2 Chronicles 35
Christian Standard Bible
Josiah’s Passover Observance
35 Josiah observed the Lord’s Passover(A) and slaughtered the Passover lambs on the fourteenth day of the first month.(B) 2 He appointed the priests to their responsibilities and encouraged them to serve in the Lord’s temple.(C) 3 He said to the Levites who taught all Israel(D) the holy things of the Lord, “Put the holy ark in the temple built by Solomon son of David king of Israel. Since you do not have to carry it on your shoulders,(E) now serve the Lord your God and his people Israel.
4 “Organize your ancestral families[a] by your divisions(F) according to the written instruction of King David of Israel and that of his son Solomon.(G) 5 Serve in the holy place by the groupings of the ancestral families[b] for your brothers, the lay people,[c] and according to the division of the Levites by family.(H) 6 Slaughter the Passover lambs,(I) consecrate yourselves,(J) and make preparations for your brothers to carry out the word of the Lord through Moses.”
7 Then Josiah donated thirty thousand sheep, lambs, and young goats, plus three thousand cattle from his own possessions, for the Passover sacrifices for all the lay people who were present.
8 His officials also donated willingly for the people, the priests, and the Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, chief officials of God’s temple, gave twenty-six hundred Passover sacrifices and three hundred cattle for the priests. 9 Conaniah(K) and his brothers Shemaiah and Nethanel, and Hashabiah, Jeiel, and Jozabad, officers of the Levites, donated five thousand Passover sacrifices for the Levites, plus five hundred cattle.
10 So the service was established; the priests stood at their posts and the Levites in their divisions according to the king’s command.(L) 11 Then they slaughtered the Passover lambs, and while the Levites were skinning the animals,(M) the priests splattered the blood[d] they had been given.[e] 12 They removed the burnt offerings so that they might be given to the groupings of the ancestral families[f] of the lay people to offer to the Lord, according to what is written in the book of Moses; they did the same with the cattle. 13 They roasted the Passover lambs with fire according to regulation.(N) They boiled the holy sacrifices in pots, kettles, and bowls; and they quickly brought them to the lay people. 14 Afterward, they made preparations for themselves and for the priests, since the priests, the descendants of Aaron, were busy offering up burnt offerings and fat until night. So the Levites made preparations for themselves and for the priests, the descendants of Aaron.
15 The singers, the descendants of Asaph, were at their stations according to the command of David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king’s seer.(O) Also, the gatekeepers were at each temple gate.(P) None of them left their tasks because their Levite brothers had made preparations for them.
16 So all the service of the Lord was established that day for observing the Passover and for offering burnt offerings on the altar of the Lord, according to the command of King Josiah. 17 The Israelites who were present in Judah also observed the Passover at that time and the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days.(Q) 18 No Passover had been observed(R) like it in Israel since the days of the prophet Samuel. None of the kings of Israel ever observed a Passover like the one that Josiah observed with the priests, the Levites, all Judah, the Israelites who were present in Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 19 In the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign, this Passover was observed.
Josiah’s Last Deeds and Death
20 After all this(S) that Josiah had prepared for the temple, King Neco of Egypt(T) marched up to fight at Carchemish(U) by the Euphrates, and Josiah went out to confront him. 21 But Neco sent messengers to him, saying, “What is the issue between you and me, king of Judah?(V) I have not come against you today[g] but I am fighting another dynasty.[h] God told me to hurry. Stop opposing God who is with me; don’t make him destroy you!”
22 But Josiah did not turn away from him; instead, in order to fight with him he disguised himself.[i](W) He did not listen to Neco’s words from the mouth of God, but went to the Valley of Megiddo(X) to fight. 23 The archers shot King Josiah, and he said to his servants, “Take me away, for I am severely wounded!” (Y) 24 So his servants took him out of the war chariot, carried him in his second chariot, and brought him to Jerusalem. Then he died, and they buried him in the tomb of his ancestors. All Judah and Jerusalem mourned(Z) for Josiah. 25 Jeremiah chanted a dirge(AA) over Josiah, and all the male and female singers still speak of Josiah in their dirges today. They established them as a statute for Israel, and indeed they are written in the Dirges.
26 The rest of the events(AB) of Josiah’s reign, along with his deeds of faithful love according to what is written in the law of the Lord, 27 and his words, from beginning to end, are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah.
Footnotes
- 35:4 Lit the house of your fathers
- 35:5 Lit the house of the fathers
- 35:5 Lit the sons of the people, also in vv. 7,12,13
- 35:11 LXX, Vg, Tg; MT omits blood
- 35:11 Lit splattered from their hand
- 35:12 Lit house of fathers
- 35:21 LXX, Syr, Tg, Vg; MT reads Not against you, you today
- 35:21 Lit house
- 35:22 LXX reads he was determined
2 Chronicles 35
English Standard Version
Josiah Keeps the Passover
35 (A)Josiah kept a Passover to the Lord in Jerusalem. And they slaughtered the Passover lamb (B)on the fourteenth day of the first month. 2 He appointed the priests to their offices (C)and encouraged them in the service of the house of the Lord. 3 And he said to the Levites (D)who taught all Israel and who were holy to the Lord, “Put the holy ark in the house that Solomon the son of David, king of Israel, built. You need not carry it on your shoulders. Now serve the Lord your God and his people Israel. 4 Prepare yourselves (E)according to your fathers' houses by your divisions, (F)as prescribed in the writing of David king of Israel (G)and the document of Solomon his son. 5 And (H)stand in the Holy Place (I)according to the groupings of the fathers' houses of your brothers the lay people, and according to the division of the Levites by fathers' household. 6 And slaughter the Passover lamb, and (J)consecrate yourselves, and prepare for your brothers, to do according to the word of the Lord by[a] Moses.”
7 Then Josiah contributed to the lay people, as Passover offerings for all who were present, lambs and young goats from the flock to the number of 30,000, and 3,000 bulls; (K)these were from the king's possessions. 8 And his officials contributed willingly to the people, to the priests, and to the Levites. (L)Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, the chief officers of the house of God, gave to the priests for the Passover offerings 2,600 Passover lambs and 300 bulls. 9 Conaniah also, and Shemaiah and Nethanel his brothers, and Hashabiah and Jeiel and Jozabad, the chiefs of the Levites, gave to the Levites for the Passover offerings 5,000 lambs and young goats and 500 bulls.
10 When the service had been prepared for, the priests (M)stood in their place, (N)and the Levites in their divisions according to the king's command. 11 (O)And they slaughtered the Passover lamb, and the priests (P)threw the blood that they received from them (Q)while the Levites flayed the sacrifices. 12 And they set aside the burnt offerings that they might distribute them according to the groupings of the fathers' houses of the lay people, to offer to the Lord, as it is written in the Book of Moses. And so they did with the bulls. 13 (R)And they roasted the Passover lamb with fire according to the rule; and they (S)boiled the holy offerings in pots, in cauldrons, and in pans, and carried them quickly to all the lay people. 14 And afterward they prepared for themselves and for the priests, because the priests, the sons of Aaron, were offering the burnt offerings and the fat parts until night; so the Levites prepared for themselves and for the priests, the sons of Aaron. 15 The singers, the sons of Asaph, were in their place (T)according to the command of David, and Asaph, and Heman, and Jeduthun the king's (U)seer; (V)and the gatekeepers were at each gate. They did not need to depart from their service, for their brothers the Levites prepared for them.
16 So all the service of the Lord was prepared that day, to keep the Passover and to offer burnt offerings on the altar of the Lord, according to the command of King Josiah. 17 And the people of Israel who were present kept the Passover at that time, (W)and the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days. 18 (X)No Passover like it had been kept in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet. None of the kings of Israel had kept such a Passover as was kept by Josiah, and the priests and the Levites, and all Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 19 In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah this Passover was kept.
Josiah Killed in Battle
20 (Y)After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Neco king of Egypt went up to fight at (Z)Carchemish on the Euphrates, and Josiah went out to meet him. 21 But he sent envoys to him, saying, “What have we to do with each other, king of Judah? I am not coming against you this day, but against the house with which I am at war. And God has commanded me to hurry. Cease opposing God, who is with me, lest he destroy you.” 22 Nevertheless, Josiah did not turn away from him, but (AA)disguised himself in order to fight with him. He did not listen to the words of Neco from the mouth of God, but came to fight in the plain of (AB)Megiddo. 23 And the archers shot King Josiah. And the king said to his servants, (AC)“Take me away, for I am badly wounded.” 24 So his servants took him out of the chariot and carried him in his second chariot and brought him to Jerusalem. And he died and was buried in the tombs of his fathers. (AD)All Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah. 25 (AE)Jeremiah also uttered a lament for Josiah; and all (AF)the singing men and singing women have spoken of Josiah in their laments to this day. They made these a rule in Israel; behold, they are written in the Laments. 26 Now the rest of the acts of Josiah, and his good deeds according to what is written in the Law of the Lord, 27 and his acts, first and last, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah.
Footnotes
- 2 Chronicles 35:6 Hebrew by the hand of
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
