Josiah Restores the Passover

(2 Kings 23:21-27)

1And Josiah maketh in Jerusalem a passover to Jehovah, and they slaughter the passover-offering on the fourteenth of the first month, 2and he stationeth the priests over their charges, and strengtheneth them for the service of the house of Jehovah, 3and saith to the Levites -- who are teaching all Israel -- who are sanctified to Jehovah, 'Put the holy ark in the house that Solomon son of David king of Israel built; it is not to you a burden on the shoulder. 'Now, serve Jehovah your God, and His people Israel, 4and prepare, by the house of your fathers, according to your courses, by the writing of David king of Israel, and by the writing of Solomon his son, 5and stand in the sanctuary, by the divisions of the house of the fathers of your brethren, sons of the people, and the portion of the house of a father of the Levites, 6and slaughter the passover-offering and sanctify yourselves, and prepare for your brethren, to do according to the word of Jehovah by the hand of Moses.'

7And Josiah lifteth up to the sons of the people a flock of lambs and young goats, the whole for passover-offerings, for every one who is found, to the number of thirty thousand, and oxen three thousand: these are from the substance of the king. 8And his heads, for a willing-offering to the people, to the priests, and to the Levites, have lifted up; Hilkiah, and Zechariah, and Jehiel, leaders in the house of God, to the priests have given for passover-offerings two thousand and six hundred, and oxen three hundred; 9and Conaniah, and Shemaiah, and Nethaneel, his brethren, and Hashabiah, and Jeiel, and Jozabad, heads of the Levites, have lifted up to the Levites, for passover-offerings, five thousand, and oxen five hundred.

10And the service is prepared, and the priests stand on their station, and the Levites on their courses, according to the command of the king, 11and they slaughter the passover-offering, and the priests sprinkle out of their hand, and the Levites are striping; 12and they turn aside the burnt-offering, to put them by the divisions of the house of the fathers of the sons of the people, to bring near to Jehovah, as it is written in the book of Moses -- and so to the oxen. 13And they cook the passover with fire, according to the ordinance, and the sanctified things they have cooked in pots, and in kettles, and in pans -- for all the sons of the people. 14And afterward they have prepared for themselves, and for the priests: for the priests, sons of Aaron, are in the offering up of the burnt-offering and of the fat till night; and the Levites have prepared for themselves, and for the priests, sons of Aaron. 15And the singers, sons of Asaph, are on their station, according to the command of David, and Asaph, and Heman, and Jeduthun seer of the king, and the gate keepers are at gate and gate; it is not for them to turn aside from off their service, for their brethren the Levites have prepared for them.

16And all the service of Jehovah is prepared on that day, to keep the passover, and to cause to ascend burnt-offering upon the altar of Jehovah, according to the command of king Josiah. 17And the sons of Israel who are found make the passover at that time, and the feast of unleavened things, seven days. 18And there hath not been made a passover like it in Israel from the days of Samuel the prophet, and none of the kings of Israel made such a passover as Josiah hath made, and the priests, and the Levites, and all Judah and Israel who are found, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 19In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah hath this passover been made.

Josiah Slain at Megiddo

(2 Kings 23:28-30)

20After all this, when Josiah hath prepared the house, come up hath Necho king of Egypt, to fight against Carchemish by Phrat, and Josiah goeth forth to meet him; 21and he sendeth unto him messengers, saying, 'What -- to me and to thee, O king of Judah? not against thee do I come to-day, but unto the house with which I have war, and God said to haste me; cease for thee from God who is with me, and He doth not destroy thee.' 22And Josiah hath not turned round his face from him, but to fight against him hath disguised himself, and hath not hearkened unto the words of Necho, from the mouth of God, and cometh in to fight in the valley of Megiddo; 23and the archers shoot at king Josiah, and the king saith to his servants, 'Remove me, for I have become very sick.' 24And his servants remove him from the chariot, and cause him to ride on the second chariot that he hath, and cause him to go to Jerusalem, and he dieth, and is buried in the graves of his fathers, and all Judah and Jerusalem are mourning for Josiah,

Laments for Josiah

25and Jeremiah lamenteth for Josiah, and all the singers and the songstresses speak in their lamentations of Josiah unto this day, and set them for a statute on Israel, and lo, they are written beside the lamentations. 26And the rest of the matters of Josiah, and his kind acts, according as it is written in the law of Jehovah, 27even his matters, the first and the last, lo, they are written on the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.