2 Chronicles 35

1 Josiah held a Passover for the Lord in Jerusalem, and the Passover lamb was killed on the fourteenth day of the first month.

Moreover, Josiah kept a passover to the LORD in Jerusalem: and they killed the passover on the fourteenth [day] of the first month.

2 He assigned the priests to their respective duties and encouraged them in their ministry at the Lord's Temple.

And he set the priests in their charges, and encouraged them to the service of the house of the LORD,

3 Josiah told the Levites who taught all Israel and were holy to the Lord, “Place the holy Ark in the Temple built by Solomon, son of David, king of Israel. It's not necessary for you to carry it around on your shoulders any more. Your responsibility now is to serve the Lord your God and his people Israel.

And said to the Levites that taught all Israel, who were holy to the LORD, Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David king of Israel built; [it shall] not [be] a burden upon [your] shoulders: serve now the LORD your God, and his people Israel,

4 Get yourselves ready for service in your divisions, by families, according to the instructions given by David, king of Israel, and his son Solomon.

And prepare [yourselves] by the houses of your fathers after your courses, according to the writing of David king of Israel, and according to the writing of Solomon his son.

5 Then you are to stand in the sanctuary to assist the lay people according to family divisions, following the assignments according to your Levite family divisions.

And stand in the holy [place] according to the divisions of the families of the fathers of your brethren the people, and [after] the division of the families of the Levites.

6 Sacrifice the Passover lambs, purify yourselves, and be ready to help the people who come to fulfill the requirements given by the Lord through Moses.”

So kill the passover, and sanctify yourselves, and prepare your brethren, that [they] may do according to the word of the LORD by the hand of Moses.

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

And Josiah gave to the people, of the flock, lambs and kids, all for the passover-offerings, for all that were present, to the number of thirty thousand, and three thousand bullocks: these [were] of the king's substance.

8 His officials contributed freely to the people, to the priests, and to the Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, who were in charge of God's Temple, gave the priests as Passover offerings 2,600 Passover lambs and 300 bulls.

And his princes gave willingly to the people, to the priests, and to the Levites: Hilkiah and Zechariah and Jehiel, rulers of the house of God, gave to the priests for the passover-offerings two thousand and six hundred [small cattle], and three hundred oxen.

9 The leaders of the Levites, Conaniah, and Shemaiah and Nethanel his brothers, and Hashabiah and Jeiel and Jozabad, gave the Levites as Passover offerings 5,000 lambs and young goats and 500 bulls.

Conaniah also, and Shemaiah, and Nethaneel, his brethren, and Hashabiah and Jehiel and Jozabad, chief of the Levites, gave to the Levites for passover-offerings five thousand [small cattle], and five hundred oxen.

10 Once the preparations had been completed, the priests stood where they had been assigned and the Levites took their places in their divisions as the king had ordered.

So the service was prepared, and the priests stood in their place, and the Levites in their courses, according to the king's commandment.

11 They killed the Passover lambs, the priests sprinkled the blood they were given on the altar, while the Levites skinned the sacrifices.

And they killed the passover, and the priests sprinkled [the blood] from their hands, and the Levites flayed [them].

12 They put to one side the burnt offerings to be given to the families of the lay people, by division, to offer to the Lord, as required in the Book of Moses. They did the same thing with the bulls.

And they removed the burnt-offerings, that they might give according to the divisions of the families of the people, to offer to the LORD, as [it is] written in the book of Moses. And so [did they] with the oxen.

13 They roasted the Passover sacrifices on the fire as requires, and they boiled the holy offerings in pots, caldrons, and pans, and took them quickly to the lay people.

And they roasted the passover with fire according to the ordinance: but the [other] holy [offerings] they boiled in pots, and in caldrons, and in pans, and divided [them] speedily among all the people.

14 After that they prepared food from the offerings for themselves and for the priests, because the priests, the descendants of Aaron, were busy presenting burnt offerings and fat until night came. So the Levites did this work for themselves and for the priests, the descendants of Aaron.

And afterwards they made ready for themselves, and for the priests: because the priests the sons of Aaron [were busied] in offering 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 in their places following the instructions given by David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, the king's seer. The gatekeepers in charge at each gate did not need to leave, because their fellow Levites provided for them.

And the singers the sons of Asaph [were] in their place, according to the commandment of David, and Asaph, and Heman, and Jeduthun the king's seer; and the porters [waited] at every gate; they might not depart from their service; for their brethren the Levites prepared for them.

16 So on that day the whole Passover service of the Lord was took place, including the presenting of burnt offerings on the altar of the Lord, as King Josiah had ordered.

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 The Israelites who were there also celebrated Passover at that time, and also the Feast of Unleavened Bread for the following seven days.

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

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

And there was no passover like that kept in Israel from the days of Samuel the prophet; neither did all the kings of Israel keep such a passover as Josiah kept, and the priests, and the Levites, and all Judah and Israel that were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

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

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

20 After all this work that Josiah had carried out in restoring the Temple, King Neco of Egypt was leading his army to fight at Carchemish near the Euphrates, and Josiah went to confront him.

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

21 Neco sent messengers to him, saying, “What argument is there between you and me, king of Judah? I have not come to attack you today, because I'm fighting with another kingdom. God told me I should hurry, so stop obstructing God, who is with me, or he'll destroy you!”

But he sent embassadors 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 with which I have war: for God commanded me to make haste: forbear thee from [meddling with] God, who [is] with me, that he may not destroy thee.

22 But Josiah did not turn away and leave. Instead, he disguised himself so he could fight Neco in battle. He ignored Neco's message that came from God, and went to fight him on the Plain of Megiddo.

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

23 There archers shot King Josiah. He called out those beside him, “Get me out of the battle, because I'm badly wounded!”

And the archers shot at king Josiah; and the king said to his servants, Have me away; for I am severely wounded.

24 So they carried him out of his chariot, and took him back in his second chariot to Jerusalem, where he died. Josiah was buried in the tomb of his forefathers. All Judah and Jerusalem wept for him.

His servants therefore took him out of that chariot, and put him in the second chariot that he had; and they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died, and was buried in [one of] the sepulchers of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.

25 Then Jeremiah wrote a lament over Josiah, and to this day male and female choirs sing sad songs about Josiah. They have become a part of what is regularly sung in Israel, and they are recorded in the Book of Laments.

And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah: and all the singing men and the singing women have spoken of Josiah in their lamentations to this day, and made them an ordinance in Israel: and behold, they [are] written in the lamentations.

26 The rest of what Josiah did, along with his acts of loyalty following what is written in the Law of the Lord,

Now the rest of the acts of Josiah, and his goodness, according to [that which was] written in the law of the LORD,

27 all his actions, from beginning to end, are recorded in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah.

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