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Hezekiah and all Israel Celebrate Pesach
30 Hezekiah then sent word to all Israel and Judah, and also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh to come to the House of Adonai at Jerusalem to keep the Passover for Adonai, the God of Israel. 2 The king and his officials and the entire congregation in Jerusalem had decided to celebrate Passover in the second month. 3 For they were not able to celebrate it at the regular time, since not enough kohanim had consecrated themselves, nor had the people assembled in Jerusalem. 4 The matter seemed right in the eyes of the king and of the entire community. 5 So they decided to issue a decree and to proclaim it throughout all Israel from Beer-sheba to Dan, calling the people to come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover for Adonai, the God of Israel. For it had not been celebrated as prescribed for a long time.
6 At the king’s command, the couriers went throughout all Israel and Judah with letters from the king and his officials saying:
“You men of Israel, turn back to Adonai, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, and He will return to the remnant of you who escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria. 7 Do not be like your fathers and brothers who acted unfaithfully against Adonai, the God of their fathers, so that He made them a horror as you see. 8 Do not stiffen your neck as your fathers did, but reconcile to Adonai, and come to His Temple, which He has consecrated forever, and worship Adonai your God that His burning anger may turn away from you. 9 For if you return to Adonai, your brothers and children will receive compassion before their captors, and will return to this land. For Adonai your God is compassionate and merciful; He will not turn His face away from you if you return to Him.”
10 As the couriers traveled from town to town through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh and as far as Zebulun, they were scorned and mocked. 11 Nevertheless some men from Asher, Manasseh and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. 12 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 Adonai.
13 Now a very large assembly gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Matzot in the second month. 14 They arose and removed the altars and all the incense altars that were in Jerusalem, and threw them into the Kidron Valley. 15 Then they slaughtered the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the second month. The kohanim and the Levites were ashamed and consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings into the House of Adonai. 16 They stood at their post as prescribed in the Torah of Moses, the man of God. The kohanim sprinkled the blood that they received from the hand of the Levites. 17 For there were many in the congregation that had not concecrated themselves, therefore the Levites were in charge of slaughtering the Passover lambs for everyone that was not ceremonially clean in order to concecrate them to Adonai. 18 Although a great multitude of the people—many of them from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun—had not purified themselves, they still ate the Passover lamb contrary to what is written.
But Hezekiah prayed for them saying: “May Adonai who is good, atone for 19 every one who prepares his heart to seek Adonai, the God of his fathers, even though he is not pure according to rules of the sanctuary.” 20 Adonai heard Hezekiah and healed the people.
21 So the children of Israel who were present in Jerusalem celebrated the Feast of Matzot for seven days with great gladness. The Levites and the kohanim were praising Adonai every day with loud instruments for Adonai. 22 Then Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all the Levites who demonstrated good understanding of the service of Adonai. For seven days they ate their assigned portions while sacrificing peace offerings and praising Adonai, the God of their fathers.
23 Then the whole congregation decided to celebrate seven more days—so for another seven days they celebrated with gladness. 24 Hezekiah king of Judah contributed 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep to the congregation, and the officials contributed 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep to the congregation, and great numbers of kohanim consecrated themselves. 25 The entire assembly of Judah rejoiced with the kohanim and the Levites, and all who had assembled from Israel, both the strangers coming from the land of Israel and the residents of Judah. 26 There was great joy in Jerusalem, for nothing like this had happened in Jerusalem since the time of Solomon son of David king of Israel. 27 Then the Levitical kohanim arose and blessed the people, and Adonai heard their voice, for their prayer reached heaven, His holy dwelling place.
Restoring the Kohanim and Levites
31 When all this was finished, all Israel who were present went out to the towns of Judah and smashed the pillars, smashed the Asherah poles and demolished the high places and the altars throughout all Judah and Benjamin, as well as throughout Ephraim and Manasseh, until they had destroyed them all. Then all Bnei-Yisrael returned to their towns, each to their own property.
2 Then Hezekiah reestablished the divisions of the kohanim and the Levites together with their divisions, each of the kohanim and Levites according to his service: for burnt offerings, peace offerings, to minister, to praise, or to sing praises in the gates of the courts of Adonai. [a] 3 The king also contributed a portion of his own assets for the burnt offerings: the morning and the evening burnt offerings and the burnt offerings for Shabbatot, the New Moons and the moadim, as it is written in the Torah of Adonai. 4 Moreover, he commanded the people, the residents of Jerusalem, to give the portion allotted to the kohanim and the Levites, so that they might devote themselves to the Torah of Adonai. 5 As soon as the word spread, Bnei-Yisrael gave generously the firstfruits of their grain, wine, oil, honey and all the produce of the field, as well as tithe of all the abundance. 6 The children of Israel and Judah who lived in the towns of Judah, also brought in the tithe of bulls and sheep, and the tithe of the sacred things consecrated to Adonai their God. They piled them in heaps. 7 In the third month the heaps began to accumulate and finished in the seventh month. 8 When Hezekiah and the officials came and saw the heaps, they blessed Adonai and His people Israel.
9 Hezekiah asked the kohanim and the Levites about the heaps. 10 Azariah the chief kohen from the house of Zadok, replied to him saying, “Ever since the gifts began to be brought into the House of Adonai, we have had enough to eat and more than enough, for Adonai has blessed His people with plenty left over.”
11 Then Hezekiah ordered them to prepare storerooms in the House of Adonai, and they prepared them. 12 They faithfully brought in the offerings and the tithes and the consecrated gifts. Conaniah the Levite was the leader in charge over them and Shimei his brother was next in rank. 13 Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismachiah, Mahath and Benaiah were supervisors under Conaniah and Shimei his brother, by the appointment of Hezekiah the king and Azariah the leader in charge of the House of God. 14 Kore the son of Imnah the Levite, keeper of the East Gate, was over the freewill offerings of God, distributing the offering of Adonai and the consecrated gifts. 15 Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah and Shecaniah faithfully assisted him in the towns of the kohanim, making allocations to their brothers by divisions—to great and little alike, 16 only considering genealogical records, to the males three years old and upward—to all who entered into the House of Adonai, to perform the daily duties according to their responsibilities and their divisions— 17 to the kohanim who were genealogically registered by their ancestral houses, as well as to the Levites 20 years old and upward, according to their duties and their divisions. 18 The genealogical registry included all their little ones, their wives and sons and daughters of the entire assembly. Thus in their faithfulness they consecrated themselves as holy.
19 As for the sons of Aaron, the kohanim, who lived in the fields of the common lands of their towns—in every town—men were designated by name to distribute portions to all the males among the kohanim and to all who were genealogically registered among the Levites. 20 Thus Hezekiah did throughout all Judah. He did what was good, right and true before Adonai his God. 21 Every work he undertook in the service of the House of God and in the Torah and the mitzvot to seek his God, he did wholeheartedly and succeeded.
15 Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of the powerless and not just please ourselves. 2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, for building him up. 3 For even Messiah did not please Himself, but as it is written, “The insults of those who insulted You have fallen on Me.” [a] 4 For whatever was written before was written for our instruction, so that through patience and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. [b] 5 Now may the God of patience and encouragement grant you to be like-minded with one another in the manner of Messiah Yeshua, 6 so that together with one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah.
Salvation for Gentiles Too
7 Therefore accept one another just as Messiah also accepted you, to the glory of God. 8 For I declare that Messiah has become a servant to the circumcised for the sake of God’s truth, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs 9 and for the Gentiles to glorify God for His mercy. As it is written,
“For this reason I will give You praise among the Gentiles,
and I will sing to Your name.”[c]
10 And again it says,
“Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people.”[d]
11 And again,
“Praise Adonai all you Gentiles,
and let all the peoples praise Him.”[e]
12 And again, Isaiah says,
“There shall be a shoot of Jesse;
and the One who arises to rule the Gentiles,
in Him shall the Gentiles hope.”[f]
13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and shalom in trusting, so you may overflow with hope in the power of the Ruach ha-Kodesh.
14 Now I myself am convinced about you, my brothers and sisters, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and also able to counsel one another. 15 But I have written rather boldly to you on some points as a reminder—because of the grace given to me by God 16 to be a servant of Messiah Yeshua to the Gentiles, in priestly service to the Good News of God—so that the offering up of the Gentiles might be pleasing,[g] made holy by the Ruach ha-Kodesh.
17 So in Messiah Yeshua, I have reason to boast before God. 18 For I will not dare to speak of anything except what Messiah accomplished through me, to bring about the obedience of the Gentiles by word and deed, 19 in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Spirit of God. So from Jerusalem and around even to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the Good News of Messiah. 20 In this way I make it my aim to proclaim the Good News not where Messiah was already named, lest I build on another person’s foundation, 21 but as it is written,
“Those who have never been told shall see,
and those who have not heard shall understand.”[h]
Going to the Ends of the Earth
22 For this reason I was often hindered from coming to you.
Teach Me Your Paths
Psalm 25
1 Of David.
To You, Adonai, I lift up my soul.
2 O my God, in You I trust,
so I will not be ashamed,
and my enemies will not gloat over me.
3 Surely no one who waits for You will be ashamed.
But the treacherous without cause will be ashamed.
4 Show me Your ways, Adonai.
Teach me Your paths.
5 Guide me in Your truth, and teach me,
for You are God, my salvation,
for You I wait all day.
6 Remember, Adonai,
Your compassions and Your mercies—
for they are from eternity.
7 Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my rebellion.
According to Your mercy remember me,
for the sake of Your goodness, Adonai.
8 Good and upright is Adonai.
Therefore He directs sinners in the way.
9 He guides the humble in what is right,
and teaches the humble His way.
10 All Adonai’s ways are lovingkindness
and truth
to those who keep His covenant and His testimonies.
11 For Your Name’s sake, Adonai,
pardon my guilt, for it is great.
12 Who is this man who fears Adonai?
He will instruct him in the way he should choose.
13 His soul abides in goodness,
and his offspring will inherit the land.
14 The secret of Adonai is for those who fear Him.
He makes His covenant known to them.
15 My eyes are always looking to Adonai,
for He will pull my feet out of the net.
13 Do not love sleep, lest you become poor.
Open your eyes, and you will be satisfied with food.
Adonai’s Lamp Searches
14 “It’s bad, bad!” says the buyer,
but then he goes away and boasts.
15 There is gold and abundance of rubies,
but lips that speak knowledge are precious.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.