Josiah’s Passover Observance

35 Josiah observed the Lord’s Passover(A) and slaughtered the Passover lambs on the fourteenth day of the first month.(B) He appointed the priests to their responsibilities and encouraged them to serve in the Lord’s temple.(C) He said to the Levites who taught all Israel(D) the holy things of the Lord, “Put the holy ark in the temple built by Solomon son of David king of Israel. Since you do not have to carry it on your shoulders,(E) now serve the Lord your God and his people Israel.

“Organize your ancestral families[a] by your divisions(F) according to the written instruction of King David of Israel and that of his son Solomon.(G) Serve in the holy place by the groupings of the ancestral families[b] for your brothers, the lay people,[c] and according to the division of the Levites by family.(H) Slaughter the Passover lambs,(I) consecrate yourselves,(J) and make preparations for your brothers to carry out the word of the Lord through Moses.”

Then Josiah donated thirty thousand sheep, lambs, and young goats, plus three thousand cattle from his own possessions, for the Passover sacrifices for all the lay people who were present.

His officials also donated willingly for the people, the priests, and the Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, chief officials of God’s temple, gave twenty-six hundred Passover sacrifices and three hundred cattle for the priests. Conaniah(K) and his brothers Shemaiah and Nethanel, and Hashabiah, Jeiel, and Jozabad, officers of the Levites, donated five thousand Passover sacrifices for the Levites, plus five hundred cattle.

10 So the service was established; the priests stood at their posts and the Levites in their divisions according to the king’s command.(L) 11 Then they slaughtered the Passover lambs, and while the Levites were skinning the animals,(M) the priests splattered the blood[d] they had been given.[e] 12 They removed the burnt offerings so that they might be given to the groupings of the ancestral families[f] of the lay people to offer to the Lord, according to what is written in the book of Moses; they did the same with the cattle. 13 They roasted the Passover lambs with fire according to regulation.(N) They boiled the holy sacrifices in pots, kettles, and bowls; and they quickly brought them to the lay people. 14 Afterward, they made preparations for themselves and for the priests, since the priests, the descendants of Aaron, were busy offering up burnt offerings and fat until night. So the Levites made preparations for themselves and for the priests, the descendants of Aaron.

15 The singers, the descendants of Asaph, were at their stations according to the command of David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king’s seer.(O) Also, the gatekeepers were at each temple gate.(P) None of them left their tasks because their Levite brothers had made preparations for them.

16 So all the service of the Lord was established that day for observing the Passover and for offering burnt offerings on the altar of the Lord, according to the command of King Josiah. 17 The Israelites who were present in Judah also observed the Passover at that time and the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days.(Q) 18 No Passover had been observed(R) like it in Israel since the days of the prophet Samuel. None of the kings of Israel ever observed a Passover like the one that Josiah observed with the priests, the Levites, all Judah, the Israelites who were present in Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 19 In the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign, this Passover was observed.

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Footnotes

  1. 35:4 Lit the house of your fathers
  2. 35:5 Lit the house of the fathers
  3. 35:5 Lit the sons of the people, also in vv. 7,12,13
  4. 35:11 LXX, Vg, Tg; MT omits blood
  5. 35:11 Lit splattered from their hand
  6. 35:12 Lit house of fathers

The Passover Held Again

35 Then Josiah (A)celebrated the Passover to the Lord in Jerusalem, and (B)they slaughtered the Passover animals on the fourteenth day of the first month. He appointed the priests to their offices and (C)encouraged them in the service of the house of the Lord. He also said to (D)the Levites who taught all Israel and who were holy to the Lord, “Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David king of Israel built; (E)it will not be a burden on your shoulders. Now serve the Lord your God and His people Israel. (F)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. Furthermore, (H)stand in the holy place according to the sections of the fathers’ households of your countrymen, the [a]lay people, and according to the Levites, by division of a father’s household. Now (I)slaughter the Passover animals, (J)keep one another consecrated, and prepare for your countrymen to act in accordance with the word of the Lord by Moses.”

Josiah contributed to the lay people, to all who were present, flocks of lambs and young goats, all for the Passover offerings, numbering thirty thousand, plus three thousand bulls; these were from the king’s property. His officers also contributed a [b]voluntary offering to the people, the priests, and the Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, (K)the officials of the house of God, gave the priests 2,600 from the flocks and three hundred bulls, for the Passover offerings. (L)Conaniah also, and his brothers Shemaiah and Nethanel, and Hashabiah and Jeiel and Jozabad, the officers of the Levites, contributed five thousand from the flocks and five hundred bulls to the Levites for the Passover offerings.

10 So the service was prepared, and (M)the priests stood at their positions and the Levites by their divisions according to the king’s command. 11 [c](N)They slaughtered the Passover animals, and while (O)the priests [d]sprinkled the blood received from their hand, (P)the Levites skinned the animals. 12 Then they removed the burnt offerings so that they might give them to the sections of the fathers’ households of the lay people to present to the Lord, as it is written in the Book of Moses. They did this with the bulls as well. 13 So (Q)they roasted the Passover animals on the fire according to the ordinance, and they boiled (R)the holy things in pots, in kettles, and in pans and carried them quickly to all the lay people. 14 Afterward 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; so the Levites prepared for themselves and for the priests, the sons of Aaron. 15 The singers, the sons of Asaph, were also at their positions (S)according to the command of David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king’s seer; and (T)the gatekeepers at each gate did not have to leave their service, because their kinsmen the Levites prepared for them.

16 So all the service of the Lord was prepared on that day to celebrate the Passover, and to offer burnt offerings on the altar of the Lord according to the command of King Josiah. 17 And (U)the sons of Israel who were present celebrated the Passover at that time, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days. 18 (V)There had not been a Passover celebrated like it in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet; nor had any of the kings of Israel celebrated such a Passover as Josiah did 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.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 35:5 Lit sons of the people, and so throughout the ch
  2. 2 Chronicles 35:8 Or freewill offering
  3. 2 Chronicles 35:11 I.e., the Levites
  4. 2 Chronicles 35:11 As in LXX; MT sprinkled from their hand