2 Chronicles 30: Hezekiah's Passover in the second month
A free study, verse by verse. Text: World English Bible. Notes come from the Hebrew. How to read a study
What happens?
Hezekiah sends letters and couriers through all Israel and Judah, from Beersheba to Dan, calling people to keep the Passover in Jerusalem in the second month. Some laugh at the couriers, but some men of Asher, Manasseh and Zebulun humble themselves and come, and in Judah God gives the people one heart. They remove the altars in Jerusalem, kill the Passover, and keep the feast of unleavened bread; Hezekiah prays for those who ate the Passover without being clean, Yahweh heals the people, and they keep another seven days with joy.
Who is speaking?
The narrator tells the story. No verse is in gold: God speaks no words of his own in this chapter. Verses 6 to 9 are the message the couriers carry from the king and his officials: "You children of Israel, turn again to Yahweh...". It speaks of Yahweh in the third person, so it is the king's message, not God's own words. In verses 18 and 19 Hezekiah's prayer is quoted: "May the good Yahweh pardon everyone...". Verse 20, that Yahweh listened to Hezekiah and healed the people, is the narrator's words. God's own words are printed in gold, and those verses are marked God speaks
1Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to Yahweh’s house at Jerusalem, to keep the Passover to Yahweh, the God of Israel.
In plain English: Hezekiah sent word to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to Yahweh's house at Jerusalem to keep the Passover to Yahweh, the God of Israel.
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2For the king had taken counsel with his princes and all the assembly in Jerusalem to keep the Passover in the second month.
In plain English: For the king had taken counsel with his officials and all the assembly in Jerusalem to keep the Passover in the second month.
Good to know: and say that a man who is unclean from a dead body, or is on a journey far away, shall still keep the Passover to Yahweh in the second month, on the fourteenth day at evening. This chapter gives the second month here and the fourteenth day in , and gives its own reasons in : the priests had not sanctified themselves in sufficient number, and the people had not gathered to Jerusalem. The text does not compare the two.
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3For they could not keep it at that time, because the priests had not sanctified themselves in sufficient number, and the people had not gathered themselves together to Jerusalem.
In plain English: For they could not keep it at that time, because the priests had not sanctified themselves in sufficient number, and the people had not gathered to Jerusalem.
4The thing was right in the eyes of the king and of all the assembly.
In plain English: The thing was right in the eyes of the king and of all the assembly.
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5So they established a decree to make proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba even to Dan, that they should come to keep the Passover to Yahweh, the God of Israel, at Jerusalem, for they had not kept it in great numbers in the way it is written.
In plain English: So they set a word (or: a decree) to send a proclamation through all Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, that they should come to keep the Passover to Yahweh, the God of Israel, at Jerusalem, for they had not kept it in great numbers (literally: to multitude) in the way it is written.
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6So the couriers went with the letters from the king and his princes throughout all Israel and Judah, according to the commandment of the king, saying, “You children of Israel, turn again to Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that he may return to the remnant of you that have escaped out of the hand of the kings of Assyria.
In plain English: So the couriers (literally: runners) went with the letters from the hand of the king and his officials through all Israel and Judah, and by the command of the king, saying, "You children of Israel, turn back to Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, so that he may turn back to the escaped remnant of you who are left from the hand of the kings of Assyria.
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7Don’t be like your fathers and like your brothers, who trespassed against Yahweh, the God of their fathers, so that he gave them up to desolation, as you see.
In plain English: Do not be like your fathers and your brothers, who acted unfaithfully against Yahweh, the God of their fathers, so that he made them a horror, as you see.
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8Now don’t be stiff-necked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to Yahweh, and enter into his sanctuary, which he has sanctified forever, and serve Yahweh your God, that his fierce anger may turn away from you.
In plain English: Now do not harden your neck (this Bible: be stiff-necked) like your fathers. Give a hand (this Bible: yield yourselves) to Yahweh, and come to his sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever, and serve Yahweh your God, so that the burning of his anger may turn back from you.
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9For if you turn again to Yahweh, your brothers and your children will find compassion with those who led them captive, and will come again into this land, because Yahweh your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you if you return to him.”
In plain English: For if you turn back to Yahweh, your brothers and your children will find compassion before those who hold them captive, and will return to this land. For Yahweh your God is gracious and compassionate, and he will not turn his face away from you if you turn back to him."
Good to know: "Gracious and compassionate" is the same pair of words that has, there in the other order: "merciful and gracious". The words themselves, channun and rachum, are the same in both places.
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10So the couriers passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, even to Zebulun, but people ridiculed them and mocked them.
In plain English: So the couriers passed from city to city through the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, even to Zebulun, but people laughed at them and mocked them.
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11Nevertheless some men of Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem.
In plain English: Nevertheless, some men from Asher, Manasseh and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem.
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12Also the hand of God came on Judah to give them one heart, to do the commandment of the king and of the princes by Yahweh’s word.
In plain English: The hand of God was also on Judah, to give them one heart to do what the king and the officials commanded, by the word of Yahweh.
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13Many people assembled at Jerusalem to keep the feast of unleavened bread in the second month, a very great assembly.
In plain English: Many people gathered at Jerusalem to keep the feast of unleavened bread in the second month, a very great assembly.
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14They arose and took away the altars that were in Jerusalem, and they took away all the altars for incense and threw them into the brook Kidron.
In plain English: They arose and removed the altars that were in Jerusalem, and they removed all the incense altars and threw them into the brook Kidron.
Good to know: says that Ahaz "made himself altars in every corner of Jerusalem". This verse says what the people did with the altars that were in Jerusalem. The text does not say that these are the altars Ahaz made.
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15Then they killed the Passover on the fourteenth day of the second month. The priests and the Levites were ashamed, and sanctified themselves, and brought burnt offerings into Yahweh’s house.
In plain English: Then they killed the Passover on the fourteenth day of the second month. The priests and the Levites were ashamed, and sanctified themselves, and brought burnt offerings into Yahweh's house.
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16They stood in their place after their order, according to the law of Moses the man of God. The priests sprinkled the blood which they received of the hand of the Levites.
In plain English: They stood in their place according to their custom, according to the law of Moses the man of God. The priests sprinkled the blood that they received from the hand of the Levites.
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17For there were many in the assembly who had not sanctified themselves; therefore the Levites were in charge of killing the Passovers for everyone who was not clean, to sanctify them to Yahweh.
In plain English: For there were many in the assembly who had not sanctified themselves, so the Levites were in charge of killing the Passovers for everyone who was not clean, to sanctify them to Yahweh.
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18For a multitude of the people, even many of Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover other than the way it is written. For Hezekiah had prayed for them, saying, “May the good Yahweh pardon everyone
In plain English: For the greater part of the people, many from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover not as it is written. For Hezekiah had prayed for them, saying, "May the good Yahweh pardon (or: make atonement for) everyone
The Hebrew word: "Pardon" is kaphar, which the dictionary gives as "to cover (specifically with bitumen); figuratively, to expiate or condone, to placate or cancel". It is the same word that this Bible translates "atonement" in .
How it is translated: This Bible says "atone" or a longer form for this word in 77 of the 94 verses that use it, and "pardon" in only 1 of them: this verse.
What changes: Read as "pardon", Hezekiah asks Yahweh to forgive them. Read as "make atonement", he asks that atonement be made for them. The text does not say which.
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19who sets his heart to seek God, Yahweh, the God of his fathers, even if they aren’t clean according to the purification of the sanctuary.”
In plain English: who sets his heart to seek God, Yahweh, the God of his fathers, even if they are not clean according to the purification of the holy place."
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20Yahweh listened to Hezekiah, and healed the people.
In plain English: Yahweh listened to Hezekiah and healed the people.
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21The children of Israel who were present at Jerusalem kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with great gladness. The Levites and the priests praised Yahweh day by day, singing with loud instruments to Yahweh.
In plain English: The people of Israel who were in Jerusalem kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with great joy. The Levites and the priests praised Yahweh day by day, with instruments of strength (this Bible: loud instruments) to Yahweh.
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22Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all the Levites who had good understanding in the service of Yahweh. So they ate throughout the feast for the seven days, offering sacrifices of peace offerings and making confession to Yahweh, the God of their fathers.
In plain English: Hezekiah spoke to the heart of (this Bible: spoke encouragingly to) all the Levites who had good understanding of the service of Yahweh. So they ate the appointed feast for the seven days, sacrificing peace offerings and making confession (or: giving thanks) to Yahweh, the God of their fathers.
The Hebrew word: "Making confession" is yadah, which the dictionary gives as "physically, to throw (a stone, an arrow) at or away; especially to revere or worship (with extended hands); intensively, to bemoan (by wringing the hands)". The word-by-word meaning given for it in this verse is "giving thanks".
How it is translated: Of the 111 verses that use this word, this Bible says "thank" or a longer form in 67, "praise" in 51, and "confess" in 17, and some verses use more than one of these.
What changes: Read as "making confession", they spoke out before Yahweh what they confessed. Read as "giving thanks", they thanked him. The text does not say which.
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23The whole assembly took counsel to keep another seven days, and they kept another seven days with gladness.
In plain English: The whole assembly took counsel to keep another seven days, and they kept another seven days with joy.
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24For Hezekiah king of Judah gave to the assembly for offerings one thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep; and the princes gave to the assembly a thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep; and a great number of priests sanctified themselves.
In plain English: For Hezekiah king of Judah gave to the assembly one thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep, and the officials gave to the assembly one thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep. A great number of priests sanctified themselves.
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25All the assembly of Judah, with the priests and the Levites, and all the assembly who came out of Israel, and the foreigners who came out of the land of Israel and who lived in Judah, rejoiced.
In plain English: All the assembly of Judah rejoiced, with the priests and the Levites, and all the assembly that came from Israel, and the foreigners who came from the land of Israel and who lived in Judah.
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26So there was great joy in Jerusalem; for since the time of Solomon the son of David king of Israel there was nothing like this in Jerusalem.
In plain English: So there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the days of Solomon the son of David king of Israel there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem.
Good to know: says that Solomon held the feast for seven days, "a very great assembly". This verse says that since the days of Solomon there was nothing like this in Jerusalem. Of Josiah's Passover, says there was none like it "from the days of Samuel the prophet", and says none "from the days of the judges". The text does not bring these together.
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27Then the Levitical priests arose and blessed the people. Their voice was heard, and their prayer came up to his holy habitation, even to heaven.
In plain English: Then the priests, the Levites (this Bible: the Levitical priests), arose and blessed the people. Their voice was heard, and their prayer came up to his holy dwelling, to heaven.
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