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.
Keezeekiya Atukuza Embaga ey’Okuyitako
130:1 a Lub 41:52 b Kuv 12:11; Kbl 28:16Awo Keezeekiya n’aweereza obubaka eri Isirayiri yonna ne Yuda, n’awandiikira ne Efulayimu ne Manase amabaluwa, ng’abayita okujja e Yerusaalemi mu yeekaalu ya Mukama, okukwata Embaga ey’Okuyitako eya Mukama Katonda wa Isirayiri. 230:2 Kbl 9:10Kabaka n’abakungu be, n’ekibiina kyonna mu Yerusaalemi baasalawo okukwata Embaga ey’Okuyitako mu mwezi ogwokubiri; 330:3 2By 29:34baali tebasobola kukwata mbaga eyo mu kiseera kyayo kubanga bakabona abaali beetukuzizza, baali batono ate nga n’abantu tebanakuŋŋaanira mu Yerusaalemi. 4Enteekateeka eyo n’erabika nga nnungi eri kabaka n’ekibiina kyonna. 530:5 Bal 20:1Ne basalawo okulangirira mu Isirayiri yenna, okuva e Beeruseba okutuuka e Ddaani, nga bategeeza abantu okujja e Yerusaalemi okukwata Embaga ey’Okuyitako eya Mukama Katonda wa Isirayiri; baali batutte ebbanga nga tebagikwata ng’ekibiina ekinene eky’awamu, nga bwe kyawandiikibwa.
6Awo ababaka ne batwala amabaluwa mu Isirayiri yonna ne mu Yuda okuva ewa kabaka n’abakungu be, ng’ekiragiro kya kabaka bwe kyali nti,
“Abantu ba Isirayiri, mudde eri Mukama Katonda wa Ibulayimu, ne Isaaka, ne Isirayiri, Katonda alyoke adde gye muli, mmwe ekitundu ekisigaddewo, ekiwonye omukono gwa bakabaka b’e Bwasuli. 730:7 a Zab 78:8, 57; 106:6; Ez 20:18 b 2By 29:8Temuba nga bajjajjammwe ne baganda bammwe abataali beesigwa eri Mukama Katonda wa bajjajjaabwe n’abafuula ekyelolerwa, nga bwe mulaba. 830:8 a Kuv 32:9 b Kbl 25:4; 2By 29:10So temuba ba nsingo nkakanyavu nga bajjajjammwe bwe baali, naye mukkakkane eri Mukama, mujje mu watukuvu we, we yatukuza emirembe gyonna, muweereze Mukama Katonda wammwe, obusungu bwe bubaveeko. 930:9 a Ma 30:2-5; Is 1:16; 55:7 b 1Bk 8:50; Zab 106:46 c Kuv 34:6-7; Ma 4:31; Mi 7:18Bwe munadda eri Mukama, olwo ne baganda bammwe n’abaana bammwe banaalaba ekisa mu maaso g’abo abaabawamba, ne bakomawo mu nsi eno. Mukama Katonda wammwe wa kisa era ajjudde okusaasira, so taakyuse maaso ge, okubavaako bwe munadda gyali.”
1030:10 2By 36:16Ababaka ne bagenda mu buli kibuga mu nsi ya Efulayimu ne Manase, ne batuuka ne mu Zebbulooni, naye abasinga obungi ne babasekerera, ne babaduulira. 1130:11 nny 25Kyokka abamu ku bantu ab’e Aseri, ne Manase ne Zebbulooni ne beetoowaza ne bagenda e Yerusaalemi. 1230:12 Yer 32:39; Ez 11:19; Baf 2:13Ne mu Yuda, omukono gwa Katonda ne gukwata ku bantu ne bakkiriziganya ku ekyo kabaka n’abakungu kye baalagira, nga bagoberera ekigambo kya Mukama.
1330:13 Kbl 28:16Awo abantu bangi ne bakuŋŋaanira mu Yerusaalemi mu mwezi ogwokubiri okukwata Embaga ey’Emigaati Egitali Mizimbulukuse. 1430:14 a 2By 28:24 b 2Sa 15:23Ne baggyawo ebyoto ebyali mu Yerusaalemi, n’ebyoto byonna eby’okwoterezaako obubaane, ne babisuula mu Kiwonvu Kidulooni.
1530:15 2By 29:34Ne batta Endiga Ento ey’Embaga ey’Okuyitako ku lunaku olw’ekkumi n’ennya olw’omwezi ogwokubiri. Bakabona n’Abaleevi ne baswala, ne beetukuza, ne baleeta ebiweebwayo ebyokebwa mu yeekaalu ya Mukama. 1630:16 2By 35:10Ne bayimirira mu bifo byabwe ng’etteeka lya Musa omusajja wa Katonda bwe lyali libalagira. Bakabona ne bamansira omusaayi ogwabaweerezebwa Abaleevi. 1730:17 2By 29:34Bangi ku bo, baali tebeetukuzizza nga tebasobola kuwaayo ndiga zaabwe; Abaleevi kyebaava battira buli muntu ataali mulongoofu Endiga Ento ey’Embaga ey’Okuyitako, okubatukuza eri Mukama. 1830:18 Kuv 12:43-49; Kbl 9:6-10Newaakubadde ng’abantu abasinga abaava mu Efulayimu, ne Manase, ne Isakaali, ne Zebbulooni baali tebeetukuzizza, baalya Embaga ey’Okuyitako, ekyali tekikkiriziganya na biwandiike. Naye Keezeekiya n’abasabira ng’agamba nti, “Mukama omulungi asonyiwe buli muntu 19amaliridde mu mutima gwe okunoonya Katonda, Mukama Katonda wa bajjajjaabe, newaakubadde nga tabadde mulongoofu okusinziira ku mateeka g’awatukuvu.” 2030:20 a 2By 6:20 b 2By 7:14; Mal 4:2 c Yak 5:16Mukama n’awulira okusaba kwa Keezeekiya, n’atabazikiriza.
2130:21 Kuv 12:15, 17; 13:6Abayisirayiri abaali mu Yerusaalemi ne bakwata Embaga ey’Emigaati Egitali Mizimbulukuse okumala ennaku musanvu nga bajjudde essanyu lingi; Abaleevi ne bakabona ne batenderezanga Mukama buli lunaku, nga bakuba n’ebivuga eby’okumutendereza.
22Keezeekiya n’ayogera ebigambo eby’okugumya Abaleevi bonna abaalaga nga bategeera obuweereza bwa Mukama. Abantu ne balya emmere ey’embaga okumala ennaku musanvu, ne bawaayo ssaddaaka ez’ebiweebwayo olw’emirembe, ne batendereza Mukama Katonda wa bajjajjaabwe.
2330:23 1Bk 8:65; 2By 7:9Ekibiina kyonna ne bakkiriziganya okweyongerayo ennaku endala musanvu nga bali ku mbaga; bwe batyo ne bamala ennaku endala musanvu nga bajaguza. 2430:24 1Bk 8:5; 2By 29:34; 35:7; Ezr 6:17; 8:35Keezeekiya kabaka wa Yuda n’awa ekibiina ente ennume nga nto lukumi n’endiga kasanvu okuba ebiweebwayo, ne bakabona bangi nnyo ne beetukuza. 2530:25 nny 11Ekibiina kyonna ekya Yuda, ne bakabona, n’Abaleevi, n’ekibiina kyonna ekyava mu Isirayiri, n’abagenyi abaali bavudde mu nsi ya Isirayiri, n’abagenyi abaabeeranga mu Yuda ne bajaguliza wamu. 2630:26 2By 7:8Ne waba essanyu lingi mu Yerusaalemi kubanga okuva mu biro bya Sulemaani mutabani wa Dawudi kabaka wa Isirayiri, waali tewabangawo kintu kifaanana bwe kityo mu Yerusaalemi. 2730:27 Kuv 39:43; Kbl 6:23; Ma 26:15; 2By 23:18; Zab 68:5Awo bakabona n’Abaleevi ne bayimirira ne basabira abantu omukisa, Katonda n’abawulira; kubanga okusaba kwabwe kwatuuka mu kifo kye ekitukuvu gy’abeera, mu ggulu.
