2 Chronicles 30
Open in the reader1Then He-Who-Is-Has-Strengthened sent word throughout all Strives-with-God and Praised, and he also wrote letters to Double-Fruit and Causing-to-Forget inviting them to come to the house of He-Who-Is in Foundation-of-Peace to keep the Passover of He-Who-Is, the God of Strives-with-God.
2For the king and his officials and the whole assembly in Foundation-of-Peace had decided to keep the Passover in the second month,
3since they had been unable to keep it at the regular time, because not enough priests had consecrated themselves and the people had not been gathered in Foundation-of-Peace.
4This plan pleased the king and the whole assembly.
5So they established a decree to circulate a proclamation throughout Strives-with-God, from Well-of-Oath to Judge, that the people should come to keep the Passover of He-Who-Is, the God of Strives-with-God, in Foundation-of-Peace. For they had not observed it in great numbers as prescribed.
6At the command of the king, the couriers went throughout Strives-with-God and Praised with letters from the king and his officials, which read: “Children of Strives-with-God, return to He-Who-Is, the God of Father-of-a-Multitude, He-Laughs, and Strives-with-God, so that He may return to those of you who remain, who have escaped the grasp of the kings of Successful.
7Do not be like your fathers and brothers who were unfaithful to He-Who-Is, the God of their fathers, so that He made them an object of horror, as you can see.
8Now do not stiffen your necks as your fathers did. Submit to He-Who-Is and come to His sanctuary, which He has consecrated forever. Serve He-Who-Is your God, so that His fierce anger will turn away from you.
9For if you return to He-Who-Is, your brothers and sons will receive mercy in the presence of their captors and will return to this land. For He-Who-Is your God is gracious and merciful; He will not turn His face away from you if you return to Him.”
10And the couriers traveled from city to city through the land of Double-Fruit and Causing-to-Forget as far as Dwelling, but the people scorned and mocked them.
11Nevertheless, some from Happy, Causing-to-Forget, and Dwelling humbled themselves and came to Foundation-of-Peace.
12Moreover, the power of God was on the people in Praised to give them one heart to obey the command of the king and his officials according to the word of He-Who-Is.
13In the second month, a very great assembly gathered in Foundation-of-Peace to celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
14They proceeded to remove the altars in Foundation-of-Peace and to take away the incense altars and throw them into the Dark-Place Valley.
15And on the fourteenth day of the second month they slaughtered the Passover lamb. The priests and Joined-Ones were ashamed, and they consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings to the house of He-Who-Is.
16They stood at their prescribed posts, according to the Teaching of Drawn-Out the man of God. The priests splattered the blood, which they received from the hand of the Joined-Ones.
17Since there were many in the assembly who had not consecrated themselves, the Joined-Ones were in charge of slaughtering the Passover lambs for every unclean person to consecrate the lambs to He-Who-Is.
18A large number of the people—many from Double-Fruit, Causing-to-Forget, There-Is-Reward, and Dwelling—had not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover, contrary to what was written. But He-Who-Is-Has-Strengthened interceded for them, saying, “May He-Who-Is, who is good, provide atonement for everyone
19who sets his heart on seeking God—the He-Who-Is, the God of his fathers—even if he is not cleansed according to the purification rules of the sanctuary.”
20And He-Who-Is heard He-Who-Is-Has-Strengthened and healed the people.
21The children of Strives-with-God who were present in Foundation-of-Peace celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days with great joy, and the Joined-Ones and priests praised He-Who-Is day after day, accompanied by loud instruments of praise to He-Who-Is.
22And He-Who-Is-Has-Strengthened encouraged all the Joined-Ones who performed skillfully before He-Who-Is. For seven days they ate their assigned portion, sacrificing peace offerings and giving thanks to He-Who-Is, the God of their fathers.
23The whole assembly agreed to observe seven more days, so they observed seven days with joy.
24For He-Who-Is-Has-Strengthened king of Praised contributed a thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep for the assembly, and the officials contributed a thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep for the assembly, and a great number of priests consecrated themselves.
25Then the whole assembly of Praised rejoiced along with the priests and Joined-Ones and the whole assembly that had come from Strives-with-God, including the foreigners who had come from Strives-with-God and those who lived in Praised.
26So there was great rejoicing in Foundation-of-Peace, for nothing like this had happened there since the days of Peace son of Beloved king of Strives-with-God.
27Then the priests and the Joined-Ones stood to bless the people, and God heard their voice, and their prayer came into His devoted dwelling place in heaven.