Pashas svētku svinēšana
1 Hizkija izziņoja visā Israēlā un Jūdā un rakstīja vēstules arī Efraimam un Manasem, lai nāk uz Kunga namu Jeruzālemē svinēt Kunga, Israēla Dieva, Pashas svētkus. 2 Ķēniņš ar saviem augstmaņiem un visu sapulci bija nosprieduši Pashas svētkus svinēt Jeruzālemē otrajā mēnesī. 3 Tie nebija paspējuši nosvinēt īstajā laikā, jo priesteri nebija līdz galam svētījušies, bet ļaudis vēl nebija sapulcējušies Jeruzālemē. 4 Ķēniņam un visai sapulcei šāds nodoms likās pareizs. 5 Tā viņi nolēma izsludināt visā Israēlā no Bēršebas līdz Dānam, lai visi nāk uz Jeruzālemi svinēt Kunga Pashas svētkus, jo tie vēl nekad nebija svinēti tik lielā skaitā, kā noteikts.
6 Skrējēji iznēsāja ķēniņa un augstmaņu vēstules visā Israēlā un Jūdā. Ķēniņš pavēlēja: “Israēla dēli, atgriezieties pie Kunga, Ābrahāma, Īzaka un Israēla Dieva, tad arī viņš atgriezīsies pie tiem, kas atlikuši, paglābušies no Asīrijas ķēniņa rokas. 7 Neesiet kā jūsu tēvi un brāļi, kas bija neuzticīgi Kungam, savu tēvu Dievam, – tagad jūs redzat, ka viņš tos nodeva postam. 8 Neesiet tik stūrgalvīgi kā jūsu tēvi, sniedziet roku Kungam, nāciet viņa svētumā – viņa svētums ir mūžīgs! – kalpojiet Kungam, savam Dievam, tad jūs novērsīsiet viņa kvēlās dusmas. 9 Ja jūs atgriezīsieties pie Kunga, tad gūstītāji būs līdzjūtīgi pret jūsu brāļiem un jūsu dēliem un tie varēs atgriezties šajā zemē, jo Kungs, jūsu Dievs, ir žēlīgs un līdzcietīgs, viņš jūs neatstums, ja jūs atgriezīsieties pie viņa!”
10 Skrējēji devās no pilsētas uz pilsētu pa Efraima un Manases zemi līdz pat Zebulūnam, bet viņus izsmēja un par viņiem ņirgājās, 11 un tikai daži vīri no Ašēra, Manases un Zebulūna bija pazemīgi un atnāca uz Jeruzālemi. 12 Bet pār Jūdu bija Dieva roka, viņš tiem deva vienprātību, un tie darīja, ko ķēniņš un augstmaņi bija pavēlējuši Kunga vārdā! 13 Jeruzālemē sapulcējās daudz ļaužu, lai otrajā mēnesī svinētu Neraudzētās maizes svētkus, – varen liels pulks! 14 Tie cēlās un nojauca altārus Jeruzālemē, aizvāca visus kvēpināmos un nometa tos Kidronas ielejā. 15 Otrā mēneša četrpadsmitajā dienā tie kāva jērus Pashas svētkiem. Priesteri un levīti tagad pratās kaunu, svētījās un pienesa sadedzināmo upuri Kunga namā, 16 nostājušies katrs savā noteiktajā vietā pēc Mozus, Dieva vīra, bauslības. Levīti upurēja un priesteri slacīja asinis, 17 jo daudzi no sapulces nebija šķīstījušies. Levīti kāva Pashas jērus visiem, kas nebija šķīsti, lai arī tie būtu svētīti Kungam. 18 Liels skaits ļaužu – daudzi no Efraima, Manases, Jisašhara un Zebulūna – nebija šķīstījušies, kā noteikts, kad ēda Pashas jēru. Hizkija lūdza par tiem: “Labais Kungs, piedod ikvienam, 19 kura sirds tiecas pēc Dieva Kunga, viņu tēvu Dieva, kaut arī tie nav šķīstījušies svētumā!” 20 Kungs uzklausīja Hizkiju un dziedināja ļaudis.
21 Israēla dēli Jeruzālemē septiņas dienas svinēja Neraudzētās maizes svētkus ar lielu prieku, slavēdami Kungu! Dienu no dienas levīti un priesteri no visa spēka spēlēja Kungam! 22 Hizkija runāja laipni ar visiem levītiem, kas bija mācīti un zinīgi Kunga lietās. Septiņas svētku dienas viņi ēda kaujamos upurus, miera upurus un pateicības upurus Kungam, savu tēvu Dievam.
23 Tad visa sapulce kopā nosprieda svinēt vēl septiņas dienas. Un tie ar prieku svinēja vēl septiņas dienas. 24 Jūdas ķēniņš Hizkija atvēlēja sapulcētajiem tūkstoti vēršu un septiņus tūkstošus avju, arī augstmaņi atvēlēja sapulcētajiem tūkstoti vēršu un desmit tūkstošus avju. Un daudzi priesteri svētījās. 25 Priecājās visa Jūdas sapulce – gan priesteri, gan levīti, gan visi, kas bija sanākuši no Israēla, tāpat arī svešinieki, kas bija nākuši no Israēla un dzīvoja Jūdā. 26 Tik liels prieks kā toreiz Jeruzālemē nav bijis kopš Israēla ķēniņa Sālamana, Dāvida dēla, laikiem!
27 Tad priesteri un levīti cēlās un svētīja ļaudis – Dievs uzklausīja viņu balsi no debesīm, sava svētā mājokļa!
Preparations for Passover
1-3 The people had not been able to celebrate the Passover Festival at the proper time in the first month, because not enough priests were ritually clean and not many people had assembled in Jerusalem. So King Hezekiah, his officials, and the people of Jerusalem agreed to celebrate it in the second month, and the king sent word to all the people of Israel and Judah. He took special care to send letters to the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, inviting them to come to the Temple in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover in honor of the Lord, the God of Israel. 4 The king and the people were pleased with their plan, 5 so they invited all the Israelites, from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, to come together in Jerusalem and celebrate the Passover according to the Law, in larger numbers than ever before. 6 Messengers went out at the command of the king and his officials through all Judah and Israel with the following invitation:
“People of Israel, you have survived the Assyrian conquest of the land. Now return to the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and he will return to you. 7 Do not be like your ancestors and your Israelite relatives who were unfaithful to the Lord their God. As you can see, he punished them severely. 8 Do not be stubborn as they were, but obey the Lord. Come to the Temple in Jerusalem, which the Lord your God has made holy forever, and worship him so that he will no longer be angry with you. 9 If you return to the Lord, then those who have taken your relatives away as prisoners will take pity on them and let them come back home. The Lord your God is kind and merciful, and if you return to him, he will accept you.”
10 The messengers went to every city in the territory of the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far north as the tribe of Zebulun, but people laughed at them and made fun of them. 11 Still, there were some from the tribes of Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun who were willing to come to Jerusalem. 12 God was also at work in Judah and united the people in their determination to obey his will by following the commands of the king and his officials.
Passover Is Celebrated
13 A great number of people gathered in Jerusalem in the second month to celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread. 14 They took all the altars that had been used in Jerusalem for offering sacrifices and burning incense and threw them into Kidron Valley. 15 And on the fourteenth day of the month they killed the lambs for the Passover sacrifice. The priests and Levites who were not ritually clean became so ashamed that they dedicated themselves to the Lord, and now they could sacrifice burnt offerings in the Temple. 16 They took their places in the Temple according to the instructions in the Law of Moses, the man of God. The Levites gave the blood of the sacrifices to the priests, who sprinkled it on the altar. 17 Because many of the people were not ritually clean, they could not kill the Passover lambs, so the Levites did it for them and dedicated the lambs to the Lord. 18 In addition, many of those who had come from the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun had not performed the ritual of purification, and so they were observing Passover improperly. King Hezekiah offered this prayer for them: 19 “O Lord, the God of our ancestors, in your goodness forgive those who are worshiping you with all their heart, even though they are not ritually clean.” 20 The Lord answered Hezekiah's prayer; he forgave the people and did not harm them. 21 For seven days the people who had gathered in Jerusalem celebrated the Festival of Unleavened Bread with great joy, and day after day the Levites and the priests praised the Lord with all their strength. 22 Hezekiah praised the Levites for their skill in conducting the worship of the Lord.
A Second Celebration
After the seven days during which they offered sacrifices in praise of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, 23 they all decided to celebrate for another seven days. So they celebrated with joy. 24 King Hezekiah contributed 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep for the people to kill and eat, and the officials gave them another 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep. A large number of priests went through the ritual of purification. 25 So everyone was happy—the people of Judah, the priests, the Levites, the people who had come from the north, and the foreigners who had settled permanently in Israel and Judah. 26 The city of Jerusalem was filled with joy, because nothing like this had happened since the days of King Solomon, the son of David. 27 The priests and the Levites asked the Lord's blessing on the people. In his home in heaven God heard their prayers and accepted them.
