2 Chronicles 35 3-2 Chronicles 35 19
He issued this order to the Levites, who were to teach all Israel and who had been set apart to serve the Lord:“ Put the holy Ark in the Temple that was built by Solomon son of David, the king of Israel. You no longer need to carry it back and forth on your shoulders. Now spend your time serving the Lord your God and his people Israel.Report for duty according to the family divisions of your ancestors, following the directions of King David of Israel and the directions of his son Solomon.“ Then stand in the sanctuary at the place appointed for your family division and help the families assigned to you as they bring their offerings to the Temple.Slaughter the Passover lambs, purify yourselves, and prepare to help those who come. Follow all the directions that the Lord gave through Moses.”Then Josiah provided 30,000 lambs and young goats for the people’s Passover offerings, along with 3,000 cattle, all from the king’s own flocks and herds.The king’s officials also made willing contributions to the people, priests, and Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, the administrators of God’s Temple, gave the priests 2,600 lambs and young goats and 300 cattle as Passover offerings.The Levite leaders— Conaniah and his brothers Shemaiah and Nethanel, as well as Hashabiah, Jeiel, and Jozabad— gave 5,000 lambs and young goats and 500 cattle to the Levites for their Passover offerings.When everything was ready for the Passover celebration, the priests and the Levites took their places, organized by their divisions, as the king had commanded.The Levites then slaughtered the Passover lambs and presented the blood to the priests, who sprinkled the blood on the altar while the Levites prepared the animals.They divided the burnt offerings among the people by their family groups, so they could offer them to the Lord as prescribed in the Book of Moses. They did the same with the cattle.Then they roasted the Passover lambs as prescribed; and they boiled the holy offerings in pots, kettles, and pans, and brought them out quickly so the people could eat them.Afterward the Levites prepared Passover offerings for themselves and for the priests— the descendants of Aaron— because the priests had been busy from morning till night offering the burnt offerings and the fat portions. The Levites took responsibility for all these preparations.The musicians, descendants of Asaph, were in their assigned places, following the commands that had been given by David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, the king’s seer. The gatekeepers guarded the gates and did not need to leave their posts of duty, for their Passover offerings were prepared for them by their fellow Levites.The entire ceremony for the Lord’s Passover was completed that day. All the burnt offerings were sacrificed on the altar of the Lord, as King Josiah had commanded.All the Israelites present in Jerusalem celebrated Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days.Never since the time of the prophet Samuel had there been such a Passover. None of the kings of Israel had ever kept a Passover as Josiah did, involving all the priests and Levites, all the people of Jerusalem, and people from all over Judah and Israel.This Passover was celebrated in the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign.
2 Chronicles 30 13-2 Chronicles 30 20
So a huge crowd assembled at Jerusalem in midspring to celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread.They set to work and removed the pagan altars from Jerusalem. They took away all the incense altars and threw them into the Kidron Valley.On the fourteenth day of the second month, one month later than usual, the people slaughtered the Passover lamb. This shamed the priests and Levites, so they purified themselves and brought burnt offerings to the Temple of the Lord.Then they took their places at the Temple as prescribed in the Law of Moses, the man of God. The Levites brought the sacrificial blood to the priests, who then sprinkled it on the altar.Since many of the people had not purified themselves, the Levites had to slaughter their Passover lamb for them, to set them apart for the Lord.Most of those who came from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun had not purified themselves. But King Hezekiah prayed for them, and they were allowed to eat the Passover meal anyway, even though this was contrary to the requirements of the Law. For Hezekiah said,“ May the Lord, who is good, pardon thosewho decide to follow the Lord, the God of their ancestors, even though they are not properly cleansed for the ceremony.”And the Lord listened to Hezekiah’s prayer and healed the people.
