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2 Kings 23
English Standard Version

Josiah's Reforms

23 (A)Then the king sent, and all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem were gathered to him. 2 And the king went up to the house of the Lord, and with him all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the priests and the prophets, all the people, both small and great. And (B)he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant (C)that had been found in the house of the Lord. 3 And the king stood (D)by the pillar and (E)made a covenant before the Lord, (F)to walk after the Lord and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people joined in the covenant.

4 And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest and the priests (G)of the second order and the keepers of the threshold to bring out of the temple of the Lord all the vessels made for (H)Baal, for (I)Asherah, and for all the host of heaven. (J)He burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron and carried their ashes to Bethel. 5 And he deposed the priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained to make offerings in the high places at the cities of Judah and around Jerusalem; those also who burned incense to Baal, to the sun and the moon and the constellations (K)and all the host of the heavens. 6 And he brought out (L)the Asherah from the house of the Lord, outside Jerusalem, to the brook Kidron, (M)and burned it at the brook Kidron (N)and beat it to dust and cast the dust of it upon the graves (O)of the common people. 7 And he broke down the houses of (P)the male cult prostitutes who were in the house of the Lord, (Q)where the women wove hangings for (R)the Asherah. 8 And he brought all the priests out of the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had made offerings, from (S)Geba to Beersheba. And he broke down the high places of the gates that were at the entrance of the gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which were on one's left at the gate of the city. 9 (T)However, the priests of the high places did not come up to the altar of the Lord in Jerusalem, but they ate unleavened bread among their brothers. 10 And he defiled (U)Topheth, which is (V)in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, (W)that no one might burn his son or his daughter as an offering to (X)Molech.[a] 11 And he removed the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun, at the entrance to the house of the Lord, by the chamber of Nathan-melech the chamberlain, which was in the precincts.[b] And he burned the chariots of the sun with fire. 12 And the altars (Y)on the roof of the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars (Z)that Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of the Lord, he pulled down and broke in pieces[c] and cast the dust of them (AA)into the brook Kidron. 13 And the king defiled the high places that were east of Jerusalem, to the south of (AB)the mount of corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had built for (AC)Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, and for (AD)Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for (AE)Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 14 And he broke in pieces the (AF)pillars and cut down the Asherim and filled their places with the bones of men.

15 Moreover, the altar at Bethel, the high place erected (AG)by Jeroboam the son of Nebat, (AH)who made Israel to sin, (AI)that altar with the high place he pulled down and burned,[d] reducing it to dust. He also burned the Asherah. 16 And as Josiah turned, he saw the tombs there on the mount. And he sent and took the bones out of the tombs and burned them on the altar and defiled it, (AJ)according to the word of the Lord that the man of God proclaimed, who had predicted these things. 17 Then he said, “What is that monument that I see?” And the men of the city told him, (AK)“It is the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and predicted[e] these things that you have done against the altar at Bethel.” 18 And he said, “Let him be; let no man move his bones.” So they let his bones alone, with the bones (AL)of the prophet who came out of Samaria. 19 And Josiah removed all the shrines also of the high places that were (AM)in the cities of Samaria, which kings of Israel had made, provoking the Lord to anger. He did to them according to all that he had done at Bethel. 20 And (AN)he sacrificed all the priests of the high places who were there, on the altars, (AO)and burned human bones on them. Then he returned to Jerusalem.

Josiah Restores the Passover

21 And the king commanded all the people, (AP)“Keep the Passover to the Lord your God, (AQ)as it is written in this Book of the Covenant.” 22 (AR)For no such Passover had been kept since the days of the judges who judged Israel, or during all the days of the kings of Israel or of the kings of Judah. 23 But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah this Passover was kept to the Lord in Jerusalem.

24 Moreover, Josiah put away (AS)the mediums and the necromancers and (AT)the household gods and (AU)the idols and all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, that he might establish (AV)the words of the law that were written in the book (AW)that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the Lord. 25 (AX)Before him there was no king like him, who turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses, nor did any like him arise after him.

26 Still the Lord did not turn from the burning of his great wrath, by which his anger was kindled against Judah, (AY)because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked him. 27 And the Lord said, “I will remove Judah also out of my sight, (AZ)as I have removed Israel, and I will cast off this city that I have chosen, Jerusalem, (BA)and the house of which I said, My name shall be there.”

Josiah's Death in Battle

28 Now the rest of the acts of Josiah and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 29 (BB)In his days (BC)Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt went up to the king of Assyria to the river Euphrates. King Josiah went to meet him, and Pharaoh Neco killed him at (BD)Megiddo, as soon as he saw him. 30 (BE)And his servants carried him dead in a chariot from (BF)Megiddo and brought him to Jerusalem and buried him in his own tomb. (BG)And the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and anointed him, and made him king in his father's place.

Jehoahaz's Reign and Captivity

31 (BH)Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother's name was (BI)Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 32 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, (BJ)according to all that his fathers had done. 33 And (BK)Pharaoh Neco put him in bonds at (BL)Riblah in the land of (BM)Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem, and laid on the land a tribute of a hundred talents[f] of silver and a talent of gold. 34 And (BN)Pharaoh Neco made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the place of Josiah his father, and (BO)changed his name to Jehoiakim. But he took Jehoahaz away, (BP)and he came to Egypt and died there. 35 And Jehoiakim (BQ)gave the silver and the gold to Pharaoh, but he taxed the land to give the money according to the command of Pharaoh. He exacted the silver and the gold of the people of the land, from everyone according to his assessment, to give it to Pharaoh Neco.

Jehoiakim Reigns in Judah

36 (BR)Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Zebidah the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah. 37 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, (BS)according to all that his fathers had done.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 23:10 Hebrew might cause his son or daughter to pass through the fire for Molech
  2. 2 Kings 23:11 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
  3. 2 Kings 23:12 Hebrew pieces from there
  4. 2 Kings 23:15 Septuagint broke in pieces its stones
  5. 2 Kings 23:17 Hebrew called
  6. 2 Kings 23:33 A talent was about 75 pounds or 34 kilograms
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2 Kings 23
New American Standard Bible

Josiah’s Covenant

23 (A)Then the king sent messengers, and they gathered to him all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 2 And the king went up to the house of the Lord and every man of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests, the prophets, and all the people, from the small to the great; and (B)he read in their [a]presence all the words of the Book of the Covenant (C)which was found in the house of the Lord. 3 And (D)the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the Lord, (E)to walk after the Lord, and to keep His commandments, His provisions, and His statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to carry out the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people [b]entered into the covenant.

Reforms under Josiah

4 Then the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, (F)the priests of the second order, and the [c]doorkeepers (G)to bring out of the temple of the Lord all the utensils that had been made for Baal, for [d]Asherah, and for all the heavenly [e]lights; and (H)he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron Valley, and carried their ashes to Bethel. 5 Then he did away with the idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had appointed to burn incense on the high places in the cities of Judah and in the surrounding area of Jerusalem, as well as those who burned incense to Baal, to the sun, to the moon, to the constellations, and to all the remaining (I)heavenly [f]lights. 6 He also brought out the Asherah from the house of the Lord outside Jerusalem to the brook Kidron, and burned it at the brook Kidron, and (J)ground it to dust, and (K)threw its dust on the graves of the [g]common people. 7 And he tore down the cubicles of the (L)male cult prostitutes which were in the house of the Lord, where (M)the women were weaving [h]hangings for the Asherah. 8 Then he brought all the priests from the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had burned incense, from (N)Geba to Beersheba; and he tore down the high places of the gates that were at the entrance of the gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which were on one’s left at the city gate. 9 Nevertheless (O)the priests of the high places did not go up to the altar of the Lord in Jerusalem, but they ate unleavened bread among their brothers. 10 (P)He also defiled [i]Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, (Q)so that no one would make his son or his daughter pass through the fire for (R)Molech. 11 And he did away with the horses that the kings of Judah had given to the (S)sun, at the entrance of the house of the Lord, by the chamber of Nathan-melech the official, which was at the [j]covered courtyard; and he burned the chariots of the sun with fire. 12 The king also tore down (T)the altars that were on the roof, the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and (U)the altars which Manasseh had made in the two courtyards of the house of the Lord; and he [k]smashed them there and (V)threw their dust into the brook Kidron. 13 And the king defiled the high places that were opposite Jerusalem, which were on the right of (W)the mount of destruction which Solomon the king of Israel had built for (X)Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, for (Y)Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Milcom the abomination of the sons of Ammon. 14 (Z)He also smashed to pieces the memorial stones and cut down the [l]Asherim, and (AA)filled their places with human bones.

15 Furthermore, (AB)the altar that was at Bethel and the (AC)high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who misled Israel into sin, had made, even that altar and the high place he tore down. Then he (AD)burned the high place, ground the remains to dust, and burned the Asherah. 16 Now when Josiah turned, he saw the graves that were there on the mountain, and he sent men and took the bones from the graves, and burned them on the altar and defiled it (AE)in accordance with the word of the Lord which the man of God proclaimed, the one who proclaimed these things. 17 Then he said, “What is this gravestone there that I see?” And the men of the city told him, “(AF)It is the grave of the man of God who came from Judah and proclaimed these things which you have done against the altar of Bethel.” 18 And he said, “Leave him alone; no one is to disturb his bones.” So they left his bones undisturbed (AG)with the bones of the prophet who came from Samaria. 19 Then Josiah also removed all the houses of the high places which were (AH)in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had constructed, [m]provoking the Lord to anger; and he did to them [n]just as he had done in Bethel. 20 And (AI)he slaughtered all the priests of the high places who were there on the altars, and burned human bones on them; then he returned to Jerusalem.

Passover Reinstituted

21 Then the king commanded all the people, saying, “(AJ)Celebrate the Passover to the Lord your God (AK)as it is written in this Book of the Covenant.” 22 (AL)Truly such a Passover had not been celebrated since the days of the judges who judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah. 23 But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, this Passover was celebrated to the Lord in Jerusalem.

24 Moreover, Josiah removed (AM)the mediums, the spiritists, the [o](AN)household idols, (AO)the idols, and all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, (AP)so that he might [p]fulfill the words of the Law which were written (AQ)in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the Lord. 25 Before him there was no king (AR)like him who turned to the Lord with all his heart, all his soul, and all his might, in conformity to all the Law of Moses; nor did any like him arise after him.

26 Nevertheless, the Lord did not turn from the fierceness of His great wrath with which His anger burned against Judah, (AS)because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked Him. 27 And the Lord said, “I will also remove Judah from My sight, (AT)just as I have removed Israel. And (AU)I will reject this city which I have chosen, Jerusalem, and the [q]temple of which I said, ‘My name shall be there!’”

Jehoahaz Succeeds Josiah

28 Now the rest of the acts of Josiah and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 29 (AV)In his days (AW)Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt went up to the king of Assyria at the river Euphrates. And King Josiah went to meet him, and when Pharaoh Neco saw him he killed him at (AX)Megiddo. 30 (AY)His servants carried [r]his body in a chariot from Megiddo, and brought him to Jerusalem and buried him in his own tomb. (AZ)Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah and anointed him and made him king in place of his father.

31 (BA)Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned for three months in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was (BB)Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 32 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, (BC)in accordance with all that his forefathers had done. 33 And (BD)Pharaoh Neco imprisoned him at (BE)Riblah in the land of (BF)Hamath, so that he would not reign in Jerusalem; and he imposed on the land a fine of [s]a hundred talents of silver and [t]a talent of gold.

Jehoiakim Made King by Pharaoh

34 Then Pharaoh Neco made (BG)Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the place of his father Josiah, and he (BH)changed his name to Jehoiakim. But he took Jehoahaz and [u](BI)brought him to Egypt, and he died there. 35 So Jehoiakim (BJ)gave the silver and gold to Pharaoh, but he assessed the land in order to give the money at the [v]command of Pharaoh. He collected the silver and gold from the people of the land, each according to his assessment, to give to Pharaoh Neco.

36 (BK)Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Zebidah the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah. 37 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, (BL)in accordance with all that his forefathers had done.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 23:2 Lit ears
  2. 2 Kings 23:3 Lit took a stand in
  3. 2 Kings 23:4 Lit keepers of the threshold
  4. 2 Kings 23:4 I.e., a wooden symbol of a female deity, and so throughout the ch
  5. 2 Kings 23:4 Lit host
  6. 2 Kings 23:5 Lit host
  7. 2 Kings 23:6 Lit sons of the people
  8. 2 Kings 23:7 Or dresses
  9. 2 Kings 23:10 I.e., place of burning
  10. 2 Kings 23:11 Meaning of the Heb uncertain
  11. 2 Kings 23:12 Or ran from there
  12. 2 Kings 23:14 I.e., wooden symbols of a female deity (Asherah)
  13. 2 Kings 23:19 As in ancient versions; MT provoking; and he
  14. 2 Kings 23:19 Lit according to all the acts
  15. 2 Kings 23:24 Heb teraphim
  16. 2 Kings 23:24 Or perform
  17. 2 Kings 23:27 Lit house
  18. 2 Kings 23:30 Lit him, dead
  19. 2 Kings 23:33 About 3.75 tons or 3.4 metric tons
  20. 2 Kings 23:33 About 75 lb. or 34 kg
  21. 2 Kings 23:34 As in LXX; MT he came
  22. 2 Kings 23:35 Lit mouth
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