1
Moreover Josiah[H2977]kept[H6213] a passover[H6453] unto the LORD[H3068] in Jerusalem[H3389]: and they killed[H7819] the passover[H6453] on the fourteenth[H702] day of the first[H7223]month[H2320].
2
And he set[H5975] the priests[H3548] in their charges[H4931], and encouraged[H2388] them to the service[H5656] of the house[H1004] of the LORD[H3068],
3
And said[H559] unto the Levites[H3881] that taught[H995] all Israel[H3478], which were holy[H6918] unto the LORD[H3068], Put[H5414] the holy[H6944]ark[H727] in the house[H1004] which Solomon[H8010] the son[H1121] of David[H1732]king[H4428] of Israel[H3478] did build[H1129]; it shall not be a burden[H4853] upon your shoulders[H3802]: serve[H5647] now the LORD[H3068] your God[H430], and his people[H5971]Israel[H3478],
4
And prepare[H3559] yourselves by the houses[H1004] of your fathers[H1], after your courses[H4256], according to the writing[H3791] of David[H1732]king[H4428] of Israel[H3478], and according to the writing[H4385] of Solomon[H8010] his son[H1121].
5
And stand in[H5975] the holy[H6944] place according to the divisions[H6391] of the families[H1004] of the fathers[H1] of your brethren[H251] the people[H1121], and after the division[H2515] of the families[H1] of the Levites[H3881].
6
So kill[H7819] the passover[H6453], and sanctify[H6942] yourselves, and prepare[H3559] your brethren[H251], that they may do[H6213] according to the word[H1697] of the LORD[H3068] by the hand[H3027] of Moses[H4872].
7
And Josiah[H2977]gave[H7311] to the people[H1121], of the flock[H6629], lambs[H3532] and kids[H1121], all for the passover offerings[H6453], for all that were present[H4672], to the number[H4557] of thirty[H7970]thousand[H505], and three[H7969]thousand[H505]bullocks[H1241]: these were of the king's substance[H7399].
8
And his princes[H8269]gave[H7311]willingly[H5071] unto the people[H5971], to the priests[H3548], and to the Levites[H3881]: Hilkiah[H2518] and Zechariah[H2148] and Jehiel[H3171], rulers[H5057] of the house[H1004] of God[H430], gave[H5414] unto the priests[H3548] for the passover offerings[H6453] two thousand[H505] and six[H8337]hundred[H3967] small cattle, and three[H7969]hundred[H3967]oxen[H1241].
9Conaniah[H3562] also, and Shemaiah[H8098] and Nethaneel[H5417], his brethren[H251], and Hashabiah[H2811] and Jeiel[H3273] and Jozabad[H3107], chief[H8269] of the Levites[H3881], gave[H7311] unto the Levites[H3881] for passover offerings[H6453]five[H2568]thousand[H505] small cattle, and five[H2568]hundred[H3967]oxen[H1241].
10
So the service[H5656] was prepared[H3559], and the priests[H3548]stood[H5975] in their place[H5977], and the Levites[H3881] in their courses[H4256], according to the king's commandment[H4687].
11
And they killed[H7819] the passover[H6453], and the priests[H3548]sprinkled[H2236] the blood from their hands[H3027], and the Levites[H3881]flayed[H6584] them.
12
And they removed[H5493] the burnt offerings[H5930], that they might give[H5414] according to the divisions[H4653] of the families[H1] of the people[H1121], to offer[H7126] unto the LORD[H3068], as it is written[H3789] in the book[H5612] of Moses[H4872]. And so did they with the oxen[H1241].
13
And they roasted[H1310] the passover[H6453] with fire[H784] according to the ordinance[H4941]: but the other holy[H6944] offerings sod[H1310] they in pots[H5518], and in caldrons[H1731], and in pans[H6745], and divided them speedily[H7323] among all the people[H1121].
14
And afterward[H310] they made ready[H3559] for themselves, and for the priests[H3548]: because the priests[H3548] the sons[H1121] of Aaron[H175] were busied in offering[H5927] of burnt offerings[H5930] and the fat[H2459] until night[H3915]; therefore the Levites[H3881]prepared[H3559] for themselves, and for the priests[H3548] the sons[H1121] of Aaron[H175].
15
And the singers[H7891] the sons[H1121] of Asaph[H623] were in their place[H4612], according to the commandment[H4687] of David[H1732], and Asaph[H623], and Heman[H1968], and Jeduthun[H3038] the king's seer[H2374]; and the porters[H7778] waited at every gate[H8179]; they might not depart[H5493] from their service[H5656]; for their brethren[H251] the Levites[H3881]prepared[H3559] for them.
16
So all the service[H5656] of the LORD[H3068] was prepared[H3559] the same day[H3117], to keep[H6213] the passover[H6453], and to offer[H5927] burnt offerings[H5930] upon the altar[H4196] of the LORD[H3068], according to the commandment[H4687] of king[H4428]Josiah[H2977].
17
And the children[H1121] of Israel[H3478] that were present[H4672]kept[H6213] the passover[H6453] at that time[H6256], and the feast[H2282] of unleavened bread[H4682]seven[H7651]days[H3117].
18
And there was no passover[H6453]like[H3644] to that kept[H6213] in Israel[H3478] from the days[H3117] of Samuel[H8050] the prophet[H5030]; neither did[H6213] all the kings[H4428] of Israel[H3478]keep[H6213] such a passover[H6453] as Josiah[H2977]kept[H6213], and the priests[H3548], and the Levites[H3881], and all Judah[H3063] and Israel[H3478] that were present[H4672], and the inhabitants[H3427] of Jerusalem[H3389].
19
In the eighteenth[H8083]year[H8141] of the reign[H4438] of Josiah[H2977] was this passover[H6453]kept[H6213].
20After[H310] all this, when Josiah[H2977] had prepared[H3559] the temple[H1004], Necho[H5224]king[H4428] of Egypt[H4714] came up[H5927] to fight[H3898]against[H7125]Carchemish[H3751] by Euphrates[H6578]: and Josiah[H2977] went out[H3318]against[H7125] him.
21
But he sent[H7971]ambassadors[H4397] to him, saying[H559], What have I to do with thee, thou king[H4428] of Judah?[H3063] I come not against thee this day[H3117], but against the house[H1004] wherewith I have war[H4421]: for God[H430]commanded[H559] me to make haste[H926]: forbear[H2308] thee from meddling with God[H430], who is with me, that he destroy[H7843] thee not.
22
Nevertheless Josiah[H2977] would not turn[H5437] his face[H6440] from him, but disguised[H2664] himself, that he might fight[H3898] with him, and hearkened[H8085] not unto the words[H1697] of Necho[H5224] from the mouth[H6310] of God[H430], and came[H935] to fight[H3898] in the valley[H1237] of Megiddo[H4023].
23
And the archers[H3384]shot[H3384] at king[H4428]Josiah[H2977]; and the king[H4428]said[H559] to his servants[H5650], Have me away[H5674]; for I am sore[H3966]wounded[H2470].
24
His servants[H5650] therefore took[H5674] him out of that chariot[H4818], and put[H7392] him in the second[H4932]chariot[H7393] that he had; and they brought[H3212] him to Jerusalem[H3389], and he died[H4191], and was buried[H6912] in one of the sepulchres[H6913] of his fathers[H1]. And all Judah[H3063] and Jerusalem[H3389]mourned[H56] for Josiah[H2977].
25
And Jeremiah[H3414]lamented[H6969] for Josiah[H2977]: and all the singing men[H7891] and the singing women[H7891]spake[H559] of Josiah[H2977] in their lamentations[H7015] to this day[H3117], and made[H5414] them an ordinance[H2706] in Israel[H3478]: and, behold, they are written[H3789] in the lamentations[H7015].
26
Now the rest[H3499] of the acts[H1697] of Josiah[H2977], and his goodness[H2617], according to that which was written[H3789] in the law[H8451] of the LORD[H3068],
27
And his deeds[H1697], first[H7223] and last[H314], behold, they are written[H3789] in the book[H5612] of the kings[H4428] of Israel[H3478] and Judah[H3063].