2 Chronicles 35

MSTC(i) 1 And Josiah held the feast of Passover unto the LORD in Jerusalem, and they slew Passover in the fourteenth day of the first month. 2 And he set the priests in their offices and aided them in the service of the house of the LORD. 3 And he said to the Levites that taught throughout all Israel and were sanctified unto the LORD, "Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David king of Israel did build; ye need not to bear it upon your shoulders. Wherefore now serve the LORD your God and his people Israel. 4 And prepare yourselves by your ancient households and companies, according to the writing of David king of Israel, and the writing of Solomon his son. 5 And stand in the holy place according to the divisions of the ancient households of your brethren the children of the people, and after the division of the ancient households of the Levites, 6 and kill Passover; sanctify and prepare your brethren that they may do according to the word of the LORD by the hand of Moses." 7 And Josiah gave to the common people in lambs and kids, for Passover offerings only, unto all that were present thirty thousand by tally, and three thousand oxen; even of the king's substance. 8 And his lords gave willingly both unto the people and also unto the priests and unto the Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah and Jehiel, rulers of the house of God, gave unto the priests for Passover offerings two thousand and six hundred lambs and kids, and three hundred oxen. 9 And Conaniah with Shemaiah and Nethanel his brethren, and Hashabiah and Jeiel and Jozabad, lords of the Levites, gave unto the Levites five thousand Passover offerings, and five hundred oxen. 10 And so the service went forward: and the priests stood in their places, and the Levites in their companies at the king's commandment. 11 And they slew Passover: and the priests sprinkled the blood, receiving it of the Levites, and the Levites stripped the beasts. 12 And they fetched away the burnt offerings, to give them unto the common people as they were divided by ancient houses, for to offer unto the LORD; like as it is written in the book of Moses. And so did they with the oxen too. 13 And they dressed the Passover with fire as the manner was. But the other hallowed, dedicated beasts they sod in pots, cauldrons and pans and divided them quickly among all the common people. 14 And afterward they made ready for themselves and for the priests and for the children of Aaron, which were busied in offering of burnt offerings and the fat until night. And therefore the Levites prepared for themselves and for the priests the sons of Aaron. 15 And the singers the children of Asaph stood in their standing according to the commandment of David and Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun the king's seer of visions: and the porters waited at every gate, and might not depart from their service. But their brethren the Levites prepared for them. 16 And so all the service of the LORD went forward the said day, in offering Passover of burnt offerings upon the altar of the LORD, according to the commandment of king Josiah. 17 And so the children of Israel that could be found, offered Passover the same time and kept the feast of sweet bread seven days. 18 And there was no Passover like to that kept in Israel, from the time of Samuel the prophet: neither did any of the kings of Israel hold such a Passover feast as did Josiah and the priests and Levites and all Judah, and as much of Israel as could be had, and the inhabiters of Jerusalem. 19 And this Passover was holden in the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah. 20 After all this, when Josiah had finished the temple, Neco king of Egypt came up to fight against Carchemish upon Euphrates, and Josiah went out against him. 21 And the other sent messengers to him, saying, "What have I to do with thee, thou king of Judah? I came not against thee now at this time, but against a house with whom I have war, and God bade me haste. Leave off therefore and meddle not with God, which is with me, lest he destroy thee." 22 Nevertheless, Josiah turned not his face from him, but made him ready to fight with him, and hearkened not unto the words of Neco out of the mouth of God. And when he was come to fight in the valley of Megiddo, 23 the shooters shot against the king Josiah. And the king said to his servants, "Carry me away for I am sore hurt." 24 And his servants had him out of the chariot and put him in another, and brought him to Jerusalem where he died and was buried in the sepulchre of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah. 25 And Jeremiah lamented Josiah, and all singing men and singing women speak of Josiah to this day, and made it an ordinance in Israel: and they be written in lamentations. 26 The rest of the acts of Josiah, and his goodness in following the writing of the law, 27 and his deeds, first and last, are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.