9. and the enemies who have captured your families will show pity and send them back home. The Lord God is kind and merciful, and if you turn back to him, he will no longer turn his back on you.
10. The messengers went to every town in Ephraim and West Manasseh as far north as the territory of Zebulun, but everyone laughed and insulted them.
11. Only a few people from the tribes of Asher, West Manasseh, and Zebulun were humble and went to Jerusalem.
12. God also made everyone in Judah eager to do what Hezekiah and his officials had commanded.
13. In the second month, a large crowd of people gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate the Festival of Thin Bread.
14. They took all the foreign altars and incense altars in Jerusalem and threw them into Kidron Valley.
20. The Lord answered Hezekiah's prayer and did not punish them.
21. The worshippers in Jerusalem were very happy and celebrated the Festival for seven days. The Levites and priests sang praises to the Lord every day and played their instruments.
22. Hezekiah thanked the Levites for doing such a good job, leading the celebration.The worshippers celebrated for seven days by offering sacrifices, by eating the sacred meals, and by praising the Lord God of their ancestors.
23. Everyone was so excited that they agreed to celebrate seven more days.
24. So Hezekiah gave the people one thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep to be offered as sacrifices and to be used as food for the sacred meals. His officials gave one thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep, and many more priests agreed to go through the ceremony to make themselves clean.