2 Chronicles 30 1-2 Chronicles 30 27
Hezekiah sent messages throughout Israel and Judah; he even wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, summoning them to come to the LORD’s temple in Jerusalem and observe a Passover celebration for the LORD God of Israel.The king, his officials, and the entire assembly in Jerusalem decided to observe the Passover in the second month.They were unable to observe it at the regular time because not enough priests had consecrated themselves and the people had not assembled in Jerusalem.The proposal seemed appropriate to the king and the entire assembly.So they sent an edict throughout Israel from Beer Sheba to Dan, summoning the people to come and observe a Passover for the LORD God of Israel in Jerusalem, for they had not observed it on a nationwide scale as prescribed in the law.Messengers delivered the letters from the king and his officials throughout Israel and Judah. This royal edict read:“ O Israelites, return to the LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, so he may return to you who have been spared from the kings of Assyria.Don’t be like your fathers and brothers who were unfaithful to the LORD God of their ancestors, provoking him to destroy them, as you can see.Now, don’t be stubborn like your fathers! Submit to the LORD and come to his sanctuary which he has permanently consecrated. Serve the LORD your God so that he might relent from his raging anger.For if you return to the LORD, your brothers and sons will be shown mercy by their captors and return to this land. The LORD your God is merciful and compassionate; he will not reject you if you return to him.”The messengers journeyed from city to city through the land of Ephraim and Manasseh as far as Zebulun, but people mocked and ridiculed them.But some men from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem.In Judah God moved the people to unite and carry out the edict the king and the officers had issued at the LORD’s command.A huge crowd assembled in Jerusalem to observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the second month.They removed the altars in Jerusalem; they also removed all the incense altars and threw them into the Kidron Valley.They slaughtered the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the second month. The priests and Levites were ashamed, so they consecrated themselves and brought burnt sacrifices to the LORD’s temple.They stood at their posts according to the regulations outlined in the law of Moses, the man of God. The priests were splashing the blood as the Levites handed it to them.Because many in the assembly had not consecrated themselves, the Levites slaughtered the Passover lambs of all who were ceremonially unclean and could not consecrate their sacrifice to the LORD.The majority of the many people from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun were ceremonially unclean, yet they ate the Passover in violation of what is prescribed in the law. For Hezekiah prayed for them, saying:“ May the LORD, who is good, forgiveeveryone who has determined to follow God, the LORD God of his ancestors, even if he is not ceremonially clean according to the standards of the temple.”The LORD responded favorably to Hezekiah and forgave the people.The Israelites who were in Jerusalem observed the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days with great joy. The Levites and priests were praising the LORD every day with all their might.Hezekiah expressed his appreciation to all the Levites, who demonstrated great skill in serving the LORD. They feasted for the seven days of the festival, and were making peace offerings and giving thanks to the LORD God of their ancestors.The entire assembly then decided to celebrate for seven more days; so they joyfully celebrated for seven more days.King Hezekiah of Judah supplied 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep for the assembly, while the officials supplied them with 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep. Many priests consecrated themselves.The celebration included the entire assembly of Judah, the priests, the Levites, the entire assembly of those who came from Israel, the resident foreigners who came from the land of Israel, and the residents of Judah.There was a great celebration in Jerusalem, unlike anything that had occurred in Jerusalem since the time of King Solomon son of David of Israel.The priests and Levites got up and pronounced blessings on the people. The LORD responded favorably to them as their prayers reached his holy dwelling place in heaven.
Exodus 12:6-36
You must care for it until the fourteenth day of this month, and then the whole community of Israel will kill it around sundown.They will take some of the blood and put it on the two side posts and top of the doorframe of the houses where they will eat it.They will eat the meat the same night; they will eat it roasted over the fire with bread made without yeast and with bitter herbs.Do not eat it raw or boiled in water, but roast it over the fire with its head, its legs, and its entrails.You must leave nothing until morning, but you must burn with fire whatever remains of it until morning.This is how you are to eat it– dressed to travel, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. You are to eat it in haste. It is the LORD’S Passover.I will pass through the land of Egypt in the same night, and I will attack all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both of humans and of animals, and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment. I am the LORD.The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, so that when I see the blood I will pass over you, and this plague will not fall on you to destroy you when I attack the land of Egypt.This day will become a memorial for you, and you will celebrate it as a festival to the LORD– you will celebrate it perpetually as a lasting ordinance.For seven days you must eat bread made without yeast. Surely on the first day you must put away yeast from your houses because anyone who eats bread made with yeast from the first day to the seventh day will be cut off from Israel.On the first day there will be a holy convocation, and on the seventh day there will be a holy convocation for you. You must do no work of any kind on them, only what every person will eat– that alone may be prepared for you.So you will keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because on this very day I brought your regiments out from the land of Egypt, and so you must keep this day perpetually as a lasting ordinance.In the first month, from the fourteenth day of the month, in the evening, you will eat bread made without yeast until the twenty-first day of the month in the evening.For seven days yeast must not be found in your houses, for whoever eats what is made with yeast– that person will be cut off from the community of Israel, whether a foreigner or one born in the land.You will not eat anything made with yeast; in all the places where you live you must eat bread made without yeast.’”Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel, and told them,“ Go and select for yourselves a lamb or young goat for your families, and kill the Passover animals.Take a branch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and apply to the top of the doorframe and the two side posts some of the blood that is in the basin. Not one of you is to go out the door of his house until morning.For the LORD will pass through to strike Egypt, and when he sees the blood on the top of the doorframe and the two side posts, then the LORD will pass over the door, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you.You must observe this event as an ordinance for you and for your children forever.When you enter the land that the LORD will give to you, just as he said, you must observe this ceremony.When your children ask you,‘ What does this ceremony mean to you?’–then you will say,‘ It is the sacrifice of the LORD’s Passover, when he passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt, when he struck Egypt and delivered our households.’” The people bowed down low to the ground,and the Israelites went away and did exactly as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron.It happened at midnight– the LORD attacked all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the prison, and all the firstborn of the cattle.Pharaoh got up in the night, along with all his servants and all Egypt, and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was no house in which there was not someone dead.Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron in the night and said,“ Get up, get out from among my people, both you and the Israelites! Go, serve the LORD as you have requested!Also, take your flocks and your herds, just as you have requested, and leave. But bless me also.”The Egyptians were urging the people on, in order to send them out of the land quickly, for they were saying,“ We are all dead!”So the people took their dough before the yeast was added, with their kneading troughs bound up in their clothing on their shoulders.Now the Israelites had done as Moses told them– they had requested from the Egyptians silver and gold items and clothing.The LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, and they gave them whatever they wanted, and so they plundered Egypt.
