And Hezekiah sent word to all Israel and Judah and also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh telling them to come to the house of Jehovah in Jerusalem to hold the Passover to Jehovah the God of Israel.

For the king and his officers and all the congregation in Jerusalem had taken counsel to hold the Passover in the second month,

Because they could not hold it at that time, for the priests had not sanctified themselves in sufficient number nor had the people gathered to Jerusalem.

And the matter seemed right in the sight of the king and in the sight of all the congregation.

So they established a decree to send a proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beer-sheba to Dan, telling them to come to hold the Passover to Jehovah the God of Israel in Jerusalem; for they had not held it for a long time, as it was decreed in writing

And as the king had commanded, the runners went with the letters from the hand of the king and his officers throughout all Israel and Judah, saying, You children of Israel, return to Jehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and He will return to the remnant of you who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria.

And do not be like your fathers and like your brothers, who trespassed against Jehovah, the God of their fathers, so that He made them a desolation, as you now see.

Do not now be stiff-necked, as your fathers were; yield to Jehovah, and come to His sanctuary, which He has sanctified forever, and serve Jehovah your God, that His burning anger may turn away from you.

For when you turn to Jehovah, your brothers and your children will find compassion before those who led them captive and will return to this land, for Jehovah your God is gracious and compassionate, and will not turn His face away from you if you return to Him.

So the runners passed from city to city in the land of Ephraim and Manasseh and as far as Zebulun, but they laughed them to scorn and mocked them.

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

Moreover the hand of God was on Judah, giving them one heart to perform the commandment of the king and the officers by the word of Jehovah.

And many people gathered at Jerusalem to hold the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the second month, a very great congregation.

And they rose up and removed the altars that were in Jerusalem, and they removed all the incense altars and threw them into the brook Kidron.

Then they slaughtered the passover sacrifice on the fourteenth day of the second month. And the priests and the Levites were ashamed, and they sanctified themselves and brought burnt offerings to the house of Jehovah.

And they stood at their station after their custom, according to the law of Moses, the man of God: The priests sprinkled the blood that they received from the hand of the Levites.

For there were many in the congregation who had not sanctified themselves; therefore the Levites were charged with slaughtering the passover sacrifices for everyone who was not clean, to sanctify them to Jehovah.

For a great number of the people, many from Ephraim and Manasseh and Issachar and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the passover otherwise than as prescribed; for Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, May Jehovah the Good expiate for everyone

Who has prepared his heart to seek after God, after Jehovah, the God of his fathers, even though he is not according to the rules of purification for the sanctuary.

And Jehovah heard Hezekiah and healed the people.

And the children of Israel who were found at Jerusalem held the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days with great rejoicing, and the Levites and the priests praised Jehovah day by day, with loud instruments played to Jehovah.

And Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all the Levites who showed themselves well-skilled in their service to Jehovah, and so they ate the food of the appointed feast for seven days, sacrificing sacrifices of peace offerings and extolling Jehovah, the God of their fathers.

And the whole congregation took counsel to hold the feast another seven days, and they held the feast those seven days with rejoicing.

For Hezekiah the king of Judah contributed one thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep to the congregation, and the leaders contributed one thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep to the congregation, and a great number of priests sanctified themselves.

And all the congregation of Judah with the priests and the Levites and all the congregation who came from Israel and the sojourners who came from the land of Israel and dwelt in Judah rejoiced,

And there was great rejoicing in Jerusalem, for since the days of Solomon the son of David, the king of Israel, there had not been the like in Jerusalem.

Then the Levitical priests rose up and blessed the people; and their voice was heard and their prayer went up to His sanctuary, to heaven.