1Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to Yahweh’s house at Jerusalem, to keep the Passover to Yahweh, the God of Israel. 2For the king had taken counsel with his princes and all the assembly in Jerusalem to keep the Passover in the second month. 3For they could not keep it at that time, because the priests had not sanctified themselves in sufficient number, and the people had not gathered themselves together to Jerusalem. 4The thing was right in the eyes of the king and of all the assembly. 5So they established a decree to make proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba even to Dan, that they should come to keep the Passover to Yahweh, the God of Israel, at Jerusalem, for they had not kept it in great numbers in the way it is written.
6So the couriers went with the letters from the king and his princes throughout all Israel and Judah, according to the commandment of the king, saying, “You children of Israel, turn again to Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that he may return to the remnant of you that have escaped out of the hand of the kings of Assyria. 7Don’t be like your fathers and like your brothers, who trespassed against Yahweh, the God of their fathers, so that he gave them up to desolation, as you see. 8Now don’t be stiff-necked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to Yahweh, and enter into his sanctuary, which he has sanctified forever, and serve Yahweh your God, that his fierce anger may turn away from you. 9For if you turn again to Yahweh, your brothers and your children will find compassion with those who led them captive, and will come again into this land, because Yahweh your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you if you return to him.”
10So the couriers passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, even to Zebulun, but people ridiculed them and mocked them. 11Nevertheless some men of Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. 12Also the hand of God came on Judah to give them one heart, to do the commandment of the king and of the princes by Yahweh’s word.
13Many people assembled at Jerusalem to keep the feast of unleavened bread in the second month, a very great assembly. 14They arose and took away the altars that were in Jerusalem, and they took away all the altars for incense and threw them into the brook Kidron. 15Then they killed the Passover on the fourteenth day of the second month. The priests and the Levites were ashamed, and sanctified themselves, and brought burnt offerings into Yahweh’s house. 16They stood in their place after their order, according to the law of Moses the man of God. The priests sprinkled the blood which they received of the hand of the Levites. 17For there were many in the assembly who had not sanctified themselves; therefore the Levites were in charge of killing the Passovers for everyone who was not clean, to sanctify them to Yahweh. 18For a multitude of the people, even many of Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover other than the way it is written. For Hezekiah had prayed for them, saying, “May the good Yahweh pardon everyone 19who sets his heart to seek God, Yahweh, the God of his fathers, even if they aren’t clean according to the purification of the sanctuary.”
20Yahweh listened to Hezekiah, and healed the people. 21The children of Israel who were present at Jerusalem kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with great gladness. The Levites and the priests praised Yahweh day by day, singing with loud instruments to Yahweh. 22Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all the Levites who had good understanding in the service of Yahweh. So they ate throughout the feast for the seven days, offering sacrifices of peace offerings and making confession to Yahweh, the God of their fathers.
23The whole assembly took counsel to keep another seven days, and they kept another seven days with gladness. 24For Hezekiah king of Judah gave to the assembly for offerings one thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep; and the princes gave to the assembly a thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep; and a great number of priests sanctified themselves. 25All the assembly of Judah, with the priests and the Levites, and all the assembly who came out of Israel, and the foreigners who came out of the land of Israel and who lived in Judah, rejoiced. 26So there was great joy in Jerusalem; for since the time of Solomon the son of David king of Israel there was nothing like this in Jerusalem. 27Then the Levitical priests arose and blessed the people. Their voice was heard, and their prayer came up to his holy habitation, even to heaven.
King David's son, Solomon, was born of Bathsheba (2 Sam. 5:14). Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all of Israel for 40 years circa 971-931 B.C.. Solomon was graciously blessed by God to become the wisest man ever to live. (1 Kings 3:1-15; Eccl. 2:9) Being the kingly son of David, Solomon also received the benefits of the Davidic Covenant. (1 Chron. 17:1-27; Psa. 89) He and his kingdom of peace (1 Kings 4:20-25) thus became a Messianic type of God's coming eschatological kingom prophesied throughout the Old Testament (Isa. 2:1-4; 11:1-10) - the very kingdom offered by Jesus to the nation of Israel in the New Testament. (Mark 1:14-15; Luke 1:29-33) Solomon also built the first Jerusalem Temple that remained until the time of the Babylonian invasion when King Nebuchadnezzar destroyed it in 586 B.C.. (1-2 Kings) Solomon became a prolific author of Scripture who wrote much of the book of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Psalm 72, and Psalm 127. According to Jewish tradition, the final version of the book of Job may also have been put together by Solomon and/or during the time of his adminstration. Solomon's reign was internationally renowned at the time for being a most glorious kingdom so that Israel became a Messianic light to the nations. (1 Kings 10; 2 Chron. 9:22) Late in life, however, Solomon contradicted his own wisdom by disobeying the Lord. In disobedience to the Torah, Solomon multiplied horses, wives, and gold for himself. (Deut. 17:14-20; 2 Chron. 9:13-28) Worst of all, he imported idolatry into Israel through his international marriage alliances. (1 Kings 11:1-8) His secular kingdom pursuits also dulled his earlier spirituality. (Eccl. 2:1-7) Because of Solomon's disobedience, God divided the great unity achieved by King David, but waited until after his death to do so (1 Kings 11-12). After Solomon's death, Israel will be divided between the north and south, between what was called the northern kingom of Israel/Ephraim and the southern kingdom of Judah.