2 Chronicles 35
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Celebration of the Passover
35 Josiah kept a Passover to the Lord in Jerusalem; they slaughtered the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the first month.(A) 2 He appointed the priests to their offices and encouraged them in the service of the house of the Lord.(B) 3 He said to the Levites who taught all Israel and who were holy to the Lord, “Put the holy ark in the house that Solomon son of David, king of Israel, built; you need no longer carry it on your shoulders. Now serve the Lord your God and his people Israel.(C) 4 Make preparations by your ancestral houses by your divisions, following the written directions of King David of Israel and the written directions of his son Solomon.(D) 5 Take position in the holy place according to the groupings of the ancestral houses of your kindred the people, and let there be Levites for each division of an ancestral house.[a](E) 6 Slaughter the Passover lamb, sanctify yourselves, and on behalf of your kindred make preparations, acting according to the word of the Lord by Moses.”(F)
7 Then Josiah contributed to the people, as Passover offerings for all who were present, lambs and kids from the flock to the number of thirty thousand and three thousand bulls; these were from the king’s possessions.(G) 8 His officials contributed willingly to the people, to the priests, and to the Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, the chief officers of the house of God, gave to the priests for the Passover offerings two thousand six hundred lambs and kids and three hundred bulls. 9 Conaniah also, and his brothers Shemaiah and Nethanel, and Hashabiah and Jeiel and Jozabad, the chiefs of the Levites, gave to the Levites for the Passover offerings five thousand lambs and kids and five hundred bulls.(H)
10 When the service had been prepared, the priests stood in their place and the Levites in their divisions according to the king’s command.(I) 11 They slaughtered the Passover lamb, and the priests dashed the blood that they received[b] from them, while the Levites did the skinning.(J) 12 They set aside the burnt offerings so that they might distribute them according to the groupings of the ancestral houses of the people, to offer to the Lord, as it is written in the book of Moses. And they did the same with the bulls. 13 They roasted the Passover lamb with fire according to the ordinance, and they boiled the holy offerings in pots, in caldrons, and in pans and carried them quickly to all the people.(K) 14 Afterward they made preparations for themselves and for the priests, because the priests the descendants of Aaron were occupied in offering the burnt offerings and the fat parts 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 in their place according to the command of David, and Asaph, and Heman, and the king’s seer Jeduthun. The gatekeepers were at each gate; they did not need to interrupt their service, for their kindred the Levites made preparations for them.(L)
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 The people of Israel who were present kept the Passover at that time and the Festival of Unleavened Bread seven days.(M) 18 No Passover like it had been kept in Israel since the days of the prophet Samuel; none of the kings of Israel had kept such a Passover as was kept by Josiah, by the priests and the Levites, by all Judah and Israel who were present, and by the inhabitants of Jerusalem.(N) 19 In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah, this Passover was kept.
Defeat by Pharaoh Neco and Death of Josiah
20 After all this, when Josiah had set the temple in order, King Neco of Egypt went up to fight at Carchemish on the Euphrates, and Josiah went out against him.(O) 21 But Neco[c] sent envoys to him, saying, “What have I to do with you, king of Judah? I am not coming against you today but against the house with which I am at war, and God has commanded me to hurry. Cease opposing God, who is with me, so that he will not destroy you.” 22 But Josiah would not turn away from him but disguised himself in order to fight with him. He did not listen to the words of Neco from the mouth of God but joined battle in the plain of Megiddo.(P) 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 in his second chariot[d] and brought him to Jerusalem. There he died and was buried in the tombs of his ancestors. All Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.(Q) 25 Jeremiah also uttered a lament for Josiah, and all the singing men and singing women have spoken of Josiah in their laments to this day. They made these a custom in Israel; they are recorded in the Laments.(R) 26 Now the rest of the acts of Josiah and his faithful deeds in accordance with what is written in the law of the Lord 27 and his acts, first and last, are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah.
2 Chronicles 35
International Standard Version
Passover is Observed Again(A)
35 Josiah observed the Passover to the Lord in Jerusalem. They slaughtered the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month. 2 He appointed priests to their offices, encouraging them in their service at the Lord’s Temple. 3 He addressed the descendants of Levi who were teaching all Israel and who had consecrated themselves to the Lord, telling them:
“Put the holy ark in the Temple that Solomon, the son of Israel’s King David, built. It will no longer be a burden on their shoulders. Now go serve the Lord your God and his people Israel. 4 Prepare yourselves by divisions according to your ancestral households, keeping to what King David of Israel and his son Solomon wrote about this.[a] 5 In addition to this, take your place in the Holy Place according to the groupings of the ancestral households of your relatives consistent with the division of the descendants of Levi by their ancestral households. 6 Now slaughter the Passover, consecrate yourselves, and prepare your relatives to obey the command from[b] the Lord given by Moses.”
7 Josiah contributed 30,000 animals from the flocks of lambs and young goats, giving Passover offerings to all of the people who were present, plus an additional 3,000 bulls from the king’s private possessions. 8 His officers contributed a voluntary offering to the people, the priests, and the descendants of Levi. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, the officials who supervised God’s Temple, gave 2,600 animals from their flocks to the priests for Passover offerings, along with 300 bulls. 9 Also, Conaniah, and his relatives Shemaiah, and Nethanel, along with Hashabiah, Jeiel, and Jozabad, the officers in charge of the descendants of Levi, contributed 5,000 animals from the flocks to the descendants of Levi for the Passover offerings, along with 500 bulls. 10 As a result, the Passover service was prepared, the priests took their assigned places, and the descendants of Levi stood in their divisions as the king had commanded.
11 They slaughtered the Passover lamb, and the priests poured out the blood that they had received from the lambs[c] while the descendants of Levi flayed the sacrifices. 12 They set aside in reserve the burnt offerings, so they could distribute them in proportion to the divisions of their ancestral households for presentation by the people to the Lord, as is required by the book of Moses. They did this with respect to the bulls, also. 13 They roasted the Passover in fire, as required by the ordinances, and boiled the holy things in pots, kettles, and pans, and delivered them quickly to all the people. 14 After this, because the priests, who were descendants of Aaron, were busy offering the burnt offerings and fat portions until evening, the descendants of Levi prepared the Passover for themselves and their fellow-descendants of Aaron, the priests. 15 The singers, as descendants of Asaph, remained at their stations as David, Asaph, Heman, and the king’s seer Jeduthun required, and the gatekeepers did not have to leave their posts because their descendant of Levi relatives prepared the Passover for them.
16 That’s how the Lord’s service was prepared that day to celebrate the Passover and to offer burnt offerings on the Lord’s altar according to what King Josiah had commanded. 17 The Israelis who were present celebrated the Passover that day, as well as the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days. 18 There had not been a Passover celebration like it in Israel since Samuel the prophet was alive, nor had any of the kings of Israel celebrated a Passover like Josiah did at that time[d] with the priests, the descendants of Levi, everyone from Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 19 This Passover celebration was observed during the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah.
Pharaoh Neco and Josiah’s Death(B)
20 Some time after all of this, after Josiah had finished preparing the Temple, King Neco of Egypt invaded Carchemish on the Euphrates River,[e] and Josiah went out to fight him. 21 But he sent messengers to him, who asked him, “What do we have in common, King of Judah? I am not here today opposing you. I am fighting the dynasty that is fighting me, and God has ordered me to hurry. For your own good, stop interfering with God, who is with me, and he won’t destroy you!”
22 But Josiah wouldn’t turn around. In fact, he put on a disguise so he could fight Neco.[f] He wouldn’t listen to what God told him through what Neco had to say, and as a result, Josiah came to attack Neco[g] on the Megiddo plain. 23 Some archers shot King Josiah, and the king told his servants, “Take me away, because I’m badly wounded.” 24 So his servants removed him from the chariot he was in and carried him away in a backup chariot that he had and took him back to Jerusalem, where he died and was buried in the tombs of his ancestors. All of Judah and Jerusalem went into mourning for Josiah.
25 Jeremiah sang a lament for Josiah, and all the male and female singers recite that lamentation about Josiah to this day. In fact, they made singing it an ordinance in Israel, and they are recorded in the Lamentations.[h] 26 Now the rest of the accomplishments of Josiah, including his faithful acts of devotion as required in the Law of the Lord, 27 and his other[i] activities from first to last, are recorded in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah.
Footnotes
- 2 Chronicles 35:4 The Heb. lacks about this
- 2 Chronicles 35:6 Lit. the word of
- 2 Chronicles 35:11 Lit. from them
- 2 Chronicles 35:18 The Heb. lacks at that time
- 2 Chronicles 35:20 The Heb. lacks River
- 2 Chronicles 35:22 Lit. him
- 2 Chronicles 35:22 The Heb. lacks Neco
- 2 Chronicles 35:25 This is not a reference to the Book of Lamentations in the Bible.
- 2 Chronicles 35:27 The Heb. lacks other
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