HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 778
2 C H RO N I C L ES 3 1
Celebration of Passover
10 The runners went from town to town throughout Ephraim and Manasseh and as far as the
territory of Zebulun. But most of the people just
laughed at the runners and made fun of them.
11 However, some people from Asher, Manasseh,
and Zebulun humbled themselves and went to
Jerusalem.
12 At the same time, God’s hand was on the
people in the land of Judah, giving them all
one heart to obey the orders of the king and his
officials, who were following the word of the
Lord. 13 So a huge crowd assembled at Jerusalem in midspring* to celebrate the Festival of
Unleavened Bread. 14 They set to work and removed the pagan altars from Jerusalem. They
took away all the incense altars and threw them
into the Kidron Valley.
15 On the fourteenth day of the second month,
one month later than usual,* the people slaughtered the Passover lamb. This shamed the
priests and Levites, so they purified themselves
and brought burnt offerings to the Temple of
the Lord. 16 Then they took their places at the
Temple as prescribed in the Law of Moses, the
man of God. The Levites brought the sacrificial
blood to the priests, who then sprinkled it on
the altar.
17 Since many of the people had not purified
themselves, the Levites had to slaughter their
Passover lamb for them, to set them apart for the
Lord. 18 Most of those who came from Ephraim,
Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun had not purified themselves. But King Hezekiah prayed for
them, and they were allowed to eat the Passover
meal anyway, even though this was contrary to
the requirements of the Law. For Hezekiah said,
“May the Lord, who is good, pardon those 19 who
decide to follow the Lord, the God of their ancestors, even though they are not properly cleansed
for the ceremony.” 20 And the Lord listened to
Hezekiah’s prayer and healed the people.
21 So the people of Israel who were present
in Jerusalem joyously celebrated the Festival of
Unleavened Bread for seven days. Each day the
Levites and priests sang to the Lord, accompanied by loud instruments.* 22 Hezekiah encouraged all the Levites regarding the skill they
displayed as they served the Lord. The celebration continued for seven days. Peace offerings
were sacrificed, and the people gave thanks to
the Lord, the God of their ancestors.
23 The entire assembly then decided to continue the festival another seven days, so they
celebrated joyfully for another week. 24 King
Hezekiah gave the people 1,000 bulls and 7,000
sheep and goats for offerings, and the officials
donated 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep and
goats. Meanwhile, many more priests purified
themselves.
page 408
25 The entire assembly of Judah rejoiced, including the priests, the Levites, all who came
from the land of Israel, the foreigners who came
to the festival, and all those who lived in Judah.
26 There was great joy in the city, for Jerusalem
had not seen a celebration like this one since
the days of Solomon, King David’s son. 27 Then
the priests and Levites stood and blessed the
people, and God heard their prayer from his
holy dwelling in heaven.
Hezekiah’s Religious Reforms
When the festival ended, the Israelites
who attended went to all the towns of
Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh, and
they smashed all the sacred pillars, cut down
the Asherah poles, and removed the pagan
shrines and altars. After this, the Israelites returned to their own towns and homes.
2 Hezekiah then organized the priests and Levites into divisions to offer the burnt offerings
and peace offerings, and to worship and give
thanks and praise to the Lord at the gates of the
Temple. 3 The king also made a personal contribution of animals for the daily morning and
evening burnt offerings, the weekly Sabbath
festivals, the monthly new moon festivals, and
the annual festivals as prescribed in the Law of
the Lord. 4 In addition, he required the people
in Jerusalem to bring a portion of their goods
to the priests and Levites, so they could devote
themselves fully to the Law of the Lord.
5 When the people of Israel heard these requirements, they responded generously by
bringing the first share of their grain, new wine,
olive oil, honey, and all the produce of their
fields. They brought a large quantity—a tithe of
all they produced. 6 The people who had moved
to Judah from Israel, and the people of Judah
themselves, brought in the tithes of their cattle,
sheep, and goats and a tithe of the things that
had been dedicated to the Lord their God, and
they piled them up in great heaps. 7 They began
piling them up in late spring, and the heaps
continued to grow until early autumn.* 8 When
Hezekiah and his officials came and saw these
huge piles, they thanked the Lord and his
people Israel!
9 “Where did all this come from?” Hezekiah
asked the priests and Levites.
10 And Azariah the high priest, from the family of Zadok, replied, “Since the people began
bringing their gifts to the Lord’s Temple, we
have had enough to eat and plenty to spare.
31
30:13 Hebrew in the second month. The second month of the
ancient Hebrew lunar calendar usually occurs within the
months of April and May. 30:15 Hebrew On the fourteenth
day of the second month. Passover normally began on the
fourteenth day of the first month (see Lev 23:5). 30:21 Or
sang to the Lord with all their strength. 31:7 Hebrew in the
third month . . . until the seventh month. The third month of
the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar usually occurs within the
months of May and June; the seventh month usually occurs
within September and October.