1 Josiah celebrated the Passover to the LORD in Jerusalem, and the Passover lamb was slaughtered on the fourteenth day of the first month.2 He appointed the priests to their duties and encouraged them in the service of the LORD's temple.3 He said to the Levites, who instructed all Israel and who had been consecrated to the LORD: "Put the sacred ark in the temple that Solomon son of David king of Israel built. It is not to be carried about on your shoulders. Now serve the LORD your God and his people Israel.4 Prepare yourselves by families in your divisions, according to the instructions written by David king of Israel and by his son Solomon.5 "Stand in the holy place with a group of Levites for each subdivision of the families of your fellow Israelites, the lay people.6 Slaughter the Passover lambs, consecrate yourselves and prepare the lambs for your fellow Israelites, doing what the LORD commanded through Moses."7 Josiah provided for all the lay people who were there a total of thirty thousand lambs and goats for the Passover offerings, and also three thousand cattle —all from the king's own possessions.8 His officials also contributed voluntarily to the people and the priests and Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah and Jehiel, the officials in charge of God's temple, gave the priests twenty-six hundred Passover offerings and three hundred cattle.9 Also Konaniah along with Shemaiah and Nethanel, his brothers, and Hashabiah, Jeiel and Jozabad, the leaders of the Levites, provided five thousand Passover offerings and five hundred head of cattle for the Levites.10 The service was arranged and the priests stood in their places with the Levites in their divisions as the king had ordered.11 The Passover lambs were slaughtered, and the priests splashed against the altar the blood handed to them, while the Levites skinned the animals.12 They set aside the burnt offerings to give them to the subdivisions of the families of the people to offer to the LORD, as it is written in the Book of Moses. They did the same with the cattle.13 They roasted the Passover animals over the fire as prescribed, and boiled the holy offerings in pots, caldrons and pans and served them quickly to all the people.14 After this, they made preparations for themselves and for the priests, because the priests, the descendants of Aaron, were sacrificing the burnt offerings and the fat portions until nightfall. So the Levites made preparations for themselves and for the Aaronic priests.15 The musicians, the descendants of Asaph, were in the places prescribed by David, Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun the king's seer. The gatekeepers at each gate did not need to leave their posts, because their fellow Levites made the preparations for them.16 So at that time the entire service of the LORD was carried out for the celebration of the Passover and the offering of burnt offerings on the altar of the LORD, as King Josiah had ordered.17 The Israelites who were present celebrated the Passover at that time and observed the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days.18 The Passover had not been observed like this in Israel since the days of the prophet Samuel; and none of the kings of Israel had ever celebrated such a Passover as did Josiah, with the priests, the Levites and all Judah and Israel who were there with the people of Jerusalem.19 This Passover was celebrated in the eighteenth year of Josiah's reign.20 After all this, when Josiah had set the temple in order, Necho king of Egypt went up to fight at Carchemish on the Euphrates, and Josiah marched out to meet him in battle.21 But Necho sent messengers to him, saying, "What quarrel is there, king of Judah, between you and me? It is not you I am attacking at this time, but the house with which I am at war. God has told me to hurry; so stop opposing God, who is with me, or he will destroy you."22 Josiah, however, would not turn away from him, but disguised himself to engage him in battle. He would not listen to what Necho had said at God's command but went to fight him on the plain of Megiddo.23 Archers shot King Josiah, and he told his officers, "Take me away; I am badly wounded."24 So they took him out of his chariot, put him in his other chariot and brought him to Jerusalem, where he died. He was buried in the tombs of his ancestors, and all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for him.25 Jeremiah composed laments for Josiah, and to this day all the male and female singers commemorate Josiah in the laments. These became a tradition in Israel and are written in the Laments.26 The other events of Josiah's reign and his acts of devotion in accordance with what is written in the Law of the LORD —27 all the events, from beginning to end, are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.

1 وعمل يوشيا في اورشليم فصحا للرب وذبحوا الفصح في الرابع عشر من الشهر الاول.2 واقام الكهنة على حراساتهم وشدّدهم لخدمة بيت الرب.3 وقال للاويين الذين كانوا يعلمون كل اسرائيل الذين كانوا مقدسين للرب اجعلوا تابوت القدس في البيت الذي بناه سليمان بن داود ملك اسرائيل. ليس لكم ان تحملوا على الاكتاف. الآن اخدموا الرب الهكم وشعبه اسرائيل.4 واعدّوا بيوت آبائكم حسب فرقكم حسب كتابة داود ملك اسرائيل وحسب كتابة سليمان ابنه.5 وقفوا في القدس حسب اقسام بيوت آباء اخوتكم بني الشعب وفرق بيوت آباء اللاويين.6 واذبحوا الفصح وتقدسوا واعدّوا اخوتكم ليعملوا حسب كلام الرب عن يد موسى.7 واعطى يوشيا لبني الشعب غنما حملانا وجداء جميع ذلك للفصح لكل الموجودين الى عدد ثلاثين الفا وثلاثة آلاف من البقر. هذه من مال الملك.8 ورؤساؤه قدموا تبرعا للشعب والكهنة واللاويين حلقيا وزكريا ويحيئيل رؤساء بيت الله. اعطوا الكهنة للفصح الفين وست مئة ومن البقر ثلاث مئة.9 وكوننيا وشمعيا ونثنئيل اخواه وحشبيا ويعيئيل ويوزاباد رؤساء اللاويين قدموا للاويين للفصح خمسة آلاف ومن البقر خمس مئة10 فتهيّأت الخدمة وقام الكهنة في مقامهم واللاويين في فرقهم حسب امر الملك.11 وذبحوا الفصح ورشّ الكهنة من ايديهم. واما اللاويون فكانوا يسلخون.12 ورفعوا المحرقة ليعطوا حسب اقسام بيوت الآباء لبني الشعب ليقربوا للرب كما هو مكتوب في سفر موسى. وهكذا بالبقر.13 وشووا الفصح بالنار كالمرسوم. واما الاقداس فطبخوها في القدور والمراجل والصحاف وبادروا بها الى جميع بني الشعب.14 وبعد اعدّوا لانفسهم وللكهنة لان الكهنة بني هرون كانوا على اصعاد المحرقة والشحم الى الليل فاعدّ اللاويون لانفسهم وللكهنة بني هرون.15 والمغنون بنو آساف كانوا في مقامهم حسب امر داود وآساف وهيمان ويدوثون رائي الملك. والبوابون على باب فباب لم يكن لهم ان يحيدوا عن خدمتهم لان اخوتهم اللاويين اعدّوا لهم.16 فتهيّأ كل خدمة الرب في ذلك اليوم لعمل الفصح واصعاد المحرقات على مذبح الرب حسب امر الملك يوشيا.17 وعمل بنو اسرائيل الموجودون الفصح في ذلك اليوم وعيد الفطير سبعة ايام.18 ولم يعمل فصح مثله في اسرائيل من ايام صموئيل النبي. وكل ملوك اسرائيل لم يعملوا كالفصح الذي عمله يوشيا والكهنة واللاويون وكل يهوذا واسرائيل الموجودين وسكان اورشليم.19 في السنة الثامنة عشر للملك يوشيا عمل هذا الفصح20 بعد كل هذا حين هيّأ يوشيا البيت صعد نخو ملك مصر الى كركميش ليحارب عند الفرات. فخرج يوشيا للقائه.21 فارسل اليه رسلا يقول ما لي ولك يا ملك يهوذا. لست عليك انت اليوم ولكن على بيت حربي والله امر باسراعي. فكف عن الله الذي معي فلا يهلكك.22 ولم يحوّل يوشيا وجهه عنه بل تنكّر لمقاتلته ولم يسمع لكلام نخو من فم الله بل جاء ليحارب في بقعة مجدو.23 واصاب الرماة الملك يوشيا فقال الملك لعبيده انقلوني لاني جرحت جدا.24 فنقله عبيده من المركبة واركبوه على المركبة الثانية التي له وساروا به الى اورشليم فمات ودفن في قبور آبائه. وكان كل يهوذا واورشليم ينوحون على يوشيا.25 ورثى ارميا يوشيا. وكان جميع المغنين والمغنيات يندبون يوشيا في مراثيهم الى اليوم. وجعلوها فريضة على اسرائيل. وها هي مكتوبة في المراثي.26 وبقية امور يوشيا ومراحمه حسبما هو مكتوب في ناموس الرب27 واموره الاولى والاخيرة ها هي مكتوبة في سفر ملوك اسرائيل ويهوذا