2Chronicles 35

Josiah Celebrates Passover

35Then Josiah announced that the Passover of the LORD would be celebrated in Jerusalem, and so the Passover lamb was slaughtered on the fourteenth day of the first month

.H2977H6213H6453H3068H3389H7819H6453H702H6240H7223H23202Josiah also assigned the priests to their duties and encouraged them in their work at the Temple of the LORD.H5975H3548H4931H2388H5656H1004H30683He issued this order to the Levites, who were to teach all Israel and who had been set apart to serve the LORD: "Put the holy Ark in the Temple that was built by Solomon son of David, the king of Israel. You no longer need to carry it back and forth on your shoulders. Now spend your time serving the LORD your God and his people Israel.H559H3881H995H4000H3478H6918H3068H5414H6944H727H1004H8010H1121H1732H4428H3478H1129H4853H3802H5647H3068H430H5971H34784Report for duty according to the family divisions of your ancestors, following the directions of King David of Israel and the directions of his son Solomon.H3559H3559H1004H1H4256H3791H1732H4428H3478H4385H8010H11215"Then stand in the sanctuary at the place appointed for your family division and help the families assigned to you as they bring their offerings to the Temple.H5975H6944H6391H1004H1H251H1121H5971H2515H1H1004H38816Slaughter the Passover lambs, purify yourselves, and prepare to help those who come. Follow all the directions that the LORD gave through Moses."H7819H6453H6942H3559H251H6213H1697H3068H3027H48727Then Josiah provided 30,000 lambs and young goats for the people's Passover offerings, along with 3,000 cattle, all from the king's own flocks and herds.H2977H7311H1121H5971H6629H3532H1121H5795H6453H4672H4557H7970H505H7969H505H1241H4428H73998The king's officials also made willing contributions to the people, priests, and Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, the administrators of God's Temple, gave the priests 2,600 lambs and young goats and 300 cattle as Passover offerings.H8269H7311H5071H5971H3548H3881H2518H2148H3171H5057H1004H430H5414H3548H6453H505H8337H3967H7969H3967H12419The Levite leaders—Conaniah and his brothers Shemaiah and Nethanel, as well as Hashabiah, Jeiel, and Jozabad—gave 5,000 lambs and young goats and 500 cattle to the Levites for their Passover offerings.H3562H8098H5417H251H2811H3273H3107H8269H3881H7311H3881H6453H2568H505H2568H3967H124110When everything was ready for the Passover celebration, the priests and the Levites took their places, organized by their divisions, as the king had commanded.H5656H3559H3548H5975H5977H3881H4256H4428H468711The Levites then slaughtered the Passover lambs and presented the blood to the priests, who sprinkled the blood on the altar while the Levites prepared the animals.H7819H6453H3548H2236H3027H3881H658412They divided the burnt offerings among the people by their family groups, so they could offer them to the LORD as prescribed in the Book of Moses. They did the same with the cattle.H5493H5930H5414H4653H1H1004H1121H5971H7126H3068H3789H5612H4872H124113Then they roasted the Passover lambs as prescribed; and they boiled the holy offerings in pots, kettles, and pans, and brought them out quickly so the people could eat them.H1310H6453H784H4941H6944H1310H5518H1731H6745H7323H1121H597114Afterward the Levites prepared Passover offerings for themselves and for the priests—the descendants of Aaron—because the priests had been busy from morning till night offering the burnt offerings and the fat portions. The Levites took responsibility for all these preparations.H310H3559H3548H3548H1121H175H5927H5930H2459H3915H3881H3559H3548H1121H17515The musicians, descendants of Asaph, were in their assigned places, following the commands that had been given by David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, the king's seer. The gatekeepers guarded the gates and did not need to leave their posts of duty, for their Passover offerings were prepared for them by their fellow Levites.H7891H1121H623H4612H4687H1732H623H1968H3038H4428H2374H7778H8179H5493H5656H251H3881H355916The entire ceremony for the LORD's Passover was completed that day. All the burnt offerings were sacrificed on the altar of the LORD, as King Josiah had commanded.H5656H3068H3559H3117H6213H6453H5927H5930H4196H3068H4687H4428H297717All the Israelites present in Jerusalem celebrated Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days.H1121H3478H4672H6213H6453H6256H2282H4682H7651H311718Never since the time of the prophet Samuel had there been such a Passover. None of the kings of Israel had ever kept a Passover as Josiah did, involving all the priests and Levites, all the people of Jerusalem, and people from all over Judah and Israel.H6453H3644H6213H3478H3117H8050H5030H6213H4428H3478H6213H6453H2977H6213H3548H3881H3063H3478H4672H3427H338919This Passover celebration took place in the eighteenth year of Josiah's reign.H8083H6240H8141H4438H2977H6453H6213

Josiah Dies in Battle

20After Josiah had finished restoring the Temple, King Neco of Egypt led his army up from Egypt to do battle at Carchemish on the Euphrates River, and Josiah and his army marched out to fight him

.H310H2977H3559H1004H5224H4428H4714H5927H3898H3751H6578H2977H3318H712521But King Neco sent messengers to Josiah with this message: "What do you want with me, king of Judah? I have no quarrel with you today! I am on my way to fight another nation, and God has told me to hurry! Do not interfere with God, who is with me, or he will destroy you."H7971H4397H559H4428H3063H3117H1004H4421H430H559H926H2308H430H784322But Josiah refused to listen to Neco, to whom God had indeed spoken, and he would not turn back. Instead, he disguised himself and led his army into battle on the plain of Megiddo.H2977H5437H6440H2664H3898H8085H1697H5224H6310H430H935H3898H1237H402323But the enemy archers hit King Josiah with their arrows and wounded him. He cried out to his men, "Take me from the battle, for I am badly wounded!"H3384H3384H4428H2977H4428H559H5650H5674H3966H247024So they lifted Josiah out of his chariot and placed him in another chariot. Then they brought him back to Jerusalem, where he died. He was buried there in the royal cemetery. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for him.H5650H5674H4818H7392H4932H7393H3212H3389H4191H6912H6913H1H3063H3389H56H297725The prophet Jeremiah composed funeral songs for Josiah, and to this day choirs still sing these sad songs about his death. These songs of sorrow have become a tradition and are recorded in The Book of Laments.H3414H6969H2977H7891H7891H559H2977H7015H3117H5414H2706H3478H3789H701526The rest of the events of Josiah's reign and his acts of devotion (carried out according to what was written in the Law of the LORD),H3499H1697H2977H2617H3789H8451H306827from beginning to end—all are recorded in The Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah.H1697H7223H314H3789H5612H4428H3478H3063