Κεφάλαιο 30

Κεφάλαιο 30

ΚΑΙ ἀπέστειλεν ᾿Εζεκίας ἐπὶ πάντα ᾿Ισραὴλ καὶ ᾿Ιούδα καὶ ἐπιστολὰς ἔγραψαν ἐπὶ τὸν ᾿Εφραὶμ καὶ Μανασσῆ ἐλθεῖν εἰς οἶκον Κυρίου εἰς ῾Ιερουσαλὴμ ποιῆσαι τὸ φασὲκ τῷ Κυρίῳ Θεῷ ᾿Ισραήλ. 2 καὶ ἐβουλεύσατο ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες καὶ πᾶσα ἡ ἐκκλησία ἐν ῾Ιερουσαλὴμ ποιῆσαι τὸ φασὲκ τῷ μηνὶ τῷ δευτέρῳ· 3 οὐ γὰρ ἠδυνάσθησαν ποιῆσαι αὐτὸ ἐν τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ, ὅτι οἱ ἱερεῖς οὐχ ἡγνίσθησαν ἱκανοί, καὶ ὁ λαὸς οὐ συνήχθη εἰς ῾Ιερουσαλήμ. 4 καὶ ἤρεσεν ὁ λόγος ἐναντίον τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ ἐναντίον τῆς ἐκκλησίας. 5 καὶ ἔστησαν λόγον διελθεῖν κήρυγμα ἐν παντὶ ᾿Ισραὴλ ἀπὸ Βηρσαβεὲ ἕως Δάν, ἐλθόντας ποιῆσαι τὸ φασὲκ Κυρίῳ Θεῷ ᾿Ισραὴλ εἰς ῾Ιερουσαλήμ, ὅτι πλῆθος οὐκ ἐποίησε κατά τὴν γραφήν. 6 καὶ ἐπορεύθησαν οἱ τρέχοντες σὺν ταῖς ἐπιστολαῖς παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ τῶν ἀρχόντων εἰς πάντα ᾿Ισραὴλ καὶ ᾿Ιούδαν κατὰ τὸ πρόσταγμα τοῦ βασιλέως λέγοντες· οἱ υἱοὶ ᾿Ισραὴλ ἐπιστρέψατε πρὸς Κύριον Θεὸν ῾Αβραὰμ καὶ ᾿Ισαὰκ καὶ ᾿Ισραήλ, καὶ ἐπιστρέψει τοὺς ἀνασεσωσμένους τοὺς καταλειφθέντας ἀπὸ χειρὸς βασιλέως ᾿Ασσούρ· 7 καὶ μὴ γίνεσθε καθὼς οἱ πατέρες ὑμῶν καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ ὑμῶν, οἳ ἀπέστησαν ἀπὸ Κυρίου Θεοῦ πατέρων αὐτῶν, καὶ παρέδωκεν αὐτοὺς εἰς ἐρήμωσιν, καθὼς ὑμεῖς ὁρᾶτε. 8 καὶ νῦν μὴ σκληρύνητε τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν ὡς οἱ πατέρες ὑμῶν· δότε δόξαν Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ καὶ εἰσέλθετε εἰς τὸ ἁγίασμα αὐτοῦ, ὃ ἡγίασεν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, καὶ δουλεύσατε τῷ Κυρίῳ Θεῷ ὑμῶν, καὶ ἀποστρέψει ἀφ ὑμῶν θυμὸν ὀργῆς. 9 ὅτι ἐν τῷ ἐπιστρέφειν ὑμᾶς πρὸς Κύριον οἱ ἀδελφοὶ ὑμῶν καὶ τὰ τέκνα ὑμῶν ἔσονται ἐν οἰκτιρμοῖς ἔναντι πάντων τῶν αἰχμαλωτισάντων αὐτούς, καὶ ἀποστρέψει εἰς τὴν γῆν ταύτην, ὅτι ἐλεήμων καὶ οἰκτίρμων Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν, καὶ οὐκ ἀποστρέψει τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἀφ ὑμῶν, ἐάν ἐπιστρέψωμεν πρὸς αὐτόν. 10 καὶ ἦσαν οἱ τρέχοντες διαπορευόμενοι πόλιν ἐκ πόλεως ἐν τῷ ὄρει ᾿Εφραὶμ καὶ Μανασσῆ καὶ ἕως Ζαβουλών, καὶ ἐγένοντο ὡς καταγελῶντες αὐτῶν καὶ καταμωκώμενοι· 11 ἀλλὰ ἄνθρωποι ᾿Ασὴρ καὶ ἀπὸ Μανασσῆ καὶ ἀπὸ Ζαβουλὼν ἐνετράπησαν καὶ ἦλθον εἰς ῾Ιερουσαλὴμ καὶ εἰς ᾿Ιούδα. 12 καὶ ἐγένετο χεὶρ Κυρίου δοῦναι αὐτοῖς καρδίαν μίαν ἐλθεῖν τοῦ ποιῆσαι κατὰ τὰ προστάγματα τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ τῶν ἀρχόντων ἐν λόγῳ Κυρίου, 13 καὶ συνήχθησαν εἰς ῾Ιερουσαλὴμ λαὸς πολὺς τοῦ ποιῆσαι τὴν ἑορτὴν τῶν ἀζύμων ἐν τῷ μηνὶ τῷ δευτέρῳ, ἐκκλησία πολλὴ σφόδρα. 14 καὶ ἀνέστησαν καὶ καθεῖλαν τὰ θυσιαστήρια τὰ ἐν ῾Ιερουσαλήμ καὶ πάντα, ἐν οἷς ἐθυμίων τοῖς ψευδέσι, κατέσπασαν καὶ ἔρριψαν εἰς τὸν χειμάρρουν Κέδρων. 15 καὶ ἔθυσαν τὸ φασὲκ τῇ τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτῃ τοῦ μηνὸς τοῦ δευτέρου· καὶ οἱ ἱερεῖς καὶ οἱ Λευῖται ἐνετράπησαν καὶ ἡγνίσθησαν καὶ εἰσήνεγκαν ὁλοκαυτώματα ἐν οἴκῳ Κυρίου. 16 καὶ ἔστησαν ἐπὶ τὴν στάσιν αὐτῶν κατὰ τὸ κρίμα αὐτῶν, κατὰ τὴν ἐντολὴν Μωυσῆ ἀνθρώπου τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ οἱ ἱερεῖς ἐδέχοντο τὰ αἵματα ἐκ χειρὸς τῶν Λευιτῶν· 17 ὅτι πλῆθος τῆς ἐκκλησίας οὐχ ἡγνίσθη, καὶ οἱ Λευῖται ἦσαν τοῦ θύειν τὸ φασὲκ παντὶ τῷ μὴ δυναμένῳ ἁγνισθῆναι τῷ Κυρίῳ. 18 ὅτι τὸ πλεῖστον τοῦ λαοῦ ἀπὸ ᾿Εφραὶμ καὶ Μανασσῆ καὶ ᾿Ισσάχαρ καὶ Ζαβουλὼν οὐχ ἡγνίσθησαν, ἀλλ ἔφαγον τὸ φασὲκ παρὰ τὴν γραφήν. καὶ προσηύξατο ᾿Εζεκίας περὶ αὐτῶν λέγων· Κύριος ἀγαθὸς ἐξιλασάσθω 19 ὑπὲρ πάσης καρδίας κατευθυνούσης ἐκζητῆσαι Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν τῶν πατέρων αὐτῶν καὶ οὐ κατὰ τὴν ἁγνείαν τῶν ἁγίων. 20 καὶ ἐπήκουσε Κύριος τῷ ᾿Εζεκίᾳ καὶ ἰάσατο τὸν λαόν. 21 καὶ ἐποίησαν οἱ υἱοὶ ᾿Ισραὴλ οἱ εὑρεθέντες ἐν ῾Ιερουσαλὴμ τὴν ἑορτὴν τῶν ἀζύμων ἑπτὰ ἡμέρας ἐν εὐφροσύνῃ μεγάλῃ καὶ καθυμνοῦντες τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμέραν καθ ἡμέραν καὶ οἱ ἱερεῖς καὶ οἱ Λευῖται ἐν ὀργάνοις τῷ Κυρίῳ. 22 καὶ ἐλάλησεν ᾿Εζεκίας ἐπὶ πᾶσαν καρδίαν τῶν Λευιτῶν καὶ τῶν συνιόντων σύνεσιν ἀγαθὴν τῷ Κυρίῳ· καὶ συνετέλεσαν τὴν ἑορτὴν τῶν ἀζύμων ἑπτὰ ἡμέρας θύοντες θυσίαν σωτηρίου καὶ ἐξομολογούμενοι τῷ Κυρίῳ Θεῷ τῶν πατέρων αὐτῶν. 23 καὶ ἐβουλεύσατο ἡ ἐκκλησία ἅμα ποιῆσαι ἑπτὰ ἡμέρας ἄλλας· καὶ ἐποίησαν ἑπτὰ ἡμέρας ἐν εὐφροσύνῃ. 24 ὅτι ᾿Εζεκίας ἀπήρξατο τῷ ᾿Ιούδᾳ τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ χιλίους μόσχους καὶ ἑπτακισχίλια πρόβατα, καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες ἀπήρξαντο τῷ λαῷ μόσχους χιλίους καὶ πρόβατα δέκα χιλιάδας, καὶ τὰ ἅγια τῶν ἱερέων εἰς πλῆθος. 25 καὶ ηὐφράνθη πᾶσα ἡ ἐκκλησία, οἱ ἱερεῖς καὶ οἱ Λευῖται καὶ πᾶσα ἡ ἐκκλησία ᾿Ιούδα καὶ οἱ εὑρεθέντες ἐξ ῾Ιερουσαλὴμ καὶ οἱ προσήλυτοι οἱ ἐλθόντες ἀπὸ γῆς ᾿Ισραὴλ καὶ οἱ κατοικοῦντες ᾿Ιούδα. 26 καὶ ἐγένετο εὐφροσύνη μεγάλη ἐν ῾Ιερουσαλήμ· ἀπὸ ἡμερῶν Σαλωμὼν υἱοῦ Δαυὶδ βασιλέως ᾿Ισραὴλ οὐκ ἐγένετο τοιαύτη ἑορτὴ ἐν ῾Ιερουσαλήμ. 27 καὶ ἀνέστησαν οἱ ἱερεῖς οἱ Λευῖται καὶ εὐλόγησαν τὸν λαόν· καὶ ἐπηκούσθη ἡ φωνὴ αὐτῶν, καὶ ἦλθεν ἡ προσευχὴ αὐτῶν εἰς τὸ κατοικητήριον τὸ ἅγιον αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν.