18. For a multitude of the people, even many of Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover other than the way it is written. For Hezekiah had prayed for them, saying, "May the good the LORD pardon everyone

19. who sets his heart to seek God, The LORD, the God of his fathers, even if they aren't clean according to the purification of the sanctuary."

20. The LORD listened to Hezekiah, and healed the people.

21. The children of ISRAEL who were present at Jerusalem kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with great gladness. The Levites and the priests praised the LORD day by day, singing with loud instruments to The LORD.

22. Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all the Levites who had good understanding in the service of The LORD. So they ate throughout the feast for the seven days, offering sacrifices of peace offerings, and making confession to The LORD, the God of their fathers.

23. The whole assembly took counsel to keep another seven days, and they kept another seven days with gladness.

24. For Hezekiah king of Judah gave to the assembly for offerings one thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep; and the princes gave to the assembly a thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep: and a great number of priests sanctified themselves.

25. All the assembly of Judah, with the priests and the Levites, and all the assembly who came out of ISRAEL, and the foreigners who came out of the land of ISRAEL, and who lived in Judah, rejoiced.

26. So there was great joy in Jerusalem; for since the time of Solomon the son of David king of ISRAEL there was nothing like this in Jerusalem.

He did this in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, even to Naphtali, around in their ruins.

There was no Passover like that kept in ISRAEL from the days of Samuel the prophet, nor did any of the kings of ISRAEL keep such a Passover as Josiah kept, with the priests, the Levites, and all Judah and ISRAEL who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.