预备守逾越节
1希西迦派人通告以色列和犹大全境，又写信通知以法莲人和玛拿西人，叫他们到耶路撒冷耶和华的殿，向以色列的上帝耶和华守逾越节。 2王、众官员及耶路撒冷的全体会众决定在二月守逾越节。 3他们不能在一月守节期，因为洁净自己的祭司不够多，民众也没有聚集在耶路撒冷。 4王与全体会众都很赞成这个计划。 5于是，他们下令通告全以色列，从别示巴直到但，让人们到耶路撒冷向以色列的上帝耶和华守逾越节，因为人们不常照律例守这节期。
6信差遵照王的命令带着王和众官员的信走遍以色列和犹大，宣告说：“以色列人啊，你们应当归向亚伯拉罕、以撒和以色列的上帝耶和华，好使祂转向你们这些从亚述王手中逃脱的余民。 7不要效法你们的祖先和亲族，他们对他们祖先的上帝耶和华不忠，以致耶和华使他们的下场很可怕，正如你们所见的。 8现在，不要像你们的祖先那样顽固不化；要顺服耶和华，进入祂永远圣洁的圣所，事奉你们的上帝耶和华，好使祂的烈怒转离你们。 9你们若归向祂，你们的弟兄和儿女必蒙掳走他们之人的怜悯，得以回归此地，因为你们的上帝耶和华有恩典，好怜悯。你们若归向祂，祂必不会转脸不顾你们。”
10信差将这通告逐城传遍以法莲和玛拿西，直到西布伦，可是那些地方的人却嘲笑、戏弄他们。 11然而，有些亚设人、玛拿西人和西布伦人谦卑悔改，来到耶路撒冷。 12耶和华上帝感动犹大人，使他们一心遵从王与众官员奉祂的指示所下的命令。
守逾越节
13二月，大群的人聚到耶路撒冷守除酵节。 14他们除去耶路撒冷的祭坛和所有香坛，把它们丢进汲沦溪。 15二月十四日，他们宰了逾越节的羊羔。祭司和利未人觉得惭愧，就洁净自己，把燔祭带到耶和华的殿里， 16然后照上帝的仆人摩西的律法照常供职。祭司从利未人手中接过血，洒在坛上。 17因为会众中间有许多人没有洁净自己，利未人就为所有不洁之人宰逾越节的羊羔献给耶和华。 18-19有许多以法莲人、玛拿西人、以萨迦人和西布伦人没有洁净自己就吃了逾越节的羊羔，违背了律法的规定。希西迦就为他们祷告说：“凡诚心寻求他祖先的上帝耶和华的人，虽然没有照圣所的律例洁净自己，愿良善的耶和华赦免他！” 20耶和华垂听希西迦的祷告，就赦免30:20 “赦免”希伯来文是“医治”。了他们。
21在耶路撒冷的以色列人非常喜乐地守除酵节七天。利未人和祭司用响亮的乐器天天颂赞耶和华。 22希西迦慰劳所有善于事奉耶和华的利未人。于是，众人欢宴过节七天，又献上平安祭，称谢他们祖先的上帝耶和华。
再次守节期
23全体会众商议要再守节期七天，于是大家又欢欢喜喜地守节期七天。 24犹大王希西迦送给会众一千头公牛和七千只羊，众官员也送给会众一千头公牛和一万只羊，并且很多祭司都已洁净自己。 25犹大全体会众、祭司、利未人和从以色列来的全体会众，以及寄居在以色列和犹大的人尽都欢喜。 26全耶路撒冷都喜气洋洋，因为自以色列王大卫的儿子所罗门时代以来，耶路撒冷从未有过这样的盛会。 27利未祭司起来为民众祝福，他们的祷告得蒙垂听，达到天上的圣所。
Hezekiah Celebrates the Passover Feast
1Hezekiah sent a message to all the people of Israel and Judah. He also wrote letters to the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh. He invited everyone to come to the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem. He wanted them to celebrate the Passover Feast to honor the Lord. He is the God of Israel. 2The king, his officials and the whole community in Jerusalem decided to celebrate the Passover Feast in the second month. 3They hadn’t been able to celebrate it at the regular time. That’s because there weren’t enough priests who had set themselves apart to the Lord. Also, the people hadn’t gathered together in Jerusalem. 4The plan seemed good to the king and the whole community. 5They decided to send a message all through Israel. It was sent out from Beersheba all the way to Dan. The message invited the people to come to Jerusalem. It invited them to celebrate the Passover Feast to honor the Lord, the God of Israel. The Passover Feast hadn’t been celebrated by large numbers of people for a long time. It hadn’t been done in keeping with what was written in the law.
6Messengers went all through Israel and Judah. They carried letters from the king and his officials. The king had ordered them to do that. The letters said,
“People of Israel, return to the Lord. He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel. Return to him. Then he will return to you who are left in the land. You have escaped from the power of the kings of Assyria. 7Don’t be like your parents and the rest of your people. They weren’t faithful to the Lord, the God of their people. That’s why he punished them. He made them look so bad that everyone was shocked when they saw them. You can see it for yourselves. 8Don’t be stubborn. Don’t be as your people were. Obey the Lord. Come to his temple. He has set it apart to himself forever. Serve the Lord your God. Then he’ll stop being angry with you. 9Suppose you return to the Lord. Then those who captured your relatives and children will be kind to them. In fact, your relatives and children will come back to this land. The Lord your God is kind and tender. He won’t turn away from you if you return to him.”
10The messengers went from town to town in Ephraim and Manasseh. They went all the way to Zebulun. But people laughed and made fun of them. 11In spite of that, some people from Asher, Manasseh and Zebulun made themselves humble. They went to Jerusalem. 12God helped the people of Judah. He helped them agree with one another. So they did what the king and his officials had ordered. They did what the Lord told them to do.
13A very large crowd of people gathered together in Jerusalem. They went there to celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread. It took place in the second month. 14They removed the altars in Jerusalem. They cleared away the altars for burning incense. They threw all the altars into the Kidron Valley.
15They killed the Passover lamb on the 14th day of the second month. The priests and Levites were ashamed of how they had lived. They set themselves apart to the Lord. They brought burnt offerings to his temple. 16Then they did their regular tasks just as the Law of Moses, the man of God, required. The Levites gave the blood of the animals to the priests. The priests splashed it against the altar. 17Many people in the crowd hadn’t set themselves apart to the Lord. They weren’t “clean.” They couldn’t set apart their lambs to him. So the Levites had to kill the Passover lambs for all of them. 18Many people came from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun. Most of them hadn’t made themselves pure and “clean.” But they still ate the Passover meal. That was against what was written in the law. But Hezekiah prayed for them. He said, “The Lord is good. May he forgive everyone 19who wants to worship God with all their heart. God is the Lord, the God of their people. May God forgive them even if they aren’t ‘clean’ in keeping with the rules of the temple.” 20The Lord answered Hezekiah’s prayer. He healed the people.
21The people of Israel who were in Jerusalem celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread. They celebrated for seven days with great joy. The Levites and priests praised the Lord every day. They praised the Lord with loud musical instruments. The instruments had been set apart to the Lord.
22Hezekiah spoke words that gave hope to all the Levites. They understood how to serve the Lord well. For the seven days of the feast they ate the share given to them. They also sacrificed friendship offerings. They praised the Lord, the God of their people.
23Then the whole community agreed to celebrate the feast for seven more days. So for another seven days they celebrated with joy. 24Hezekiah, the king of Judah, provided 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep and goats for the community. The officials provided 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep and goats for them. A large number of priests set themselves apart to the Lord. 25The entire community of Judah was filled with joy. So were the priests and Levites. And so were all the people who had gathered together from Israel. That included the outsiders who had come from Israel. It also included those who lived in Judah. 26There was great joy in Jerusalem. There hadn’t been anything like it in Israel since the days of Solomon, the son of David. Solomon had been king of Israel. 27The priests and Levites gave their blessing to the people. God heard them. Their prayer reached all the way to heaven. It’s the holy place where God lives.
