4. Since the plan seemed good to the king and the entire congregation,
5. they made arrangements to circulate an announcement throughout all Israel, from Beer-sheba to Dan, to come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover of the Lord God of Israel, because they hadn’t often kept it as written.
6. Under the authority of the king, runners took letters from the king and his officials throughout all Israel and Judah, which read:People of Israel! Return to the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, so that he may return to those of you who remain, who have escaped capture by the Assyrian kings.
7. Don’t be like your ancestors and relatives, who were unfaithful to the Lord, the God of their ancestors, so that he made them an object of horror as you can see for yourselves.
8. So don’t be stubborn like your ancestors. Surrender to the Lord! Come to God’s sanctuary, which he has made holy forever, and serve the Lord your God so that he won’t be angry with you any longer.
9. When you return to the Lord, your relatives and your children will receive mercy from their captors and be allowed to return to this land. The Lord your God is merciful and compassionate. He won’t withdraw his presence from you if you return to him.
10. So the runners went from town to town in Ephraim and Manasseh, all the way to Zebulun. But they were laughed at and made fun of.
11. Even so, some people from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun were submissive and came to Jerusalem.
12. Moreover, God’s power was at work in Judah, unifying them to do what the king and his officials had ordered by the Lord’s command.
13. A huge crowd gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread in the second month. A very large congregation gathered.
14. First, they removed the altars in Jerusalem, and hauled off the incense altars and dumped them in the Kidron Valley.
15. They slaughtered the Passover lambs on the fourteenth day of the second month. Ashamed of themselves, the priests and the Levites made themselves holy and brought entirely burned offerings to the Lord’s temple.