²⁹ While Josiah was king, Pharaoh Necho^(A) king of Egypt went up to the Euphrates River to help the king of Assyria. King Josiah marched out to meet him in battle, but Necho faced him and killed him at Megiddo.^(B)

² Concerning Egypt:^(A)

This is the message against the army of Pharaoh Necho^(B) king of Egypt, which was defeated at Carchemish^(C) on the Euphrates^(D) River by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon in the fourth year of Jehoiakim^(E) son of Josiah king of Judah:

The Death of Josiah^(A)

²⁰ After all this, when Josiah had set the temple in order, Necho king of Egypt went up to fight at Carchemish^(B) on the Euphrates,^(C) 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^(D) 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^(E) 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^(F) 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.

¹¹ On that day the weeping^(A) in Jerusalem will be as great as the weeping of Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.^(B)

¹⁶ Then they gathered the kings together^(A) to the place that in Hebrew^(B) is called Armageddon.^(C)

Doxology

A Common Destiny for All

9 So I reflected on all this and concluded that the righteous and the wise and what they do are in God’s hands, but no one knows whether love or hate awaits them.^{(A) 2} All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad,^[a] the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not.