2 Chronicles 35

Revised Geneva Translation

35 Moreover, Josiah kept a Passover to the LORD in Jerusalem. And they killed the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month.

² And he appointed the priests to their charges and encouraged them to the service of the House of the LORD.

³ And he said to the Levites who taught all Israel and were sanctified to the LORD, “Put the Holy Ark in the House which Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel, built. It shall no longer be a burden upon your shoulders. Serve the LORD your God, now, and His people Israel,

⁴ “and prepare yourselves by the Houses of your fathers, according to your divisions, as David the king of Israel has written, and according to the writing of Solomon his son.

⁵ “And stand in the Sanctuary according to the division of the families of your brethren, the children of the people, and the division of the family of the Levites.

⁶ “So kill the Passover and sanctify yourselves and prepare your brethren, so that they may do according to the Word of the LORD by the hand of Moses.”

⁷ Josiah also gave sheep, lambs and kids to the people, all for the Passover, to all who were present, to the number of thirty thousand, and three thousand bulls. These were from the king’s possessions.

⁸ And his princes offered willingly to the people, to the priests and to the Levites. Hilkiah and Zechariah and Jehiel, rulers of the House of God, gave two thousand six hundred sheep and three hundred bulls to the priests for the Passover.

⁹ Also, Conaniah and Shemaiah and Nethanel (his brethren), Hashabiah and Jeiel and Jozabad, chief of the Levites, gave five thousand sheep and five hundred bulls to the Levites for the Passover.

¹⁰ Thus the service was prepared. And the Priests stood in their places, and the Levites in their orders, according to the king’s commandment.

¹¹ And they killed the Passover. And the priests sprinkled the blood with their hands. And the Levites skinned them.

¹² And they took away the Burnt Offering, to give it according to the divisions of the families of the children of the people, to offer to the LORD, as it is written in the Book of Moses, and the same for the bulls.

¹³ And they roasted the Passover with fire, according to the custom. But they boiled the sanctified things in pots, pans and cauldrons, and distributed them quickly to all the people.

¹⁴ And afterward, they prepared for themselves and for the priests. For the priests, the sons of Aaron, were occupied in the offering of Burnt Offerings and the fat until night. Therefore, the Levites prepared for themselves and for the priests (the sons of Aaron).

¹⁵ And the singers (the sons of Asaph) stood in their places according to the commandment of David and Asaph and Heman and Jeduthun, the king’s Seer. And the gatekeepers were at every gate, who may not depart from their service. Therefore, their brethren, the Levites, prepared for them.

¹⁶ So, 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.

¹⁷ And the children of Israel who were present kept the Passover at that time, and the Feast of the Unleavened Bread, for seven days.

¹⁸ And there was no Passover kept like that in Israel from the days of Samuel the Prophet. Nor did any of the kings of Israel ever keep such a Passover as Josiah kept with the priests, and the Levites, and all Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

¹⁹ This Passover was kept in the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah.

²⁰ After all this, after Josiah had prepared the Temple, Necho king of Egypt came up to fight against Carchemish by Perath. And Josiah went out against him.

²¹ But he sent messengers to him, saying, “What have I to do with you, king of Judah? I do not come against you this day, but against the House of my enemy. And God Commanded me to hurry. Cease your coming against God, Who is with me, lest He destroy you.”

²² But Josiah would not turn his face from him. But he changed his apparel to fight with him and did not listen to the words of Necho, which were from the Mouth of God. But he came to fight in the Valley of Megiddo.

²³ And the archers shot at King Josiah. Then the king said to his servants, “Carry me away; for I am very sick.”

²⁴ So his servants took him out of that chariot and put him in the second chariot which he had. And when they had brought him to Jerusalem, he died and was buried in the sepulchers of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.

²⁵ And Jeremiah lamented Josiah. And all singing men and singing women mourn for Josiah in their Lamentations to this day. They made the same an ordinance in Israel. And behold, they are written in the Lamentations.

²⁶ Concerning the rest of the acts of Josiah, and his goodness, as it was written in the Law of the LORD,

²⁷ and his deeds, first and last, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah.