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All
Israel Invited to the Passover |
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2 Chronicles 30:1
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Now 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 celebrate the Passover to the LORD God of Israel. |
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| 2 Chronicles 30:2 |
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For the king and his princes and all the assembly
in Jerusalem had decided to celebrate the Passover in the second month, |
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| 2 Chronicles 30:3 |
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since they could not celebrate it at that time,
because the priests had not consecrated themselves in sufficient numbers, nor
had the people been gathered to Jerusalem. |
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| 2 Chronicles 30:4 |
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Thus the thing was right in the sight of the
king and all the assembly. |
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| 2 Chronicles 30:5 |
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So they established a decree to circulate a
proclamation throughout all Israel from Beersheba even to Dan, that they should
come to celebrate the Passover to the LORD God of Israel at Jerusalem. For they
had not celebrated it in great numbers as it was prescribed. |
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| 2 Chronicles 30:6 |
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The couriers went throughout all Israel and
Judah with the letters from the hand of the king and his princes, even according
to the command of the king, saying, "O sons of Israel, return to the LORD God
of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, that He may return to those of you who escaped and
are left from the hand of the kings of Assyria. |
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| 2 Chronicles 30:7 |
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Do not be like your fathers and your brothers,
who were unfaithful to the LORD God of their fathers, so that He made them a horror,
as you see. |
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| 2 Chronicles 30:8 |
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Now do not stiffen your neck like your fathers,
but yield to the LORD and enter His sanctuary which He has consecrated forever,
and serve the LORD your God, that His burning anger may turn away from you. |
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| 2 Chronicles 30:9 |
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For if you return to the LORD, your brothers
and your sons will find compassion before those who led them captive and will
return to this land. For the LORD your God is gracious and compassionate, and
will not turn His face away from you if you return to Him." |
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| 2 Chronicles 30:10 |
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So the couriers passed from city to city through
the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far as Zebulun, but they laughed them
to scorn and mocked them. |
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| 2 Chronicles 30:11 |
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Nevertheless some men of Asher, Manasseh and
Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. |
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| 2 Chronicles 30:12 |
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The hand of God was also on Judah to give them
one heart to do what the king and the princes commanded by the word of the LORD. |
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Passover
Reinstituted |
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| 2 Chronicles 30:13 |
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Now many people were gathered at Jerusalem to
celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the second month, a very large assembly. |
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| 2 Chronicles 30:14 |
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They arose and removed the altars which were
in Jerusalem; they also removed all the incense altars and cast them into the
brook Kidron. |
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| 2 Chronicles 30:15 |
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Then they slaughtered the Passover lambs on
the fourteenth of the second month. And the priests and Levites were ashamed of
themselves, and consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings to the house
of the LORD. |
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| 2 Chronicles 30:16 |
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They stood at their stations after their custom,
according to the law of Moses the man of God; the priests sprinkled the blood
which they received from the hand of the Levites. |
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| 2 Chronicles 30:17 |
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For there were many in the assembly who had
not consecrated themselves; therefore, the Levites were over the slaughter of
the Passover lambs for everyone who was unclean, in order to consecrate them to
the LORD. |
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| 2 Chronicles 30:18 |
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For a multitude of the people, even many from
Ephraim and Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun, had not purified themselves, yet they
ate the Passover otherwise than prescribed. For Hezekiah prayed for them, saying,
"May the good LORD pardon |
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| 2 Chronicles 30:19 |
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everyone who prepares his heart to seek God,
the LORD God of his fathers, though not according to the purification rules of
the sanctuary." |
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| 2 Chronicles 30:20 |
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So the LORD heard Hezekiah and healed the people. |
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| 2 Chronicles 30:21 |
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The sons of Israel present in Jerusalem celebrated
the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days with great joy, and the Levites and
the priests praised the LORD day after day with loud instruments to the LORD. |
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| 2 Chronicles 30:22 |
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Then Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all the
Levites who showed good insight in the things of the LORD. So they ate for the
appointed seven days, sacrificing peace offerings and giving thanks to the LORD
God of their fathers. |
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| 2 Chronicles 30:23 |
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Then the whole assembly decided to celebrate
the feast another seven days, so they celebrated the seven days with joy. |
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| 2 Chronicles 30:24 |
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For Hezekiah king of Judah had contributed to
the assembly 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep, and the princes had contributed to the
assembly 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep; and a large number of priests consecrated
themselves. |
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| 2 Chronicles 30:25 |
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All the assembly of Judah rejoiced, with the
priests and the Levites and all the assembly that came from Israel, both the sojourners
who came from the land of Israel and those living in Judah. |
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| 2 Chronicles 30:26 |
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So there was great joy in Jerusalem, because
there was nothing like this in Jerusalem since the days of Solomon the son of
David, king of Israel. |
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| 2 Chronicles 30:27 |
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Then the Levitical priests arose and blessed
the people; and their voice was heard and their prayer came to His holy dwelling
place, to heaven. |
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