Beginning

Josiah Brings Back True Worship

23 Then King Josiah sent men out to bring to him all the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem. ² The king went up to the house of the Lord with all the men of Judah and all the people who lived in Jerusalem. The religious leaders, the men who speak for God, and all the people went with him, both small and great. And Josiah read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Law which was found in the house of the Lord. ³ Then the king stood by the pillar. There he made an agreement before the Lord. He promised to follow the Lord and keep His Word and His Laws with all his heart and soul. He promised to obey the words of this agreement that were written in this book, and all the people joined him in the agreement.

⁴ Then the king spoke to Hilkiah the head religious leader, and the religious leaders who were next in power, and the door-keepers. He told them to bring out of the Lord’s house all the objects made for the false gods Baal and Asherah and for all the stars of heaven. He burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron. And he carried their ashes to Bethel. ⁵ He got rid of the religious leaders who worshiped false gods, whom the kings of Judah had chosen. They had been chosen to burn special perfume in the high places in the cities of Judah and in the land around Jerusalem. Josiah got rid of those who burned special perfume to Baal, to the sun and the moon, to groups of stars, and to all the stars of heaven. ⁶ He brought out the object of the false goddess Asherah from the Lord’s house to the river Kidron outside Jerusalem. There he burned it and ground it to dust, and threw its dust on the people’s graves. ⁷ He broke down the small rooms in the Lord’s house that were used by the men who sold the use of their bodies for their false gods. The women were making special curtains for the false goddess Asherah in these rooms. ⁸ Then King Josiah brought all the religious leaders from the cities of Judah. And he showed how sinful the high places were where the religious leaders had burned special perfume, from Geba to Beersheba. He broke down the high places at the gate of Joshua the leader of the city, which were to the left of the city gate. ⁹ The religious leaders of the high places did not go up to the altar of the Lord in Jerusalem. But they ate bread without yeast among their brothers. ¹⁰ The king made Topheth unclean, which is in the valley of the sons of Hinnom. He did this so no one might give his son or daughter there as a burnt gift to the false god Molech. ¹¹ Josiah got rid of the horses which the kings of Judah had given to the sun. They had given them at the door of the Lord’s house, by the room of Nathan-melech the leader. And the king burned the war-wagons of the sun with fire. ¹² King Josiah broke down the altars which were on the roof of Ahaz’s room on the second floor. They had been made by the kings of Judah. And he broke down the altars which Manasseh had made in the two open spaces of the Lord’s house. He broke them there and threw their dust into the river Kidron. ¹³ The king made the high places sinful which were east of Jerusalem and south of the Mount of Destruction. King Solomon of Israel had built them for Ashtoreth the sinful goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the hated false god of Moab, and Milcom the hated god of the sons of Ammon. ¹⁴ And Josiah broke in pieces the pillars used in worship and cut down the Asherim. He filled their places with human bones.

¹⁵ The king broke down the altar at Bethel and the high place made by Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin, even that altar and the high place he broke down. He crushed its stones, ground them to dust, and burned the false goddess Asherah. ¹⁶ As Josiah turned, he saw the graves that were there on the mountain. He had the bones taken from the graves, and burned them on the altar. So he made the altar sinful, as the word of the Lord said would happen, through the man of God. ¹⁷ Then Josiah said, “What is this that I see?” The men of the city told him, “It is the grave of the man of God who came from Judah. He is the one who said that these things would happen which you have done against the altar of Bethel.” ¹⁸ Josiah said, “Let him alone. Let no one move his bones.” So they let his bones alone, with the bones of the man of God who came from Samaria. ¹⁹ Josiah took away all the houses of the high places in the cities of Samaria. The kings of Israel had made the Lord angry by building them. The king did to them just as he had done in Bethel. ²⁰ And he killed on the altar all the religious leaders of the high places who were there. He burned human bones on them. Then he returned to Jerusalem.

Josiah Keeps the Passover

²¹ King Josiah told all the people, “Keep the Passover to the Lord your God, as it is written in this Book of the Law.” ²² For sure no such Passover had been kept since the days of the judges who ruled Israel. It had not been kept in all the days of the kings of Israel or Judah. ²³ But this Passover was kept to the Lord in Jerusalem in the eighteenth year of King Josiah.

²⁴ Josiah put away the people who spoke with spirits, and people who used their secret ways. He put away the house gods and the false gods and all the sinful things that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem. He did this to obey the words of the Law which were written in the book that was found in the Lord’s house by Hilkiah the religious leader. ²⁵ Before Josiah there was no king like him who turned to the Lord with all his heart and soul and strength, obeying all the Law of Moses. And no one like him came after him.

²⁶ But the Lord did not stop from being very angry against Judah. Because Manasseh had done many things to make Him angry. ²⁷ The Lord said, “I will put Judah away from My eyes, as I have put away Israel. I will put away Jerusalem, this city I have chosen. And I will put away the family of which I said, ‘My name will be there.’”

Josiah Dies in Battle

²⁸ Now the rest of the acts of Josiah are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah. ²⁹ In his days Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt went up to the king of Assyria to the river Euphrates. King Josiah went to meet him. And Pharaoh Neco killed him at Megiddo when he saw him. ³⁰ Josiah’s servants carried his body from Megiddo in a war-wagon. They brought him to Jerusalem and buried him in his own grave. Then the people of the land took his son Jehoahaz and poured oil on him and made him king in his father’s place.

Jehoahaz Rules Judah

³¹ Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king. He ruled for three months in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. ³² Jehoahaz did what was sinful in the eyes of the Lord. He did all that his fathers had done. ³³ Pharaoh Neco put him in prison at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not rule in Jerusalem. And he made the people of the land pay a tax of silver weighing as much as 100 men, and gold weighing as much as one man. ³⁴ Pharaoh Neco made Josiah’s son Eliakim king in the place of his father Josiah. And he changed his name to Jehoiakim. But he took Jehoahaz away to Egypt, where he died.

Jehoiakim Rules Judah

³⁵ So Jehoiakim gave the silver and gold to Pharaoh. But he taxed the land to give Pharaoh the money he wanted. He took the silver and gold from the people of the land, from each one by the amount of tax he was made to pay. And he gave it to Pharaoh Neco. ³⁶ Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king. He ruled for eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zebidah the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah. ³⁷ Jehoiakim did what was sinful in the eyes of the Lord. He did just as his fathers had done.

24 In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant for three years. Then he turned against him. ² The Lord sent armies of Babylonians, Syrians, Moabites and Ammonites against Jehoiakim. He sent them against Judah to destroy it, just as the word of the Lord had said through His men who spoke for Him. ³ This came upon Judah at the word of the Lord, to put them away from His eyes because of the sins Manasseh had done. ⁴ And it happened because of the people Manasseh had killed who were not guilty. For he filled Jerusalem with their blood, and the Lord would not forgive. ⁵ Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah. ⁶ Jehoiakim died, and his son Jehoiachin became king in his place. ⁷ And the king of Egypt did not leave his land again. For the king of Babylon had taken all that belonged to the king of Egypt from the river of Egypt to the river Euphrates.

Jehoiachin Rules Judah

⁸ Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king. He ruled for three months in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. ⁹ Jehoiachin did what was sinful in the eyes of the Lord. He did just as his father had done.

¹⁰ At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon went up to Jerusalem. His soldiers gathered around the city. ¹¹ King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to the city, while his soldiers were all around it trying to take it. ¹² King Jehoiachin of Judah went out to the king of Babylon. He took with him his mother, his servants, his captains and his leaders. The king of Babylon took him away in the eighth year of his rule. ¹³ And Nebuchadnezzar carried away all the riches of the Lord’s house and of the king’s house. He cut in pieces all the objects of gold which King Solomon of Israel had made in the house of the Lord. It happened just as the Lord had said. ¹⁴ Then the king of Babylon led away all who lived in Jerusalem. He led away all the captains, all the powerful soldiers, and all those who were able to make things. He took 10,000 people away to Babylon. Only the very poor people of the land were left behind. ¹⁵ So he led Jehoiachin away to Babylon. He also led away the king’s mother, his wives, his leaders, and the most important men of the land. He took them from Jerusalem to Babylon. ¹⁶ He led away all the powerful soldiers, 7,000 men. And he led away 1,000 of those who were able to make things. All of them were strong and able to fight in battle. Nebuchadnezzar took them away to Babylon. ¹⁷ Then he made Mattaniah, the brother of Jehoiachin’s father, king in his place, and changed his name to Zedekiah.

Zedekiah Rules Judah

¹⁸ Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king. He ruled for eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. ¹⁹ Zedekiah did what was sinful in the eyes of the Lord. He did all that Jehoiakim had done. ²⁰ For because of the anger of the Lord, this happened in Jerusalem and Judah until the Lord put them away from Him. And Zedekiah turned against the king of Babylon.

Jerusalem Is Taken

25 On the tenth day of the tenth month in the ninth year of his rule, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem. His army set up their tents around the city, and built a wall all around it. ² The city had the army of Babylon around it until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. ³ On the ninth day of the fourth month, there was no food left in the city. There was no more food for the people of the land. ⁴ Then the city was broken into. All the men of war ran away during the night between the two walls beside the king’s garden. The Babylonians were all around the city, but the men left by the way of the Arabah. ⁵ Then the Babylonian army went after the king and came to him in the plains of Jericho. All his army ran away from him. ⁶ The Babylonians took the king and brought him to the king of Babylon at Riblah. And Nebuchadnezzar told him how he must be punished. ⁷ They killed Zedekiah’s sons in front of his eyes. Then they put out Zedekiah’s eyes and tied him up in chains, and brought him to Babylon.

The House of God Is Destroyed

⁸ On the seventh day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, Nebuzaradan came to Jerusalem. He was the captain of the soldiers, a servant of the king of Babylon. ⁹ He burned the house of the Lord, the king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem. He burned every great house with fire. ¹⁰ And all the Babylonian army who were with the captain of the soldiers broke down the walls around Jerusalem. ¹¹ Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the soldiers carried away to Babylon the rest of the people who were left in the city. And he carried away the soldiers who had run away from the battle. ¹² But the captain of the soldiers left behind some of the very poor people of the land to take care of the vines and to plow the fields.

¹³ The Babylonians broke in pieces the brass pillars in the house of the Lord. And they broke in pieces the stands and the brass pool which were in the house of the Lord. Then they carried the brass to Babylon. ¹⁴ They took away the pots, the tools for digging, the things for putting out the lamps, the dishes for special perfume, and all the brass dishes used for the work of the Lord’s house. ¹⁵ And they took away the fire-holders and the wash-pots. The captain of the soldiers took away what was made of fine gold and what was made of fine silver. ¹⁶ The brass of the two pillars, the one pool, and the stands which Solomon had made for the Lord’s house, was too much to weigh. ¹⁷ One pillar was five times taller than a man. The brass top piece on it was three cubits tall. A network and pomegranates made of brass were all around the top piece. And the second pillar had the same, with a network.

People of Judah Are Taken to Babylon

¹⁸ Then the captain of the soldiers took Seraiah the head religious leader, and Zephaniah the religious leader next in power. And he took the three men who were keepers of the door. ¹⁹ From the city he took a captain who led the men of war, and five men found in the city who had spoken with the king about what should be done. He took the captain of the army, who called together the people of the land. And he took sixty men of the land who were found in the city. ²⁰ Nebuzaradan the captain of the soldiers took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. ²¹ Then the king of Babylon killed them. He put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was taken away from its land.

Gedaliah Is Leader of Judah

²² King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had left some people in the land of Judah. He chose Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, to rule over them. ²³ All the captains of the armies and their men heard that the king of Babylon had chosen Gedaliah to be leader. So they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah. The captains who came with their men were Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, Johanan the son of Kareah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of Maacathite. ²⁴ Gedaliah made a promise to them and their men. He said to them, “Do not be afraid of the Babylonian leaders. Live in the land and work for the king of Babylon. Then it will be well with you.”

²⁵ But in the seventh month Ishmael came. He was the son of Nethaniah, son of Elishama, of the king’s family. He came with ten men and killed Gedaliah and the Jews and Babylonians who were with him at Mizpah. ²⁶ Then all the people, both small and great, and the captains of the armies left and went to Egypt. For they were afraid of the Babylonians.

²⁷ On the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month, in the thirty-seventh year since King Jehoiachin of Judah was taken away from his land, Evil-merodach became the king of Babylon. He showed favor to King Jehoiachin of Judah, and let him out of prison that year. ²⁸ He spoke kind words to him, and set his throne above the thrones of the kings who were with him in Babylon. ²⁹ Jehoiachin changed from his prison clothes. And he ate with the king all the rest of his life. ³⁰ The King gave him a share of food every day for the rest of his life.