2 Chronicles 35

1 Then Josiah celebrated the Passover to the LORD in Jerusalem, and the Passover lamb was slaughtered on the fourteenth day of the first month.

And Josiah kept in Jerusalem the passover unto the Lord: and they slaughtered the passover-sacrifice on the fourteenth day of the first month.

2 He appointed the priests to their duties and encouraged them in the service of the house of the LORD.

And he placed the priests in their charges, and strengthened them for the service of the house of the Lord.

3 To the Levites who taught all Israel and were holy to the LORD, Josiah said: “Put the holy ark in the temple built by Solomon son of David king of Israel. It is not to be carried around on your shoulders. Now serve the LORD your God and His people Israel.

And he said unto the Levites that instructed all Israel, who were holy unto the Lord, Set the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David the king of Israel did build; you have not to carry it any more upon 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 Solomon his son.

And prepare yourselves by your family divisions, according to your courses, after the written order of David the king of Israel, and after the written order of Solomon his son;

5 Moreover, stand in the Holy Place by the divisions of the families of your kinsmen the lay people, and by the divisions of the families of the Levites.

And stand in the holy place according to the divisions of the family divisions of your brethren the sons of the people, and after the division of the families of the Levites;

6 Slaughter the Passover lambs, consecrate yourselves, and make preparations for your fellow countrymen to carry out the word of the LORD given by Moses.”

And slaughter the passover-sacrifice, and sanctify yourselves, and prepare it for your brethren, to do according to the word of the Lord by the hand of Moses.

7 From his own flocks and herds Josiah contributed 30,000 lambs and goats plus 3,000 bulls for the Passover offerings for all the people who were present.

And Josiah set apart for the sons of the people, of the flock, lambs and kids, all for the passover-sacrifices, for all that were present, to the number of thirty thousand, and of steers three thousand: these were of the king's property.

8 His officials also contributed willingly to the people and priests and Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, the administrators of the house of God, gave the priests 2,600 Passover offerings and 300 bulls.

And his princes set apart [much] as a freewill gift for the people for the priests, and for the Levites: Chilkiyah, and Zecharyahu, and Jechiel, the rulers of the house of God, gave unto the priests for the passover-sacrifices two thousand and six hundred [lambs and kids], and three hundred steers.

9 Additionally, Conaniah and his brothers Shemaiah and Nethanel, as well as Hashabiah, Jeiel, and Jozabad, officers of the Levites, donated to the Levites 5,000 Passover offerings and 500 bulls.

And Conanyahu, and Shema'yahu and Nethanel, his brothers, and Chashabyahu and Je'iel and Jozabad, the chiefs of the Levites, set apart unto the Levites for passover-sacrifices five thousand [lambs and kids], and five hundred steers.

10 So the service was prepared; the priests stood in their places and the Levites in their divisions according to the king’s command.

So the service was established, and the priests stood on their station, and the Levites in their divisions, according to the king's command.

11 And they slaughtered the Passover lambs, while the priests sprinkled the blood handed to them and the Levites skinned the animals.

And they slaughtered the passover-sacrifice, and the priests sprinkled [the blood received] from their hands, and the Levites did the flaying.

12 They set aside the burnt offerings to be given to the divisions of the families of the people to offer to the LORD, as is written in the Book of Moses; and they did the same with the bulls.

And they removed the burnt-offerings to give them to the divisions of the family divisions of the sons of the people, to offer [them] unto the Lord, as it is written in the book of Moses. And so did they with the steers.

13 They roasted the Passover animals on the fire according to the regulation, and they boiled the other holy offerings in pots, kettles, and bowls and quickly brought them to all the people.

And they roasted the passover by the fire in accordance with the prescribed manner; but the holy offerings they seethed in pots, and in caldrons, and in pans, and divided them speedily among all the sons of the people.

14 Afterward, they made preparations for themselves and for the priests, since the priests, the descendants of Aaron, were offering up burnt offerings and fat until nightfall. So the Levites made preparations for themselves and for the priests, the descendants of Aaron.

And afterward they prepared for themselves, and for the priests; because the priests the sons of Aaron [were busied] in offering the burnt-offerings and the fat until night: therefore the Levites prepared for themselves and for the priests the sons of Aaron.

15 The singers, the descendants of Asaph, were at their stations according to the command of David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king’s seer. And the gatekeepers at each gate did not need to leave their position, because their fellow Levites made preparations for them.

And the singers the sons of Assaph were on their station, according to the command of David, and Assaph, and Heman, and Jeduthun the king's seer; and the gatekeepers were at every gate: they had no need to depart from their service; because their brethren the Levites prepared for them.

16 So on that day the entire service of the LORD was carried out for celebrating the Passover and offering burnt offerings on the altar of the LORD, according to the command of King Josiah.

So was established all the service of the Lord on the same day, to prepare the passover-sacrifice, and to offer burnt-offerings upon the altar of the Lord, according to the command of king Josiah.

17 The Israelites who were present also observed the Passover at that time, as well as the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days.

And the children of Israel that were present prepared the passover-sacrifice at that time, and [kept] the feast of unleavened bread seven days.

18 No such Passover had been observed in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet. None of the kings of Israel ever observed a Passover like the one that Josiah observed with the priests, the Levites, all Judah, the Israelites who were present, and the people of Jerusalem.

And there was not holden any passover like this in Israel from the days of Samuel the prophet; and all the kings of Israel did not keep such a passover as Josiah kept, with the priests, and the Levites, and all Judah and Israel that were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

19 In the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign, this Passover was observed.

In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah was this passover holden.

20 After all this, when Josiah had set the temple in order, Neco king of Egypt marched up to fight at Carchemish by the Euphrates, and Josiah went out to confront him.

After all this, when Josiah had restored the temple, came up Necho the king of Egypt to fight against Karkemish by the Euphrates, and Josiah went out against him.

21 But Neco sent messengers to him, saying, “What is the issue between you and me, O king of Judah? I have not come against you today, but I am fighting another dynasty. God told me to hurry; so stop opposing God, who is with me, or He will destroy you!”

But 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, and God hath commanded me to make haste: forbear thee from meddling with God who is with me, that he may not destroy thee.

22 Josiah, however, did not turn away from him; instead, in order to engage him in battle, he disguised himself. He did not listen to Neco’s words from the mouth of God, but went to fight him on the Plain of Megiddo.

Nevertheless did Josiah not turn his face away from him, but disguised himself, to fight with him, and hearkened not unto the words of Necho from the mouth of God; and he came to fight in the valley of Megiddo.

23 There the archers shot King Josiah, who said to his servants, “Take me away, for I am badly wounded!”

And the archers shot at king Josiah: and the king said to his servants, Carry me away: for I am sorely wounded.

24 So his servants took him out of his chariot, put him in his second chariot, and brought him to Jerusalem, where he died. And Josiah was buried in the tomb of his fathers, and all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for him.

And his servants carried him away out of that chariot, and conveyed him in the second chariot that he had: and they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died, and was buried in the sepulchres of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.

25 Then Jeremiah lamented over Josiah, and to this day all the choirs of men and women sing laments over Josiah. They established them as a statute for Israel, and indeed they are written in the Book of Laments.

And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah; and all the singing men and the singing women spoke of Josiah in their lamentations to this day, and they instituted them as a custom in Israel: and, behold, they are written in the lamentations.

26 As for the rest of the acts of Josiah, along with his deeds of loving devotion according to what is written in the Law of the LORD—

And the rest of the acts of Josiah, and his pious deeds, in accordance with what is written in the law of the Lord,

27 his acts from beginning to end—they are indeed written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah.

And his acts, the first and the last, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.