Hezekiah's Call: Return to Your Father
Hezekiah invites all Israel, the north included, to a Passover kept a month late because too few priests were ready. His couriers are mocked in some towns, heeded in others. Many eat unpurified, and he prays for them — and our Father hears and heals them.
30 1Hezekiah sent word to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, to come to the house of our Father in Jerusalem to keep the Passover to our Father, the God of Israel. 2The king, his officials, and the whole assembly in Jerusalem had decided to keep the Passover in the second month, 3since they could not keep it then, because too few priests had made themselves holy and the people had not gathered at Jerusalem. 4The plan seemed right to the king and to all the assembly, 5So they sent a proclamation throughout Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, that the people should come to Jerusalem to keep the Passover to our Father, the God of Israel; for they had not kept it together in great numbers as written.
6The couriers went through all Israel and Judah with letters from the king and his officials, ordered by the king: "Children of Israel, return to our Father, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, so he may return to the remnant of you who survived and escaped the power of the kings of Assyria. 7Do not be like your fathers and brothers, who were unfaithful to our Father, the God of their fathers, so he made them a desolation, as you see. 8Don't be stubborn like your fathers; give yourselves to our Father and come to his sanctuary, which he dedicated forever, and serve your Father, so his fierce anger turns from you. 9For if you return to our Father, your brothers and your children will find compassion from their captors and return to this land. For your Father is gracious and merciful; he will not turn his face from you if you return to him."
10The couriers went from city to city through Ephraim and Manasseh to Zebulun, but the people laughed at them and mocked them. 11Even so, some from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. 12The hand of our Father was also on Judah, giving them one heart to do what the king and officials commanded by the word of our Father.
13A very large assembly gathered at Jerusalem to keep the Feast of Bread Without Yeast in the second month. 14They set to work and removed the altars in Jerusalem, and they took away all the incense altars, throwing them into the Kidron Valley. 15They slaughtered the Passover lamb on the fourteenth of the second month. The priests and Levites were ashamed, so they dedicated themselves and brought burnt offerings to the house of our Father. 16They stood at their posts by custom, as the Law of Moses the man of God requires; the priests sprinkled the blood the Levites handed them. 17Many in the assembly had not dedicated themselves, so the Levites were in charge of killing the Passover lambs for everyone unclean, to dedicate them to our Father. 18A large number of the people, many from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not purified themselves, yet ate the Passover, though not as written. But Hezekiah prayed for them: "May our good Father pardon everyone, 19who sets his heart to seek our Father, the God of his fathers, though not clean by the sanctuary's rules."
20And our Father listened to Hezekiah and healed the people. 21The Israelites in Jerusalem kept the Feast of Bread Without Yeast seven days with great joy, and day by day the Levites and priests praised our Father with loud instruments resounding to him. 22Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all the Levites skilled in serving our Father. For seven days they ate their festival share, offering peace offerings and giving thanks to our Father, the God of their fathers.
23Then the whole assembly agreed to keep the feast another seven days, and they kept it seven more days with joy. 24Hezekiah king of Judah gave the assembly 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep, and the officials gave 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep, and many priests dedicated themselves. 25All Judah's assembly rejoiced, with the priests, the Levites, the whole assembly that came from Israel, and the foreigners from Israel's land and those living in Judah. 26Great joy filled Jerusalem, for nothing like this had happened there since the days of Solomon son of David, king of Israel. 27The priests and Levites rose to bless the people, and their voice was heard; their prayer reached his holy home in heaven.
