1 Daarna het Jehisk¡a gestuur na die hele Israel en Juda, en ook briewe geskrywe aan Efraim en Manasse om te kom na die huis van die HERE in Jerusalem, om die pasga tot eer van die HERE, die God van Israel, te hou.
2 En die koning en sy owerstes en die hele vergadering het in Jerusalem besluit om die pasga in die tweede maand te hou,
3 want hulle kon dit op sy tyd nie hou nie, omdat die priesters hulle nie voldoende geheilig en die volk in Jerusalem nie saamgekom het nie.
4 En die saak was reg in die oë van die koning en in die oë van die hele vergadering.
5 En hulle het dit vasgestel om 'n oproep deur die hele Israel, van Bers,ba tot Dan, te laat gaan dat hulle moes kom om die pasga tot eer van die HERE, die God van Israel, in Jerusalem te hou; want hulle het dit nie as 'n menigte gehou soos voorgeskrywe was nie.
6 Die hardlopers gaan toe met die briewe uit die hand van die koning en sy owerstes deur die hele Israel en Juda, en volgens die gebod van die koning, om te sê: Kinders van Israel, bekeer julle tot die HERE, die God van Abraham, Isak en Israel, dat Hy Hom mag wend tot die vrygeraaktes wat vir julle oorgebly het uit die hand van die konings van Assirië.
7 En wees nie soos julle vaders en julle broers wat ontrou teen die HERE, die God van hulle vaders, gehandel het nie, sodat Hy hulle 'n voorwerp van verbasing gemaak het soos julle self sien.
8 Verhard nou nie julle nek soos julle vaders nie, gee aan die HERE die hand en kom na sy heiligdom wat Hy vir ewig geheilig het, en dien die HERE julle God, dat sy toorngloed van julle afgewend kan word.
9 Want as julle jul tot die HERE bekeer, sal julle broers en julle kinders barmhartigheid vind voor die wat hulle as gevangenes weggevoer het, sodat hulle na hierdie land kan terugkom; want die HERE julle God is genadig en barmhartig, en Hy sal die aangesig van julle nie afwend nie as julle jul tot Hom bekeer.
10 Maar toe die hardlopers van stad tot stad die land Efraim en Manasse deurgaan tot by S,bulon, het hulle hul uitgelag en met hul gespot.
11 Maar manne uit Aser en Manasse en S,bulon het hulle verootmoedig en na Jerusalem gekom.
12 Ook was die hand van God in Juda, sodat Hy hulle 'n eensgesinde hart gegee het om die gebod van die koning en van die owerstes volgens die woord van die HERE uit te voer.
13 En baie mense het in Jerusalem byeengekom om die fees van die ongesuurde brode in die tweede maand te hou, 'n baie groot vergadering.
14 En hulle het hul gereedgemaak en die altare verwyder wat in Jerusalem was; ook al die wierookaltare het hulle verwyder en in die spruit Kidron gegooi.
15 Toe het hulle die pasga geslag op die veertiende van die tweede maand; en die priesters en die Leviete het hulle geskaam en hulle geheilig en die brandoffers in die huis van die HERE gebring.
16 En hulle het op hul plek gaan staan, ooreenkomstig hulle verordening volgens die wet van Moses, die man van God, onderwyl die priesters besig was om die bloed uit te gooi wat hulle uit die hand van die Leviete geneem het;
17 want daar was baie in die vergadering wat hulle nie geheilig het nie, daarom moes die Leviete die paasoffers slag vir elkeen wat nie rein was nie, om hulle aan die HERE te heilig.
18 Want die meerderheid van die volk, 'n menigte uit Efraim en Manasse, Issaskar en S,bulon, het hulle nie gereinig nie, maar die pasga geëet soos dit nie voorgeskrywe was nie. Maar Jehisk¡a het vir hulle gebid en gesê: Mag die HERE wat goed is, versoening doen
19 vir elkeen wat sy hart daarop gerig het om God die HERE, die God van sy vaders, te soek, al was dit nie volgens die reinheid van die heiligdom nie.
20 En die HERE het Jehisk¡a verhoor en die volk genees.
21 So het dan die kinders van Israel wat in Jerusalem aanwesig was, die fees van die ongesuurde brode sewe dae lank met groot blydskap gevier, terwyl die Leviete en die priesters die HERE dag vir dag geprys het met kragtige instrumente tot eer van die HERE.
22 En Jehisk¡a het na die hart van al die Leviete gespreek wat deeglik kennis geopenbaar het in die saak van die HERE; en hulle het die feesoffer sewe dae lank geëet, terwyl hulle dankoffers geslag en die HERE, die God van hulle vaders, geloof het.
23 En toe die hele vergadering besluit om nog sewe dae fees te hou, het hulle dit met blydskap sewe dae lank gevier,
24 want Hisk¡a, die koning van Juda, het aan die vergadering duisend bulle en sewe duisend stuks kleinvee afgegee, en die owerstes het aan die vergadering duisend bulle en tien duisend stuks kleinvee afgegee; en die priesters het hulleself in menigte geheilig.
25 En die hele vergadering van Juda was bly, ook die priesters en die Leviete, en die hele vergadering van die wat uit Israel gekom het; ook die vreemdelinge wat uit die land van Israel gekom het, en die wat in Juda woonagtig was.
26 En daar was groot blydskap in Jerusalem; want sedert die dae van Salomo, die seun van Dawid, die koning van Israel, het so iets in Jerusalem nie voorgekom nie.
27 Toe staan die Levitiese priesters op en seën die volk; en hulle stem is verhoor, en hulle gebed het gekom tot in sy heilige woning, tot in die hemel.
1 Then Hezekiah sent word to all Israel and Judah, and sent letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, requesting them to come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, to keep the Passover to the Lord, the God of Israel.
2 For the king, after discussion with his chiefs and all the body of the people in Jerusalem, had made a decision to keep the Passover in the second month.
3 It was not possible to keep it at that time, because not enough priests had made themselves holy, and the people had not come together in Jerusalem.
4 And the thing was right in the eyes of the king and all the people.
5 So it was ordered that word was to be sent out through all Israel, from Beer-sheba to Dan, that they were to come to keep the Passover to the Lord, the God of Israel, at Jerusalem: because they had not kept it in great numbers in agreement with the law.
6 So runners went with letters from the king and his chiefs through all Israel and Judah, by the order of the king, saying, O children of Israel, come back again to the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, so that he may come again to that small band of you which has been kept safe out of the hands of the kings of Assyria.
7 Do not be like your fathers and your brothers, who were sinners against the Lord, the God of their fathers, so that he made them a cause of fear, as you see.
8 Now do not be hard-hearted, as your fathers were; but give yourselves to the Lord, and come into his holy place, which he has made his for ever, and be the servants of the Lord your God, so that the heat of his wrath may be turned away from you.
9 For if you come back to the Lord, those who took away your brothers and your children will have pity on them, and let them come back to this land: for the Lord your God is full of grace and mercy, and his face will not be turned away from you if you come back to him.
10 So the runners went from town to town through all the country of Ephraim and Manasseh as far as Zebulun: but they were laughed at and made sport of.
11 However, some of Asher and Manasseh and Zebulun put away their pride and came to Jerusalem.
12 And in Judah the power of God gave them one heart to do the orders of the king and the captains, which were taken as the word of the Lord.
13 So a very great number of people came together at Jerusalem to keep the feast of unleavened bread in the second month.
14 And they got to work and took away all the altars in Jerusalem, and they put all the vessels for burning perfumes into the stream Kidron.
15 Then on the fourteenth day of the second month they put the Passover lambs to death: and the priests and the Levites were shamed, and made themselves holy and took burned offerings into the house of the Lord.
16 And they took their places in their right order, as it was ordered in the law of Moses, the man of God: the priests draining out on the altar the blood given them by the Levites.
17 For there were still a number of the people there who had not made themselves holy: so the Levites had to put Passover lambs to death for those who were not clean, to make them holy to the Lord.
18 For a great number of the people from Ephraim and Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun, had not made themselves clean, but they took the Passover meal, though not in the right way. For Hezekiah had made prayer for them, saying, May the good Lord have mercy on everyone
19 Who, with all his heart, is turned to God the Lord, the God of his fathers, even if he has not been made clean after the rules of the holy place.
20 And the Lord gave ear to Hezekiah, and made the people well.
21 So the children of Israel who were present in Jerusalem kept the feast of unleavened bread for seven days with great joy: and the Levites and the priests gave praise to the Lord day by day, making melody to the Lord with loud instruments.
22 And Hezekiah said kind words to the Levites who were expert in the ordering of the worship of the Lord: so they kept the feast for seven days, offering peace-offerings and praising the Lord, the God of their fathers.
23 And by the desire of all the people, the feast went on for another seven days, and they kept the seven days with joy.
24 For Hezekiah, king of Judah, gave to the people for offerings, a thousand oxen and seven thousand sheep; and the rulers gave a thousand oxen and ten thousand sheep; and a great number of priests made themselves holy.
25 And all the people of Judah, with the priests and the Levites, and those who had come from Israel, and men from other lands who had come from Israel or who were living in Judah, were glad with great joy.
26 So there was great joy in Jerusalem: for nothing like this had been seen in Jerusalem from the time of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel.
27 Then the priests and the Levites gave the people a blessing: and the voice of their prayer went up to the holy place of God in heaven.