wbs 2Chronicles:30:1-31 SEEK
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And Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah ,
and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh ,
that they should come to the house of the LORD at Jerusalem ,
to keep the passover to the LORD God of Israel .
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For the king had taken counsel ,
and his princes ,
and all the congregation in Jerusalem ,
to keep the passover in the second month .
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For they could not keep it at that time ,
because the priests had not sanctified themselves sufficiently ,
neither had the people assembled themselves at Jerusalem .
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And the thing pleased the king and all the congregation .
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So they established a decree to make proclamation throughout all Israel ,
from Beer-sheba even to Dan ,
that they should come to keep the passover to the LORD God of Israel at Jerusalem :
for they had not done it of a long time in the manner as it was written .
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So the posts went with the letters from the king and his princes throughout all Israel and Judah ,
and according to the commandment of the king ,
saying ,
Ye children of Israel ,
turn again to the LORD God of Abraham ,
Isaac ,
and Israel ,
and he will return to the remnant of you that have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria .
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And be not ye like your fathers ,
and like your brethren ,
who trespassed against the LORD God of their fathers ,
who therefore gave them up to desolation ,
as ye see .
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Now be ye not stiff-necked ,
as your fathers were ,
but yield yourselves to the LORD ,
and enter into his sanctuary ,
which he hath sanctified for ever :
and serve the LORD your God ,
that the fierceness of his wrath may turn away from you .
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For if ye turn again to the LORD ,
your brethren and your children will find compassion before them that lead them captive ,
so that they will return into this land :
for the LORD your God is gracious and merciful ,
and will not turn away his face from you ,
if ye return to him .
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So the posts passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh even to Zebulun :
but they laughed them to scorn ,
and mocked them .
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Nevertheless ,
divers of Asher and Manasseh and of Zebulun humbled themselves ,
and came to Jerusalem .
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Also in Judah the hand of God was to give them one heart to do the commandment of the king and of the princes ,
by the word of the LORD .
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And there assembled at Jerusalem many people to keep the feast of unleavened bread in the second month ,
a very great congregation .
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And they arose and took away the altars that were in Jerusalem ,
and all the altars for incense they took away ,
and cast them into the brook Kidron .
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Then they killed the passover on the fourteenth day of the second month :
and the priests and the Levites were ashamed ,
and sanctified themselves ,
and brought in the burnt-offerings into the house of the LORD .
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And they stood in their place after their manner ,
according to the law of Moses the man of God :
the priests sprinkled the blood ,
which they received from the hand of the Levites .
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For there were many in the congregation that were not sanctified :
therefore the Levites had the charge of the killing of the passovers for every one that was not clean ,
to sanctify them to the LORD .
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For a multitude of the people ,
even many of Ephraim ,
and Manasseh ,
Issachar ,
and Zebulun ,
had not cleansed themselves ,
yet they ate the passover otherwise than it was written .
But Hezekiah prayed for them ,
saying ,
The good LORD pardon every one ,
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That prepareth his heart to seek God ,
the LORD God of his fathers ,
though he is not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary .
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And the LORD hearkened to Hezekiah ,
and healed the people .
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And the children of Israel that were present at Jerusalem kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with great gladness :
and the Levites and the priests praised the LORD day by day ,
singing with loud instruments to the LORD .
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And Hezekiah spoke comfortably to all the Levites that taught the good knowledge of the LORD :
and they ate throughout the feast seven days ,
offering peace-offerings ,
and making confession to the LORD God of their fathers .
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And the whole assembly took counsel to keep other seven days :
and they kept other seven days with gladness .
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For Hezekiah king of Judah gave to the congregation a thousand bullocks and seven thousand sheep ;
and the princes gave to the congregation a thousand bullocks and ten thousand sheep :
and a great number of priests sanctified themselves .
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And all the congregation of Judah ,
with the priests and the Levites ,
and all the congregation that came out of Israel ,
and the strangers that came from the land of Israel ,
and that dwelt in Judah ,
rejoiced .
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So there was great joy in Jerusalem :
for since the time of Solomon the son of David king of Israel there was not the like in Jerusalem .
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Then the priests the Levites arose and blessed the people :
and their voice was heard ,
and their prayer ascended to his holy dwelling-place ,
even to heaven .