Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Josiah Reads The Book of God's Law

(2 Chronicles 34.29-33)

23 King Josiah called together the older leaders of Judah and Jerusalem. ² Then he went to the Lord's temple, together with the people of Judah and Jerusalem, the priests, and the prophets. Finally, when everybody was there, he read aloud The Book of God's Law^[a] that had been found in the temple.

³ After Josiah had finished reading, he stood by one of the columns. He asked the people to promise in the Lord's name to faithfully obey the Lord and to follow his commands. The people agreed to do everything written in the book.

Josiah Follows the Teachings of God's Law

(2 Chronicles 34.3-7)

^4 (A) Josiah told Hilkiah the priest, the assistant priests, and the guards at the temple door to go into the temple and bring out the things used to worship Baal, Asherah, and the stars. Josiah had these things burned in Kidron Valley just outside Jerusalem, and he had the ashes carried away to the town of Bethel.

⁵ Josiah also got rid of the pagan priests at the local shrines in Judah and around Jerusalem. These were the men that the kings of Judah had appointed to offer sacrifices to Baal and to the sun, moon, and stars. ⁶ Josiah had the sacred pole^[b] for Asherah brought out of the temple and taken to Kidron Valley, where it was burned. He then had its ashes ground into dust and scattered over the public cemetery there. ⁷ He had the buildings torn down where the male prostitutes^[c] lived next to the temple, and where the women wove sacred robes^[d] for the idol of Asherah.

⁸ In almost every town in Judah, priests had been offering sacrifices to the Lord at local shrines.^[e] Josiah brought these priests to Jerusalem and had their shrines made unfit for worship—every shrine from Geba just north of Jerusalem to Beersheba in the south. He even tore down the shrine at Beersheba that was just to the left of Joshua Gate, which was named after the highest official of the city.

Josiah and the People of Judah Celebrate Passover

(2 Chronicles 35.1-19)

²¹ Josiah told the people of Judah, “Celebrate Passover in honor of the Lord your God, just as it says in The Book of God's Law.”^[a]

²² This festival had not been celebrated in this way since the time that tribal leaders ruled Israel or the kings ruled Israel and Judah. ²³ But in Josiah's eighteenth year as king of Judah, everyone came to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover.

The Lord Is Still Angry with the People of Judah

²⁴ Josiah got rid of every disgusting person and thing in Judah and Jerusalem—including magicians, fortunetellers, and idols. He did his best to obey every law written in the book that the priest Hilkiah found in the Lord's temple. ²⁵ No other king before or after Josiah tried as hard as he did to obey the Law of Moses.

Treasure in Clay Jars

4 God has been kind enough to trust us with this work. This is why we never give up. ² We don't do shameful things that must be kept secret. And we don't try to fool anyone or twist God's message around. God is our witness that we speak only the truth, so others will be sure we can be trusted. ³ If there is anything hidden about our message, it is hidden only to someone who is lost.

⁴ The god who rules this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers. They cannot see the light, which is the good news about our glorious Christ, who shows what God is like. ⁵ We are not preaching about ourselves. Our message is that Jesus Christ is Lord. He also sent us to be your servants. ^6 (A) The Scriptures say, “God commanded light to shine in the dark.” Now God is shining in our hearts to let you know that his glory is seen in Jesus Christ.

⁷ We are like clay jars in which this treasure is stored. The real power comes from God and not from us. ⁸ We often suffer, but we are never crushed. Even when we don't know what to do, we never give up. ⁹ In times of trouble, God is with us, and when we are knocked down, we get up again. ^10-11 We face death every day because of Jesus. Our bodies show what his death was like, so his life can also be seen in us. ¹² This means that death is working in us, but life is working in you.