The Death of Josiah

²⁰ After all of this that Josiah had prepared for the temple,^[a] Neco the king of Egypt went up to make war at Carchemish on the Euphrates, and Josiah went up to meet him. ²¹ And he^[b] sent messengers to him, saying, “What is there between us,^[c] O king of Judah? I am not against you yourself this day, but against the house making war against me. And God has commanded me to make haste. Stop opposing God, who is with me that he will not destroy you.” ²² But Josiah did not turn his face from him, but he disguised himself to fight with him. He did not listen to the words of Neco from the mouth of God, and he went out to fight in the plain of Megiddo. ²³ And the archers shot King Josiah, and the king said to his servants, “Take me away, for I am badly wounded.” ²⁴ So his servants took him out of the chariot and transported him in his second chariot and brought him to Jerusalem. And he died and was buried in the burial sites of his ancestors.^[d] And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned over Josiah. ²⁵ And Jeremiah uttered a lament for Josiah, and all the male and female singers have spoken in their laments about Josiah to this day. And they made them a requirement in Israel, and behold, they are written in the laments.

²⁶ Now the remainder of the words of Josiah and his loyal love for what is written in the law of Yahweh ²⁷ and his words, from the first to the last, behold, they are written in the scroll of the kings of Israel and Judah.