2 Chronicles 35

1Josiah celebrated Passover for Yahweh in Jerusalem, and they slaughtered the Passover on the fourteenth of the first month.

2He stationed the priests over their divisions and strengthened them for service in the house of Yahweh.

3He said to the Levites who instructed all Israel, consecrated to Yahweh, "Place the holy ark in the house that Solomon son of David, king of Israel, built. No longer carry it on your shoulders. Now serve Yahweh your God, and his people Israel."

4Prepare yourselves by your fathers' houses according to your divisions, in the writing of David king of Israel and in the writing of Solomon his son.

5Stand in the holy place according to the divisions of the fathers' houses of your brothers, the sons of the people, and according to the division of a father's house of the Levites.

6Slaughter the Passover, sanctify yourselves, and prepare for your brothers to do according to the word of Yahweh by the hand of Moses.

7Josiah supplied the sons of the people with lambs and kids from the flock, all for the Passover offerings for all who were present, thirty thousand in number, and three thousand cattle, these from the king's possessions.

8His chiefs offered a freewill offering to the people, to the priests, and to the Levites; Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, rulers of God's house, gave to the priests for the Passover offerings two thousand six hundred Passover lambs and three hundred oxen.

9Conaniah also, Shemaiah and Nethanel his brothers, Hashabiah, Jeiel and Jozabad, chiefs of the Levites, gave to the Levites for the Passover offerings five thousand sheep and goats and five hundred cattle.

10The service was ordered, and the priests stood at their posts, and the Levites in their divisions, as the king commanded.

11They slaughtered the Passover, the priests sprinkled the blood from their hands, and the Levites skinned them.

12They separated the burnt offerings to distribute them by the divisions of the fathers' houses of the people's sons, to present to Yahweh as written in the book of Moses. They did likewise with the cattle.

13They roasted the Passover over fire as the regulation required, boiled the holy offerings in pots, kettles, and pans, and quickly brought them to all the sons of the people.

14Afterward they prepared for themselves and for the priests, because the priests, sons of Aaron, stayed busy offering up the burnt offering and the fats until night, and the Levites prepared for themselves and for the priests, sons of Aaron.

15The singers, sons of Asaph, stood at their posts following the charge of David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king's seer, while the gatekeepers remained at every gate with no need to step away from their duties, since their kinsmen the Levites readied everything for them.

16All the service of Yahweh was prepared that day to observe the Passover and offer burnt offerings on Yahweh's altar, according to king Josiah's command.

17The sons of Israel who were present observed the Passover at that time, and the feast of unleavened bread seven days.

18No Passover like it was observed in Israel from the days of Samuel the prophet, nor did all the kings of Israel observe such a Passover as Josiah, the priests, the Levites, all Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem observed.

19In the eighteenth year of Josiah's reign, this Passover was observed.

20After all this, when Josiah had prepared the house, Necho king of Egypt went up to fight at Carchemish by the Euphrates, and Josiah went out to meet him.

21He sent messengers to him, saying, "What is it to me and to you, king of Judah? I come not against you today, for I go to the house of my war, and God has said to hasten me. Cease from God who is with me, lest he destroy you."

22Josiah did not turn his face from him, because he disguised himself to fight him and did not listen to the words of Neco from the mouth of God, but came to fight in the valley of Megiddo.

23The archers shot King Josiah, and the king said to his servants, "Carry me away, because I am badly wounded."

24His servants removed him from the chariot and mounted him on the second chariot he had, and they brought him to Jerusalem, where he died and was buried in the tombs of his fathers, and all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.

25Jeremiah raised a lament over Josiah, and all the male singers and female singers mentioned Josiah in their laments to this day, and they established them as a statute in Israel; and look, they stand recorded in the laments.

26The rest of Josiah's acts and his kindnesses, as written in the law of Yahweh.

27His earlier and later deeds—behold, they are recorded in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.