2 Chronicles 35
EasyEnglish Bible
King Josiah prepares for the Passover festival
35 King Josiah told the people to have the Passover festival in Jerusalem, to give honour to the Lord. They killed the lambs for the Passover meal on the 14th day of the first month of the year. 2 Josiah told the priests the jobs that they should do. He told them to be strong as they served the Lord in his temple. 3 The work of the Levites was to teach all the Israelites about God's laws. The Lord had chosen them to do that special work. Josiah said to them, ‘Put the holy Covenant Box in the temple that David's son, King Solomon, built. Do not carry it on your shoulders. Now you must serve the Lord your God and his people, the Israelites. 4 Each group of families must be ready to do their work. King David of Israel and his son Solomon decided what work each group must do. 5 Each group of Levites must stand in the holy place of the temple. Each group will be ready to help the people of different clans. 6 Kill the lambs for the Passover meal. Make yourselves clean to serve the Lord. Prepare the sacrifices for each Israelite family. Then they can eat the Passover meal, as the Lord told Moses they must do.’[a]
Many people give offerings
7 Josiah took 30,000 lambs and goats, and 3,000 bulls from his own animals. He gave them to the people who were there, to kill for their Passover sacrifices.
8 His officers were also happy to give their animals to the people, as well as to the priests and the Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel were officers who took care of the temple. They gave 2,600 lambs and 300 bulls to the priests for Passover sacrifices. 9 These Levite officers gave 5,000 lambs and 500 bulls to the Levites for Passover sacrifices: Konaniah and his brothers, Shemaiah and Nethanel; Hashabiah, Jeiel and Jozabad.
The Passover meal
10 Everything was ready for the Passover to begin. The priests and the Levites stood in their places, group by group, as the king had commanded. 11 Some Levites killed the lambs for the Passover meal. They gave the blood to the priests, and the priests splashed the blood on the altar. At the same time, some Levites were removing the skins from the animals. 12 They took the animals for the burnt offerings to give to the people. They shared them among each group of families. Then each family could offer a bull to the Lord as a sacrifice, in the way that the book of Moses taught. 13 The Levites cooked the lambs for the Passover meal over a fire, as the rules taught. They boiled the meat of the holy offerings in pots and pans.[b] Then they quickly carried the meat to all the people.
14 After that, the Levites prepared the Passover meal for themselves and for the priests. The priests had been busy all day, until the evening. They were offering the burnt offerings and the pieces of fat to the Lord. So the Levites prepared the meal for themselves and for the priests, Aaron's descendants.
15 Asaph's descendants, the musicians, stood in their places. Those were the places that David, Asaph, Heman and the king's prophet, Jeduthun, had chosen. The guards continued to watch the different gates all through the day. So the other Levites prepared the meal for them too.
16 So they did everything properly to serve the Lord that day. Everyone did what King Josiah had told them to do. They had the Passover meal and they offered the burnt offerings on the Lord's altar. 17 Some Israelite people were also there in Jerusalem for the Passover festival at that time. They also stayed seven more days for the festival of Flat Bread.
18 There had not been a Passover festival like that in Israel since the time of the prophet Samuel. No king of Israel had enjoyed a Passover festival as good as the one that King Josiah had. The priests, the Levites and all the people enjoyed the festival. They were the people of Judah, the people of Israel who had come to Jerusalem, as well as the people who lived in Jerusalem. 19 This Passover festival happened in the 18th year that Josiah ruled Judah as king.
Josiah dies
20 After Josiah had done all those things for the temple, King Necho of Egypt marched out with his army. He came to fight a battle at Carchemish, a city beside the Euphrates river. King Josiah went with his army to fight against King Necho. 21 But Necho sent men with a message to Josiah. King Necho said, ‘King of Judah, you should not come to fight against me. We should be friends. I came to fight against this kingdom which is my enemy. God has told me that I must hurry. So do not try to stop me, because God is with me. If you try to fight against God, he will destroy you.’
22 But Josiah would not agree to go away. He changed his clothes so that nobody would recognize him in the battle. God had told King Necho what to say to Josiah. But Josiah would not listen to his words. Instead, he went to fight against Necho in Megiddo valley.
23 Necho's soldiers hit King Josiah with their arrows. The king said to his servants, ‘Take me away from the battle! The arrows have hurt me very much.’ 24 So they took him out of the chariot that he was riding in. They put him in his other chariot. Then they took him to Jerusalem and he died there. His people buried him beside his ancestors. All the people of Judah and Jerusalem wept because Josiah had died.
25 Jeremiah wrote sad songs about Josiah's death. The male and female singers still sing these songs to remember Josiah, even today. The songs have become something that the people of Israel always like to sing. They are written in a book called ‘The book of sad songs’.
26-27 All the other things that Josiah did while he was king are written in a book. The book is called ‘The history of the kings of Israel and Judah’. It tells how Josiah faithfully obeyed what is written in the Law of the Lord. It includes all the good things that he did, from the beginning to the end of his time as king.
Footnotes
- 35:6 See Exodus 12:1-14.
- 35:13 Pots and pans are things that hold water so that you can cook food in them.
2 Kronieken 35
Het Boek
Het koningschap van Josia
35 Koning Josia kondigde af dat het Feest van de Ongezuurde Broden op de veertiende dag van de eerste maand in Jeruzalem zou worden gevierd. Die avond werden de paaslammeren geslacht. 2 Hij gaf de priesters opnieuw de hen eerder toegewezen taken en moedigde hen aan weer in de tempel aan het werk te gaan. 3 De geheiligde Levieten, de godsdienstonderwijzers in Israël, kregen het bevel: ‘Zet de ark nu voorgoed neer in de tempel van Salomo. U hoeft de ark niet meer op uw schouders te dragen. Voortaan kunt u zich volledig wijden aan het dienen van de Here en van zijn volk Israël. 4,5 Vorm voor uzelf weer de traditionele dienstafdelingen van uw voorouders, precies zoals koning David van Israël en zijn zoon Salomo vroeger hebben ingesteld. Elke afdeling moet in de tempel klaar staan om bepaalde families uit het volk te helpen wanneer zij hun offers komen brengen. 6 Heilig uzelf, slacht de paaslammeren en maak ze klaar voor de mensen die komen. Volg alle aanwijzingen die de Here u door Mozes heeft gegeven.’ 7 De koning droeg zelf dertigduizend lammeren en jonge geiten bij voor de Pesach-offers van zijn onderdanen en gaf bovendien nog eens drieduizend jonge stieren. 8 Ook de medewerkers van de koning gaven vrijwillige bijdragen aan het volk, de priesters en de Levieten. Hilkia, Zacharia en Jehiël, de tempelopzichters, gaven de priesters zesentwintighonderd schapen en geiten en driehonderd ossen als Pesach-offers. 9 De leiders van de Levieten—Chonanja, Semaja en Netanel en diens broers Hasabja, Jeïël en Jozabad—gaven vijfduizend schapen en geiten en vijfhonderd ossen aan de Levieten voor hun offers.
10 Toen werd alles voor de dienst geregeld. De priesters gingen op hun plaatsen staan evenals de Levieten volgens hun dienstafdelingen, zoals de koning had bevolen. 11 Daarna slachtten de Levieten de paaslammeren en overhandigden het bloed aan de priesters, die het over het altaar sprenkelden, terwijl de Levieten de huid van de dieren afstroopten. 12 Zij stapelden het offervlees voor elke familie op, zodat die hun eigen brandoffers aan de Here kon aanbieden. Zo was het in de wet van Mozes bevolen. Hetzelfde deden zij met de ossen. 13 In navolging van de wet van Mozes roosterden zij daarna de paaslammeren op het vuur en kookten de andere heilige offers in potten, ketels en pannen, die daarna snel naar de buiten wachtende mensen werden gebracht om op te eten. 14 Daarna maakten de Levieten de maaltijd voor zichzelf en de priesters klaar, want zij waren tot ʼs nachts druk bezig geweest met het offeren van de brandoffers en het vet. 15 De zangers, allemaal nakomelingen van Asaf, stonden op hun plaatsen en handelden volgens aanwijzingen die eeuwen eerder waren opgesteld door koning David, Asaf, Heman en Jeduthun, de profeet van de koning. De poortwachters bewaakten de toegangen en hoefden hun posten niet te verlaten, omdat hun broeders, de Levieten, hun de maaltijden kwamen brengen.
16 De hele Pesach-ceremonie had op die ene dag plaats. Alle brandoffers waren op het altaar van de Here geofferd, precies zoals koning Josia had bevolen. 17 Allen die in Jeruzalem aanwezig waren, namen deel aan de Pesachviering, die werd gevolgd door de viering van het Feest van de Ongezuurde Broden. Zo bleef het zeven dagen achterelkaar feest. 18 Sinds de tijd van de profeet Samuël was Pesach niet meer zo gevierd, geen enkele koning van Israël kon in dit opzicht met koning Josia wedijveren. Nog nooit eerder hadden zoveel priesters, Levieten en inwoners van Jeruzalem, Juda en Israël aan de viering deelgenomen. 19 Dit alles gebeurde in het achttiende regeringsjaar van koning Josia.
20 Korte tijd later, nadat Josia orde op zaken had gesteld in de tempel, trok koning Necho van Egypte met zijn leger naar het plaatsje Karkemis aan de rivier de Eufraat om de strijd aan te binden met de Assyriërs. Daarop verklaarde koning Josia hem de oorlog. 21 Maar koning Necho stuurde boodschappers naar Josia met de mededeling: ‘Ik wil niet tegen u vechten, koning van Juda! Ik ben uitsluitend gekomen om de strijd aan te binden met de koning van Assyrië. Laat mij met rust! God heeft gezegd dat ik mij moest haasten. Meng u niet in de zaken van God, anders zal Hij u vernietigen, want Hij staat aan mijn kant.’ 22 Maar Josia weigerde zich terug te trekken en in het dal van Megiddo raakten de beide legers slaags. Josia had zijn koninklijke gewaad uitgetrokken en zich vermomd, zodat de vijand hem niet kon herkennen. Josia wilde niet geloven dat Necho in opdracht van God handelde. 23 Tijdens de slag raakten de vijandelijke boogschutters koning Josia echter met hun pijlen en verwondden hem dodelijk. ‘Ik ben gewond, breng mij van het slagveld,’ riep hij zijn mannen toe. 24,25 Zij tilden hem uit zijn eigen strijdwagen en legden hem in een andere wagen die hem terugbracht naar Jeruzalem. Het mocht echter niet meer baten. In de stad aangekomen, overleed hij. Hij werd daar op de koninklijke begraafplaats begraven en heel Juda en Jeruzalem rouwden om hem. De profeet Jeremia schreef speciaal een rouwlied over hem. De tempelzangers zingen nu nog steeds rouwliederen over Josia, want deze liederen werden opgenomen in de officiële bundel van Klaagliederen.
26 Alle andere daden van Josia, zijn goede verrichtingen en zijn trouw aan de wetten van de Here, 27 staan beschreven in het Boek over de Koningen van Israël en Juda.
2 Chronicles 35
King James Version
35 Moreover Josiah kept a passover unto the Lord in Jerusalem: and they killed the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month.
2 And he set the priests in their charges, and encouraged them to the service of the house of the Lord,
3 And said unto the Levites that taught all Israel, which were holy unto the Lord, Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David king of Israel did build; it shall not be a burden upon your shoulders: serve now the Lord your God, and his people Israel,
4 And prepare yourselves by the houses of your fathers, after your courses, according to the writing of David king of Israel, and according to the writing of Solomon his son.
5 And stand in the holy place according to the divisions of the families of the fathers of your brethren the people, and after the division of the families of the Levites.
6 So kill the passover, and sanctify yourselves, and prepare your brethren, that they may do according to the word of the Lord by the hand of Moses.
7 And Josiah gave to the people, of the flock, lambs and kids, all for the passover offerings, for all that were present, to the number of thirty thousand, and three thousand bullocks: these were of the king's substance.
8 And his princes gave willingly unto the people, to the priests, and to the Levites: Hilkiah and Zechariah and Jehiel, rulers of the house of God, gave unto the priests for the passover offerings two thousand and six hundred small cattle and three hundred oxen.
9 Conaniah also, and Shemaiah and Nethaneel, his brethren, and Hashabiah and Jeiel and Jozabad, chief of the Levites, gave unto the Levites for passover offerings five thousand small cattle, and five hundred oxen.
10 So the service was prepared, and the priests stood in their place, and the Levites in their courses, according to the king's commandment.
11 And they killed the passover, and the priests sprinkled the blood from their hands, and the Levites flayed them.
12 And they removed the burnt offerings, that they might give according to the divisions of the families of the people, to offer unto the Lord, as it is written in the book of Moses. And so did they with the oxen.
13 And they roasted the passover with fire according to the ordinance: but the other holy offerings sod they in pots, and in caldrons, and in pans, and divided them speedily among all the people.
14 And afterward they made ready for themselves, and for the priests: because the priests the sons of Aaron were busied in offering of burnt offerings and the fat until night; therefore the Levites prepared for themselves, and for the priests the sons of Aaron.
15 And the singers the sons of Asaph were in their place, according to the commandment of David, and Asaph, and Heman, and Jeduthun the king's seer; and the porters waited at every gate; they might not depart from their service; for their brethren the Levites prepared for them.
16 So all the service of the Lord was prepared the same day, to keep the passover, and to offer burnt offerings upon the altar of the Lord, according to the commandment of king Josiah.
17 And the children of Israel that were present kept the passover at that time, and the feast of unleavened bread seven days.
18 And there was no passover like to that kept in Israel from the days of Samuel the prophet; neither did all the kings of Israel keep such a passover as Josiah kept, and the priests, and the Levites, and all Judah and Israel that were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
19 In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah was this passover kept.
20 After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Necho king of Egypt came up to fight against Charchemish by Euphrates: and Josiah went out against him.
21 But he sent ambassadors to him, saying, What have I to do with thee, thou king of Judah? I come not against thee this day, but against the house wherewith I have war: for God commanded me to make haste: forbear thee from meddling with God, who is with me, that he destroy thee not.
22 Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised himself, that he might fight with him, and hearkened not unto the words of Necho from the mouth of God, and came to fight in the valley of Megiddo.
23 And the archers shot at king Josiah; and the king said to his servants, Have me away; for I am sore wounded.
24 His servants therefore took him out of that chariot, and put him in the second chariot that he had; and they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died, and was buried in one of the sepulchres of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.
25 And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah: and all the singing men and the singing women spake of Josiah in their lamentations to this day, and made them an ordinance in Israel: and, behold, they are written in the lamentations.
26 Now the rest of the acts of Josiah, and his goodness, according to that which was written in the law of the Lord,
27 And his deeds, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.
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