1 And Hezekiah sent to all Israel and to Judah, and he wrote epistles to Ephraim and to Manasseh, that they should come into the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, and make pask to the Lord God of Israel.

2 Therefore when counsel was taken of the king, and of [the] princes, and of all the company of Jerusalem, they deemed, or purposed, to make pask in the second month.

3 For they deemed not to be able to do this in his time, that is, the first month; for the priests which might suffice thereto were not yet hallowed, and the people was not yet gathered into Jerusalem.

4 And the word pleased the king, and all the multitude.

5 And they deemed to send mes-sengers into all Israel, from Beersheba unto Dan, that they should come, and make pask to the Lord God of Israel in Jerusalem; for many men had not done it, as it is before-written in the law.

6 And couriers went forth with epistles, by [the] commandment of the king and of his princes, into all Israel and Judah, and preached by that, that the king had commanded, Sons of Israel, turn ye again to the Lord God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Israel; and he shall turn again to the remnant of men, that escaped the hands of the kings of Assyrians.

7 Do not ye be made as your fathers and your brethren, which went away from the Lord God of their fathers; and he gave them into perishing, as ye see.

8 Do not ye make hard your nolls, as your fathers did; give ye your hands to the Lord in promising that ye shall serve him faithfully, and come ye to his saintuary, which he hath hallowed without end; serve ye the Lord God of your fathers, and the wrath of his strong vengeance shall turn away from you.

9 For if ye turn again to the Lord, your brethren and your sons shall have mercy before their lords that led them prisoners; and they shall turn again into this land. For the Lord our God is pious, either benign, and merci-ful; and he will not turn away his face from you, if ye turn again to him.

10 Therefore the couriers went swiftly from city into city through the land of Ephraim and Manasseh unto Zebulun, while they scorned and bemocked them.

11 Nevertheless some men of Asher, and of Manasseh, and of Zebulun, assented to the counsel, and came into Jerusalem.

12 Forsooth the hand of the Lord was made in Judah, that he gave to them one heart, and that they did the word of the Lord, by the command-ment of the king and of the princes.

13 And many peoples were gathered into Jerusalem, for to make the solem-nity of therf loaves in the second month.

14 And they rose, and destroyed the altars, that were in Jerusalem; and destroyed all things in which incense was burnt to idols, they casted them forth into the strand [or stream] of Kidron.

15 And they offered pask in the fourteenth day of the second month; also the priests and the deacons [or Levites] were hallowed at the last, and offered burnt sacrifices in the house of the Lord.

16 And they stood in their order, by the ordinance and law of Moses, the man of God. Soothly the priests took of the hands of deacons [or Levites] the blood to be shed out,

17 for much of the company was not hallowed; and therefore the deacons [or Levites] offered pask for them, that might not be hallowed to the Lord.

18 Also a great part of the people of Ephraim, and of Manasseh, and of Issachar, and of Zebulun, that was not hallowed, ate pask not by that that is written. And Hezekiah prayed for them, and said, The good Lord shall do mercy to all men,

19 which seek in all their heart the Lord God of their fathers; and it shall not be areckoned to them into sin, that they be not hallowed by offering of gifts.

20 And the Lord heard him, and was pleased to the people.

21 And the sons of Israel, that were found in Jerusalem, made the solemnity of therf loaves seven days in great gladness, and they praised the Lord by each day; and the deacons [or Levites] and [the] priests praised the Lord by organs, which accorded to their office.

22 And Hezekiah spake to the heart of all the deacons [or Levites], that had good understanding of the Lord; and they ate by seven days of the solemnity, offering sacrifices of peace-able things, and praising the Lord God of their fathers.

23 And it pleased all the multitude to hallow also other seven days; which thing also they did with great joy.

24 Forsooth Hezekiah, king of Judah, gave to the multitude a thousand bulls, and seven thousand of sheep; and the princes gave to the people a thousand bulls, and ten thousand sheep. There-fore a full great multitude of priests was hallowed* That is, ordained to kill and offer to the Lord these beasts.;

25 and all the company of Judah was filled with gladness, as well of priests and deacons [or Levites], as of all the multitude that came from Israel, and of [the] converts of the land of Israel, and of [the] dwellers in Judah.

26 And great solemnity was made in Jerusalem, what manner was not in that city from the days of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel.

27 And [the] priests and deacons [or Levites] rose up, and blessed the people; and the voice of them was heard, and their prayer came into the holy dwelling place of heaven.