Preparations for Passover
1-3 The people had not been able to celebrate the Passover Festival at the proper time in the first month, because not enough priests were ritually clean and not many people had assembled in Jerusalem. So King Hezekiah, his officials, and the people of Jerusalem agreed to celebrate it in the second month, and the king sent word to all the people of Israel and Judah. He took special care to send letters to the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, inviting them to come to the Temple in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover in honor of the Lord, the God of Israel. 4 The king and the people were pleased with their plan, 5 so they invited all the Israelites, from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, to come together in Jerusalem and celebrate the Passover according to the Law, in larger numbers than ever before. 6 Messengers went out at the command of the king and his officials through all Judah and Israel with the following invitation:
“People of Israel, you have survived the Assyrian conquest of the land. Now return to the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and he will return to you. 7 Do not be like your ancestors and your Israelite relatives who were unfaithful to the Lord their God. As you can see, he punished them severely. 8 Do not be stubborn as they were, but obey the Lord. Come to the Temple in Jerusalem, which the Lord your God has made holy forever, and worship him so that he will no longer be angry with you. 9 If you return to the Lord, then those who have taken your relatives away as prisoners will take pity on them and let them come back home. The Lord your God is kind and merciful, and if you return to him, he will accept you.”
10 The messengers went to every city in the territory of the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far north as the tribe of Zebulun, but people laughed at them and made fun of them. 11 Still, there were some from the tribes of Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun who were willing to come to Jerusalem. 12 God was also at work in Judah and united the people in their determination to obey his will by following the commands of the king and his officials.
Passover Is Celebrated
13 A great number of people gathered in Jerusalem in the second month to celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread. 14 They took all the altars that had been used in Jerusalem for offering sacrifices and burning incense and threw them into Kidron Valley. 15 And on the fourteenth day of the month they killed the lambs for the Passover sacrifice. The priests and Levites who were not ritually clean became so ashamed that they dedicated themselves to the Lord, and now they could sacrifice burnt offerings in the Temple. 16 They took their places in the Temple according to the instructions in the Law of Moses, the man of God. The Levites gave the blood of the sacrifices to the priests, who sprinkled it on the altar. 17 Because many of the people were not ritually clean, they could not kill the Passover lambs, so the Levites did it for them and dedicated the lambs to the Lord. 18 In addition, many of those who had come from the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun had not performed the ritual of purification, and so they were observing Passover improperly. King Hezekiah offered this prayer for them: 19 “O Lord, the God of our ancestors, in your goodness forgive those who are worshiping you with all their heart, even though they are not ritually clean.” 20 The Lord answered Hezekiah's prayer; he forgave the people and did not harm them. 21 For seven days the people who had gathered in Jerusalem celebrated the Festival of Unleavened Bread with great joy, and day after day the Levites and the priests praised the Lord with all their strength. 22 Hezekiah praised the Levites for their skill in conducting the worship of the Lord.
A Second Celebration
After the seven days during which they offered sacrifices in praise of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, 23 they all decided to celebrate for another seven days. So they celebrated with joy. 24 King Hezekiah contributed 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep for the people to kill and eat, and the officials gave them another 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep. A large number of priests went through the ritual of purification. 25 So everyone was happy—the people of Judah, the priests, the Levites, the people who had come from the north, and the foreigners who had settled permanently in Israel and Judah. 26 The city of Jerusalem was filled with joy, because nothing like this had happened since the days of King Solomon, the son of David. 27 The priests and the Levites asked the Lord's blessing on the people. In his home in heaven God heard their prayers and accepted them.
Omarongerero wOpaska
1 Hiskija wa hinda ovatumwa kOvaisrael avehe na kOvajuda, nu wina wa tjanga otutuu komuhoko wa Efraim nowa Manasse kutja ve ye kondjuwo ya Muhona mOjerusalem, ve tjite omukandi wOpaska kondjozikiro ya Muhona, Ndjambi wa Israel. 2 Ombara novahongore vayo nombongo aihe mOjerusalem va zuvasana okutjita Opaska momueze outjavari. 3 Owo kave sorere okutjita moruveze orusemba, momueze omutenga, ovapristeri tjinga ave he riyapurire motjivaro tji tja yenena, notjiwaṋa tjinga atji ha woronganene mOjerusalem. 4 Ombara notjiwaṋa atjihe va yoroka tjinene nondyero yawo, 5 notji va isana Ovaisrael avehe okuza kOdan, komukuma wokeyuva kokunene nga kOberseba, komukuma wokeyuva kokumuho, kokutja ve woronganene mOjerusalem, nu ve tjite Opaska kondjozikiro ya Muhona, Ndjambi wa Israel, orondu rukuru kava woronganene ovengi tjinene nai otja tji pa tjangwa. 6 Ovahindwa va pita otja komarakiza wombara nowovahongore vayo nave tuurunga Juda na Israel arihe puna ombuze, ndji mai tja nai:
“Tjiwaṋa tja Israel! Eṋe mbu mwa hupa kokuyandekwa i Ovaasirie! Nambano kotokeye ku Muhona, Ndjambi wa Abraham na Isak na Jakob, neye ma kotoka ku eṋe. 7 Amu kara otja ooiho mukururume nOvaisrael ovakweṋu mbe ha ri nouṱakame ku Muhona, Ndjambi wawo. Otja pu mamu munu, eye we ve vera tjinene. 8 Amu rangaranga otja ooiho mukururume, nungwari kareye nonḓuviro ku Muhona. Indjeye koruveze romerikotameneno mOjerusalem tji tja yapurwa i Muhona, Ndjambi weṋu, nga aruhe, nu rikotameneye ku ye kutja a ha ṱomazenge na eṋe rukwao. 9 Tji mamu kotoka ku Muhona, imba mba huura omihoko veṋu mave ṱondjenda na wo nave ve esa kutja ve kotoke konganda. Muhona, Ndjambi weṋu, u nomutima omuwa notjari, nu tji mamu kotoka ku ye, eye me mu yakura.”
10 Ovatumwa va ya kotjihuro atjihe mehi romuhoko wa Efraim nowa Manasse, na kokure nga kehi romuhoko wa Sebulon; nungwari ovandu ve ve yora nave ve hembe. 11 Nu pa ri ovandu tjiva uriri vomuhoko wa Aser nowa Manasse nowa Sebulon mba ri nombango okuya kOjerusalem. 12 Ndjambi wina wa kara puna wo mOjuda na tjiti kutja otjiwaṋa tji kare nomutima umwe okuyenenisa imbi ombara novahongore vayo mbi va rakiza otja kembo ra Ndjambi.
Opaska mai tjitwa
13 Ovandu ovengi tjinene va woronganene mOjerusalem, momueze outjavari, okutjita omukandi wOzomboroto nḓe hi nosurise. 14 Owo va toora ovipunguhiro avihe vyovisenginina kuya ku punguhirwa ozombunguhiro, nu kuya ku twimisirwa ovyomoro omuwa mOjerusalem, nave keviyumba moruronḓu Kidron. 15 Nu meyuva oritjamurongo na yane komueze, owo va zepa ondjona yOpaska. Ovapristeri nOvalevi mbe ha ri ovakohoke va ṱohoṋi nave riyapura ku Muhona; otjaave sora okupunguhira ozombunguhiro ozoningiririsiwa mondjuwo ya Muhona. 16 Owo va kakurama motuveze twawo mondjuwo ya Muhona otja komaraerero wOmatwako wa Moses, omukarere wa Ndjambi. Ovalevi va yandja ombinḓu yombunguhiro kovapristeri mbe i pamenena kotjipunguhiro. 17 Ovandu ovengi tjinga ave ha ri ovakohoke, kave sorere okuzepa ozondjona zOpaska, nOvalevi otji ve ze zepera wo nave ze yapurire Muhona. 18 Posi yanao ovengi vaimba mba zire komuhoko wa Efraim nowa Manasse nowa Isakar nowa Sebulon kave rikohororere, nowo va kara pOpaska nokuhinokuṱakamisa omazikamisiro nga tuwa po. Ombara Hiskija we ve kumbira a tja: 19 “Muhona, Ndjambi wootate mukururume, kouwa woye isira imba mbu mave rikotamene kove nomitima vyawo avihe, nangarire kutja kavakohoke otja komazikamisiro woukohoke wotjouyapuke.” 20 Muhona wa zuvira ongumbiro ya Hiskija; eye wa isira otjiwaṋa na ha tjiti otjipo ku tjo. 21 Oure womayuva hambombari imba Ovaisrael mba woronganena mOjerusalem va tjita omukandi wOzomboroto nḓe hi nosurise nenyando enene; neyuva arihe peke Ovalevi novapristeri va tanga Muhona nombosiro onene yovihumba. 22 Hiskija wa hiva Ovalevi kounongo wawo mokutjita omerikotameneno ku Muhona.
Nowo tji va mana omayuva hambombari mu va punguha ozombunguhiro nave tanga Muhona, Ndjambi wooihe mukururume, 23 avehe ve rimana okutjita omukandi oure womayuva warwe hambombari. Notji ve ye tjita nondjoroka. 24 Ombara Hiskija wa yandja ozondwezu zongombe eyovi rimwe, nozonḓu omayovi hambombari kovandu, novahongore wina va yandja ozondwezu zozongombe ozongwao eyovi rimwe nozonḓu omayovi omurongo. Ovapristeri ovengi tjinene ve riyapura. 25 Komuhingo mbwi auhe otja ri nondjoroka, okutja otjiwaṋa tjOvajuda novapristeri nOvalevi, novandu mba zire kehi ra Israel novozonganda mba turire ongarerere mOisrael na mOjudea. 26 MOjerusalem mwa ri enyando enene, orondu okuza koruveze rwombara Salomo, omuzandu wa David, ombara ya Israel, kape na pa karere enyando otja indi mOjerusalem. 27 Korusenina ovapristeri nOvalevi va sera otjiwaṋa ondaya. Ndjambi wa zuvira ozongumbiro zawo meyuru, ndi ri omaturiro we omayapuke, ne ze yakura.
