2 Kings 23:15-37

New King James Version

¹⁵ Moreover the altar that was at Bethel, and the ^[a]high place ^(A)which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin, had made, both that altar and the high place he broke down; and he burned the high place and crushed it to powder, and burned the wooden image. ¹⁶ As Josiah turned, he saw the tombs that were there on the mountain. And he sent and took the bones out of the tombs and burned them on the altar, and defiled it according to the ^(B)word of the Lord which the man of God proclaimed, who proclaimed these words. ¹⁷ Then he said, “What gravestone is this that I see?”

So the men of the city told him, “It is ^(C)the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and proclaimed these things which you have done against the altar of Bethel.”

¹⁸ And he said, “Let him alone; let no one move his bones.” So they let his bones alone, with the bones of ^(D)the prophet who came from Samaria.

¹⁹ Now Josiah also took away all the ^[b]shrines of the ^[c]high places that were ^(E)in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to provoke ^[d]the Lord to anger; and he did to them according to all the deeds he had done in Bethel. ^20 (F)He ^(G)executed all the priests of the ^[e]high places who were there, on the altars, and ^(H)burned men’s bones on them; and he returned to Jerusalem.

²¹ Then the king commanded all the people, saying, ^(I)“Keep the Passover to the Lord your God, ^(J)as it is written in this Book of the Covenant.” ^22 (K)Such a Passover surely had never been held since the days of the judges who judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah. ²³ But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah this Passover was held before the Lord in Jerusalem. ²⁴ Moreover Josiah put away those who consulted mediums and spiritists, the household gods and idols, all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, that he might perform the words of ^(L)the law which were written in the book ^(M)that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the Lord. ^25 (N)Now before him there was no king like him, who turned to the Lord with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses; nor after him did any arise like him.

Impending Judgment on Judah

²⁶ Nevertheless the Lord did not turn from the fierceness of His great wrath, with which His anger was aroused against Judah, ^(O)because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked Him. ²⁷ And the Lord said, “I will also remove Judah from My sight, as ^(P)I have removed Israel, and will cast off this city Jerusalem which I have chosen, and the house of which I said, ^(Q)‘My name shall be there.’ ”

Josiah Dies in Battle^(R)

²⁸ Now the rest of the acts of Josiah, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? ^29 (S)In his days Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt went ^[f]to the aid of the king of Assyria, to the River Euphrates; and King Josiah went against him. And Pharaoh Necho killed him at ^(T)Megiddo when he ^(U)confronted him. ^30 (V)Then his servants moved his body in a chariot from Megiddo, brought him to Jerusalem, and buried him in his own tomb. And ^(W)the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, anointed him, and made him king in his father’s place.

The Reign and Captivity of Jehoahaz^(X)

^31 (Y)Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was ^(Z)Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. ³² And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done. ³³ Now Pharaoh Necho put him in prison ^(AA)at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem; and he imposed on the land a tribute of one hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. ³⁴ Then ^(AB)Pharaoh Necho made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in place of his father Josiah, and ^(AC)changed his name to ^(AD)Jehoiakim. And Pharaoh took Jehoahaz ^(AE)and went to Egypt, and ^[g]he died there.

Jehoiakim Reigns in Judah^(AF)

³⁵ So Jehoiakim gave ^(AG)the silver and gold to Pharaoh; but he taxed the land to give money according to the command of Pharaoh; he exacted the silver and gold from the people of the land, from every one according to his assessment, to give it to Pharaoh Necho. ^36 (AH)Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zebudah the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah. ³⁷ And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done.