Josiah Celebrates the Passover

35 Then Josiah ^(A)celebrated the Passover to Yahweh in Jerusalem, and ^(B)they slaughtered the Passover animals on the fourteenth day of the first month. ² And he caused the priests to stand in their responsibilities and ^(C)strengthened them in the service of the house of Yahweh. ³ He also said to ^(D)the Levites who provided understanding to all Israel and who were holy to Yahweh, “Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David king of Israel built; ^(E)it will be a burden on your shoulders no longer. Now serve Yahweh your God and His people Israel. ^4 (F)So prepare yourselves by your fathers’ households in your divisions, according to the writing of David king of Israel and ^(G)according to the writing of his son Solomon. ⁵ Moreover, ^(H)stand in the holy place according to the sections of the fathers’ households of your brothers the ^[a]lay people, and according to the Levites, by division of a father’s household. ⁶ Now ^(I)slaughter the Passover animals, ^(J)sanctify yourselves and prepare for your brothers to do according to the word of Yahweh by the hand of Moses.”

⁷ And Josiah contributed to the lay people, to all who were present, flocks of lambs and young goats, all for the Passover offerings, numbering 30,000 plus 3,000 bulls; these were from the king’s possessions. ⁸ His officials also contributed a freewill offering to the people, the priests, and the Levites. Hilkiah and Zechariah and Jehiel, ^(K)the officers of the house of God, gave to the priests for the Passover offerings 2,600 from the flocks and 300 bulls. ^9 (L)Conaniah also, and Shemaiah and Nethanel, his brothers, and Hashabiah and Jeiel and Jozabad, the ^[b]officials of the Levites, contributed to the Levites for the Passover offerings 5,000 from the flocks and 500 bulls.

¹⁰ So the service was prepared, and ^(M)the priests stood at their stations and the Levites by their divisions according to the king’s commandment. ^11 (N)And ^[c]they slaughtered the Passover animals, and while ^(O)the priests splashed ^[d]the blood received from their hand, ^(P)the Levites skinned them. ¹² Then they took away the portions for the burnt offerings that they might give them to the sections of the fathers’ households of the lay people to bring near to Yahweh, as it is written in the book of Moses. They did this also with the bulls. ¹³ So ^(Q)they roasted the Passover animals on the fire according to the legal judgment, and they boiled ^(R)the holy things in pots, in kettles, in pans, and carried them speedily to all the lay people. ¹⁴ Afterwards they prepared for themselves and for the priests, because the priests, the sons of Aaron, were offering the burnt offerings and the fat until night; therefore the Levites prepared for themselves and for the priests, the sons of Aaron. ¹⁵ The singers, the sons of Asaph, were also at their stations ^(S)according to the commandment of David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king’s seer; and ^(T)the gatekeepers at each gate did not have to turn aside from their service, because the Levites their brothers prepared for them.

¹⁶ So all the service of Yahweh was prepared on that day to celebrate the Passover, and to offer burnt offerings on the altar of Yahweh according to the commandment of King Josiah. ¹⁷ Thus ^(U)the sons of Israel who were present celebrated the Passover at that time, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days. ^18 (V)And there had not been celebrated a Passover like it in Israel from the days of Samuel the prophet; nor had any of the kings of Israel celebrated such a Passover as Josiah celebrated with the priests, the Levites, all Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. ¹⁹ In the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign, this Passover was celebrated.