The Divided Kingdom

And at the completion of the offering up bowed have the king and all those found with him, and do obeisance.

And Hezekiah the king saith, and the princes, to the Levites to give praise to Jehovah in the words of David, and of Asaph the seer, and they praise--unto joy, and they bow, and do obeisance.

And Hezekiah answereth and saith, `Now ye have filled your hand to Jehovah, come nigh, and bring in sacrifices and thank-offerings to the house of Jehovah;' and the assembly bring in sacrifices and thank-offerings, and every willing-hearted one--burnt-offerings.

And the number of the burnt-offerings that the assembly have brought in, is seventy oxen, a hundred rams, lambs two hundred; for a burnt-offering to Jehovah are all these.

And the sanctified things are oxen six hundred, and sheep three thousand.

Only, the priests have become few, and have not been able to strip the whole of the burnt-offerings, and their brethren the Levites strengthen them till the completion of the work, and till the priests sanctify themselves, for the Levites are more upright of heart to sanctify themselves than the priests.

And also, burnt-offerings are in abundance, with fat of the peace-offerings, and with oblations for the burnt-offering; and the service of the house of Jehovah is established,

and rejoice doth Hezekiah and all the people, because of God's giving preparation to the people, for the thing hath been suddenly.

And Hezekiah sendeth unto all Israel and Judah, and also letters he hath written unto Ephraim and Manasseh, to come in to the house of Jehovah in Jerusalem, to make a passover to Jehovah, God of Israel.

And the king taketh counsel, and his heads, and all the assembly in Jerusalem, to make the passover in the second month,

for they have not been able to make it at that time, for the priests have not sanctified themselves sufficiently, and the people have not been gathered to Jerusalem.

And the thing is right in the eyes of the king, and in the eyes of all the assembly,

and they establish the thing, to cause to pass over an intimation into all Israel, from Beer-Sheba even unto Dan, to come in to make a passover to Jehovah, God of Israel, in Jerusalem, for not for a long time had they done as it is written.

And the runners go with letters from the hand of the king and his heads, into all Israel and Judah, even according to the command of the king, saying, `O sons of Israel, turn back unto Jehovah, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and He doth turn back unto the escaped part that is left of you from the hand of the kings of Asshur;

and do not be like your fathers, and like your brethren, who trespassed against Jehovah, God of their fathers, and He giveth them to desolation, as ye do see.

`Now, harden not your neck like your fathers, give a hand to Jehovah, and come in to His sanctuary, that He hath sanctified to the age, and serve Jehovah your God, and the fierceness of His anger doth turn back from you;

for in your turning back unto Jehovah, your brethren and your sons have mercies before their captors, even to return to this land, for gracious and merciful is Jehovah your God, and He doth not turn aside the face from you, if ye turn back unto Him.'

And the runners are passing over from city to city, in the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, even unto Zebulun: and they are laughing at them, and mocking at them,

only, certain from Asher, and Manasseh, and from Zebulun, have been humbled, and come in to Jerusalem.

Also, in Judah hath the hand of God been to give to them one heart to do the command of the king and of the heads, in the matter of Jehovah;

and much people are gathered to Jerusalem, to make the feast of unleavened things in the second month--a mighty assembly for multitude.

And they arise and turn aside the altars that are in Jerusalem, and all the perfume altars they have turned aside, and cast them to the brook Kidron;

and they slaughter the passover-offering on the fourteenth of the second month, and the priests and the Levites have been ashamed, and sanctify themselves, and bring in burnt-offerings to the house of Jehovah.

And they stand on their station according to their ordinance; according to the law of Moses the man of God the priests are sprinkling the blood out of the hand of the Levites,

for many are in the assembly who have not sanctified themselves, and the Levites are over the slaughtering of the passover-offerings for every one not clean, to sanctify him to Jehovah: