Bible Cross References
Surely
2 Chronicles 35:18
Since the days of the prophet Samuel, the Passover had never been celebrated like this. None of the former kings had ever celebrated a Passover like this one celebrated by King Josiah, the priests, the Levites, and the people of Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem
2 Chronicles 35:19
in the eighteenth year of Josiah's reign.
of the kings
2 Chronicles 30:1-3
1
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.
2 Chronicles 30:13-20
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.
2 Chronicles 35:3-17
3
He also gave these instructions to the Levites, the teachers of Israel, who were dedicated to the LORD: "Put the sacred Covenant Box in the Temple that King Solomon, the son of David, built. You are no longer to carry it from place to place, but you are to serve the LORD your God and his people Israel.
4
Take your places in the Temple by clans, according to the responsibilities assigned to you by King David and his son King Solomon,
5
and arrange yourselves so that some of you will be available to help each family of the people of Israel.
6
You are to kill the Passover lambs and goats. Now make yourselves ritually clean and prepare the sacrifices in order that your fellow Israelites may follow the instructions which the LORD gave through Moses."
7
For the use of the people at the Passover, King Josiah contributed from his own herds and flocks 30,000 sheep, lambs, and young goats, and 3,000 bulls.
8
His officials also made contributions for the people, the priests, and the Levites to use. And the officials in charge of the Temple---Hilkiah, the High Priest, Zechariah, and Jehiel---gave the priests 2,600 lambs and young goats and 300 bulls for sacrifices during the festival.
9
The leaders of the Levites---Conaniah, Shemaiah and his brother Nethanel, Hashabiah, Jeiel, and Jozabad---contributed 5,000 lambs and young goats and 500 bulls for the Levites to offer as sacrifices.
10
When everything was arranged for the Passover, the priests and the Levites took their posts, as commanded by the king.
11
After the lambs and goats had been killed, the Levites skinned them, and the priests sprinkled the blood on the altar.
12
Then they divided among the people, by family groups, the animals for burnt offerings, so that they could offer them according to the instructions in the Law of Moses.
13
The Levites roasted the Passover sacrifices over the fire, according to the regulations, and boiled the sacred offerings in pots, kettles, and pans, and quickly distributed the meat to the people.
14
After this was done, the Levites provided meat for themselves and for the priests descended from Aaron, for the priests were kept busy until night, burning the animals that were burned whole and the fat of the sacrifices.
15
The following musicians of the Levite clan of Asaph were in the places assigned to them by King David's instructions: Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, the king's prophet. The guards at the Temple gates did not need to leave their posts, because the other Levites prepared the Passover for them.
16
So, as King Josiah had commanded, everything was done that day for the worship of the LORD, the keeping of the Passover Festival, and the offering of burnt offerings on the altar.
17
For seven days all the people of Israel who were present celebrated the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread.