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.