1 O rei mandou chamar os anciãos de Judá e de Jerusalém para irem ao templo com ele. Todos os sacerdotes e os profetas, mais o povo, tanto os mais pequenos como os mais importantes, de Jerusalém, como de Judá, se reuniram no templo para que o rei lhes lesse todo o livro dos mandamentos de Deus que tinha sido descoberto no templo.

3 Ele ficou de pé, ao lado da coluna que está diante do povo, e, tanto ele como o povo fizeram uma promessa solene ao Senhor em como obedeceriam à sua palavra, guardariam os seus mandamentos, andariam com o Senhor com todo o coração e com toda a alma.

4 O monarca deu instruções a Hilquias, o sumo sacerdote, e ao resto dos sacerdotes e guardas do templo para destruírem todo o mobiliário e material que serviu para o culto prestado a Baal, a Asera, ao Sol, à Lua e às estrelas. O rei queimou aquilo tudo nos terrenos do vale de Cedron, fora de Jerusalém, e levou as cinzas a Betel. Também matou os sacerdotes do culto idólatra, que tinham sido nomeados para tal pelos reis antecessores de Judá, pois que tinham queimado incenso nos nichos sobre as colinas, em toda a terra de Judá e mesmo em Jerusalém. Também esses tinham oferecido incenso a Baal e ao Sol, à Lua, às estrelas e planetas. Também pôs fora da casa do Senhor o ídolo blasfemo de Asera, e levou-o para Jerusalém, para o ribeiro de Cedron; queimou-o ali e desfê-lo em pó, lançando as cinzas nos túmulos do povo comum. Mandou derrubar as casas dos homens prostitutos à volta do templo, e onde as mulheres faziam roupa em honra do ídolo Asera.

8 Tornou a mandar vir para Jerusalém os sacerdotes do Senhor, que viviam noutras cidades de Judá e deitou abaixo todos os nichos sobre as colinas, onde se queimava incenso aos ídolos, mesmo os que estavam muito distantes, como em Gebe e em Berseba. Destruiu igualmente os nichos à entrada do palácio de Josué, o antigo governador da cidade de Jerusalém, à esquerda de quem entra pela porta da cidade. Contudo os sacerdotes desses altares nunca serviram no altar do Senhor em Jerusalém, ainda que comessem com os outros sacerdotes do Senhor.

10 Também deitou abaixo o altar erigido a Tofete no vale dos Filhos de Hinom, de forma a que mais ninguém, nunca mais, pudesse ali queimar em holocausto o seu filho ou filha como sacrifício oferecido a Moloque. Mandou destruir igualmente as estátuas de cavalos e carros localizados perto da entrada do templo, nas proximidades da residência de Natã-Meleque, o eunuco. Essas figuras tinham sido dedicadas, por anteriores reis de Judá, ao deus do Sol. Fez o mesmo com os altares que os reis de Judá tinha feito erguer nos terraços do apartamento de Acaz; e ainda com os altares que Manassés levantara nos pátios do templo - esmagou-os, fazendo-os em estilhaços, que depois lançou no vale de Cedron.

13 Seguidamente tirou os nichos sobre as colinas a oriente de Jerusalém e a sul do monte da Destruição. (Salomão tinha feito erguer esses nichos a Astarote, a abominável deusa dos sidónios, e a Quemós, o deus execrável de Moabe e também a Milcom, o deus abominável dos amonitas.) Fez desaparecer os obeliscos e os vergonhosos ídolos de Asera; tornou esses terrenos imundos, espalhando neles ossos de cadáveres. Fez o mesmo com o altar e os nichos de Betel, que JeroboãoI mandara fazer e que conduziram Israel a pecar dessa maneira. Fez essas pedras em pó e queimou o repugnante ídolo de Asera.

16 Enquanto ia observando a situação no território, Josias reparou em vários túmulos perto da montanha. Deu ordens aos seus homens que tirassem dali os ossos e que os queimassem sobre o altar de Betel, para o tornar impuro, tal como o profeta do Senhor tinha declarado que haveria de acontecer ao altar de Jeroboão .

17 Que monumento é aquele ali?, perguntou ele gente da cidade respondeu-lhe: É o túmulo do profeta que veio de Judá e proclamou que havia de acontecer aquilo que tu acabaste justamente de fazer aqui, no altar de Betel!

18 Não mexam então nessa sepultura; deixem-na estar assim. Deixaram pois os ossos como estavam, mais os ossos dos profetas que vieram de Samaria .

19 Josias demoluiu ainda os nichos das colinas de Samaria. Tinham sido erguidos por vários reis de Israel e suscitado grandemente a ira do Senhor. Desfê-los em pó, tal como fizeram com o altar em Betel. Mandou que os sacerdotes idólatras dos altares sobre as colinas fossem executados sobre os próprios nichos e queimou ossos humanos sobre eles para os tornar impuros. Finalmente regressou a Jerusalém.

21 O monarca deu ordens para que fosse observada pelo povo a Páscoa, com as suas cerimónias: De acordo com o que estava escrito pelo Senhor vosso Deus no Livro da Aliança, disse-lhes ele. Não tinha havido comemoração da Páscoa semelhante a essa desde os dias dos juízes de Israel, e nunca mais houve outra assim em todos os anos dos reis de Israel e de Judá. Esta Páscoa teve lugar no décimo oitavo ano do reinado de Josias, e foi celebrada em Jerusalém.

24 Josias também mandou exterminar os médiuns, feiticeiros e toda a espécie de culto espírita, idólatra, tanto em Jerusalém como em toda a terra. Porque Josias estava decidido a cumprir com as palavras e mandamentos escritos no livro que o sacerdote Hilquias encontrara no templo. Não houve outro rei assim tão completamente convertido ao Senhor e cumpridor das leis dadas por Moisés; nenhum outro rei depois dele foi tão rectamente obediente.

26 Contudo, o Senhor não afastou por isso a sua grande ira contra Judá, devido aos graves pecados do rei Manassés. Porque o Senhor dissera: Destruirei Judá, tal como o fiz com Israel; rejeitarei a minha cidade escolhida de Jerusalém, e o templo, que disse que seriam meus.

28 O resto da biografia de Josias está escrito nas Crónicas dos Reis de Judá.

29 Nesses dias o rei Neco do Egipto atacou o rei da Assíria, junto ao rio Eufrates, e o rei Josias foi dar-lhe apoio. Mas Neco matou Josias em Megido, logo que ele ali chegou. Os seus chefes militares trouxeram o corpo para Jerusalém e sepultaram-no na sepultura que ele escolhera. O seu filho Jeoacaz foi tomado pelo povo para ser o novo rei.

31 O novo rei de Judá foi Jeoacaz. Quando começou a reinar tinha 23 anos. O seu reinado durou 3 meses, em Jerusalém. A sua mãe chamava-se Hamutal; era filha de Jeremias, de Libna.

32 Foi um mau rei que fez o que parecia mal aos olhos do Senhor, à semelhança de tudo o que tinham feito de mal os seus antecessores.

33 Faraó-Neco mandou-o prender em Ribla, na terra de Hamate, para impedir que reinasse, e levantou uma taxa contra Judá no valor total de três mil quilos de prata e trinta de ouro. O soberano egípcio escolheu Eliaquim, um outro filho de Josias, para reinar em Jerusalém, mudando-lhe o nome para Joaquim. Levou depois o rei Jeoacaz para Egipto, onde morreu. Joaquim levantou um imposto sobre o povo para obter o dinheiro que o Faraó exigia.

36 O novo rei de Judá foi Joaquim. Tinha 25 anos quando começou a reinar. Durou 11 anos o seu reinado em Jerusalém. O nome de sua mãe era Zebida; era filha de Pedaías, de Ruma.

37 Foi um mau rei; fez como outros reis anteriores o que era mal perante o Senhor.

1 Then the king sent,and there were gathered unto him, all the elders of Judah, and Jerusalem;

2 and the king went up to the house of Yahweh, and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the people, both small and great,and he read in their ears, all the words of the book of the covenant, which had been found in the house of Yahweh.

3 And the king took his stand by the pillar, and solemnised a covenant before Yahwehto follow Yahweh, and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes, with all

4 Then the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and the keepers of the entrance-hall, to bring forth, out of the temple of Yahweh, all the vessels that had been made for Baal and for the Sacred Stem, and for all the army of the heavens,and he burned them up outside Jerusalem, in the fields of Kidron, and carried the ashes of them to Bethel;

5 and he put down the idol-priests, whom the kings of Judah had appointed, so that incense might be burned in the high places, in the cities of Judah, and round about Jerusalem,them also that burned incense to Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the constellations, and to all the army of the heavens;

6 and he brought forth the Sacred Stem out of the house of Yahweh, outside Jerusalem, into the Kidron ravine, and burned it in the Kidron ravine, and crushed it to powder,and cast the powder upon the graves of the sons of the people;

7 and he brake down the houses of the male devotees, which were in the house of Yahweh,where the women did weave houses to the Sacred Stem;

8 and be brought in all the priests out of the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where, the priests, had burned incense, from Geba unto Beer-sheba,and brake down the high places of the gates, that were at the entrance of the gate of Joshua, the governor of the city, which were on ones left hand, in the gate of the city;

9 howbeit, the priests of the high places came not up unto the altar of Yahweh, in Jerusalem, save only that they did eat unleavened bread in the midst of their brethren;

10 and he defiled Topheth, which was in the valley of the son of Hinnom,so that no man might cause his son or his daughter to pass through the fire unto Molech;

11 and he did away with the horses, which the kings of Judah had devoted to the sun, at the entrance of the house of Yahweh, near the chamber of Nathan-melech the courtier, which was in the suburbs, also, the chariots of the sun, burned he with fire;

12 and, the altars which were on the roof of the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, also the altars which Manasseh had made, in the two courts of the house of Yahweh, did the king break down,and hurried away from thence, and cast out the powder of them into the Kidron ravine;

13 and, the high places that were before Jerusalem, which were on the right hand of the mount of destruction, which Solomon king of Israel had built unto Ashtoreththe abomination of the Zidonians, and unto Chemoshthe abomination of the Moabites, and unto Milcomthe disgusting thing of the sons of Ammon, did the king defile;

14 and he brake in pieces the pillars, and cut down the Sacred Stems,and filled their place with human bones:

15 moreover also, the altar that was in Bethel, the high place which Jeroboam son of Nebat made, wherewith he caused, Israel, to sin,even that altar, and the high place, brake he down,and burned the high place, crushing it to powder, and burned a Sacred Stem.

16 And, when Josiah turned, and saw the graves which were there, in the mount, he sent and took the bones out of the graves, and burned upon the altar, and defiled it,according to the word of Yahweh, which the man of God proclaimed, who proclaimed these things.

17 Then said heWhat is yonder erection, which I do see? And the men of the city said unto himThe grave of the man of God, who came in out of Judah, and proclaimed these things, which thou hast done, concerning the altar of Bethel.

18 And he saidLet him rest, let, no man, disturb his bones. So they let his bones rest, with the bones of the prophet who came in out of Samaria.

19 Moreover also, all the houses of the high places which were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made, so as to provoke Yahweh to anger, did Josiah remove,and he did to them according to all the doings which he had done in Bethel;

20 and he sacrificed all the priests of the high places, who were there, by the altars, and burned human bones thereupon,and returned to Jerusalem.

21 Then did the king command all the people, saying, Keep ye a passover unto Yahweh, your God,such as is written in this book of the covenant.

22 Surely there had not been held such a passover as this, from the days of the Judges who judged Israel,nor all the days of the kings of Israel, and the kings of Judah;

23 save only, in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, when this passover was held unto Yahweh, in Jerusalem.

24 Moreover also, them who had familiar spirits, and the wizards, and the household gods, and the manufactured gods, and the abominations which were to be seen in the land of Judah, and in Jerusalem, did Josiah consume,that he might confirm the words of the law which were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest had found in the house of Yahweh.

25 And, like him, was no king, before him, who turned unto Yahweh with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses,neither, after him, arose one, like him.

26 Howbeit, Yahweh turned not away from the glow of his great anger, wherewith his anger glowed against Judahbecause of all the provocations wherewith, Manasseh, had provoked him.

27 So Yahweh said: Even Judah, will I remove from my presence, as I have removed Israel,and will reject this city, which I had chosen, even Jerusalem, and the house as to which I had said, My Name, shall be, there.

28 Now, the rest of the story of Josiah, and all that he did, are, they, not written in the book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

29 In his days, came up Pharaoh-necoh king of Egypt, against the king of Assyria, unto the river Euphrates,and, when King Josiah went against him, he slew him at Megiddo, as soon as he saw him.

30 And his servants conveyed him in a chariot, dead, from Megiddo, and brought him to Jerusalem, and buried him in his own sepulchre,and the people of the land took Jehoahaz, son of Josiah, and anointed him, and made, him, king, in his fathers stead.

31 Twenty-three years old, was Jehoahaz when he began to reign, and, three months, reigned he in Jerusalem,and, his mothers name, was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah, of Libnah.

32 And he did the thing that was wicked in the eyes of Yahweh, according to all that his, fathers, had done.

33 And Pharaoh-necoh put him in bonds at Riblah, in the hind of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem,and he laid a fine upon the land, a hundred talents of silver, and a talent of gold.

34 And Pharaoh-necoh made Eliakim son of Josiah king, instead of Josiah his father, and turned his name to Jehoiakim,and, Jehoahaz, took he away, so he entered Egypt, and died there.

35 And, the silver and the gold, did Jehoiakim give unto Pharaoh, howbeit he assessed the land, that he might give the silver at the bidding of Pharaoh,every man, according to his assessment, exacted the silver and the gold of the people of the land, that he might give it to Pharaoh-necoh.

36 Twenty-five years old, was Jehoiakim when he began to reign, and, eleven years, reigned he in Jerusalem,and, his mothers name, was Zebudah daughter of Pedaiah, of Rumah.

37 And he did the thing that was wicked in the eyes of Yahweh,according to all that, his fathers, had done.