2 Tawarikh 30:1-3

Hezekiah Observes the Passover

30:1 Hezekiah sent messages throughout Israel and Judah; he even wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, summoning them to come to the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem ¹  and observe a Passover celebration for the Lord God of Israel. 30:2 The king, his officials, and the entire assembly in Jerusalem decided to observe the Passover in the second month. 30:3 They were unable to observe it at the regular ²  time because not enough priests had consecrated themselves and the people had not assembled in Jerusalem.

2 Tawarikh 30:13-20

30:13 A huge crowd assembled in Jerusalem to observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the second month. ³  30:14 They removed the altars in Jerusalem; they also removed all the incense altars and threw them into the Kidron Valley. ⁴ 

30:15 They slaughtered the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the second month. The priests and Levites were ashamed, so they consecrated themselves and brought burnt sacrifices to the Lord’s temple. 30:16 They stood at their posts according to the regulations outlined in the law of Moses, the man of God. The priests were splashing the blood as the Levites handed it to them. ⁵  30:17 Because many in the assembly had not consecrated themselves, the Levites slaughtered ⁶  the Passover lambs of all who were ceremonially unclean and could not consecrate their sacrifice to the Lord. ⁷  30:18 The majority of the many people from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun were ceremonially unclean, yet they ate the Passover in violation of what is prescribed in the law. ⁸  For Hezekiah prayed for them, saying: “May the Lord, who is good, forgive ⁹  30:19 everyone who has determined to follow God, ¹⁰  the Lord God of his ancestors, even if he is not ceremonially clean according to the standards of the temple.” ¹¹  30:20 The Lord responded favorably ¹²  to Hezekiah and forgave ¹³  the people.

[30:1]  ¹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[30:3]  ² tn Heb “at that time.”

[30:13]  ³ tn The Hebrew text adds here, “a very large assembly.” This has not been translated to avoid redundancy with the expression “a huge crowd” at the beginning of the verse.

[30:14]  ⁴ tn Heb “and they arose and removed the altars which were in Jerusalem, and all the incense altars they removed and threw into the Kidron Valley.”

[30:16]  ⁵ tn Heb “from the hand of the Levites.”

[30:17]  ⁶ tn Heb “were over the slaughter of.”

[30:17]  ⁷ tn Heb “of everyone not pure to consecrate to the Lord.”

[30:18]  ⁸ tn Heb “without what is written.”

[30:18]  ⁹ tn Heb “make atonement for.”

[30:19]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “everyone [who] has prepared his heart to seek God.”

[30:19]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and not according to the purification of the holy place.”

[30:20]  ¹² tn Heb “listened.”

[30:20]  ¹³ tn Heb “healed.”