II Chronicles 35

Josiah Keeps the Passover

1 Now *2 Kin. 23:21, 22Josiah kept a Passover to the Lord in Jerusalem, and they slaughtered the Passover lambs on the *Ex. 12:6; Num. 9:3; Ezra 6:19fourteenth day of the first month. 2 And he set the priests in their *2 Chr. 23:18; Ezra 6:18duties and *2 Chr. 29:5–15encouraged them for the service of the house of the Lord. 3 Then he said to the Levites *Deut. 33:10; 2 Chr. 17:8, 9; Neh. 8:7who taught all Israel, who were holy to the Lord: *2 Chr. 34:14"Put the holy ark *Ex. 40:21; 2 Chr. 5:7in the house which Solomon the son of David, king of Israel, built. *1 Chr. 23:26Itshall no longer be a burden on your shoulders. Now serve the Lord your God and His people Israel. 4 Prepare yourselves*1 Chr. 9:10–13according to your fathers’ houses, according to your divisions, following the *1 Chr. 23—26written instruction of David king of Israel and the *2 Chr. 8:14written instruction of Solomon his son. 5 And *Ps. 134:1stand in the holy place according to the divisions of the fathers’ houses of your brethren the lay people, and accordingto the division of the father’s house of the Levites. 6 So slaughter the Passover offerings,*2 Chr. 29:5, 15consecrate yourselves, and prepare them for your brethren, that they may do according to the word of the Lord by the hand of Moses."

7 Then Josiah *2 Chr. 30:24gave the lay people lambs and young goats from the flock, all for Passover offerings for all who were present, to the number of thirty thousand, as well as three thousand cattle; these were from the king’s *2 Chr. 31:3possessions. 8 And his *Num. 7:2leaders gave willingly to the people, to the priests, and to the Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, rulers of the house of God, gave to the priests for the Passover offerings two thousand six hundred fromtheflock, and three hundred cattle. 9 Also *2 Chr. 31:12Conaniah, his brothers Shemaiah and Nethanel, and Hashabiah and Jeiel and Jozabad, chief of the Levites, gave to the Levites for Passover offerings five thousand fromtheflock and five hundred cattle.

10 So the service was prepared, and the priests *Ezra 6:18; Heb. 9:6stood in their places, and the *2 Chr. 5:12; 7:6; 8:14, 15; 13:10; 29:25–34Levites in their divisions, according to the king’s command. 11 And they slaughtered the Passover offerings; and the priests *Ex. 12:22; 2 Chr. 29:22sprinkled theblood with their hands, while the Levites *2 Chr. 29:34skinned theanimals.12 Then they removed the burnt offerings that they might give them to the divisions of the fathers’ houses of the lay people, to offer to the Lord, as itis written *Lev. 3:3; Ezra 6:18in the Book of Moses. And so theydid with the cattle. 13 Also they *Ex. 12:8, 9; Deut. 16:7roasted the Passover offerings with fire according to the ordinance; but the other holy offerings they *1 Sam. 2:13–15boiled in pots, in caldrons, and in pans, and divided them quickly among all the lay people. 14 Then afterward they prepared portions for themselves and for the priests, because the priests, the sons of Aaron, werebusy in offering burnt offerings and fat until night; therefore the Levites prepared portions for themselves and for the priests, the sons of Aaron. 15 And the singers, the sons of Asaph, were in their places, according to the *1 Chr. 25:1–6command of David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king’s seer. Also the gatekeepers *1 Chr. 9:17, 18were at each gate; they did not have to leave their position, because their brethren the Levites prepared portions for them.

16 So all the service of the Lord was prepared the same day, to keep the Passover and to offer burnt offerings on the altar of the Lord, according to the command of King Josiah. 17 And the children of Israel who were present kept the Passover at that time, and the Feast of *Ex. 12:15; 13:6; 2 Chr. 30:21Unleavened Bread for seven days. 18 *2 Kin. 23:22, 23There had been no Passover kept in Israel like that since the days of Samuel the prophet; and none of the kings of Israel had kept such a Passover as Josiah kept, with the priests and the Levites, all Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 19 In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah this Passover was kept.

Josiah Dies in Battle

20 *2 Kin. 23:29After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Necho king of Egypt came up to fight against *Is. 10:9; Jer. 46:2Carchemish by the Euphrates; and Josiah went out against him. 21 But he sent messengers to him, saying, "What have I to do with you, king of Judah? Ihave not come against you this day, but against the house with which I have war; for God commanded me to make haste. Refrain frommeddlingwith God, who is with me, lest He destroy you." 22 Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his face from him, but *1 Kin. 22:30; 2 Chr. 18:29disguised himself so that he might fight with him, and did not heed the words of Necho from the mouth of God. So he came to fight in the Valley 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 *2 Kin. 23:30His servants therefore took him out of that chariot and put him in the second chariot that he had, and they brought him to Jerusalem. So he died, and was buried in oneof the tombs of his fathers. And *1 Kin. 14:18; Zech. 12:11all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.

25 Jeremiah also *Lam. 4:20lamented for *Jer. 22:10, 11Josiah. And to this day *Matt. 9:23all the singing men and the singing women speak of Josiah in their lamentations. *Jer. 22:20They made it a custom in Israel; and indeed they are written in the Laments.

26 Now the rest of the acts of Josiah and his goodness, according to whatwas written in the Law of the Lord, 27 and his deeds from first to last, indeed they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.