1 M oreover Josiah kept a passover unto the Lord in Jerusalem: and they killed the passover 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 A nd he set the priests in their charges, and encouraged them to 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 A nd said unto the Levites that taught all Israel, which were holy unto the Lord, Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David king of Israel did build; it shall not be a burden upon your shoulders: serve now 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 A nd prepare yourselves by the houses of your fathers, after your courses, according to the writing of David king of Israel, and according to the writing 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 place according to the divisions of the families of the fathers of your brethren the people, and after the division of the families of the Levites.

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 S o kill the passover, and sanctify yourselves, and prepare your brethren, that they may do according to the word of the Lord by the hand of 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 A nd Josiah gave to the people, of the flock, lambs and kids, all for the passover offerings, for all that were present, to the number of thirty thousand, and three thousand bullocks: these were of the king's substance.

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 willingly unto the people, to the priests, and to the Levites: Hilkiah and Zechariah and Jehiel, rulers of the house of God, gave unto the priests for the passover offerings two thousand and six hundred small cattle and three hundred oxen.

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 Nethaneel, his brethren, and Hashabiah and Jeiel and Jozabad, chief of the Levites, gave unto the Levites for passover offerings five thousand small cattle, and five hundred oxen.

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 S o the service was prepared, and the priests stood in their place, and the Levites in their courses, according to the king's commandment.

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 A nd they killed the passover, and the priests sprinkled the blood from their hands, and the Levites flayed them.

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 A nd they removed the burnt offerings, that they might give according to the divisions of the families of the people, to offer unto the Lord, as it is written in the book of Moses. And so did they with the oxen.

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 with fire according to the ordinance: but the other holy offerings sod they in pots, and in caldrons, and in pans, and divided them speedily among 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 nd afterward they made ready for themselves, and for the priests: because the priests the sons of Aaron were busied in offering of burnt offerings and the fat until night; therefore the Levites prepared for themselves, and 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 A nd the singers the sons of Asaph were in their place, according to the commandment of David, and Asaph, and Heman, and Jeduthun the king's seer; and the porters waited at every gate; they might not depart from 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 service of the Lord was prepared the same day, to keep the passover, and to offer burnt offerings upon the altar of the Lord, according to the commandment of king Josiah.

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 children of Israel that were present kept the passover at that time, and the feast of unleavened bread 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 A nd there was no passover like to that kept in Israel from the days of Samuel the prophet; neither did all the kings of Israel keep such a passover as Josiah kept, and the priests, and the Levites, and all Judah and Israel that 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 was this passover 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, Necho king of Egypt came up to fight against Charchemish by 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 he sent ambassadors to him, saying, What have I to do with thee, thou king of Judah? I come not against thee this day, but against the house wherewith I have war: for God commanded me to make haste: forbear thee from meddling with God, who is with me, that he destroy thee not.

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 N evertheless Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised himself, that he might fight with him, and hearkened not unto the words of Necho from the mouth of God, and came to fight 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 at king Josiah; and the king said to his servants, Have me away; for I am sore wounded.

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

24 H is servants therefore took him out of that chariot, and put him in the second chariot that he had; and they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died, and was buried in one of the sepulchres of his fathers. And 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 A nd Jeremiah lamented for Josiah: and all the singing men and the singing women spake of Josiah in their lamentations to this day, and made them an ordinance in Israel: and, behold, they are written in the lamentations.

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 goodness, according to that which was 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 deeds, first and 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.