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Chapter 30 |
| 1 | And Hezekiah
sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh,
that they should come to the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, to keep the
passover unto the LORD God of Israel. |
| 2 | For the king had taken counsel,
and his princes, and all the congregation in Jerusalem, to keep the passover in
the second month. |
|
3 | For they could not keep it at that time, because the
priests had not sanctified themselves sufficiently, neither had the people
gathered themselves together to Jerusalem. |
|
4 | And the thing pleased the
king and all the congregation. |
|
5 | So they established a decree to make
proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba even to Dan, that they
should come to keep the passover unto the LORD God of Israel at Jerusalem: for
they had not done it of a long time in such sort as it was written. |
| 6 |
So the posts went with the letters from the king and his princes throughout all
Israel and Judah, and according to the commandment of the king, saying, Ye
children of Israel, turn again unto the LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel,
and he will return to the remnant of you, that are escaped out of the hand of
the kings of Assyria. |
| 7 | And be not ye like your fathers, and like
your brethren, which trespassed against the LORD God of their fathers, who
therefore gave them up to desolation, as ye see. |
| 8 | Now be ye not
stiffnecked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves unto the LORD, and
enter into his sanctuary, which he hath sanctified for ever: and serve the LORD
your God, that the fierceness of his wrath may turn away from you. |
| 9 |
For if ye turn again unto the LORD, your brethren and your children shall find
compassion before them that lead them captive, so that they 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 ye return unto him. |
| 10 | So the posts
passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh even unto
Zebulun: but they laughed them to scorn, and mocked them. |
| 11 |
Nevertheless divers of Asher and Manasseh and of Zebulun humbled themselves,
and came to Jerusalem. |
| 12 | Also in Judah the hand of God was to give
them one heart to do the commandment of the king and of the princes, by the
word of the LORD. |
| 13 | And there assembled at Jerusalem much people
to keep the feast of unleavened bread in the second month, a very great
congregation. |
|
14 | And they arose and took away the altars that were
in Jerusalem, and all the altars for incense took they away, and cast them into
the brook Kidron. |
| 15 | Then they killed the passover on the
fourteenth day of the second month: and the priests and the Levites were
ashamed, and sanctified themselves, and brought in the burnt offerings into the
house of the LORD. |
| 16 | And they stood in their place after their
manner, according to the law of Moses the man of God: the priests sprinkled the
blood, which they received of the hand of the Levites. |
| 17 | For there
were many in the congregation that were not sanctified: therefore the Levites
had the charge of the killing of the passovers for every one that was not
clean, to sanctify them unto the LORD. |
| 18 | For a multitude of the
people, even many of Ephraim, and Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not
cleansed themselves, yet did they eat the passover otherwise than it was
written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, The good LORD pardon every
one |
| 19 |
That prepareth his heart to seek God, the LORD God of his
fathers, though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the
sanctuary. |
| 20
| And the LORD hearkened to Hezekiah, and healed the
people. |
| 21
| And the children of Israel that were present at Jerusalem
kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with great gladness: and the
Levites and the priests praised the LORD day by day, singing with loud
instruments unto the LORD. |
|
22 | And Hezekiah spake comfortably unto
all the Levites that taught the good knowledge of the LORD: and they did eat
throughout the feast seven days, offering peace offerings, and making
confession to the LORD God of their fathers. |
|
23 | And the whole assembly
took counsel to keep other seven days: and they kept other seven days with
gladness. |
| 24
| For Hezekiah king of Judah did give to the congregation a
thousand bullocks and seven thousand sheep; and the princes gave to the
congregation a thousand bullocks and ten thousand sheep: and a great number of
priests sanctified themselves. |
| 25 | And all the congregation of
Judah, with the priests and the Levites, and all the congregation that came out
of Israel, and the strangers that came out of the land of Israel, and that
dwelt in Judah, rejoiced. |
|
26 | So there was great joy in Jerusalem:
for since the time of Solomon the son of David king of Israel there was not the
like in Jerusalem. |
| 27 | Then the priests the Levites arose and
blessed the people: and their voice was heard, and their prayer came up to his
holy dwelling place, even unto heaven. |
