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2 Chronicles 33-36
New American Standard Bible

Manasseh Succeeds Hezekiah in Judah

33 (A)Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned for fifty-five years in Jerusalem. 2 (B)He did evil in the sight of the Lord according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord dispossessed before the sons of Israel. 3 For (C)he rebuilt the high places which his father Hezekiah had torn down; (D)he also set up altars for the Baals and made [a]Asherim, and he worshiped all the heavenly [b]lights and served them. 4 (E)He built altars in the house of the Lord of which the Lord had said, “My name shall be (F)in Jerusalem forever.” 5 He built altars for all the heavenly [c]lights in (G)the two courtyards of the house of the Lord. 6 (H)He also made his sons pass through the fire in the Valley of Ben-hinnom; and he practiced witchcraft, used divination, practiced sorcery, and (I)dealt with mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking Him to anger. 7 Then he put (J)the carved image of the idol which he had made in the house of God, of which God had said to David and his son Solomon, “(K)In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever; 8 and I will not remove the foot of Israel again from the land (L)which I have appointed for your fathers, if only they will take care to do everything that I have commanded them according to all the Law, the statutes, and the ordinances given through Moses.” 9 So Manasseh encouraged Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to do more evil than the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the sons of Israel.

Manasseh’s Idolatry Rebuked

10 So the Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but (M)they paid no attention. 11 (N)Therefore the Lord brought the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria against them, and they captured Manasseh with hooks, (O)bound him with bronze chains, and led him to Babylon. 12 When (P)he was in distress, he appeased the Lord his God and (Q)humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. 13 When he prayed to Him, (R)He was moved by him and heard his pleading, and brought him back to Jerusalem to his kingdom. Then Manasseh (S)knew that the Lord alone is God.

14 Now after this he built the outer wall of the city of David on the west side of (T)Gihon, in the valley, up to the entrance of the (U)Fish Gate; and he encircled the (V)Ophel with it and made it very high. Then he put army commanders in all the fortified cities in Judah. 15 He also (W)removed the foreign gods and the idol from the house of the Lord, as well as all the altars which he had built on the mountain of the house of the Lord and in Jerusalem, and he threw them outside the city. 16 He set up the altar of the Lord and sacrificed (X)peace offerings and thanksgiving offerings on it; and he ordered Judah to serve the Lord God of Israel. 17 However, (Y)the people still sacrificed on the high places, although only to the Lord their God.

18 Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh and (Z)his prayer to his God, and the words of (AA)the seers who spoke to him in the name of the Lord God of Israel, behold, they are among the records of the kings of (AB)Israel. 19 His prayer also and (AC)how God was moved by him, and all his sin, his unfaithfulness, and (AD)the sites on which he built high places and erected the [d]Asherim and the carved images, before he humbled himself, behold, they are written in the records of [e]Hozai. 20 So Manasseh [f]lay down with his fathers, and they buried him in his own house. And his son Amon became king in his place.

Amon Becomes King in Judah

21 (AE)Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned for two years in Jerusalem. 22 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, just as his father Manasseh (AF)had done, and Amon sacrificed to all (AG)the carved images which his father Manasseh had made, and he served them. 23 Furthermore, he did not humble himself before the Lord (AH)as his father Manasseh had [g]done, but Amon multiplied his guilt. 24 Finally, (AI)his servants conspired against him and put him to death in his own house. 25 But the people of the land [h]killed all the conspirators against King Amon, and the people of the land made his son Josiah king in his place.

Josiah Succeeds Amon in Judah

34 (AJ)Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned for thirty-one years in Jerusalem. 2 (AK)He did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the ways of his father David and did not turn aside to the right or the left. 3 For in the eighth year of his reign while he was still a youth, he began to (AL)seek the God of his father David; and in the twelfth year he began (AM)to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the [i]Asherim, the carved images, and the cast metal images. 4 They tore down the altars of the Baals in his presence, and he chopped down (AN)the incense altars that were high above them; also he broke in pieces the Asherim, the carved images, and the cast metal images, and (AO)ground them to powder, and scattered it on the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. 5 Then (AP)he burned the bones of the priests on their altars and purged Judah and Jerusalem. 6 (AQ)In the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, Simeon, and as far as Naphtali, in their surrounding spaces, 7 he also tore down the altars and (AR)crushed the [j]Asherim and the carved images into powder, and chopped down all the incense altars throughout the land of Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem.

Josiah Repairs the Temple

8 (AS)Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, Maaseiah (AT)an official of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the secretary, to repair the house of the Lord his God. 9 They came to (AU)Hilkiah the high priest and gave him the money that was brought into the house of God, which the Levites, the [k]doorkeepers, had collected [l]from (AV)Manasseh and Ephraim, and from all the remnant of Israel, from all Judah and Benjamin and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 10 Then they handed it over to the workmen who had the oversight of the house of the Lord, and the workmen who were working in the house of the Lord [m]used it to restore and repair the house. 11 They in turn gave it to the carpenters and the builders to buy quarried stone and timber for couplings, and to make beams for the houses (AW)which the kings of Judah had let go to ruin. 12 (AX)The men did the work faithfully with foremen over them to supervise: Jahath and Obadiah, the Levites of the sons of Merari, Zechariah and Meshullam of the sons of the Kohathites, and (AY)the Levites, all who were skillful with musical instruments. 13 They were also in charge of (AZ)the burden bearers, and supervised all the workmen from job to job; and some of the Levites were scribes, and officials, and gatekeepers.

Hilkiah Discovers the Lost Book of the Law

14 When they were bringing out the money which had been brought into the house of the Lord, (BA)Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the Lord given by Moses. 15 Hilkiah responded and said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the Lord.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan. 16 Then Shaphan brought the book to the king and [n]reported further word to the king, saying, “Everything that was [o]entrusted to your servants, they are doing. 17 They have also emptied out the money which was found in the house of the Lord, and have handed it over to the supervisors and the workmen.” 18 Moreover, Shaphan the scribe informed the king, saying, “Hilkiah the priest gave me a book.” And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king.

19 When the king heard (BB)the words of the Law, (BC)he tore his clothes. 20 Then the king commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, [p]Abdon the son of Micah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king’s servant, saying, 21 “Go, inquire of the Lord for me and for those who are left in Israel and Judah, concerning the words of the book which has been found; for (BD)the wrath of the Lord which has poured out on us is great, because our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord, to act in accordance with everything that is written in this book.”

Huldah, the Prophetess, Speaks

22 So Hilkiah and those [q]whom the king had told went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of [r]Tokhath, the son of Hasrah, the keeper of the wardrobe (she lived in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter); and they spoke to her regarding this. 23 Then she said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘Tell the man who sent you to Me, 24 this is what the Lord says: “Behold, (BE)I am bringing [s]evil on this place and on its inhabitants, all (BF)the curses written in the book which they have read in the presence of the king of Judah. 25 (BG)Since they have abandoned Me and have burned incense to other gods, so that they may provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands, My wrath will be poured out on this place and it will not be quenched.”’ 26 But to the king of Judah who sent you to inquire of the Lord, this is what you shall say to him: ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: In regard to the words which you have heard, 27 “(BH)Because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and its inhabitants, and because you humbled yourself before Me, tore your clothes, and wept before Me, I have indeed heard you,” declares the Lord. 28 “Behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your grave in peace, so your eyes will not see all the evil which I am bringing on this place and its inhabitants.”’” And they brought back word to the king.

29 (BI)Then the king sent word and gathered all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 30 The king went up to the house of the Lord [t]with (BJ)all the men of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests, the Levites, and all the people, from the greatest to the least; and he read in their [u]presence all the words of the Book of the Covenant which was found in the house of the Lord.

Josiah’s Good Reign

31 Then the king (BK)stood [v]in his place and (BL)made a covenant before the Lord to walk after the Lord, and to keep His commandments, His testimonies, and His statutes with all his heart and with all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant that are written in this book. 32 Furthermore, he made all who were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin stand with him. So the inhabitants of Jerusalem acted in accordance with the covenant of God, the God of their fathers. 33 Josiah (BM)removed all the abominations from all the lands belonging to the sons of Israel, and made all who were present in Israel serve the Lord their God. Throughout his [w]lifetime they did not turn from following the Lord God of their fathers.

The Passover Held Again

35 Then Josiah (BN)celebrated the Passover to the Lord in Jerusalem, and (BO)they slaughtered the Passover animals on the fourteenth day of the first month. 2 He appointed the priests to their offices and (BP)encouraged them in the service of the house of the Lord. 3 He also said to (BQ)the Levites who taught all Israel and who were holy to the Lord, “Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David king of Israel built; (BR)it will not be a burden on your shoulders. Now serve the Lord your God and His people Israel. 4 (BS)Prepare yourselves by your fathers’ households in your divisions, according to the writing of David king of Israel and (BT)according to the writing of his son Solomon. 5 Furthermore, (BU)stand in the holy place according to the sections of the fathers’ households of your countrymen, the [x]lay people, and according to the Levites, by division of a father’s household. 6 Now (BV)slaughter the Passover animals, (BW)keep one another consecrated, and prepare for your countrymen to act in accordance with the word of the Lord by Moses.”

7 Josiah contributed to the lay people, to all who were present, flocks of lambs and young goats, all for the Passover offerings, numbering thirty thousand, plus three thousand bulls; these were from the king’s property. 8 His officers also contributed a [y]voluntary offering to the people, the priests, and the Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, (BX)the officials of the house of God, gave the priests 2,600 from the flocks and three hundred bulls, for the Passover offerings. 9 (BY)Conaniah also, and his brothers Shemaiah and Nethanel, and Hashabiah and Jeiel and Jozabad, the officers of the Levites, contributed five thousand from the flocks and five hundred bulls to the Levites for the Passover offerings.

10 So the service was prepared, and (BZ)the priests stood at their positions and the Levites by their divisions according to the king’s command. 11 [z](CA)They slaughtered the Passover animals, and while (CB)the priests [aa]sprinkled the blood received from their hand, (CC)the Levites skinned the animals. 12 Then they removed the burnt offerings so that they might give them to the sections of the fathers’ households of the lay people to present to the Lord, as it is written in the Book of Moses. They did this with the bulls as well. 13 So (CD)they roasted the Passover animals on the fire according to the ordinance, and they boiled (CE)the holy things in pots, in kettles, and in pans and carried them quickly to all the lay people. 14 Afterward they prepared for themselves and for the priests, because the priests, the sons of Aaron, were offering the burnt offerings and the fat until night; so the Levites prepared for themselves and for the priests, the sons of Aaron. 15 The singers, the sons of Asaph, were also at their positions (CF)according to the command of David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king’s seer; and (CG)the gatekeepers at each gate did not have to leave their service, because their kinsmen the Levites prepared for them.

16 So all the service of the Lord was prepared on that day to celebrate the Passover, and to offer burnt offerings on the altar of the Lord according to the command of King Josiah. 17 And (CH)the sons of Israel who were present celebrated the Passover at that time, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days. 18 (CI)There had not been a Passover celebrated like it in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet; nor had any of the kings of Israel celebrated such a Passover as Josiah did with the priests, the Levites, all Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 19 In the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign this Passover was celebrated.

Josiah Dies in Battle

20 (CJ)After all this, when Josiah had set the [ab]temple in order, Neco king of Egypt came up to wage war at (CK)Carchemish on the Euphrates, and Josiah went out to engage him. 21 But [ac]Neco sent messengers to him, saying, “[ad](CL)What business do you have with me, King of Judah? I am not coming against you today, but against the house with which I am at war, and God has told me to hurry. For your own sake, stop interfering with God who is with me, so that He does not destroy you.” 22 However, Josiah would not turn [ae]away from him, but (CM)disguised himself in order to fight against him; nor did he listen to the words of Neco (CN)from the mouth of God, but he came to wage war on the plain of (CO)Megiddo. 23 The archers shot King Josiah, and the king said to his servants, “Take me away, for I am badly wounded.” 24 So his servants took him out of the chariot and carried him on the second chariot which he had, and brought him to Jerusalem [af]where he died and was buried in the tombs of his fathers. (CP)All Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah. 25 Then (CQ)Jeremiah chanted a song of mourning for Josiah. And all the male and female singers speak about Josiah in their songs of mourning to this day. And they made them an ordinance in Israel; behold, they are also written in the Lamentations. 26 Now the rest of the acts of Josiah and his deeds of devotion as written in the Law of the Lord, 27 and his acts, the first to the last, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah.

Joahaz, Jehoiakim, Then Jehoiachin Rule

36 (CR)Then the people of the land took [ag](CS)Joahaz the son of Josiah and made him king in place of his father in Jerusalem. 2 Joahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned for three months in Jerusalem. 3 Then the king of Egypt deposed him in Jerusalem, and imposed a fine on the land of [ah]a hundred talents of silver and [ai]one talent of gold. 4 The king of Egypt made [aj]Joahaz’s brother Eliakim king over Judah and Jerusalem, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. But (CT)Neco took his brother Joahaz and brought him to Egypt.

5 (CU)Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem; and he did evil in the sight of the Lord his God. 6 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up (CV)against him and (CW)bound him with bronze chains to take him to Babylon. 7 (CX)Nebuchadnezzar also brought some of the articles of the house of the Lord to Babylon, and he put them in his temple in Babylon. 8 (CY)Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim and [ak]the abominations which he committed, and what was found against him, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. And his son Jehoiachin became king in his place.

9 (CZ)Jehoiachin was [al]eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned for three months and ten days in Jerusalem. He did evil in the sight of the Lord.

Captivity in Babylon Begun

10 (DA)At the turn of the year King Nebuchadnezzar sent men and had him brought to Babylon with the valuable articles of the house of the Lord; and he made his relative (DB)Zedekiah king over Judah and Jerusalem.

Zedekiah Rules in Judah

11 (DC)Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem. 12 He did evil in the sight of the Lord his God; (DD)he did not humble himself (DE)before Jeremiah the prophet [am]who spoke for the Lord. 13 (DF)He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear allegiance by God. But (DG)he stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the Lord God of Israel. 14 Furthermore, all the officials of the priests and the people were very unfaithful, following all the abominations of the nations; and they defiled the house of the Lord which He had sanctified in Jerusalem.

15 Yet the Lord, the God of their fathers, (DH)sent word to them again and again by His messengers, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place; 16 but they continually (DI)mocked the messengers of God, (DJ)despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, (DK)until the wrath of the Lord rose against His people, until there was no remedy. 17 (DL)So He brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or virgin, old man or frail; He handed them all over to him. 18 (DM)He brought all the articles of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king and his officers, to Babylon. 19 Then (DN)they burned the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem, and burned all its fortified buildings with fire and destroyed all its valuable articles. 20 He (DO)took into exile those who had escaped from the sword to Babylon; and (DP)they were servants to him and to his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia, 21 (DQ)to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until (DR)the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths. (DS)All the days of its desolation it kept the Sabbath [an](DT)until seventy years were complete.

Cyrus Permits Return

22 (DU)Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia—in order to fulfill the word of the Lord (DV)by the mouth of Jeremiah—the Lord (DW)stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia so that he sent a proclamation throughout his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, 23 “This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: ‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and He has appointed me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever there is among you of all His people, may the Lord his God be with him; [ao]go up then!’”

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 33:3 I.e., wooden symbols of a female deity (Asherah)
  2. 2 Chronicles 33:3 Lit host
  3. 2 Chronicles 33:5 Lit host
  4. 2 Chronicles 33:19 I.e., wooden symbols of a female deity (Asherah)
  5. 2 Chronicles 33:19 LXX seers
  6. 2 Chronicles 33:20 I.e., died
  7. 2 Chronicles 33:23 Lit humbled himself
  8. 2 Chronicles 33:25 Lit struck
  9. 2 Chronicles 34:3 I.e., wooden symbols of a female deity (Asherah)
  10. 2 Chronicles 34:7 I.e., wooden symbols of a female deity (Asherah)
  11. 2 Chronicles 34:9 Lit guardians of the threshold
  12. 2 Chronicles 34:9 Lit from the hand of
  13. 2 Chronicles 34:10 Lit gave
  14. 2 Chronicles 34:16 Lit returned
  15. 2 Chronicles 34:16 Lit given into the hand of
  16. 2 Chronicles 34:20 In 2 Kin 22:12, Achbor, son of Micaiah
  17. 2 Chronicles 34:22 As in LXX; MT who were the king’s men
  18. 2 Chronicles 34:22 In 2 Kin 22:14, Tikvah, son of Harhas
  19. 2 Chronicles 34:24 Or disaster
  20. 2 Chronicles 34:30 Lit and
  21. 2 Chronicles 34:30 Lit ears
  22. 2 Chronicles 34:31 LXX by a pillar
  23. 2 Chronicles 34:33 Lit days
  24. 2 Chronicles 35:5 Lit sons of the people, and so throughout the ch
  25. 2 Chronicles 35:8 Or freewill offering
  26. 2 Chronicles 35:11 I.e., the Levites
  27. 2 Chronicles 35:11 As in LXX; MT sprinkled from their hand
  28. 2 Chronicles 35:20 Lit house
  29. 2 Chronicles 35:21 Lit he
  30. 2 Chronicles 35:21 Lit What to me and to you, an ancient idiom
  31. 2 Chronicles 35:22 Lit his face
  32. 2 Chronicles 35:24 Lit and
  33. 2 Chronicles 36:1 I.e., short form of Jehoahaz
  34. 2 Chronicles 36:3 About 3.75 tons or 3.4 metric tons
  35. 2 Chronicles 36:3 About 75 lb. or 34 kg
  36. 2 Chronicles 36:4 Lit his
  37. 2 Chronicles 36:8 Lit his
  38. 2 Chronicles 36:9 As in LXX and some Heb mss; MT eight years
  39. 2 Chronicles 36:12 Lit from the mouth of the Lord
  40. 2 Chronicles 36:21 Lit to fulfill seventy years
  41. 2 Chronicles 36:23 Lit and he is to go up; i.e., go to Jerusalem
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2 Chronicles 33-36
New International Version

Manasseh King of Judah(A)(B)

33 Manasseh(C) was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. 2 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord,(D) following the detestable(E) practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. 3 He rebuilt the high places his father Hezekiah had demolished; he also erected altars to the Baals and made Asherah poles.(F) He bowed down(G) to all the starry hosts and worshiped them. 4 He built altars in the temple of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, “My Name(H) will remain in Jerusalem forever.” 5 In both courts of the temple of the Lord,(I) he built altars to all the starry hosts. 6 He sacrificed his children(J) in the fire in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, practiced divination and witchcraft, sought omens, and consulted mediums(K) and spiritists.(L) He did much evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger.

7 He took the image he had made and put it in God’s temple,(M) of which God had said to David and to his son Solomon, “In this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my Name forever. 8 I will not again make the feet of the Israelites leave the land(N) I assigned to your ancestors, if only they will be careful to do everything I commanded them concerning all the laws, decrees and regulations given through Moses.” 9 But Manasseh led Judah and the people of Jerusalem astray, so that they did more evil than the nations the Lord had destroyed before the Israelites.(O)

10 The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention. 11 So the Lord brought against them the army commanders of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh prisoner,(P) put a hook(Q) in his nose, bound him with bronze shackles(R) and took him to Babylon. 12 In his distress he sought the favor of the Lord his God and humbled(S) himself greatly before the God of his ancestors. 13 And when he prayed to him, the Lord was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is God.

14 Afterward he rebuilt the outer wall of the City of David, west of the Gihon(T) spring in the valley, as far as the entrance of the Fish Gate(U) and encircling the hill of Ophel;(V) he also made it much higher. He stationed military commanders in all the fortified cities in Judah.

15 He got rid of the foreign gods and removed(W) the image from the temple of the Lord, as well as all the altars he had built on the temple hill and in Jerusalem; and he threw them out of the city. 16 Then he restored the altar of the Lord and sacrificed fellowship offerings and thank offerings(X) on it, and told Judah to serve the Lord, the God of Israel. 17 The people, however, continued to sacrifice at the high places, but only to the Lord their God.

18 The other events of Manasseh’s reign, including his prayer to his God and the words the seers spoke to him in the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, are written in the annals of the kings of Israel.[a] 19 His prayer and how God was moved by his entreaty, as well as all his sins and unfaithfulness, and the sites where he built high places and set up Asherah poles and idols before he humbled(Y) himself—all these are written in the records of the seers.[b](Z) 20 Manasseh rested with his ancestors and was buried(AA) in his palace. And Amon his son succeeded him as king.

Amon King of Judah(AB)

21 Amon(AC) was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem two years. 22 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, as his father Manasseh had done. Amon worshiped and offered sacrifices to all the idols Manasseh had made. 23 But unlike his father Manasseh, he did not humble(AD) himself before the Lord; Amon increased his guilt.

24 Amon’s officials conspired against him and assassinated him in his palace. 25 Then the people(AE) of the land killed all who had plotted against King Amon, and they made Josiah his son king in his place.

Josiah’s Reforms(AF)(AG)(AH)

34 Josiah(AI) was eight years old when he became king,(AJ) and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. 2 He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and followed the ways of his father David,(AK) not turning aside to the right or to the left.

3 In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God(AL) of his father David. In his twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of high places, Asherah poles and idols. 4 Under his direction the altars of the Baals were torn down; he cut to pieces the incense altars that were above them, and smashed the Asherah poles(AM) and the idols. These he broke to pieces and scattered over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them.(AN) 5 He burned(AO) the bones of the priests on their altars, and so he purged Judah and Jerusalem. 6 In the towns of Manasseh, Ephraim and Simeon, as far as Naphtali, and in the ruins around them, 7 he tore down the altars and the Asherah poles and crushed the idols to powder(AP) and cut to pieces all the incense altars throughout Israel. Then he went back to Jerusalem.

8 In the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign, to purify the land and the temple, he sent Shaphan son of Azaliah and Maaseiah the ruler of the city, with Joah son of Joahaz, the recorder, to repair the temple of the Lord his God.

9 They went to Hilkiah(AQ) the high priest and gave him the money that had been brought into the temple of God, which the Levites who were the gatekeepers had collected from the people of Manasseh, Ephraim and the entire remnant of Israel and from all the people of Judah and Benjamin and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 10 Then they entrusted it to the men appointed to supervise the work on the Lord’s temple. These men paid the workers who repaired and restored the temple. 11 They also gave money(AR) to the carpenters and builders to purchase dressed stone, and timber for joists and beams for the buildings that the kings of Judah had allowed to fall into ruin.(AS)

12 The workers labored faithfully.(AT) Over them to direct them were Jahath and Obadiah, Levites descended from Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam, descended from Kohath. The Levites—all who were skilled in playing musical instruments—(AU) 13 had charge of the laborers(AV) and supervised all the workers from job to job. Some of the Levites were secretaries, scribes and gatekeepers.

The Book of the Law Found(AW)(AX)

14 While they were bringing out the money that had been taken into the temple of the Lord, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the Lord that had been given through Moses. 15 Hilkiah said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law(AY) in the temple of the Lord.” He gave it to Shaphan.

16 Then Shaphan took the book to the king and reported to him: “Your officials are doing everything that has been committed to them. 17 They have paid out the money that was in the temple of the Lord and have entrusted it to the supervisors and workers.” 18 Then Shaphan the secretary informed the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king.

19 When the king heard the words of the Law,(AZ) he tore(BA) his robes. 20 He gave these orders to Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan(BB), Abdon son of Micah,[c] Shaphan the secretary and Asaiah the king’s attendant: 21 “Go and inquire of the Lord for me and for the remnant in Israel and Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the Lord’s anger that is poured out(BC) on us because those who have gone before us have not kept the word of the Lord; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written in this book.”

22 Hilkiah and those the king had sent with him[d] went to speak to the prophet(BD) Huldah, who was the wife of Shallum son of Tokhath,[e] the son of Hasrah,[f] keeper of the wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem, in the New Quarter.

23 She said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Tell the man who sent you to me, 24 ‘This is what the Lord says: I am going to bring disaster(BE) on this place and its people(BF)—all the curses(BG) written in the book that has been read in the presence of the king of Judah. 25 Because they have forsaken me(BH) and burned incense to other gods and aroused my anger by all that their hands have made,[g] my anger will be poured out on this place and will not be quenched.’ 26 Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says concerning the words you heard: 27 Because your heart was responsive(BI) and you humbled(BJ) yourself before God when you heard what he spoke against this place and its people, and because you humbled yourself before me and tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have heard you, declares the Lord. 28 Now I will gather you to your ancestors,(BK) and you will be buried in peace. Your eyes will not see all the disaster I am going to bring on this place and on those who live here.’”(BL)

So they took her answer back to the king.

29 Then the king called together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 30 He went up to the temple of the Lord(BM) with the people of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests and the Levites—all the people from the least to the greatest. He read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant, which had been found in the temple of the Lord. 31 The king stood by his pillar(BN) and renewed the covenant(BO) in the presence of the Lord—to follow(BP) the Lord and keep his commands, statutes and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, and to obey the words of the covenant written in this book.

32 Then he had everyone in Jerusalem and Benjamin pledge themselves to it; the people of Jerusalem did this in accordance with the covenant of God, the God of their ancestors.

33 Josiah removed all the detestable(BQ) idols from all the territory belonging to the Israelites, and he had all who were present in Israel serve the Lord their God. As long as he lived, they did not fail to follow the Lord, the God of their ancestors.

Josiah Celebrates the Passover(BR)

35 Josiah celebrated the Passover(BS) to the Lord in Jerusalem, and the Passover lamb was slaughtered on the fourteenth day of the first month. 2 He appointed the priests to their duties and encouraged them in the service of the Lord’s temple. 3 He said to the Levites, who instructed(BT) all Israel and who had been consecrated to the Lord: “Put the sacred ark in the temple that Solomon son of David king of Israel built. It is not to be carried about on your shoulders. Now serve the Lord your God and his people Israel. 4 Prepare yourselves by families in your divisions,(BU) according to the instructions written by David king of Israel and by his son Solomon.

5 “Stand in the holy place with a group of Levites for each subdivision of the families of your fellow Israelites, the lay people. 6 Slaughter the Passover lambs, consecrate yourselves(BV) and prepare the lambs for your fellow Israelites, doing what the Lord commanded through Moses.”

7 Josiah provided for all the lay people who were there a total of thirty thousand lambs and goats for the Passover offerings,(BW) and also three thousand cattle—all from the king’s own possessions.(BX)

8 His officials also contributed(BY) voluntarily to the people and the priests and Levites. Hilkiah,(BZ) Zechariah and Jehiel, the officials in charge of God’s temple, gave the priests twenty-six hundred Passover offerings and three hundred cattle. 9 Also Konaniah(CA) along with Shemaiah and Nethanel, his brothers, and Hashabiah, Jeiel and Jozabad,(CB) the leaders of the Levites, provided five thousand Passover offerings and five hundred head of cattle for the Levites.

10 The service was arranged and the priests stood in their places with the Levites in their divisions(CC) as the king had ordered.(CD) 11 The Passover lambs were slaughtered,(CE) and the priests splashed against the altar the blood handed to them, while the Levites skinned the animals. 12 They set aside the burnt offerings to give them to the subdivisions of the families of the people to offer to the Lord, as it is written in the Book of Moses. They did the same with the cattle. 13 They roasted the Passover animals over the fire as prescribed,(CF) and boiled the holy offerings in pots, caldrons and pans and served them quickly to all the people. 14 After this, they made preparations for themselves and for the priests, because the priests, the descendants of Aaron, were sacrificing the burnt offerings and the fat portions(CG) until nightfall. So the Levites made preparations for themselves and for the Aaronic priests.

15 The musicians,(CH) the descendants of Asaph, were in the places prescribed by David, Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun the king’s seer. The gatekeepers at each gate did not need to leave their posts, because their fellow Levites made the preparations for them.

16 So at that time the entire service of the Lord was carried out for the celebration of the Passover and the offering of burnt offerings on the altar of the Lord, as King Josiah had ordered. 17 The Israelites who were present celebrated the Passover at that time and observed the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days. 18 The Passover had not been observed like this in Israel since the days of the prophet Samuel; and none of the kings of Israel had ever celebrated such a Passover as did Josiah, with the priests, the Levites and all Judah and Israel who were there with the people of Jerusalem. 19 This Passover was celebrated in the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign.

The Death of Josiah(CI)

20 After all this, when Josiah had set the temple in order, Necho king of Egypt went up to fight at Carchemish(CJ) on the Euphrates,(CK) and Josiah marched out to meet him in battle. 21 But Necho sent messengers to him, saying, “What quarrel is there, king of Judah, between you and me? It is not you I am attacking at this time, but the house with which I am at war. God has told(CL) me to hurry; so stop opposing God, who is with me, or he will destroy you.”

22 Josiah, however, would not turn away from him, but disguised(CM) himself to engage him in battle. He would not listen to what Necho had said at God’s command but went to fight him on the plain of Megiddo.

23 Archers(CN) shot King Josiah, and he told his officers, “Take me away; I am badly wounded.” 24 So they took him out of his chariot, put him in his other chariot and brought him to Jerusalem, where he died. He was buried in the tombs of his ancestors, and all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for him.

25 Jeremiah composed laments for Josiah, and to this day all the male and female singers commemorate Josiah in the laments.(CO) These became a tradition in Israel and are written in the Laments.(CP)

26 The other events of Josiah’s reign and his acts of devotion in accordance with what is written in the Law of the Lord— 27 all the events, from beginning to end, are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. 36 1 And the people(CQ) of the land took Jehoahaz son of Josiah and made him king in Jerusalem in place of his father.

Jehoahaz King of Judah(CR)

2 Jehoahaz[h] was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. 3 The king of Egypt dethroned him in Jerusalem and imposed on Judah a levy of a hundred talents[i] of silver and a talent[j] of gold. 4 The king of Egypt made Eliakim, a brother of Jehoahaz, king over Judah and Jerusalem and changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. But Necho(CS) took Eliakim’s brother Jehoahaz and carried him off to Egypt.(CT)

Jehoiakim King of Judah(CU)

5 Jehoiakim(CV) was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord his God. 6 Nebuchadnezzar(CW) king of Babylon attacked him and bound him with bronze shackles to take him to Babylon.(CX) 7 Nebuchadnezzar also took to Babylon articles from the temple of the Lord and put them in his temple[k] there.(CY)

8 The other events of Jehoiakim’s reign, the detestable things he did and all that was found against him, are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. And Jehoiachin his son succeeded him as king.

Jehoiachin King of Judah(CZ)

9 Jehoiachin(DA) was eighteen[l] years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months and ten days. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord. 10 In the spring, King Nebuchadnezzar sent for him and brought him to Babylon,(DB) together with articles of value from the temple of the Lord, and he made Jehoiachin’s uncle,[m] Zedekiah, king over Judah and Jerusalem.

Zedekiah King of Judah(DC)

11 Zedekiah(DD) was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. 12 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord(DE) his God and did not humble(DF) himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke the word of the Lord. 13 He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him take an oath(DG) in God’s name. He became stiff-necked(DH) and hardened his heart and would not turn to the Lord, the God of Israel. 14 Furthermore, all the leaders of the priests and the people became more and more unfaithful,(DI) following all the detestable practices of the nations and defiling the temple of the Lord, which he had consecrated in Jerusalem.

The Fall of Jerusalem(DJ)(DK)

15 The Lord, the God of their ancestors, sent word to them through his messengers(DL) again and again,(DM) because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling place. 16 But they mocked God’s messengers, despised his words and scoffed(DN) at his prophets until the wrath(DO) of the Lord was aroused against his people and there was no remedy.(DP) 17 He brought up against them the king of the Babylonians,[n](DQ) who killed their young men with the sword in the sanctuary, and did not spare young men(DR) or young women, the elderly or the infirm.(DS) God gave them all into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar.(DT) 18 He carried to Babylon all the articles(DU) from the temple of God, both large and small, and the treasures of the Lord’s temple and the treasures of the king and his officials. 19 They set fire(DV) to God’s temple(DW) and broke down the wall(DX) of Jerusalem; they burned all the palaces and destroyed(DY) everything of value there.(DZ)

20 He carried into exile(EA) to Babylon the remnant, who escaped from the sword, and they became servants(EB) to him and his successors until the kingdom of Persia came to power. 21 The land enjoyed its sabbath rests;(EC) all the time of its desolation it rested,(ED) until the seventy years(EE) were completed in fulfillment of the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah.

22 In the first year of Cyrus(EF) king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing:

23 “This is what Cyrus king of Persia says:

“‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed(EG) me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Any of his people among you may go up, and may the Lord their God be with them.’”

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 33:18 That is, Judah, as frequently in 2 Chronicles
  2. 2 Chronicles 33:19 One Hebrew manuscript and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts of Hozai
  3. 2 Chronicles 34:20 Also called Akbor son of Micaiah
  4. 2 Chronicles 34:22 One Hebrew manuscript, Vulgate and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts do not have had sent with him.
  5. 2 Chronicles 34:22 Also called Tikvah
  6. 2 Chronicles 34:22 Also called Harhas
  7. 2 Chronicles 34:25 Or by everything they have done
  8. 2 Chronicles 36:2 Hebrew Joahaz, a variant of Jehoahaz; also in verse 4
  9. 2 Chronicles 36:3 That is, about 3 3/4 tons or about 3.4 metric tons
  10. 2 Chronicles 36:3 That is, about 75 pounds or about 34 kilograms
  11. 2 Chronicles 36:7 Or palace
  12. 2 Chronicles 36:9 One Hebrew manuscript, some Septuagint manuscripts and Syriac (see also 2 Kings 24:8); most Hebrew manuscripts eight
  13. 2 Chronicles 36:10 Hebrew brother, that is, relative (see 2 Kings 24:17)
  14. 2 Chronicles 36:17 Or Chaldeans
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