36AND HE REJOICED HEZEKIAH AND ALL THE PEOPLE ON WHAT HE HAD PREPARED <THE> GOD FOR THE PEOPLE FOR IN SUDDENNESS IT HAD HAPPENED THE THING 36Then Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced at what God had prepared for the people, because everything had been accomplished so quickly.
1AND HE SENT HEZEKIAH TO ALL ISRAEL AND JUDAH AND ALSO LETTERS HE WROTE TO EPHRAIM AND MANASSEH TO COME TO [THE] HOUSE OF YAHWEH IN JERUSALEM TO OBSERVE A PASSOVER TO YAHWEH [THE] GOD OF ISRAEL 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.
2AND HE HAD TAKEN COUNSEL THE KING AND OFFICIALS HIS AND ALL THE ASSEMBLY IN JERUSALEM TO OBSERVE THE PASSOVER IN THE MONTH <THE> SECOND 2For the king and his officials and the whole assembly in Jerusalem had decided to keep the Passover in the second month,*NoteCloseSee Numbers 9:9–12.
3FOR NOT THEY HAD BEEN ABLE TO OBSERVE IT AT THE TIME <THE> THAT FOR THE PRIESTS NOT THEY HAD CONSECRATED THEMSELVES TO <FROM> [WHAT] [WAS] SUFFICIENCY AND THE PEOPLE NOT THEY HAD GATHERED TO JERUSALEM 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.
4AND IT WAS PLEASING THE THING IN [THE] EYES OF THE KING AND IN [THE] EYES OF ALL THE ASSEMBLY 4This plan pleased the king and the whole assembly.
5AND THEY APPOINTED A WORD TO CAUSE TO PASS A PROCLAMATION IN ALL ISRAEL FROM BEER SHEBA AND TO DAN TO COME TO OBSERVE A PASSOVER TO YAHWEH [THE] GOD OF ISRAEL IN JERUSALEM FOR NOT TO MULTITUDE THEY HAD DONE ACCORDING TO <THE> [WHAT] IS WRITTEN 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.
6AND THEY WENT THE RUNNERS WITH <THE> LETTERS FROM [THE] HAND OF THE KING AND OFFICIALS HIS IN ALL ISRAEL AND JUDAH AND ACCORDING TO [THE] COMMAND OF THE KING <TO> SAYING O PEOPLE OF ISRAEL RETURN TO YAHWEH [THE] GOD OF ABRAHAM ISAAC AND ISRAEL SO HE MAY RETURN TO THE ESCAPED REMNANT WHICH REMAINS TO YOU FROM [THE] HAND OF [THE] KINGS OF ASSYRIA 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.
7AND MAY NOT YOU BE LIKE FATHERS YOUR AND LIKE BROTHERS YOUR WHO THEY ACTED UNFAITHFULLY AGAINST YAHWEH [THE] GOD OF ANCESTORS THEIR AND HE MADE THEM INTO A HORROR JUST AS YOU [ARE] SEEING 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.
8NOW MAY NOT YOU HARDEN NECK YOUR LIKE FATHERS YOUR GIVE A HAND TO YAHWEH AND COME TO SANCTUARY HIS WHICH HE HAS CONSECRATED FOR EVER AND SERVE <OBJ.> YAHWEH GOD YOUR SO MAY IT TURN BACK FROM YOU [THE] BURNING OF ANGER HIS 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.
9FOR WHEN RETURN YOU TO YAHWEH RELATIVES YOUR AND CHILDREN YOUR TO COMPASSION<S> <TO> BEFORE CAPTORS THEIR AND TO RETURN TO THE LAND <THE> THIS FOR [IS] GRACIOUS AND COMPASSIONATE YAHWEH GOD YOUR AND NOT HE WILL TURN ASIDE FACE FROM YOU IF YOU WILL TURN BACK TO HIM 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.”
10AND THEY WERE THE RUNNERS PASSING FROM CITY TO [THE] CITY IN [THE] LAND OF EPHRAIM AND MANASSEH AND TO ZEBULUN AND PEOPLE WERE LAUGHING ON THEM AND MOCKING <IN> <THE> THEM 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.
11NEVERTHELESS MEN FROM ASHER AND MANASSEH AND FROM ZEBULUN THEY HUMBLED THEMSELVES AND THEY CAME TO JERUSALEM 11Nevertheless, some from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem.
12ALSO ON JUDAH IT WAS [THE] HAND OF <THE> GOD TO GIVE TO THEM A HEART ONE TO DO [THE] COMMAND OF THE KING AND THE OFFICIALS BY [THE] WORD OF YAHWEH 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.
13AND THEY GATHERED JERUSALEM A PEOPLE NUMEROUS TO OBSERVE <OBJ.> [THE] FESTIVAL OF THE UNLEAVENED BREAD<S> IN THE MONTH <THE> SECOND AN ASSEMBLY FOR MULTITUDE EXCEEDINGLY Hezekiah Celebrates the Passover 13In the second month, a very great assembly gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread.*NoteCloseThat is, the seven-day period after the Passover during which no leaven may be eaten; see Exodus 12:14–20.
14AND THEY AROSE AND THEY REMOVED <OBJ.> THE ALTARS WHICH [WERE] IN JERUSALEM AND <OBJ.> ALL THE INCENSE ALTARS THEY REMOVED AND THEY THREW [THEM] TO [THE] WADI OF KIDRON 14They proceeded to remove the altars in Jerusalem and to take away the incense altars and throw them into the Kidron Valley.
15AND THEY SLAUGHTERED THE PASSOVER ON [DAY] FOUR- TEEN OF THE MONTH <THE> SECOND AND THE PRIESTS AND THE LEVITES THEY WERE ASHAMED AND THEY CONSECRATED THEMSELVES AND THEY BROUGHT BURNT OFFERINGS [THE] HOUSE OF YAHWEH 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.
16AND THEY STOOD AT PLACE THEIR ACCORDING TO CUSTOM THEIR ACCORDING TO [THE] LAW OF MOSES [THE] MAN OF <THE> GOD THE PRIESTS [WERE] SPRINKLING <OBJ.> THE BLOOD FROM [THE] HAND OF THE LEVITES 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.
17FOR MANY AMONG THE ASSEMBLY WHO NOT THEY HAD CONSECRATED THEMSELVES AND THE LEVITES [WERE] OVER [THE] SLAUGHTER OF THE PASSOVERS FOR EVERY NOT CLEAN TO CONSECRATE [THEM] TO YAHWEH 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.
18FOR [THE] GREATER PART OF THE PEOPLE MANY FROM EPHRAIM AND MANASSEH ISSACHAR AND ZEBULUN NOT THEY HAD PURIFIED THEMSELVES FOR THEY ATE <OBJ.> THE PASSOVER WITH NOT ACCORDING TO <THE> [WHAT] IS WRITTEN FOR HE HAD PRAYED HEZEKIAH ON THEM <TO> SAYING YAHWEH <THE> GOOD MAY HE MAKE ATONEMENT FOR 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
19EVERY [ONE WHO] HEART HIS HE HAS DIRECTED TO SEEK <THE> GOD YAHWEH [THE] GOD OF ANCESTORS HIS AND NOT ACCORDING TO [THE] PURIFICATION OF THE HOLY PLACE 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.”
20AND HE LISTENED YAHWEH TO HEZEKIAH AND HE HEALED <OBJ.> THE PEOPLE 20And the LORD heard Hezekiah and healed the people.
21AND THEY OBSERVED [THE] PEOPLE OF ISRAEL WHO WERE FOUND IN JERUSALEM <OBJ.> [THE] FESTIVAL OF THE UNLEAVENED BREAD<S> SEVEN DAYS WITH JOY GREAT AND [WERE] PRAISING <TO> YAHWEH A DAY IN A DAY THE LEVITES AND THE PRIESTS WITH INSTRUMENTS OF STRENGTH TO YAHWEH 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.*NoteCloseOr day after day, with all their strength to the LORD. Literally day after day, with loud instruments to the LORD.
22AND HE SPOKE HEZEKIAH TO [THE] HEART OF ALL THE LEVITES WHO WERE UNDERSTANDING UNDERSTANDING GOOD TO YAHWEH AND THEY ATE <OBJ.> THE APPOINTED FEAST [THE] SEVEN THE DAYS SACRIFICING SACRIFICES OF PEACE OFFERINGS AND GIVING THANKS TO YAHWEH [THE] GOD OF ANCESTORS THEIR 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.
23AND THEY TOOK COUNSEL ALL THE ASSEMBLY TO OBSERVE SEVEN DAYS ANOTHER AND THEY OBSERVED SEVEN DAYS JOY 23The whole assembly agreed to observe seven more days, so they observed seven days with joy.
24FOR HEZEKIAH [THE] KING OF JUDAH HE CONTRIBUTED FOR THE ASSEMBLY ONE THOUSAND YOUNG BULLS AND SEVEN THOUSAND<S> SHEEP AND THE OFFICIALS THEY CONTRIBUTED FOR THE ASSEMBLY YOUNG BULLS ONE THOUSAND AND SHEEP TEN THOUSAND<S> AND THEY CONSECRATED THEMSELVES PRIESTS TO MULTITUDE 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.
25AND THEY REJOICED ALL [THE] ASSEMBLY OF JUDAH AND THE PRIESTS AND THE LEVITES AND ALL THE ASSEMBLY WHICH WERE COMING FROM ISRAEL AND THE SOJOURNERS WHO WERE COMING FROM [THE] LAND OF ISRAEL AND WHO WERE DWELLING IN JUDAH 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.
26AND IT WAS JOY GREAT IN JERUSALEM FOR SINCE [THE] DAYS OF SOLOMON [THE] SON OF DAVID [THE] KING OF ISRAEL NOT LIKE THIS IN JERUSALEM 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.
27AND THEY AROSE THE PRIESTS THE LEVITES AND THEY BLESSED <OBJ.> THE PEOPLE AND IT WAS LISTENED TO VOICE THEIR AND IT CAME PRAYER THEIR TO [THE] DWELLING OF HOLINESS HIS TO THE HEAVENS 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.