1 J osiah kept the Passover to the Lord in Jerusalem; they killed the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the first month.

Then Josiah kept the Passover to the Lord in Jerusalem. They killed the Passover animals on the fourteenth day of the first month.

2 H e appointed the priests to their positions and encouraged them in the service of the house of the Lord.

He gave the religious leaders their duties and gave them strength to do the work of the Lord’s house.

3 T o the Levites who taught all Israel and were holy to the Lord he said: Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon son of David king of Israel, built; it shall no longer be a burden carried on your shoulders. Now serve the Lord your God and His people Israel.

And he said to the Levites who taught all Israel and who were holy to the Lord, “Put the holy box of the agreement in the house which Solomon the son of David, king of Israel, built. You do not need to carry it on your shoulders any longer. Now work for the Lord your God and His people Israel.

4 P repare yourselves according to your fathers’ houses by your divisions, after the directions of David king of Israel and of Solomon his son.

Make yourselves ready by your fathers’ houses in your groups, in the way that was written by King David of Israel and his son Solomon.

5 A nd stand in the holy court of the priests according to the sections of the fathers’ families of your kinsmen, the common people, and let there be a section of the Levites to each division of the families of the people.

Stand in the holy place by the family groups of your brothers who are not religious leaders. And let some of the Levites help each family group of the people.

6 K ill the Passover lambs and sanctify yourselves and prepare for your brethren to do according to the word of the Lord by Moses.

Now kill the Passover animals, and make yourselves holy. Make things ready for your brothers to obey the word of the Lord by Moses.”

7 T hen Josiah contributed to the lay people lambs and kids of the flock as Passover offerings for all who were present, to the number of 30, 000, and 3, 000 young bulls—all from the king’s possessions.

Then Josiah gave flocks of lambs and young goats as Passover gifts for all the people who were there. He gave 30, 000 of them, and 3, 000 bulls. These were from the king’s animals.

8 A nd his princes gave for a freewill offering to the people, to the priests, and the Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, chief officers of God’s house, gave the priests for the Passover offerings 2, 600 and 300 bulls.

His leaders also gave a free-will gift to the people, the religious leaders, and the Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah and Jehiel, the leaders of the house of God, gave 2, 600 animals from the flocks and 300 bulls to the religious leaders for the Passover gifts.

9 C onaniah also, and Shemaiah and Nethanel his brothers, and Hashabiah, Jeiel, and Jozabad, chiefs of the Levites, gave to the Levites for Passover offerings 5, 000 and 500 bulls.

Conaniah, and Shemaiah and Nethanel his brothers, and Hashabiah, Jeiel and Jozabad, the leaders of the Levites, gave 5, 000 animals from the flocks and 500 bulls to the Levites for the Passover gifts.

10 W hen the service was ready, the priests stood in their place and the Levites in their divisions as the king commanded.

So everything was made ready for the Passover. The religious leaders stood in their places, and the Levites stood by their groups, as the king had told them.

11 T hey killed the Passover lambs, and the priests sprinkled the blood they received from the Levites who skinned the animals.

Then they killed the Passover animals. The religious leaders took the blood from them and put it on the altar. And the Levites cut the skins from the animals.

12 T hen they removed the burnt offerings, that they might distribute them according to the divisions of the lay families to offer to the Lord, as directed in the Book of Moses. And so they did with the bulls.

They set aside the burnt gifts that they might give them to the family groups of the people, to give to the Lord, as it is written in the Book of Moses. They did the same thing with the bulls.

13 A nd they roasted the Passover lambs with fire according to the ordinance; and they cooked the holy offerings in pots, in caldrons, and in pans and carried them quickly to all the people.

So they cooked the Passover animals on the fire as the Law said. They boiled the holy things in pots and deep dishes, and carried them in a hurry to all the people.

14 A fterward prepared for themselves and the priests, because the priests, the sons of Aaron, were busy in offering the burnt offerings and the fat until night; so the Levites prepared for themselves and also for the priests, the sons of Aaron.

After this they made everything ready for themselves and for the religious leaders because the religious leaders, the sons of Aaron, were giving in worship the burnt gifts and the fat parts until night. So the Levites made things ready for themselves and for the religious leaders, the sons of Aaron.

15 T he singers, the sons of Asaph, were in their places according to the command of David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king’s seer. And the gatekeepers were at every gate; they did not need to leave their service, for their brethren the Levites prepared for them.

The singers, the sons of Asaph, were also in their places, as had been written by David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king’s man of God. The men who were gate-keepers did not have to leave their duty, because their brothers the Levites made things ready for them.

16 S o all the Lord’s service was prepared the same day to keep the Passover and to offer burnt offerings upon the Lord’s altar, as King Josiah commanded.

All the work of the Lord was made ready that day to keep the Passover, and to give burnt gifts on the Lord’s altar, as King Josiah had said.

17 A nd the Israelites who were present kept the Passover at that time, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days.

So the people of Israel who were there kept the Passover at that time. And they kept the Special Supper of Bread Without Yeast for seven days.

18 N o Passover like it had been kept in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet, even by any of the kings of Israel, as was kept by Josiah and the priests, the Levites, and all Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

There had not been kept a Passover like it in Israel since the days of Samuel the man of God. None of the kings of Israel had kept such a Passover as Josiah did with the religious leaders, the Levites, all Judah and Israel who were there, and the people of Jerusalem.

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

This Passover was kept in the eighteenth year of Josiah’s rule. The End of Josiah’s Rule

20 A fter all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Neco king of Egypt went out to fight against Carchemish on the Euphrates, and Josiah went out against him.

After all this, when Josiah had made the house of the Lord ready, King Neco of Egypt came up to make war at Carchemish on the Euphrates. And Josiah went out to fight against him.

21 B ut sent ambassadors to, saying, What have I to do with you, you king of Judah? I come not against you this day, but against the house with which I am at war; and God has commanded me to make haste. Refrain from opposing God, Who is with me, lest He destroy you.

But Neco sent men to him, saying, “What have we to do with each other, O King of Judah? I am not coming against you today but against the house with which I am at war, and God has told me to hurry. Do not stand in the way of God Who is with me, or He will destroy you.”

22 Y et Josiah would not turn away from him, but disguised himself in order to fight with him. He did not heed the words of Neco from the mouth of God, but came to fight with him in the valley of Megiddo.

But Josiah would not turn away from him. He made himself to look like someone else, so he could fight against him. He did not listen to the words of Neco from the mouth of God, but came to make war on the Plain of Megiddo.

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

And the bowmen shot King Josiah. The king told his servants, “Take me away, for I am hurt.”

24 S o his servants took him out of the chariot and put him in his second chariot and brought him to Jerusalem. And he died and was buried in the tombs of his fathers. All Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.

So his servants took him out of the war-wagon and carried him in his second war-wagon, and brought him to Jerusalem. And there he died. He was buried in the graves of his fathers. All Judah and Jerusalem were filled with sorrow for Josiah.

25 J eremiah gave a lament for Josiah, and all the singing men and women have spoken of Josiah in their laments to this day. They made them an ordinance in Israel; behold, they are written in the Laments.

Then Jeremiah sang a song of sorrow for Josiah. And all the male and female singers speak about Josiah in their songs of sorrow to this day. They made them a law in Israel, and they are written in the Lamentations.

26 N ow the rest of the acts of Josiah and his deeds, according to what is written in the Law of the Lord,

Now the rest of the acts of Josiah and his good works as written in the Law of the Lord,

27 A nd his acts, from first to last, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah.

and his acts, first to last, are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah.