a thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep for the assembly, and the officials contributed a thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep for the assembly, and a great number of priests consecrated themselves.

²⁴For Hezekiah king of Judah gave to the assembly a thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep, and the leaders gave to the assembly a thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep, and a great number of priests sanctified themselves.

²⁵Then the whole assembly of Judah rejoiced along with the priests and Levites and the whole assembly that had come from Israel, including the foreigners who had come from Israel and those who lived in Judah.

²⁵And all the assembly of Judah rejoiced, and the priests, and the Levites, and all the assembly that came from Israel, and the sojourners who came from the land of Israel, and those who dwelt in Judah.

²⁶So there was great rejoicing in Jerusalem, for nothing like this had happened there since the days of Solomon son of David king of Israel.

²⁶And there was great joy in Jerusalem, for from the days of Solomon son of David king of Israel nothing like this was in Jerusalem.

²⁷Then the priests and the Levites stood to bless the people, and God heard their voice, and their prayer came into His holy dwelling place in heaven.

²⁷And the priests, the Levites, arose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard. And their prayer came up to His holy dwelling place in the heavens.