2 Chronicles 35:1-24 ▼

1 And Josiah made in Jerusalem a Passover to YHWH, and they slaughtered the Passover on the fourteenth of the first month.

2 And he set the priests over their charges, and he strengthened them for the service of the house of YHWH.

3 And he said to the Levites who taught all Israel, who were holy to YHWH, “Put the holy ark in the house that Solomon son of David king of Israel built. It is not a burden to you? on the shoulder. Now serve YHWH your? God and His people Israel.

4 And prepare by the house of your? fathers, according to your? divisions, by the writing of David king of Israel and by the writing of Solomon his son.

5 And stand in the Holy Place according to the divisions of the houses of the fathers of your? brothers, the sons of the people, and by the division of the house of a father of the Levites.

6 And slaughter the Passover, and consecrate yourselves, and prepare them for your? brothers, that they may do according to the word of YHWH by the hand of Moses.”

7 And Josiah gave to the sons of the people from the flock of lambs and sons of female goats, all for the Passovers for all who were present, to the number of thirty thousand, as well as three thousand cattle; these were from the possessions of the king.

8 And his leaders lifted up for a freewill offering to the people, to the priests, and to the Levites. Hilkiah and Zechariah and Jehiel, rulers of the house of God, gave to the priests for the Passovers two thousand and six hundred and three hundred bulls.

9 And Conaniah, and Shemaiah and Nethanel his brothers, and Hashabiah and Jeiel and Jozabad, chiefs of the Levites, lifted up to the Levites for the Passovers five thousand and five hundred bulls.

10 And the service was prepared, and the priests stood in their places, and the Levites according to their divisions, according to the command of the king.

11 And they slaughtered the Passover, and the priests splattered with their hands, and the Levites skinned.

12 And they turned aside the burnt offering, to give to the divisions of the house of the fathers for the sons of the people, to offer to YHWH as written in the Book of Moses; and likewise with the bulls.

13 And they roasted the Passover with the fire according to the ordinance, and the holy things they boiled in the pots, and in the kettles, and in the pans, and quickly brought them to all the sons of the people.

14 And afterward they prepared for themselves and for the priests, since the priests, the sons of Aaron, were offering up the burnt offering and the fat until night; and the Levites made preparations for themselves and for the priests, the sons of Aaron.

15 And the singers, the sons of Asaph, on their station, according to the command of David, and Asaph, and Heman, and Jeduthun seer of the king. And the gatekeepers were at gate and gate; they did not turn aside from upon their position, because their brothers the Levites made preparations for them.

16 And all the service of YHWH was prepared on that day, to keep the Passover and to cause to ascend burnt offerings on the altar of YHWH, according to the command of King Josiah.

17 And the sons of Israel who were present kept the Passover at that time, and the Feast of the Unleavened seven days.

18 And a Passover like that had not been kept in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet. And none of the kings of Israel had kept a Passover as kept by Josiah, and the priests, and the Levites, and all Judah and Israel who were present, and those dwelling in Jerusalem.

19 In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah this Passover was kept.

20 After all this, when Josiah had prepared the house, Neco king of Egypt came up to fight against Carchemish by the Euphrates, and Josiah went out to meet him.

21 And he sent to him messengers, saying, “And what have I to do with you, O king of Judah? Not against you this day, but against the house I am fighting, for God told me to hurry. Cease for yourself from God, who is with me, and He will not destroy you.”

22 And Josiah did not turn his face from him. But he disguised himself to fight against him, and he did not listen to the words of Neco from the mouth of God; and he came to fight on the Plain of Megiddo.

23 And the archers shot King Josiah, and the king said to his servants, “Take me away, for I am severely wounded.”

24 And His servants took him out from the chariot, and they made him ride in the second chariot that was unto him, and they brought him to Jerusalem. And he died and was buried in the tombs of his fathers, and all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.