1 Also, Hezekiah sent to all of Israel and Judah. And he wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, so that they would come to the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, and so that they would keep the Passover to the Lord, the God of Israel.
2 Therefore, having taken counsel, the king and the rulers, and the entire assembly of Jerusalem, resolved that they would keep the Passover, in the second month.
3 For they had not been able to keep it at its proper time. For the priests, who were unable to suffice, had not been sanctified. And the people had not yet been gathered together in Jerusalem.
4 And the word was pleasing to the king, and to the entire multitude.
5 And they resolved that they would send messengers to all of Israel, from Beersheba even to Dan, so that they might come and keep the Passover to the Lord, the God of Israel, at Jerusalem. For many had not kept it, just as it was prescribed by the law.
6 And carriers traveled with the letters, by order of the king and his rulers, to all of Israel and Judah, proclaiming, in accord with what the king had ordered: “O sons of Israel, return to the Lord, the God of Abraham, and Isaac, and Israel. And he will return to the remnant who escaped from the hand of the king of the Assyrians.
7 Do not choose to be like your fathers and brothers, who withdrew from the Lord, the God of their fathers. And so he delivered them over to destruction, as you yourselves discern.
8 Do not choose to harden your necks, as your fathers did. Surrender to the hands of the Lord. And go to his Sanctuary, which he has sanctified unto eternity. Serve the Lord, the God of your fathers, and the fury of his wrath will be turned away from you.
9 For if you will return to the Lord, your brothers and sons will find mercy before their masters, who led them away as captives, and they will be returned to this land. For the Lord your God is compassionate and lenient, and he will not avert his face from you, if you will return to him.”
10 And so, the carriers were traveling quickly from city to city, throughout the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, as far as Zebulun, though they were ridiculing and mocking them.
11 Even so, certain men from Asher, and from Manasseh, and from Zebulun, acquiescing to this counsel, went to Jerusalem.
12 Truly, the hand of God was working in Judah, to give them one heart, so that they would accomplish the word of the Lord, according to the precept of the king and of the rulers.
13 And many people gathered together in Jerusalem, so that they could keep the solemnity of unleavened bread, in the second month.
14 And rising up, they destroyed the altars which were in Jerusalem, and all the things in which incense was burned to idols. Overturning these things, they cast them into the torrent Kidron.
15 Then they immolated the Passover on the fourteenth day of the second month. Also, the priests and Levites, at length having been sanctified, offered the holocausts in the house of the Lord.
16 And they stood in their order, according to the disposition and law of Moses, the man of God. Yet truly, the priests took up the blood, which was to be poured out, from the hands of the Levites,
17 because a great number were not sanctified. And therefore, the Levites immolated the Passover for those who had not been sanctified to the Lord in time.
18 And now a great portion of the people from Ephraim, and Manasseh, and Issachar, and Zebulun, who had not been sanctified, ate the Passover, which is not in accord with what was written. And Hezekiah prayed for them, saying: “The good Lord will be forgiving
19 to all who, with their whole heart, seek the Lord, the God of their fathers. And he will not impute it to them, though they have not been sanctified.”
20 And the Lord heeded him, and was reconciled to the people.
21 And the sons of Israel who were found at Jerusalem kept the solemnity of unleavened bread for seven days with great rejoicing, praising the Lord throughout each day, with the Levites and the priests, accompanied by the musical instruments corresponding to their office.
22 And Hezekiah spoke to the heart of all the Levites, who had a good understanding concerning the Lord. And they ate during the seven days of the solemnity, immolating victims of peace offerings, and praising the Lord, the God of their fathers.
23 And it pleased the entire multitude that they should celebrate, even for another seven days. And they did this with enormous gladness.
24 For Hezekiah, the king of Judah, had offered to the multitude one thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep. Truly, the rulers had given the people one thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep. Then a great mulititude of priests was sanctified.
25 And the whole multitude of Judah, as much the priests and Levites as the entire crowd that had arrived from Israel, and also the converts from the land of Israel, and those with a habitation in Judah, was overflowing with cheerfulness.
26 And there was a great celebration in Jerusalem, to such an extent as had not been in that city since the days of Solomon, the son of David, the king of Israel.
27 Then the priests and Levites rose up and blessed the people. And their voice was heeded. And their prayer reached the holy habitation of heaven.
Versículos relacionados com 2 Chronicles, 30:
2 Chronicles 30 tells the story of Hezekiah, king of Judah, calling the people to celebrate the Easter in the temple of Jerusalem. Hezekiah acknowledged that the people had moved away from God's ways and decided to renew Judah's commitment to the Lord. He sent messengers across the country, inviting the Israelites to join him at the Easter celebration in Jerusalem. Here are five verses related to the themes of this chapter:
Exodus 12:14: "This day shall be a memorial to you who shall celebrate as a solemn feast to the Lord; from generation to generation you will celebrate it by perpetual status." This verse talks about the celebration of Easter, which was a liberation memorial that God gave to the Israelites of slavery in Egypt. Easter was an important celebration for God's people, and Hezekiah wanted to renew his observance.
Deuteronomy 30:2: "And thou shalt return to the Lord thy God, and thou shalt hear to his voice according to all that I command you today, thou and thy children, with all thy heart and with all thy soul." This verse talks about repentance and the return to God, which was the goal of Hezekiah in convening the people to celebrate Easter. He wanted the people of Judah to renew his commitment to God and to turn to him with all his heart.
2 Chronicles 15:12-13: "And they have entered an agreement to seek the Lord God of their parents, all His heart and all His soul. from the little one to the big, both men and women. " This verse talks about the importance of seeking God with all his heart, which was exactly what Hezekiah was asking the people of Judah to celebrate Easter.
Psalm 34:18: "Near the Lord of those who have a broken heart and save the contrite of spirit." This verse talks about God's merciful nature to those who repent and have a broken heart before Him. Hezekiah knew that Judah's only way to reconcile with God was through repentance and humility.
Isaiah 55:6: "Seek the Lord as long as one can find, invoke it while it is near." This verse talks about the need to seek God while He can be found. Hezekiah knew that the opportunity to repent and turn to God could be lost if the people of Judah did not respond to their invitation to celebrate Easter. He wanted the people to seek God while there was still time.
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