Josiah’s Last Deeds and Death

²⁰ After all this^(A) that Josiah had prepared for the temple, Neco king of Egypt^(B) marched up to fight at Carchemish^(C) 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?^(D) I have not come against you today^[a] but I am fighting another dynasty.^[b] 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.^[c](E) He did not listen to Neco’s words from the mouth of God, but went to the Valley of Megiddo^(F) to fight. ²³ The archers shot King Josiah, and he said to his servants, “Take me away, for I am severely wounded!”^{(G) 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 fathers. All Judah and Jerusalem mourned^(H) for Josiah. ²⁵ Jeremiah chanted a dirge^(I) over Josiah, and all the singing men and singing women still speak of Josiah in their dirges to this very day. They established them as a statute for Israel, and indeed they are written in the Dirges.

²⁶ The rest of the events^(J) 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.