¹⁷ Since many in the crowd had not consecrated themselves, the Levites had to kill^(A) the Passover lambs for all those who were not ceremonially clean and could not consecrate their lambs^[a] to the Lord.

¹⁸ Although most of the many people who came from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun had not purified themselves,^(A) yet they ate the Passover, contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May the Lord, who is good, pardon everyone